I Stopped Being Invited to Any of Our Family Gatherings and Was Crushed When I Accidentally Found Out Why

It seemed as if I were being gradually removed from a scene in which I had always been involved.I told my mom about it, and she confirmed that everything was OK. “Everyone knows how busy you and your husband are, and those events aren’t crucial,” she remarked.This sense of being picked out became an annoying murmur that I had to deal with every day. Despite my repeated requests, my parents still refused to address my questions. I had no idea that I would eventually discover the answers.As I pushed my shopping cart through the aisles of the grocery store, mentally crossing things off my list, I suddenly knocked into someone coming around the corner. Unexpectedly, there was my Aunt Linda, laden with groceries in her arms. Emily, listen up! Her expression changed to one of pure delight as she let out an exclamation of astonishment.”My Aunt Linda!” My heart was bursting with delight as I spoke. Your absence has been deeply felt. You? How’s it been? Aunt Linda’s demeanor changed as we embraced, and her words quivered with hesitation. “I’m OK, my love. In reality, I was only attending a small gathering that my family organized exclusively for me. Your inability to attend is unfortunate, Alex.Even my grin wavered. “A gathering? Nothing was known to us about it. Ooh, that’s interesting. But wait, Emily, there’s more. Do you mind if I ask you a serious question? She sounded really worried and concerned. Well, Aunt Linda, I certainly. Then tell me what it is. Something seemed off, so I braced myself.With a heavy sigh, she said, “Is it true what I’ve heard about you?” That broke my heart. “I was wondering if what your mom said was true; it seems really strange coming from you.” What did she say? I wanted to know. She said that you’ve taken up the profession of a con artist as a means of subsistence. Plus, Alex is helpful since, well, he’s a computer genius. “Emily, I didn’t believe it, but…”My mind was blown. Aunt Linda, that is incorrect. Nothing at all. My mind is blown! Even though my pulse rate increased, I was unable to stem the tide of tears that were falling from my eyes. I had no choice except to face this directly. I wasted no time contacting my folks, and I jumped on the opportunity as soon as their FaceTime faces came up. “Why are you two being dishonest about us being con artists, Mom and Dad? I learned everything from my Aunt Linda.It was impossible to decipher their emotions. Dad gave an unfiltered, “Because you told us so.” as he stared directly into the camera. “No, I never said that!” I retaliated, my anger reaching a fever pitch. “What gives you the right to say that?”Mom refused to engage and walked away when Dad’s tone became nasty. He abruptly said, “You must have amnesia then,” before attempting to change the topic. I still don’t see why my parents would fabricate such a story about my husband and myself, and the discussion concluded without resolving the matter.They continued asserting that I had already said it whenever I asked for clarification. Saying things like, “No one thinks any less of you because of it,” they attempted to minimize the entire incident. How could