Chapter 5

In this house, I’ve always been the unwanted one.

My birth was an accident—something my parents never let me forget.

As a child, Emily saw me as competition for our parents’ love and did everything she could to turn them against me.

I still remember them holding her in their arms, comforting her as she cried.

“Don’t worry, Emily. We don’t like her. We only love you.”

Over time, those words became their truth.

They barely looked at me, spoke to me, or acknowledged me.

I worked myself to the bone to earn their approval.

Once, I finally scored higher than Emily on a test and proudly showed my mom.

She slapped me across the face, ripped up my test, and shouted, “You’re just trying to upset your sister. Don’t ever bring something like this home again!”

When I went to college, I chose a major with poor job prospects but pursued my passion for writing full-time.

My family didn’t understand. To them, I was lazy, irresponsible, and wasting my life. Every success I achieved meant nothing—they believed I was out partying with men instead of working.

But I never realized how deeply they resented me.

Not until now.