Chapter 2

Hearing my dad's words, a wave of intense grievance rushed to my chest.

"I only declined my wife's family dinner to come here because I thought of you guys as my real family."

"I guess I was delusional. You guys stopped seeing me as family a long time ago."

The next second, my mom's phone rang again.

Chloe's impatient voice blasted through the speaker.

"Mom, are you guys even out of the house yet?"

"What's taking so long? What if Ryan gets hungry?!"

My mom immediately began pacing the living room in a panic, speaking anxiously into the phone.

"Chloe, we have a bit of a situation at home."

"Ethan is here too, and he wants to come along..."

As my mom said this, a flash of annoyance crossed her face as she looked at me.

Before Chloe could answer, my dad snatched the phone and quickly added,

"Sweetheart, if you don't want him there, just tell us."

"You know your mother and I always listen to you."

Looking at my parents' blatant favoritism, my heart ached so badly it felt like it was breaking.

It had been like this for over twenty years. Back in middle school, when Chloe said she didn't want to see me at summer camp, my mom cancelled my registration without a second thought.

When I started high school, Chloe said she didn't want to ride in the same car with me.

So, my dad dropped me off halfway. From that day on, I had to take a one-and-a-half-hour bus ride to school every single day.

Even during my senior year, when I was cramming for college entrance exams, Chloe complained that my desk lamp disturbed her gaming. My mom forced me to study on the balcony.

In the freezing winter, with temperatures dropping below freezing, I sat on the balcony shivering so hard my teeth rattled, unable to focus. My mom just said it would "build my character."

Eventually, I found a way to cope: I would go inside, take a mouthful of hot water, and hold it in my mouth to keep my face warm for a few minutes.

When the water went cold, I would go back inside to get another gulp.

But within two days, Chloe got annoyed again.

"He keeps opening and closing the door! The draft is freezing me out!"

My mom immediately locked the balcony door from the inside. Looking through the glass, she mouthed to me,

"If your sister catches a cold because of you, I'll make you pay!"

"Just study out there. I'll open the door once every hour to let you use the bathroom!"

I used to wonder why Chloe treated me like this.

But ever since I was a child, my mom had brainwashed me with one idea:

"We used to give all our love to you, Ethan. But you can't be selfish.

You enjoyed being an only child for years, so now you have to take care of Chloe. She's younger than you, so you must always let her have her way."

"You've monopolized our love for so long. It's time to give it back. You need to be mature and understanding."

So, I had always lived with a sense of guilt, believing I had stolen my sister's share of parental love.

But today, I finally realized that was all a lie.

Just as I was about to stand up for myself, Chloe's voice came through the phone.

"If Ethan wants to come, let him."

"After all, he is family. How can we have dinner without him?"