Dear Dad, Do You Know That Stepmother Is A Devil?

My mom was a ghost.

She had been by my side for fifteen years.

Once again, she started crying and wailing, “They’re only being nice to you because they want to turn you into your stepmother’s backup blood supply!”

I finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Mom, I wasn’t as naive as you!”

She looked shocked. “You… you can see me?”

I nodded, and her eyes widened even more.

I watched as my dad slapped my stepmother hard, twice, and yelled, “Go donate blood for my daughter, right now!”

——

When I was fifteen, I won a national gold medal for my essay.

I ran back to the villa, waving the magazine and excitedly calling out for my parents.

A woman floated beside me, circling in excitement.

But when she read the essay, she suddenly burst into tears.

“Sienna, you foolish child, wake up!”

“They’re only being nice to you because they want to turn you into your stepmother’s backup blood supply, so they can drain you whenever she needs it!”

Her anger was so intense it almost messed up my hair.

I finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Mom, stop it!”

“You really think I’m as naive as you?”

She looked stunned. “You… you can see me?”

I just smiled and threw myself into my dad’s arms as he stood waiting at the door.

My stepmother smiled sweetly beside him, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Sienna, you’re amazing! Your dad should reward you properly!”

“How about giving you the ‘Tears of Love’?”

I quickly waved my hands. “Oh no, I couldn’t!”

“That’s the keepsake Dad gave you. You never even wear it!”

My words hit a nerve, and she could only force a smile.

But my dad beamed. “Sure, you can wear it for your next piano performance. It’ll look perfect with your dress!”

My stepmother’s hand, which was peeling an apple, froze for a moment, and she struggled to keep her composure.

I skipped back to my room, eagerly putting on the ‘Tears of Love.’ The smooth white pearls were delicately accented with red agate, like snow and red beans, love and longing.

I styled my hair just right and slipped into a long white gown.

In the mirror, I looked just like my mother, who died in the delivery room.

It took my dad a moment to snap out of it, and then he awkwardly changed the subject.

“So, what was your awardwinning essay about?”

I pretended not to notice my stepmother’s hateful glare as I walked over to her with a big smile.

“I wrote about how amazing my mom was! How she raised me, even though she wasn’t well, and how she still donated blood, especially since she had Rhnegative blood...”

As my stepmother’s face darkened, I quickly reached out to grab her hand.

“Mom! Don’t be upset! I just combined a classmate’s story with your experiences for some creative flair...”

Suddenly, I screamed.

“Ah!”

The fruit knife in her hand had accidentally slashed my arm.

A long cut immediately started bleeding, badly.

And I had taken aspirin earlier.

The blood wouldn’t stop.

I collapsed weakly into my dad’s arms.

“Don’t blame Mom! It’s my fault. I made her upset again!”

“Are you crazy? Why are you taking it out on the kid?” My dad glared at my stepmother and rushed me to the hospital.

As expected, the hospital struggled to find Rhnegative blood quickly.

Panicked, my dad blurted out, “Tanya, you need to do it!”

My stepmother stared at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

“No!” I cried, tears streaming down my face.

“Dad, am I going to die? But I can’t drag Mom down with me!”

“You love Mom the most. I don’t want you to be sad! It’s okay if I die. Mom can have another, healthier child to love you both for me!”

My stepmother hesitated, her face pale.

Maybe my trembling hands threw my dad off because suddenly, he stood up.

I gave a subtle nod, and my mom, floating nearby, looked stunned.

With two sharp slaps, my dad hit my stepmother across the face.

“This is what you owe her!” he yelled.

“Now go give my daughter your blood!”

I fingered the necklace around my neck, smirking as I asked,

“Mom, happy now?”

The ‘Tears of Love’ necklace was indeed a token of love between my dad and mom, my real mom, the one who was now a ghost.

My stepmother had tried to coax it out of my dad so many times, but he never budged. Today, she was testing him again, and well...

I do love watching them play their little games of mistrust.

My mom’s ghost floated over, trembling slightly.

“Alright, you win,” she said.

“But I don’t want you hurting yourself just to prove a point!”

Now that’s something only a real mom would say.

I’d been able to see her since I was born, always floating around like a fairy.

She was always smiling.

“My Sienna, you’re going to grow up happy and healthy, okay?”

Whenever I pouted and asked for a hug, she’d immediately try to hold me, only to pass right through me.

Then, she’d end up crying even harder than I did.

But Tanya Cook, my stepmother, would stop my dad from comforting me and say,

“A child shouldn’t be spoiled. She needs to learn to stand on her own.”

Tanya only got really worked up when I actually got hurt. She’d fuss over me like she cared.

“Oh no, you’re bleeding! I told you to be careful! Didn’t you listen to me?”

She even told my teachers that I had some rare hereditary condition that made me bleed easily. And of course, she mentioned that I had Rhnegative blood.

The other girls envied me for getting out of gym class. They all thought I had the best mom ever.

But I knew the truth. I didn’t have any hereditary disease.

The real issue was Tanya.

She didn’t care about me, but just the blood I lost.

And she definitely wasn’t my mom.

My real mom’s name was Bella Fuller. She visited me every night, sitting by my bed and telling me stories.

Even as a little girl, I had already started plotting my revenge.

My mom, Bella, was an orphan, raised by the kindness of many families.

When she got to college, she started donating blood regularly.

That’s where she met my stepmother, Tanya, who was volunteering at the blood drive.

“Wow, what a coincidence!” Tanya had said. “We have the same blood type, and we even go to the same school!”

They became close friends, and Tanya even introduced her brother to my mom.

The day they met, my mom was wearing a simple white dress, her hair naturally curled.

When she smiled, it was like everything around her faded, leaving Tanya, despite her bold features and striking beauty, suddenly less radiant.

A rich boy was falling for a girl from humble beginnings. It was a perfect love story.

But there was a twist. Tanya had a hereditary condition that required regular blood transfusions.

My mom, being both her best friend and now her sisterinlaw, never hesitated to donate.

It wasn’t until later that my mom learned the truth. Tanya wasn’t actually related to my dad.

She was the daughter of my grandmother’s best friend, who had asked my dad’s family to take care of her before she passed.

Tanya had grown up alongside my dad, more like siblings, but they weren’t really related.

As Tanya’s health improved, my mom’s started to decline.

Every time Tanya needed blood, my mom grew weaker. When Tanya needed another transfusion, my mom hesitated for the first time.

Tanya collapsed into my dad’s arms, sobbing,

“Don’t blame Bella! I know I’m not her real sister. It’s only fair if she doesn’t want to help me.”

“Brother, I guess it’s just my fate. Maybe in our next lives, we’ll be real siblings.”

My dad frowned, his voice sharp with disappointment.

“Bella, since when did you become so selfish?”

“It’s just blood, not an organ! You can just eat something to make up for it!”

But he didn’t think about the fact that my mom was already eight months pregnant.

Tanya eventually recovered fully.

But my mom didn’t make it through childbirth.

My dad was devastated, wracked with guilt, and cried until he fainted several times.

Tanya comforted him,

“Brother, you have to take care of yourself. Let me look after you and the baby.”

“Bella only ever made you sad. But me? I’d never hurt you like that.”

And so, a white sheet covered my mom’s body, while a wedding veil adorned Tanya.

But my dad didn’t know that my mom’s death wasn’t just a tragic accident.

There was something more sinister at play.

In my ghost mom’s version of the story, my dad was just too softhearted, letting Tanya weasel her way into our lives.

But even as a kid, I knew better. He wasn’t kind or blind.

He was just a plain jerk.

To everyone else, he and my stepmom were the pictureperfect couple, and we looked like the ideal little family.

The only thing left of my mom was that necklace, ‘Tears of Love’. Every other trace of her had been wiped away.

But there was no way I’d let them live in peace.

So, I made a habit of pretending to have nightmares and barging into their bedroom in the middle of the night.

I’d throw myself around Tanya’s neck, sobbing like my life depended on it.

“Mommy, I dreamed you died! Please don’t die!”

My dad would try to laugh it off, telling me it was just a nightmare and not to bother Tanya.

But she’d play the doting mother, smiling as she held me,

“It’s okay if I lose some sleep. Sienna’s wellbeing is what matters.”

Please, who doesn’t know how to play the victim?

I’m the real little victim here!

Then I’d turn and snuggle into my dad’s arms, rubbing my eyes and whimpering in the sweetest voice I could manage,

“Daddy, I dreamed Mommy died and told me to take care of you. You were crying so much!”

“It’s okay if Sienna dies, as long as Daddy is happy!”

Tanya’s face would immediately darken, darker than the night itself.

My dad’s eyes would flicker, his expression tense as he quietly tried to comfort me, his eyelashes trembling just a little.

The next time I burst into their bedroom crying, Tanya finally lost it.

“Look at me! I’m not dead! If you keep saying that, I’ll give you something to cry about!”

My dad tried to calm us both down, one hand patting my back, the other stroking her hair.

“Sienna’s just a kid. Why are you getting so upset?”

Tanya let out a bitter laugh.

“I told you we should lock the door, but no! You’re happy that woman’s still haunting us, aren’t you?”

My dad forced a smile, trying to keep his cool.

“Don’t say stuff like that in front of her.”

“Stuff like that? You know exactly what I mean!”

She snapped, grabbing the oil burner from the nightstand and throwing it at him. He blocked it with his arm, but the burner ricocheted back, slicing her leg open.

Blood started gushing out, and just like that, her condition flared up again.

Everything became a blur as my dad frantically called the hospital, searching for Rhnegative blood.

Amidst the chaos, I tugged at his shirt, my voice pleading.

“Daddy, give Mommy my blood!”

That’s when he noticed I was barefoot, standing on the cold floor. We’d rushed out so quickly that I hadn’t even put on shoes.

His face went through a mix of shock, sadness, and guilt.

Kneeling, he choked out,

“You’re only six. You can’t give blood to Mommy yet.”

I nodded, my heart sinking.

“That’s why Grandma keeps telling me to eat more and get strong, so I can be a good blood donor.”

My dad’s brow furrowed, and I quickly reached up to smooth it out.

“Don’t be sad, Daddy. I’ll grow up fast! Mommy named me Sienna so I could give her my blood, right?”

His expression changed like he’d been slapped awake.

Tanya had once said she envied Bella’s place in my dad’s heart.

“Why don’t we name her Sienna, in her memory?”

My dad let out a bitter laugh.

“Sienna. For her blood. You two really are something.”

I clung to his hand, my voice trembling.

“Did I say something wrong, Daddy? Does Mommy not like me anymore?”

“In my dream, she was so nice to us. Why is she so mean when I wake up?”

He didn’t answer, just held me close, gently patting my back until I drifted off.

Halfasleep, I heard him calling my grandma.

He was trying to keep his voice down, but it was clear they were arguing.

Now that’s my kind of lullaby! Way better than those sad bedtime stories Mom used to tell me.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

This time, Tanya had both gotten a beating and lost blood. She had lost both the battle and the war.

Furious, she turned off her phone and stormed out of the house.

I gave my dad a sympathetic shoulder rub and said softly.

“Mom’s getting more and more unreasonable.”

“You work so hard to make her happy, and she still gets mad at you! I’m different. I just want to take care of you!”

I winked at the empty spot where Mom’s ghost used to be.

“Dad, you should take some time to relax. How about checking out an art exhibit?”

I gently massaged his temples.

“When I grow up, I’ll take you to see art exhibits all over the world, just like you support all my hobbies without question!”

“You’re the best, Dad! Unlike Grandma, who always makes you do things her way!”

My dad suddenly froze, his gaze drifting through the floortoceiling windows as if he were seeing that grassy field from over a decade ago.

As a child, he was forced to learn piano, and as he grew up, he was pushed into finance.

But his real passion was painting.

Mom used to sit by the lake reading, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning, and she became the vibrant subject of Dad’s paintings.

Tanya had thrown away Mom’s belongings and photos, but she’d missed Dad’s sketchbooks.

Those drawings were tucked away in a dusty little attic.

When Mom discovered them, she proudly claimed they were proof of Dad’s undying love.

Ugh, posthumous affection is about as genuine as an unexpected stomach bug!

Dad gently patted my hand and sighed deeply.

“Maybe it’s time to go see them.”

He took the bait!

I couldn’t help but let a small smile creep across my lips.

Suddenly, Tanya’s syrupy voice wafted in from the doorway.

“Simon, I’m back!”

And right behind her was my fabulously wealthy grandmother.

I could see the satisfaction flicker in Grandma’s eyes as my smile froze.

That old bitch was always up to something.

As a kid, she’d tempt me to mess with the bed frame or touch live electrical outlets.

She’d even toss toys into the bathtub and dare me to fish them out.

My ghost mom would freak out, making the whole scene way more dramatic and entertaining.

I’d quickly steer clear of those dangers, which probably saved me from an accident.

Tanya, however, wasn’t so lucky. She couldn’t get pregnant.

Her illness was prone to flareup, and I became the only potential donor.

Now, Grandma was putting on her sweetest face, feeding me all sorts of nutritious foods while telling me about Tanya’s difficult childbirth.

“Your mom nearly died giving birth to you. You have to repay her when you grow up, okay?”

My ghost mom hovered around, frantic and exasperated:

“She’s an old fraud! Don’t believe her!”

Ignoring my ghost mom, I turned to Grandma with wideeyed innocence and said, “I understand!”

Grandma seemed to think she’d won me over and took off on her travels again.

But now she’s back with Tanya.

What new tricks are they planning?