My Mother Told Me To Stay Behind While She Took My…

He made an effort with Olivia. He played games with her, helped with her homework, and brought her little treats from the gas station on his way home. But with me, it felt like I barely existed.

He would walk into a room and speak to everyone except me, as if I were part of the furniture. Meanwhile, things at the company were changing too. After Dad left, Mom took over, and she brought Paul into work with her.

They seemed to work well together, always talking about business plans, new markets, and expansion ideas at the dinner table. I tried to focus on my own life, school, friends, and ordinary teenage things like football games, mall trips, and college brochures, but it was hard to shake the feeling that I was becoming invisible in my own family. Things became worse when Mom and Paul announced they were opening a new branch of the company in another city.

One evening, Mom gathered us in the living room and said, “We’re moving. It’s a great opportunity for the business.”