My body was laid out at the press conference , while Mathias used specialized equipment to livestream my memories to the entire world . On the screen , Lydia was seven years old , clutching a large pair of scissors and a handmade bunny doll . I was only five then - so small that no matter how I jumped , I couldn't reach the toy . I wailed in frustration , " That's the bunny Mommy made for me ! Give it back ! " My mom had passed away not long after I was born . That bunny was the only thing she'd left me . Lydia , holding the scissors , shredded the bunny into pieces . " I'm not giving it back ! Never ! Na - na - na- na - na ! Who told you to steal Daddy from me ? " But he was my dad to begin with! Furious , I charged at her , headfirst . She fell to the floor , and the scissors sliced her hand . My dad and my stepmother , Dorothy Korran , came running when they heard Lydia's cries . Dorothy scooped Lydia up , sobbing as she turned to my dad . " If Eileen doesn't want us here , then we'll just leave . There's no need for Lydia to be treated like this ! " I was too young , my face flushed with anxiety , unable to explain myself . All I could do was keep re- peating that Lydia was mean . In truth , my dad never even asked what had really happened . He just slapped me across the face and locked me in the storage room . " You're already hurting people at this age ? Think about what you've done ! " Locked in the pitch - black storage room , I sobbed in terror . Dad didn't soften at all . By the time I was let out , my pants were soaked through . Dad didn't care that I was scared out of my mind . He ordered me to apologize to Lydia and Dorothy . As punishment , I had to stay home alone that night , while the three of them went to the amusement park together a special treat for Lydia . 0.0 % 09:22 Chapter 4 The scene shifted - three years later . It was the middle of the school year . I scored a 98 in math and a 95 in language arts . 288 Vouchers I rushed home , excited to tell Dad , " Daddy , I got first place ! My teacher said I did amazing ! Can I have a bunny doll as a reward? " Dad was always with Dorothy and Lydia . I felt like an outsider in my own home . He'd say Dorothy was the widow of his old army buddy , a man who died saving his life . He owed it to his friend to take care of Dorothy and Lydia . I didn't understand any of that . All I knew was that Dad had become someone else's father . I missed my mom . I missed the bunny she'd left me . Lydia came home from school just then , clutching a failed test . When she saw my perfect scores , she immediately burst into tears . Dad tore up my tests , scowling as he scolded me , " You could've gotten a hundred in math , but you only got 98 ! How could you be so careless ? And you call this something to brag about ? " I stared at the shredded test papers scattered across the floor , completely lost . But Dad just took Lydia by the hand , smiling as he comforted her , " Grades aren't important . My daugh- ter's happiness is all that matters . Come on , let's go buy you that princess dress you wanted ! " I watched them leave , tears streaming down my face as I crouched down to pick up the torn papers , patching them together with tape - just like I'd tried to fix my bunny . I cried as I told Sasha what happened . Sasha tried to comfort me , clumsily offering advice , " Don't cry , Eileen . Next time , just get lower scores , too . Then your dad won't yell at you . ' It made sense to me . ་ ་ For the final exams , I left a bunch of questions blank , just like Lydia , and failed . When I got home , I handed over my test , full of hope , only to be whipped with Dad's belt . " You went from first place to the bottom ten ! What have you been doing at school ? Let's see if you'll slack off again ! " Lydia , meanwhile , scored one point higher than last time , and Dad rewarded her with a Barbie set . " My 42.6 % 09:22 Chapter 4 daughter made progress this time . Good job ! " My butt hurt so much I had to lie in bed for a week . Sasha came over to see me , her eyes shining as she asked how I was doing . 288 iVouchers I said blankly , " Sasha , do you think maybe I remembered it wrong ? Maybe Daddy is really Lydia's ac- tual father ? Otherwise , why does he hate me so much ? " Sasha didn't have an answer for me either . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!