Chapter 1

After we submit our college applications, the four of us sit down to figure out where to go for our graduation trip.

My cousin, Alia Fulton, taps her finger on a travel agency brochure. "I want to go to Moonbrook Town."

She glances over at my brother, Trevon Holden, who is glued to his phone playing games.

"Where do you want to go, Trevon?"

Without bothering to look up, Trevon just mutters, "Anywhere."

Alia beams and turns to my childhood sweetheart, Evan Harper. "How about you, Evan?"

Evan gives her a fond smile. "Wherever you pick. I'll handle the itinerary."

I look over at Evan, who's looking up travel tips.

Nobody asks where I want to go, not even Evan. He has forgotten about his promise to take me to see the ocean.

Ever since Alia moved in with us, everyone keeps lecturing me about how hard her life is, telling me I have to let her have her way.

Evan is the only one who tells me, "They all tell you to give in, but I won't."

He brings me breakfast from home, buys me a study lamp to protect my eyes, and helps me with my homework.

"We're going to Jovelle University together. We'll move far away, and you won't ever have to give in to anyone again."

But when I log on to verify my application, I see my target school has been swapped out for a local college.

I immediately change it back and rush over to Evan's place, only to overhear him talking to Trevon.

"Are you sure about giving up Jovelle University to stay local? What about Yelena?" Trevon asked.

"Yeah, Alia wants the four of us to stick together, so I changed Yelena's choices too. We're getting married eventually anyway. I can just make it up to her later. She can just let Alia have this one."

Right then and there, I decide not to tell him that I've switched my target school back.

Chapter 1

My cousin Alia Fulton, my childhood sweetheart Evan Harper, and my brother Trevon Holden were already deep in a heated discussion. Feeling out of place, I stood up and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Mom was prepping dinner when she saw me walk in. "Help me peel a couple of cloves of garlic. Have you guys decided where we're going yet?"

I grabbed two garlic cloves and slowly worked off the skin. "They're still figuring it out."

She gave a small hum and continued with a subtle note of pride, "I went to the market early this morning to pick up this pork. It's absolute perfection."

"Oh."

I finished peeling the garlic and set it beside her hand, then glanced at the pork belly cut into chunks on the cutting board.

Seven distinct layers, perfectly marbled. Beautiful indeed.

I turned on the faucet to wash my hands.

"And these shrimps were still kicking when I bought them."

A quick glance gave me the whole picture.

Alia's favorite pork belly, Trevon's favorite mustard shrimp, Dad's favorite braised fish, Evan's favorite chicken wings, and some seasonal vegetables.

I turned off the tap, turned around, and pulled open the fridge. "Mom, I want some scrambled eggs. I can make it myself."

"Oh, we're out of eggs. I'll get some next time I find fresh farm ones," Mom replied.

My hand slipped from the fridge door, and a bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Alia loved pork belly. When she casually mentioned two days ago that her last portion was too lean, Mom woke up at dawn just to hunt down the finest cut for her.

Meanwhile, I was left waiting endlessly for a simple plate of scrambled eggs.

"Give me a hand here," Mom said.

"Okay."

By the time we sat down for dinner, they had finally wrapped up their discussion.

Alia bubbled over with excitement, announcing that we were going to Moonbrook Town. Naturally, Mom and Dad had zero objections.

Only then did Alia seem to remember I was there. She paused briefly before saying, "Yelena, I'm so sorry! We got so carried away that we forgot to ask you. Where do you want to go?"

I looked up at everyone around the table. They had all agreed on Moonbrook Town.

I knew that even if I spoke up, they would find a dozen excuses to shoot me down.

So I shoved a massive spoonful of greens into my mouth, trying to block the lump in my throat.

"I don't mind."

After dinner, Mom casually told me to do the dishes while she guided Alia over to the living room couch.

Alia shot me a triumphant look, though her voice dripped with hesitation. "Is it really okay to leave Yelena to do all this by herself?"

Trevon let out a chuckle. "We have a dishwasher. You're making it sound like she's being abused."

Mom chimed in immediately, "Exactly. She's just clearing the table. Come look at these dresses with me, Alia. Help pick one out for Yelena. She only cares about studying. She doesn't understand any of this stuff."

My hands slipped, nearly dropping a plate.

Back when most kids hadn't developed a sense of style, I was already picking out lovely dresses for myself.

Mom used to brag to everyone, saying I'd definitely grow up to be a designer.

But later, when Alia joined our family, Mom stopped letting me buy dresses. She said Alia had never owned anything nice, and seeing my wardrobe would break her heart.

From that day on, my closet held nothing but bland activewear.

And now, she claimed I just didn't understand fashion.

Even though we were under the same roof, the laughter in the living room felt so distant I could never hope to reach it.

The emotions I had been holding back surged up again. I ducked my head and sniffled softly.

Luckily, no one noticed.

After loading the dishes into the kitchen, my phone chimed with a message. It was Evan.

"Everyone wanted to go to Moonbrook Town. I'll take you to the beach by ourselves next time."

So he hadn't forgotten.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone. Suddenly, I wanted to ask whether everyone wanted to go, or whether it was really Alia who wanted to.

But the urge faded as quickly as it came.

It was better to forget it.

There wouldn't be a next time anyway; there was no point in asking.

When I walked out of the kitchen, the living room was completely empty.

As I grabbed a paper towel to dry my hands, Alia came out of her room, beaming as she wheeled her suitcase. "Yelena, hurry up and pack! We're heading out!"

I looked down at my apron in utter disbelief. "Already? But I haven't even—"

Before I could finish, Mom rolled her own luggage out, frowning at me. "Stop daydreaming! Move it, or we're going to be late!"

Dad patted my shoulder. "Go throw your stuff together. We'll wait for you downstairs."

Hearing that, I rushed frantically into my room, tossed open my suitcase, and shoved in two random outfits.

Yet when I sprinted downstairs, they were nowhere in sight. I called Dad, only to find out that they had already left.

Before the line cut out, I could hear Mom complaining in the background. "I told her to hurry up, but she just kept dawdling."

I stared at my reflection in the glass door, my eyes stinging.

A loose ponytail, plain activewear, an empty suitcase, and shoes slapped on in a hurry. I had obviously rushed as fast as I could.

My phone buzzed with another text from Evan. "I booked you a ride. Get a move on. You can still make it."

I replied, "I don't want to go anymore."

"Why?"

My fingers trembled over the screen. Some truths were just too painful to spell out.

Because I wanted to go to the ocean.

Because I didn't have any nice clothes to wear.

Because they didn't bother waiting for me.

The next second, Evan called me directly. His tone was sharp with irritation as he said, "This is supposed to be our graduation trip. What do you mean you're not coming? We're waiting at the airport. Hurry up."

Once again, before I could say a word, he hung up.

The Uber pulled up in front of me, and the friendly driver helped load my suitcase into the trunk.

As I slid into the back seat, I stared silently out the window.

A heavy tightness settled in my chest, suffocating me.

Chapter 2

When I arrived at the airport, Evan was waiting by the entrance.

He took my suitcase and started walking inside, explaining as we went. "I booked the ride, and the driver was pressing us to go, so we headed off first. Don't hold it against your parents.

"We're on vacation. Cheer up."

I looked up at his profile.

The tiny black mole on his jawline was something I had stared at 100 times back when he used to tutor me.

He looked as familiar as ever, yet felt oddly like a stranger.

We crossed the jet bridge and stepped onto the plane, where my eyes immediately locked with Alia's in the first row of business class.

Behind her sat Mom, Dad, and Trevon. The whole family was complete and together.

I froze. My assigned seat was in economy, separated by a single curtain.

Alia blinked, tears welling in her eyes. "I saw there was still one seat left in economy and thought we could save a little money. Yelena, if you mind, I can swap with you."

Before the words fully left her mouth, Trevon stood up. "You stay put. I'll swap with her."

His tone was gentle with her, but the expression on his face was purely exasperated.

The words were meant for Alia, but the attitude was directed at me.

As I stood there numbly, Mom lost her patience. "A seat is a seat. Why do you have to be so picky about everything?"

It felt as if someone had hammered a hole into my heart, letting bitterness seep out.

I didn't know when I had become the selfish, unforgiving one in their eyes.

In reality, I had given up everything—the sunlit bedroom, the pretty dresses, the expensive after-school classes, and my family's affection.

Maybe what they really wanted was for me to surrender my place in this family entirely.

I gripped my boarding pass tight and let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Nobody needs to move. I'll sit in the back."

The moment I sat down, the announcement came that we were preparing for taxiing.

I put in my earbuds, getting ready to listen to music.

Just before turning on airplane mode, a message popped up from Evan. "Don't blame Alia. She was just trying to save money. Once we reach cruising altitude, I'll help you upgrade."

Just as I was about to text back a refusal, a flight attendant walked up and gently reminded me to put my phone away.

Under the judgmental gaze of the passenger beside me, I quickly switched to airplane mode and offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that."

Once we hit cruising altitude, the cabin crew began rolling out the meal carts, and the curtain separating business class was temporarily pulled back.

I leaned forward, anxiously scanning ahead out of fear that Evan might actually try to upgrade my seat, only to see Alia resting her head on his shoulder.

The sight made my eyes sting until the curtains were drawn again, cutting off the view.

Clearly, he had forgotten about upgrading me, just as he had forgotten his promise to always choose me.

After landing, we grabbed a cab to the hotel. My quiet silence stood in stark contrast to Alia's lively giggles.

Dad finally snapped. He shook his head in deep disappointment. "Yelena Holden, what on earth is with this attitude? Who upset you now? You need to learn from Alia. Try being cheerful and sensible for once, instead of so narrow-minded.

"If Evan hadn't been shielding you all this time, literally no one would like you. Do you realize that?"

The words cut too deep. I froze in my tracks, and tears instantly welled up in my eyes.

Evan instinctively took a step toward me, but Trevon yanked him back. "Dad's right. Evan, you really need to stop spoiling her."

Mom shot me a cold glare, wrapped her arm through Alia's, and walked away.

Their figures vanished into the hotel lobby, leaving me standing alone in the blazing sun, shivering.

Those words coiled around my heart like venomous snakes, gnawing it to shreds.

Countless times in the past, I had consoled myself that they only treated Alia that way out of pity for her losing her family, never meaning to hurt me.

Only now did I realize what a giant joke I was.

The truth was simple; they just didn't like me.

Fine. If that was the case, I wouldn't care about any of them either.

Chapter 3

Our first meal in Moonbrook Town was at a fine dining restaurant.

I was staring blankly at the exquisite dishes on the table when Dad suddenly turned to me. "I went too far with what I said this afternoon. Are you still upset?"

My fingertips twitched. I hadn't expected him to care about my feelings.

Even though I had long since stopped caring, an uncontrollable sting still rushed to my nose.

He stood up, picked up a piece of food with his fork, and placed it onto my plate.

"I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

I looked up and saw a piece of shrimp resting on my plate.

As if hit by a sudden freeze, my surging emotions instantly hardened at their peak.

When I was very young, there was a period when both Mom and Dad were away on business, leaving Trevon and me at Grandma's house.

Grandma fed me a shrimp, and I suffocated until I passed out. When I woke up, Mom was sitting by my bedside.

Outside the ward, Dad's heated argument with Grandma echoed down the hall.

"You forgot Yelena can't eat shrimp? Fine, I'll have to take care of them myself to have any peace of mind!

"Who cares if my career is taking off? These two kids are my precious babies. I don't even want to think about what would happen if something went wrong!"

Noticing that I wasn't moving, Dad nudged me again. "Give it a try. It's the house specialty."

Suddenly, violent coughing broke out from the other side of the table. Dad abandoned me instantly and rushed over to Alia's side.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

Alia held her chest, waving her hand. "I'm fine. I just choked on some water."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Dad teased in a tone used for coaxing a child, "Bad water, how dare you choke Alia? Let's pour it out."

Mom gently patted her back. "Feeling better?"

Trevon placed a piece of fish on her plate. "Eat some meat. You won't choke on that."

Evan reached out and took it away, frowning in disapproval. "Fish has bones she could choke on. Let's eat something else."

Alia pouted, playfully complaining that they were treating her like a baby.

I lowered my head, picked up the piece of shrimp, and popped it into my mouth.

It tasted a bit bitter.

I broke out in the allergic reaction I had anticipated and used it as an excuse to skip the rest of the trip.

When Trevon came to deliver my medicine, he stared at me and said icily, "If you wanted attention so badly, why didn't you eat more? You might as well have eaten yourself to death."

I took the medicine and shut the door, feeling nothing.

He didn't know that I had no intention of fishing for attention. I had simply accepted reality.

Alia was the sun at the center of everyone's universe. I wasn't even a star. At best, I was just a speck of forgotten dust.

I couldn't fit in, nor did I want to anymore. Now, I just wanted to get far away.

For the next few days, I stayed behind to rest in the hotel alone.

The family group chat kept buzzing with messages and photos from Alia.

There were photos of her and Mom wearing matching dresses, of her fooling around with Trevon, and of her taking photos of Evan.

Evan sent me a private text. "I'll bring you a gift when I get back."

Unsure how to reply, I opened Instagram, where a street-interview video popped up in my feed.

The interviewer praised Mom, saying she looked like sisters with Alia in her dress, making Mom laugh.

"Oh, I'm not that young. My daughter is already 18."

The interviewer then pointed at Trevon and Evan and asked if they were a family of five.

Dad pointed at Trevon, letting out a sigh. "Sadly, I only have one son. We're a family of four. Though that handsome guy over there might have to call me 'Dad' in the future too."

At those words, the interviewer aimed the camera directly at Alia and Evan, drawing out his words teasingly, "Ooh! So you two are childhood sweethearts!"

Alia waved her hands with a blushing face, while Evan reached out and pulled her into his side by her shoulder.

I closed the video, opened the family group chat, and left the group.

Then I blocked Evan and deleted our entire chat.

Chapter 4

On the day of our return flight, we received calls notifying us that our university acceptance letters had been delivered.

Once we got home, the three of them tore theirs open first. Unsurprisingly, all three held identical acceptance letters.

Alia squealed with joy and threw herself into Evan's arms. "This is amazing, Evan! The four of us get to go to school together again!"

As if suddenly remembering my presence, she scrambled back in a panic. "I'm so sorry, Yelena. I was just so happy."

Her tone was as innocent as ever, but her eyes held a spark of smug satisfaction she could no longer hide.

"Hurry up and open yours! All four of ours are the same. Don't blame Evan. I was the one who begged him."

Trevon just watched in silence.

Evan bit his lip, looking anxious. "Don't be mad… At least the four of us can look out for each other."

I had been far too calm these past few days, and my composure seemed to make him uneasy.

He hurriedly pulled a bookmark out of his bag and shoved it into my hand. "Here—I told you I'd bring you back a gift."

I looked down at the bookmark in my hand and let out a soft laugh.

Good thing I hadn't expected anything in the first place.

Right in front of them, I tore open the envelope, then casually tossed the packaging and the bookmark straight into the trash can by my feet.

I pulled out the acceptance letter from Jovelle University and waved it in the air. "Sorry to disappoint, but I won't be joining you guys."

The faces of everyone in front of me turned deathly pale. The strongest reaction came from Evan, who bolted upright so fast he knocked over a glass by his elbow.

"How is that possible? I clearly—" He cut himself off mid-sentence.

I looked at him and said softly, "Clearly changed my application choices, right?"

Evan dodged my gaze, opening his mouth to defend himself, but he couldn't find a single valid excuse. He knew just how desperately I wanted to escape.

The sound of the front door opening echoed from the foyer as Mom and Dad walked in.

Before they even reached the living room, Mom's voice drifted over. "How did it go? Did the acceptance letters arrive?"

When she stepped into the room, her eyes were instantly drawn to the Jovelle University acceptance letter I was holding up. She gasped, "Jovelle University? Evan, is that yours? Didn't you say you choked on the exams?

"Your parents are going to be thrilled when they find out! It's the middle of the night over there, but I almost want to call them right now."

As they chatted, they walked over with gifts to hand out.

Trevon, Alia, and Evan each received a massive bundle of the latest tech gadgets.

When it came to my turn, there was only a basic, budget laptop. "Be more understanding."

I knew those words so well that I could hear every unspoken line behind them.

Evan's gift was from his parents, so there was nothing to say there.

Trevon needed a high-performance computer for his major.

Alia had no family left and was so pitiful, so she needed to be cherished.

In the past, I would have felt wronged, hidden away to cry, or stubbornly fought for a tiny shred of fairness.

But now, I simply took the most basic laptop and smiled. "Thanks, Mom, Dad. But this acceptance letter is actually mine."

Their eyes went wide, their faces filled with disbelief.

In their memory, I was a daughter who had never brought home stellar report cards, nor had I ever attended any of those expensive exam prep bootcamps.

So they naturally assumed my grades were just average at best.

They never could have imagined that my scores were actually this good.

Dad was the first to snap back to reality. A flash of pleasant surprise burst in his eyes. "Why didn't you say so earlier? What was your score?"

Whether it was the mock exams before the finals, estimating scores afterward, or filling out college applications, their attention had always been entirely on Alia. They had never asked me once how I did on my SAT.

Luckily, looking back on it now, I didn't feel a single thing anymore. "1,455."