I Sacrificed My Youth to Raise My 5 Siblings – One Day, My Boyfriend Said, ‘I Found Something in Your Youngest’s Room. Please Don’t Scream’
I looked at all of them. “Tell me what? What’s going on?”
Lily took a breath. “Mrs. Lewis didn’t lose the ring for long. She found it later. She said it didn’t fit anymore and was going to sell it.”
“So why is it under your bed?” I pressed. “I don’t understand.”
Lily looked at her siblings, then back at me. “Because we wanted to buy it.”
That answer didn’t make sense yet. And the real reason behind it was still waiting to be said.
“Why?” I urged.
“So why is it under your bed?”
Lily hesitated, then glanced toward Andrew before looking back at me. “Because he doesn’t have one,” she said softly.
The room stilled.
“And you always wait,” Maya added gently.
“For everything,” Jake said.
Noah exhaled. “You never choose yourself, Bree.”
“And we didn’t want you to keep doing that,” Lily finished.
“The money… where did you get all that?” I asked.
“You never choose yourself, Bree.”
They exchanged quick glances. “We earned it,” Noah confessed, unsure of how I’d react.
“Earned?” I repeated, staring at him.
Jake rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve been mowing lawns around the block.”
Maya nodded. “I walk Mrs. Carter’s dogs after school.”
Sophie added softly, “I help Mrs. Jensen with groceries every week.”
Noah looked at me. “I babysit for the Collins family on weekends.”
Lily added softly, “I help Mrs. Lewis around the house and watch her granddaughter for a bit… she pays me for it.” She hesitated, then glanced at her siblings. “We kept the ring and the money in a box in my room… we didn’t think there was a better place to hide it.”
“We earned it.”
“But you guys told me you were just out playing,” I said.
Lily lowered her gaze. “We knew you’d say no if we told you the truth, Bree.”
