Chapter 1

On Christmas Day, I hurried over to my parents' place, carrying the holiday gift baskets my company had given me.

Mom beamed at me. "Sweetheart, I made all your favorites tonight."

Hearing that made my heart melt. I slipped an envelope with two thousand dollars in cash into her apron pocket as a holiday treat.

But by nine-thirty that night, dinner still hadn't started.

To get off work on time and make it here for our family reunion, I hadn't even eaten lunch. I'd been glued to my desk clearing my schedule all day.

Now, my head was spinning. My blood sugar had completely tanked.

I reached toward the fruit bowl on the counter, desperate for an orange slice.

"Smack!"

Mom slapped my hand away, her face twisting into pure disgust.

"Don't touch that food, even if you starve to death!"

"Everything on that table is for Travis! Who do you think you are, picking at it before he gets here?!"

I froze, convinced I had heard her wrong.

"Mom, you literally just told me you cooked all this for me..."

"My blood sugar is crashing. I'm dizzy. I can't even have a piece of fruit?"

Realizing she had slipped, Mom forced a gentle tone, trying to smooth things over.

"Honey, it's not that I don't want you to eat."

"It's Christmas dinner. A real family meal has to include everyone. We can't leave anybody out."

"Travis and Chloe aren't back yet. Just wait a little longer."

Seeing the stressed look on her face, guilt suddenly washed over me.

I scolded myself for being so demanding. How could I let my petty hunger ruin our family dinner?

I opened DoorDash on my phone, planning to order a boba milk tea just to survive the night without fainting.

While scrolling, Mom's phone rang.

As usual, she answered on speaker. Travis's loud voice echoed through the room.

"Mom! Chloe and I reserved a private room at that fancy restaurant downtown. Grab Dad and come over right now."

"It's Christmas. Took us forever to snag this VIP table!"

The second she hung up, Mom grabbed Dad by the arm, giggling with excitement as they rushed to their bedroom to change.

I had felt annoyed that Travis made us wait so late, but hearing he had booked a nice restaurant made all my frustration vanish.

I slipped on my coat, sighing with relief. Finally, I'd get to eat.

When I waited by the front door, Mom walked out and suddenly hesitated, fidgeting and glancing at Dad.

I was baffled. "Mom? What's going on?"

"Let's go! Travis and Chloe are waiting. Or are you feeling sick?"

Mom's face turned red, but she kept her mouth shut.

Dad cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Serena, Travis said he booked a table for the four of us—him, Chloe, your mom, and me."

"He didn't say we should bring you along."

"If you just show up uninvited, I'm afraid Travis and Chloe will be upset..."

Mom finally broke her silence, offering an awkward, tight smile.

"Yeah, honey. Why don't you just whip up something here? There's instant ramen in the pantry, your favorite flavor."

"I wrapped up all the dishes on the table and put them in the fridge. We'll eat them with Travis tomorrow."

The truth hit me like a splash of ice water.

They were having a family Christmas dinner, and they didn't want me there.

That comment about cooking my favorite dishes? A blatant lie to get my holiday bonus money.

Swallowing the bitter rage rising in my throat, I stared straight into Mom's eyes.

"Mom, ten minutes ago you told me a family dinner meant everyone had to be there. No one left behind."

"So what you really meant was: Travis and Chloe can't be left out. But I can?"

Mom's face flushed crimson. She couldn't utter a single syllable.

Dad let out a heavy sigh, looking at me with pure disappointment.

"Serena, how can you talk to your mother like that?"

"You're married. You moved out. Technically speaking, you're not part of this household anymore."

"Travis and his wife are different. They're our real family forever."