I was once the undisputed princess of the family. But on my eighteenth birthday, my dad adopted an orphan girl from a shelter, and everything changed. My brother, who once protected me, now adored her and despised me. My childhood sweetheart, who promised to marry me, now ignored me for her. Even my father, my hero, said the orphan was ten thousand times better than his own flesh and blood. On my college graduation day, they missed my celebration for the 101st time because of her. I finally snapped. "Am I not your real family? Why does she always come first?" My dad, seeing the orphan girl tear up in fear, slapped me across the face. "You jealous, petty thing. I wish I never had you." My brother screamed at me, "Having a sister like you makes me sick. Get out of this house!" I didn't argue. I silently packed my bags and left. After I was gone, the house was finally peaceful. They took the orphan girl on a trip to Antarctica to see penguins, thinking the silent treatment would work like always. They thought I'd cool off and come crawling back. They didn't know I was gone for good. I called my mother, accepted her offer to move abroad, and never looked back. This time, I really didn't want them anymore. Chapter 1 "Mom, I accept your offer. I'm moving abroad to live with you." The voice on the other end paused, then erupted in joy. "Emily! You finally agreed!" Then, her tone shifted to worry. "Wait, honey, you said you weren't considering it last time. Did your father do something? Is he mistreating you?" "I knew that old fool was unreliable. When we divorced, I should have fought harder to take you." "He swore he'd take care of you and your brother. Is this how he keeps his promise? Emily, tell me what happened. Mom will fix it." It was true. When my parents divorced, Mom fought for me. But Dad wouldn't let go, promising to give me the world. My brother, Liam, hugged me and cried, begging me not to leave. So I stayed. But now, they had forgotten those promises. I swallowed the lump in my throat, took a deep breath, and forced a cheerful tone. "No, Mom, it's not that. I just miss you." Mom paused again. "I miss my Emily too. Come here, and we'll never be separated again." "I'm booking your ticket right now. Just come home." "Okay." As soon as I hung up, my phone buzzed. It was a notification from the airline. The ticket was booked. Three days from now. Chapter 2 Mom texted again: [Emily, take these few days to say goodbye to your friends.] [Once you're here, I'm never letting you go again.] Say goodbye? To Dad, Liam, and my fiancé, Brandon? Three days was more than enough. I turned off my phone and stood on the street corner for a long time. The autumn wind in New York was biting. The cold seeped into my bones, making me shiver. Eventually, I called Dad. Blood is thicker than water, right? Even if things were bad, I should say goodbye properly. The call was declined immediately. I called again. Straight to voicemail. I had no choice but to call Liam. It rang for a long time before he finally answered, his voice dripping with impatience. "Why do you keep calling? Don't you know Sarah is performing right now?" "You almost ruined her show." Even knowing his bias, his words stung. I pressed a hand to my chest to ease the ache and spoke softly. "Liam, we haven't seen each other in a while. Can we have dinner tonight?" He scoffed. Afraid he'd hang up, I rushed to add, "The seafood restaurant Sarah likes just finished renovations. Let's go there tonight, okay?" Sarah was the orphan Dad adopted. Since she arrived, I had never been this humble before her. Liam sneered at my desperation. "Emily, what game are you playing? You almost ruined Sarah's performance last time. Are you trying to poison her now?" My heart felt like it was being sliced open. The brother who promised to always believe in me was gone. "No... Liam, I just want to see you guys." "I don't want to see you—" He was cut off by a soft, fragile voice in the background. "Liam, don't talk to Emily like that. She'll be sad." "It's been so long since we saw her. Let's have dinner." "But I'm tired today. I don't want to go out. Let's eat at home." "I'm craving spicy crab, but the maid is off. Can Emily make it?" "Of course," I said instantly. "I'll go home and start cooking right now." I hung up before they could change their minds. I forgot I was allergic to seafood. I couldn't touch it. Chapter 3 The wind made my eyes water as I rushed to the market. Crabs were hard to clean. Within minutes, my fingers were red and swollen, and rashes began to appear on my palms. But thinking this was our last family dinner, I endured the itching and pain. When the spicy crab was ready, Dad, Liam, and Sarah arrived. I brought the dish out and glanced at the living room. It was a picture of warmth. Dad, usually so busy, sat opposite Sarah, listening to her talk about backstage drama. Liam peeled an orange for her, scolding playfully, "Let me do that. Our Sarah's hands are for playing piano, not manual labor." My ex-fiancé, Brandon, and his parents were there too. Compared to me, they clearly preferred Sarah as their future daughter-in-law. Brandon sat next to her, looking at her with adoration, handing her water whenever she paused. I stood there, invisible. Just like always. As long as Sarah was there, I ceased to exist. The dining room and living room were two different worlds. One lively, one lonely. I almost forgot that once, Sarah's seat was mine. The person surrounded by love used to be me. "Emily, why are you standing there? Come sit with us," Sarah called out sweetly. Liam scoffed. "Don't. She'll ruin the mood." "I don't get it. We're all family, but some people's hearts are just rotten." I dug my nails into my palms to stop the tears. I forced a smile. "Right, I won't come over. Dinner is ready." By the time I brought the last dish out, the six seats at the table were full. Sarah sat in my usual spot. Dad, Liam, Brandon, and his parents filled the rest. Liam looked up at me. Before he could speak, I grabbed my bowl and went back to the kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Liam pause. But only for a second. Soon, he was busy peeling shrimp for Sarah. I stood in the kitchen, eating plain rice with leftover vegetable sauce. I couldn't help but look. Sarah loved seafood. The whole table pampered her. Brandon's parents used to dote on me. Now, like Brandon, they poured all their affection onto the new girl. The atmosphere was so happy. I remembered when I was the one being peeled shrimp for. When I was the center of their world. I stared too long. Liam caught my eye. His warm gaze turned icy instantly. I fled back into the kitchen, tripping over a pot on the floor. The lid clattered loudly. Dad stopped peeling shrimp. "I knew her apology wasn't sincere. Asked her to cook one meal and she's throwing a tantrum in the kitchen. No manners." I hugged myself in the dark. Dad, it's not like that. I just tripped. This is our last meal together. I didn't mean to ruin it. But I knew explaining was useless. He wouldn't believe me. Brandon's mom, Mrs. Hayes, looked toward the kitchen with pity. "She's just a child, probably tired. It's normal to be grumpy." "We didn't even notice there weren't enough chairs. Get a stool for Emily." Under their disgusted gazes, Mrs. Hayes pulled me to the table. "Emily, I haven't seen you in two months. You're so thin. Eat something." Everyone stared at me. Dad frowned, about to speak. Suddenly, Sarah clutched her chest and screamed. "It hurts... cough... so hard to breathe..." Dad, Liam, and Brandon immediately surrounded her. Seeing the rash spreading on Sarah's neck, Dad gasped. "Allergic reaction? How?" Realization dawned on him. He glared at me with cold fury. Then, he slapped me with all his strength. "Did you do this? How did I raise such a vicious daughter?" I fell to the floor, ears ringing. Everyone else looked at me like I was a monster. Pale and shaking, I stammered, "It wasn't me, I didn't..." But as always, they convicted me without a trial. Liam gritted his teeth. "I can't believe you're my sister. You make me sick." "I knew you weren't being nice today. You poisoned her!" Brandon looked down at me, sneering. "Mom, you see why I don't like her now?" "She's too manipulative. I can't spend my life with someone like that." Mrs. Hayes wanted to say something, but Dad picked Sarah up and roared, "Enough! We'll deal with this later." "Hospital! Now!" They rushed out with Sarah. I lay on the floor, clutching my swollen face. I watched them leave and finally let the tears fall. See? It's always like this. If it involves Sarah, I am always the villain. Something inside me died completely. The pain was agonizing. But I knew this was the last time. I was leaving. I would never see them again. I would never cry for them again. Chapter 4 I went to my room and started packing. I didn't need to wait three days. That slap made it crystal clear. No one here wanted me. I might as well leave now instead of waiting to be kicked out. I sorted through my things. Surprisingly, I had very little. Since Sarah arrived, Dad and Liam rarely bought me anything. They barely gave me an allowance. I rarely came back to this "home" anyway. It made packing easy. My eyes fell on a family photo on the desk. Memories flooded back. When Mom left for Europe after the divorce, Dad cried all night. He hugged Liam and me, saying he failed as a husband but would be the best father. Liam swore he'd be the best big brother. He said he'd never let me be sad, afraid I'd leave like Mom. And they were great. I was sickly as a kid. No matter how busy Dad was, if I had a fever, he'd rush home. When I was twelve and bullied at school, fifteen-year-old Liam fought five boys alone. He came home bruised and bloody, but the bullies were terrified of the "crazy brother." No one messed with me after that. Brandon was good to me too. When Dad was away, he'd take us to his house for Mrs. Hayes' cooking. When we felt guilty about eating there too often, he'd look at me with shining eyes and say, "What's there to be embarrassed about? We can eat together for the rest of our lives." I believed him. So when I turned eighteen and Dad suggested an engagement with the Hayes family, I agreed immediately. I fantasized about a happy future. I wouldn't even have to move far; my love was right next door. But the next day, Dad brought Sarah home. And everything shattered. She inserted herself into every moment I had with Liam and Brandon. She broke my things and blamed me. She poured milk on herself and cried, "Emily, I know you didn't mean it." She cut up the clothes Dad bought her and sobbed, "Emily, I won't take your things, please don't be mad." She covered herself in trash and cut herself, then threw herself into Brandon's arms, wailing, "Brandon, tell Emily to stop. I'm going to die. I'll leave, just please make the bullying stop." Driven mad by her gaslighting, I finally exploded. But the family who always stood behind me... stood in front of her. "Emily, I'm so disappointed in you," Dad said. Liam slapped me. "You forgot how it felt to be bullied? How could you do this to Sarah? Get out!" Brandon held Sarah gently, his eyes full of disgust for me. "Emily, I didn't know you were this kind of person. I need to rethink our engagement." They ignored my pleas. They took Sarah to the hospital. Just like today. And my place in this home vanished.
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