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00:00Hi, my name is Valerie and I'm from Seattle.
00:03Growing up, I lived on the penthouse floor of the fanciest hotel in the city,
00:07with the weirdest parents on the planet.
00:10My parents owned the hotel and about a dozen more around the world.
00:14They were millionaires and everyone in town loved them.
00:18They'd wave and smile to the doorman and the guests as they walked into the hotel,
00:22but the moment we arrived in our penthouse, everything changed.
00:26They'd send me to my room and spend the rest of the night shouting into their cell phones.
00:31When I was five, I asked my dad to read me a bedtime story.
00:34As usual, he was busy on the phone.
00:37Please, Daddy, it'll only take a second.
00:39I asked him again and he snatched the book out of my hand and threw it out the window.
00:44Here's your story.
00:45Don't interrupt Daddy when he's on the phone.
00:47The end.
00:48Now go to your room.
00:50When I was 14, my history teacher Miss Jackson gave me an assignment to draw my family tree.
00:55I asked my mom and dad about it and their faces turned white.
00:59We are your only family.
01:00That's all you need to know.
01:02What about grandparents or cousins?
01:04Do we have any pictures?
01:05I could use them for my project.
01:07The next day, my teacher was gone.
01:10She'd been reassigned to a new school.
01:12I was so upset.
01:14I knew my parents had something to do with it.
01:16When I came home, I confronted them about it.
01:19But they swore they didn't do anything.
01:22I could tell they were lying.
01:24Things at school weren't much better.
01:26I was shy and a teeny bit clumsy.
01:29And one day in the cafeteria, I tripped over my shoelace and spilled my lunch all over the
01:34most popular girl in school.
01:36Sorry.
01:37She and her minions made it their mission to make my life miserable.
01:41Hey, leave me alone or I'll...
01:43What?
01:44You'll tell your rich daddy and get us transferred like you did to Miss Jackson?
01:48After that, none of the kids in school wanted anything to do with me.
01:52My only friend in the world was the doorman's son, Peter.
01:56Why did the chicken cross the road?
01:58I don't know.
01:59Because the sun was in his eyes.
02:02Peter always found a way to make me smile.
02:05And on days when my parents were away on business,
02:08I'd sneak down to the lobby to hang out with Peter.
02:10We played chess.
02:11He helped me with my algebra homework and even taught me how to play the harmonica.
02:15When I turned 16, things got even worse.
02:18My parents spent most of their time away on business,
02:21and Peter's dad wasn't working as much as he did before.
02:24So I spent most of my days alone in the penthouse.
02:27One day, I was wandering around the apartments looking for my calculator.
02:31I couldn't find mine, so I went to my parents' office to use theirs.
02:35And I saw a painting hanging lopsided on the wall.
02:38I walked over and adjusted the picture.
02:40And then I heard a clicking sound.
02:42What's that?
02:43The wall behind the painting wasn't a wall at all.
02:46It was a hidden door.
02:48I pulled it open and found a huge safe I'd never seen before.
02:52The safe had a combination lock.
02:54I tried a few numbers, but none of them worked.
02:57I started to walk away.
02:58This was my parents' secret safe.
03:01I wasn't supposed to be in here, but I couldn't resist.
03:04My parents were never good at remembering things,
03:06so they had to have written the code down somewhere.
03:09I searched through my parents' drawers and notebooks looking for clues.
03:12And then I found it.
03:14Stashed away in a secret compartment in my dad's drawer
03:17was a list of passwords and the code to the secret safe.
03:21I typed in the code and the safe opened.
03:24Inside were a bunch of boring old documents and a photo album I'd never seen before.
03:28I opened the photo album and saw an old picture of my parents.
03:32They were much younger and didn't have any of their fancy clothes and flashy jewelry.
03:37They stood in front of a tiny old shack with a baby in their arms.
03:41But it wasn't me.
03:43Next to the photo was a birth certificate.
03:45I had a sister named Raina who was 16 years older than me.
03:49I was furious.
03:51My parents had lied to me my whole life.
03:54On the next few pages were letters from Raina begging my parents to come see her.
03:58Raina had a family of her own and wanted to meet me and reconnect with my parents.
04:03My fury turned to confusion.
04:06Why would my parents hide Raina from me?
04:08Why would they shut their own daughter out of their life?
04:11I needed answers and I knew my parents would never give them to me.
04:15They'd only lie or worse.
04:17My despicable parents might send Raina and her family away and I'd never see them again.
04:22Raina's address was printed on one of the letters and she only lived a few hours away.
04:27I could take the train and get there by morning.
04:29Without thinking, I packed a bag, grabbed some cash from the safe and hopped on the train.
04:34A few hours later, I was on Raina's doorstep.
04:37Raina lived in a run-down apartment building.
04:40I knocked on her door.
04:41The door opened and I gasped.
04:43It was like I was staring at my future self.
04:46Aside from her green eyes, we looked exactly alike.
04:50Valerie?
04:51Raina?
04:52Raina hugged me tight and then a five-year-old girl ran up and grabbed my leg.
04:56This is your niece, Amanda.
04:59Raina invited me inside.
05:00She explained that she'd left my parents' house when she was in the 11th grade.
05:05The last time I saw you, you were so small.
05:08You knew about me?
05:09Of course.
05:10I used to sing you to sleep when you were a baby.
05:13I left the house a few weeks before your first birthday.
05:16Leaving you behind was my biggest regret.
05:19I'm sorry, I don't remember you.
05:21It's not your fault.
05:23I know, it's our terrible parents.
05:25They're not terrible.
05:26They're just set in their ways.
05:28Controlling and overprotective one moment and never around when you need them.
05:33I know what you mean.
05:34I had to leave so I could breathe and be my own person.
05:38But now, I want them to meet Amanda.
05:41I want us to be a family.
05:43Maybe I can help with that.
05:44I can't ask you to do that.
05:46You don't have to.
05:47Our family is broken and I'm going to fix it.
05:50Raina drove me back to the train station.
05:53On the bus, I started nodding off.
05:55And then several of the passengers' phones started beeping and buzzing.
05:59And then everyone started staring at me.
06:01I glanced at the notification on my phone and saw that I'd been reported missing.
06:06And I was all over the news.
06:08The moment I got off the bus,
06:09a couple of policemen escorted me to their car and drove me back to the hotel.
06:14Where have you been?
06:15We've been worried sick.
06:16I went to see Raina.
06:18Raina?
06:19How on earth did you-
06:20I saw the photo in the safe.
06:21I read the letters.
06:23Raina told me how you refused to see her and her daughter.
06:26That's not the whole story.
06:28Spare me your lies.
06:30You've never told me a single truth since I was a kid.
06:33And that stops today.
06:34Your granddaughter, Amanda, wants to meet you.
06:37You've got a second chance to make things right with our family.
06:40I invited Amanda and Raina over for dinner tomorrow.
06:43Hopefully, you'll have the decency to be there.
06:46Then I stormed off to my room.
06:48I heard my parents whispering late into the night.
06:50The next morning, they were the nicest they'd been since I could remember.
06:55They pulled out all the stops as they prepared for Raina and Amanda's arrival.
06:59They brought in the finest chef in the city and bought Amanda a ton of gifts.
07:04When Raina and Amanda arrived, my parents were on their best behavior.
07:09We sat around the dinner table eating and smiling.
07:12And for the first time, it felt like I had a real family.
07:16Raina and Amanda moved into the penthouse next door.
07:19Raina even took a special interest in my parents' company.
07:22My dad offered her a job working beside him, and I got to watch Amanda after school.
07:26I read Amanda's stories, took her to the zoo, and taught her to play chess.
07:31Amanda and I did everything I'd never had the chance to do with my parents when I was her age.
07:36Things were going better than I ever could have imagined.
07:38We were all so happy, but a few weeks later, Raina started staying out late.
07:44At first, it was one or two nights a week, and she'd drop Amanda off to stay with us.
07:49But two nights a week turned into four, and eventually, Raina started staying out for days at a time.
07:55She even stopped showing up at work.
07:58One night, I was reading a bedtime story to Amanda, and she was pretty upset.
08:02Where's my mommy?
08:03I don't know, sweetie. She'll be back soon.
08:06But you said that two days ago.
08:09I didn't know what to do. Each time I called to check on Raina, she didn't answer her phone.
08:16My parents weren't much help either. Every time I tried to talk to them about Raina,
08:20they'd just change the subject and rush off to their room.
08:23What's going on with you? Amanda has been worried sick.
08:27When did you turn into mom and dad? I thought you were cool.
08:30Then she grabbed Amanda's hand and stormed out the door. I was so confused.
08:36I wasn't trying to control Raina like our parents. I just wanted her to be more responsible when it
08:40came to Amanda. A few days later, my parents hosted their annual gala at the hotel for millionaires
08:46and celebrities from around the world. The featured event was the charity auction where fine art and
08:52jewelry were auctioned off to raise millions for people in need. Raina was supposed to help with
08:57the auction, but as usual, she was a no-show, so I had to take her place. She was supposed to do a
09:03final check of the items up for auction to ensure that everything was labeled correctly.
09:07I was halfway through my checklist when I heard glass shatter. I turned to see three people in
09:12masks rushing through the glass doors. I hid behind a large statue as the masked robber snatched jewels
09:18off the counters and stuffed them into their bags. I hit the silent alarm and then the police burst in.
09:24The robbers fled. The police caught two of them, but one of them headed my way. Just as the robber
09:29was about to slip out the back door, I jumped up and tackled him to the ground. I pulled off his mask
09:34and saw that it wasn't a man at all. It was my sister, Raina. I was speechless. Raina was arrested and
09:42taken to jail. When the police searched Raina's hotel room, they found that she was the ringleader
09:48and she'd been planning the heist for weeks. I was sick to my stomach for days. I didn't understand
09:54how Raina could do such a thing. And with Raina in jail, Amanda wouldn't have a mother. Our family
10:00was broken before, but now we were shattered to pieces. I destroyed our family. You can't blame
10:08yourself for this. I'm the reason Raina's in jail. If I hadn't found her and brought her here,
10:14then maybe none of this would have happened. Raina has always had problems. She's been
10:20in and out of trouble since she was a teenager. Lying, stealing, hanging out with the wrong crowd.
10:25We tried to help her when she was in high school, but she ran away. She lied about not wanting us to
10:31stay in touch with her. Our home was always open to her, but she refused to see us. We even sent
10:37her money to make sure she and Amanda were okay. Why didn't you ever tell me any of this?
10:42Raina made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with this family. We knew how much you always
10:48wanted a big sister or a big brother. We knew if we told you the truth, that you wouldn't
10:53understand. It would only hurt you. We're sorry we lied. We didn't know how else to protect you.
10:59When Raina came to live with us, we hoped that she'd changed for Amanda's sake. But instead,
11:05she fell into her manipulative ways. We're so sorry that she hurt you.
11:10I apologized to my parents and eventually forgave them for lying to me. My parents adopted Amanda
11:16and raised her as their own. They even stopped working so much so they could spend more time
11:20with me and Amanda. Our new little family wasn't perfect, but we loved and supported each other
11:26through everything. Every day, I wrote Raina letters to tell her that I loved her and missed her.
11:31After I graduated from college, I opened a counseling center for young women.
11:36And one night when I was closing up for the evening, Raina walked in the door.
11:40I'm sorry, Valerie. I was a horrible sister, a crappy mother, and a terrible daughter.
11:46That may be true, but you're family and you're here. That's all that matters.
11:52Then I hugged my sister, and she cried in my arms.
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