Chapter 10 - Allison’s Breakdown and the Annulment
Two days later, Allison arrived at my private design studio in Soho.
She was no longer wearing the bespoke designer clothing she had spent her life demanding. She wore oversized sunglasses to hide her swollen, tear-stained eyes and a simple trench coat.
“Meredith,” she choked out, standing near the reception desk. “Preston’s lawyers served me with annulment papers yesterday. His family is suing Dad for the wedding expenses. Nobody in our social circle will take my calls. I don't have anywhere to go.”
I looked at my younger sister—the girl who had spent twenty years laughing at my expense, mocking my clothes, and treating me like her personal servant.
“Did you ever once consider me your sister, Allison?” I asked calmly.
Allison burst into tears, dropping onto the leather sofa. “Mom and Dad always told me that you were cold! They told me you were jealous of me! I didn't know they were stealing from you! I thought Dad was rich!”
“You didn’t know because you chose not to look,” I said. “You liked the designer bags, the sports cars, and the private flights too much to ask where the money was coming from. You were happy to let me be the punching bag as long as your bills were paid.”
“I’m sorry, Meredith,” she wept, burying her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
I took a deep breath. I didn't feel rage toward Allison anymore. I only felt a profound, liberating indifference.
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“I will pay for a small one-bedroom apartment for you in Queens for twelve months,” I told her. “And I will pay your tuition to finish your degree at City College. But after that, Allison, you are on your own. You will learn to work, you will learn to pay your own rent, and you will learn what it means to earn your own life.”
Allison looked up, her face streaked with tears, and nodded slowly. “Thank you, Meredith... thank you.”
