Chapter 3

Richard dragged me all the way into the living room.

The coffee table was piled high with expensive souvenirs they had brought back from the island.

Leo squealed with joy, tearing open box after box of imported toys.

Eleanor sat on the sofa, holding a pearl necklace against her neck, admiring herself.

They were a picture-perfect, happy family. No one cared about what I was going through.

I stood by the edge of the table, watching them silently.

Eleanor seemed uncomfortable under my gaze. She put the necklace down and cleared her throat.

"Chloe, don't look at us like that. We took Leo on this trip to reward him for his excellent grades. Your grades are always mediocre. Taking you would have been a waste of money."

She dug through a pile of snacks, pulled out a half-eaten bag of dried mangoes, and tossed it to me.

"Here. Your brother didn't finish this on the plane. Taste it, and you can pretend you went on the trip too."

I looked down at the spit-covered bag of dried mangoes and took a step back.

"I'm not hungry."

"Why are you always so ungrateful?!" Eleanor’s face darkened instantly.

Leo suddenly dropped his toys, ran over to me, and eyed me suspiciously.

"Chloe must have hidden some good stuff in the basement! If she could buy a mousse cake, she definitely has other secrets!"

Without warning, he reached out to search my pockets.

I instinctively tried to dodge, but he grabbed the edge of my pocket and ripped it.

A silver pocket watch fell out, hitting the hardwood floor with a sharp clink.

That was the token my parallel-universe dad had handed me last night.

He said as long as I kept it on me, they could pinpoint my exact location when the portal opened.

Leo's eyes lit up at the sight of the silver watch, and he immediately lunged to grab it.

I threw myself over it, shielding it with my body.

"Give it back! That's mine!"

Seeing he couldn't grab it, Leo let out a malicious laugh and stomped his foot hard onto my hand.

A searing pain shot up my arm. I gasped but didn't let go.

Seeing this, Leo threw his entire weight onto my hand, grinding his shoe into my flesh while screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Mom! Dad! Chloe is hitting me! And she stole money to buy a gold watch!"

Hearing the noise, Richard stormed over. He grabbed me by my hair and yanked me off the ground.

"Chloe! Not only are you a liar, but now you have the nerve to hit your brother!"

Ignoring the blood dripping from the back of my hand, he pried the silver watch from my grip.

"Where did you get this? Did you steal money from us?"

I stared at him coldly, the blinding pain in my scalp making it hard to breathe.

"My dad from the fridge gave it to me."

"You dare mention that damn fridge again!" Infuriated, Richard hurled the watch against the wall with all his strength.

The silver casing shattered instantly, and tiny gears scattered all over the floor.

Looking at the broken pieces, tears finally welled up in my eyes.

Leo hid behind Eleanor, sticking his tongue out at me triumphantly.

Eleanor patted Leo's head lovingly, then turned to me and said the words that shattered any remaining hope I had in them.

"Chloe, you are so selfish. Fighting with your brother over a cheap toy watch? Starting today, you don't eat in this house until you learn how to be a good sister."