I ghosted my parents 18 years ago.

I was born to rich parents who were both high up in their careers. My mom was a CEO while my dad was a business owner. <br><br>My older sister was everything my parents could have wanted. She was smart, well mannered and took to ballet. The three of them were one big happy family. I was the mistake.<br><br>I was very grumpy as a child. I had constant meltdowns and throws tantrums at any opportunity. I was hard to teach and wasn't as bright as my sister. I hated ballet and instead wanted to play sports. I was very tomboyish and tough to control. <br><br>I wasn't the most loving child and was never really close to my parents. I liked being alone and wasn't a cuddly kid. I liked sports more than anything and was really good at them. My parents didn't like how manily I acted and would constantly tell me to behave like my sister. <br><br>I got professional help of several kinds including therapy. Nothing worked. I was eventually moved to boarding school where I could get more specialized help. I hated the boarding school. I hated being locked down and was constantly punished for minor infractions. While I was there, I would sometimes smell like cat urine because the other girls would pour cat urine on my clothes as a prank. I remember I got in a fight with another girl after she tried to push me into the swimming pool. I got in trouble for that fight and was punished. I was already in my pre teens at this point and I was just fed up. I didn't like my parents or the other kids at school. I felt like I was being treated poorly and got no sympathy from anyone. <br><br>I ran away. I had some money saved up and I got a one way ticket to a major city and then a connecting bus to a town some ways away from there. While in the city, I pawned my jewelry. I got a good amount of money from that and used it to pay rent on a small trailer in the town I moved to. I paid for a few months upfront. I didn't have enough for a car but I was able to afford a cheap bike from Walmart. <br><br>It was hard, but I got by. I worked odd jobs here and there and I did try to finish school. But I had no paperwork so it was hard. I eventually dropped out and got my GED instead. I didn't tell anyone where I was from or who I was. I made new friends and we would ride the skate park together. It was fun. <br><br>I went to community college and eventually I left that town for somewhere else. I moved to a big city and got a degree in criminology. I didn't have a good relationship with my parents but I knew they were looking for me. They actually had people looking for me and I was worried I'd be found. <br><br>I still had no communication with my family even after I grew up and moved away. I was worried that if I got a government job they'd find me. But I persevered. I worked hard and eventually I got a job with the government. I went to the police academy and became a patrol officer. I worked there for a few years and was eventually transferred to a big city to be a narcotics detective. I loved it.<br><br>Eventually I met a man and we fell in love. He proposed to me and I said yes. Neither of my parents were invited. I didn't feel bad. My mom actually reached out to me before my wedding but I didn't respond. I didn't want her there. I blocked her number again but she showed up at my wedding. I was shocked but I didn't let it get to me. I didn't bother talking to her. My dad wasn't there, just my mom. My maid of honor was the only person there who knew about my past. The rest of my family (my husband's side) believed the story I told them about why I don't talk to my parents. I didn't lie to them, I just never brought them up. <br><br>Anyway that's my story. I'm happy. I have a good husband, a good career and a good future.