Chapter 5

I knelt down, gathering the shattered pieces into my palm.

The sharp edges of the broken metal cut into my finger, blood seeping into the cracks.

On my eighteenth birthday, Grandma Eleanor had placed this necklace around my neck.

Her hands had been weak, taking several attempts to secure the clasp.

"Our Natalie always gives in to everyone else."

"When Grandma is gone, make sure you keep the things you love. Don't let yourself suffer anymore."

I had hugged her back then, giggling and saying that as long as I had her, I'd never suffer.

But then Grandma passed away.

And in this house, there was no longer anyone who saw me as a girl who felt pain, got sad, or deserved to be loved.

I couldn't even protect the last thing she left me.

The only love I had left was taken by them to please Chloe, only to be smashed to pieces right in front of my eyes.

"Natalie, I really didn't mean to." Chloe covered her face and sobbed.

My mom immediately shielded her in her arms.

"Don't cry, sweetie. It's not your fault."

She glared at me. "If she hadn't rushed at you like a maniac, why would your hands shake?"

But I hadn't even touched Chloe.

Marcus sighed in annoyance. "Just take it to a jeweler and get it fixed. It's not like it's worth that much anyway."

Ethan pulled out a tissue, gently wiping the tears from Chloe's face.

Nobody noticed my hand was bleeding.

Or maybe they did.

It was just that compared to Chloe's tears, it didn't matter.

I tightly clenched my fist around the broken cross.

In the past, whenever I was wronged, I would scream and explain myself.

I used to believe that if I just explained clearly, they would understand.

But at this moment, I didn't even have the energy to speak.

I slipped the broken necklace into my pocket and walked out.

My mom screamed after me, "If you walk out that door, don't you dare come back! You're an adult and you still have such an attitude! Who would ever put up with you?!"

I didn't look back.

She didn't know that I had no intention of ever returning.

I went back to the hostel. My flight to the Cairo Institute was the day after tomorrow.

I packed my remaining clothes.

At one in the morning, a message from Ethan came through.

Chloe cried the entire night. Are you happy now?

I stared at the screen for a long time.

I wanted to explain, but halfway through typing, I deleted everything.

He didn't care. Just like he never cared why I left.

Chloe's tears required everyone to comfort her all night.

My pain only earned me a complaint about my "bad attitude."

I blocked every single one of them. Then, I dragged my broken suitcase to the train station to head to the airport.

At the security check, the wheel of my suitcase got stuck. A kind older woman helped me lift it.

"Traveling alone, dear? No family to send you off?"

I smiled, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.

"They have someone more important to take care of."

As the train pulled away from the platform, I looked at the broken necklace in my hand and finally let my tears fall in the silence of the cabin.

I wasn't crying because I missed them.

I was crying for my younger self—the girl who had stupidly believed that if she was just a little more sensible, someone would finally love her back.

Before turning off my phone, I saw a few incoming texts.

They were still demanding that I "be sensible" and come back to apologize to Chloe.

But they didn't know.

The Natalie Sinclair who was always sensible, who always waited for their approval, was gone.

And she was never coming back.