Chapter 3

Chloe came home that evening.

She wasn't Mr. and Mrs. Davis's biological child; she was adopted, and Lucas and I called her sister.

I once dreamed of having an older sister who would stand up for me.

And Chloe did fit my image of a good sister, except she always protected Lucas.

Towards me, this sudden interloper who seemed to take some of his spotlight, she was openly hostile.

From the moment she walked in, Chloe hadn't spared me a single glance, practically writing "unwelcome" on her face.

How could I have been so naive before?

Even with her attitude, I always wanted to get close, to care for her, to give her all kinds of gifts.

I envied Lucas; I envied him for receiving all the family's love.

But with those emotions gone, everyone's actions seemed deliberate and utterly uninteresting in my eyes.

I felt a little hungry.

Chloe, noticing I hadn't initiated conversation, actually looked at me twice.

"Hey, your stuff. I don't want it."

She held out a beautifully wrapped gift bag.

I recognized it; it was the birthday gift I had chosen for her.

A piece of jewelry I had personally polished and crafted.

I had given her many things, and every single one had been publicly returned.

She and Lucas both seemed to enjoy the process of trampling my dignity.

"Got it."

My attention wasn't on her at all.

The food was all served, but I had no appetite.

A table full of seafood.

Nothing I could eat.

Just looking at it made my wounds throb faintly.

Chloe, however, was stunned.

Usually, I'd beg her to accept the gift. This time, I was surprisingly direct.

Was I playing another trick, trying to get the family's attention?

"Sister, what did he give you?"

Lucas asked, but his hand was already quicker, tearing open the gift.

"Oh, what beautiful jewelry! He must have put a lot of thought into this, Chloe. You should keep it."

Chloe pursed her lips.

Keep it?

That would mean she accepted *me*.

This was the person who made Lucas feel insecure, the one who caused him to cry countless nights.

"I won't accept anything from him. Take it back."

She looked at me, her tone brooking no refusal.

My stomach ached with hunger. Faced with a table of inedible seafood, I just wanted to go out and eat something else.

As I started to rise, Chloe, thinking I was trying to avoid the situation, grabbed my wrist.

"Take your stuff away."

Lucas looked on, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

In the past, I would have cried.

"Just throw it away."

"What?"

Seeing that no one moved, I picked up the jewelry and tossed it into the trash can.

"I said, throw away what you don't want. I'm leaving."

Everyone at the table fell silent.

This version of me was too unfamiliar.

I ignored them and simply left the table.

Chloe felt a strange pang. Watching that annoying figure slowly disappear, it felt like something had quietly spun out of control.

Lucas glanced at Chloe, his hand, still holding a fork, clenched abruptly.