V
She kicked open the half–closed door, paying no attention whatsoever <b>to </b>the reminders Karen had left before heading out. Or perhaps, it was more urate to say she never intended to care in the first ce.
Ivan had been an ident. The couple hadn’t nned on keeping the baby–by the time they discovered the pregnancy, it was already three months along. Only after much persuasion from the other kids did they finally decide he could stay.
Ileana, of course, had objected. But with the whole family in agreement, she <b>had </b>no choice but to paste on a smile and go along with it, all while grinding her teeth to dust behind closed doors.
Still, she had to admit, when Karen gave birth and it turned out to be a boy, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She wasn’t the youngest in the family, but she remained the only girl.
Even so, the newborn managed to steal a good deal of attention that should have been hers. Jealousy gnawed at her, and a deep sense of injustice took root.
She felt nothing but resentment toward her little brother. It didn’t matter that he was fair–skinned and endearingly sweet–Ileana found him utterly unlovable<b>. </b>
The moment Ivan saw someone enter the room, his wailing stopped. He broke into a wide smile, arms reaching out, asking to be held.
“Cry, cry, cry–so annoying!” Ileana didn’t pick him up. Instead, she shoved him, sending him tumbling back onto the crib mattress just as he’d managed to stand.
The little guynded on the soft bedding. Mistaking her aggression for y, he giggled, grabbed the rail, and pulled himself upright again<b>. </b>
Tears still streaked his cheeks, but he beamed at her, arms outstretched, asking for
a hug once more..
“Smile, smile, smile–so irritating. Why don’t you just cry yourself to death?” Ileanal was growing more agitated by the second,
Sensing her impatience, lyan’s smile crumpled. His lips wobbled, and a heartbeatter, he was bawling at the top of his lungs.
“Cry, cry, cry–is that all you know how to do? You’re driving me crazy.” I ha pinched his arm hard, and the pain only made Ivan’s cries even louder.
It didn’t make her feel any better. In fact, she wanted tosh out again. Fortunately,
<b>13:29 </b>
<b>the </b><b>doorbell </b>rang at that very moment.
Ileana clicked her tongue in irritation, Ignored Ivan’s sobs, and <b>strode </b><b>out </b><b>of </b>the room. She locked the door behind her<b>, </b>shutting out his wailing.
“Hi there, delivery for you. Can you sign for this, please?”
Ileana opened the front door, her expression frosty.
“No adults home?”
“Just give it to me already. Why so many questions? You’re just the delivery <b>guy</b>” She snatched the package and scrawled her name across the slip.
“Hey, what’s with the attitude?”
The courier looked at her in disbelief. Ileana tore off the signed slip, tossed both it and the pen back at him, then mmed the door in his face with a disdainful flick.
The courier clenched his jaw, muttering curses as he bent to pick up the pen. “Rich kids these days. No manners at all.”
Inside, Ileana eyed the envelope in her hand and wrinkled her nose in distaste.
Lately, the Mortons had all gone for a full medical checkup–age was catching up with them, so for peace of mind, they’d had the kids checked out too. Before leaving the house, Karen had specifically reminded Ileana to ept the delivery.
She’d meant to toss the envelope aside, but on a whim, she dropped onto the couch, tore it open, and began flipping idly through everyone’s medical reports.
Halfway through, she suddenly sat bolt upright.
Karen and Brendan were both type O blood–but her own report showed type A. Everyone else, except for her and Ivan who hadn’t been tested yet, was type O.
A dark suspicion crept into Ileana’s mind. Almost instinctively, she yanked her own report from the stack and tried to hide it. She searched every corner of the house but couldn’t find a single good hiding spot.