Chapter 7 - The Favors Suddenly Had a Pattern
I had spent years thinking Logan was simply the favorite.
He got the better birthday gifts.
The bigger bedroom.
His first car at sixteen.
His second when he wrecked the first.
When I worked evenings through college, Diane called it “building character.”
When Logan lost his job, she covered his mortgage for six months.
I had always interpreted the difference as love.
Now I began examining timing.
Logan discovered my adoption papers when he was eighteen.
Two months later, Diane paid off his credit-card debt.
At twenty-two, he found one of Rebecca’s letters at Grandma’s house.
That summer, Diane helped with his condo down payment.
Last month, he retrieved Rebecca’s graduation folder.
Then came the new car.
I didn’t have proof the money was payment for silence.
But the pattern was difficult to ignore.
I confronted him at his condo.
“You went through Grandma’s storage.”
“She asked me to help.”
“You found Rebecca’s letters.”
He poured himself coffee.
“I already told you I knew.”
“You took the diploma folder.”
“For your graduation.”
“Did you know the envelope was inside?”
“No.”
Too quick.
“You told me not to open it before I pulled out the photograph.”
He stopped moving.
That was my answer.
“You knew.”
“I knew there might be something.”
“What did Mom promise you?”
“Jesus, Claire.”
“What did she promise you?”
“It wasn't like that.”
“Then explain what it was like.”
He slammed the mug down.
“Do you know what growing up with you was like?”
I stared at him.
There was real anger in his face.
“When you got sick, everyone worried about Claire. When you had anxiety, everyone adjusted for Claire. When you worked hard, everyone praised Claire for being responsible.”
I almost laughed.
“Mom humiliated me at my own graduation and gave you a car.”
“Because nothing was ever enough with you.”
The contradiction was astonishing.
I had been treated worse.
He had somehow experienced my mere existence as favoritism because people respected things I earned.
Then he admitted it.
Diane had asked him to remove anything Rebecca-related from Grandma’s storage.
“She said Grandma was getting confused and might dump everything on you at once.”
“And the car?”
He looked away.
“Mom was already planning it.”
“When?”
He didn’t answer.
I understood then.
Maybe Diane had never explicitly said Hide this secret and I’ll buy you a car.
She didn’t need to.
Their system was older and cleaner than bribery.
Logan protected Diane.
Diane rewarded Logan.
Everyone pretended those were unrelated facts.
I stood.
He called after me.
“You think Rebecca is some saint?”
I stopped.
“No.”
May you like
That was the first thing in days I knew with certainty.
“I think I deserve to decide that for myself.”
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