Chapter 4

I stared at my brother, shocked by his sudden hostility.

I remembered when he was short on his down payment for his apartment. I had transferred all my savings to him without a second thought.

He had cried tears of gratitude back then, saying, "Nora, you're the best sister. I'll always have your back."

And now, he was throwing my things out, claiming he wanted to teach me a lesson.

Standing there, a wave of sheer exhaustion washed over me.

My phone screen lit up.

My partner had sent over the employment contract. I signed it digitally.

When I looked up, my mom was shoving a heavy plastic bag into my hands.

"I bought some salmon. Prep it and make a lactation soup for Vivian. And bake some cod. Your sister hates heavy seasoning. She only eats it wild-caught and lightly seasoned. No more than eight minutes in the oven. Don't mess it up."

The plastic handles dug painfully into my palm.

My eyes stung.

"Mom, I'm allergic to seafood."

Mom froze for a second, then rolled her eyes.

"Well, you never say anything. How am I supposed to remember?"

She couldn't remember my life-threatening allergy, but she remembered every single one of Vivian's dietary preferences.

I carried the ingredients into the kitchen.

As I was chopping the vegetables, the knife slipped, slicing deep into my finger. Blood poured out instantly.

Ethan walked in and saw the blood, and his first reaction was to shout:

"What is wrong with you? How is Vivian supposed to eat this now?"

"Throw all of this away and sanitize the cutting board with boiling water. Now!"

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he grabbed a band-aid from the cabinet and tossed it to me.

"Put this on. Don't get an infection."

I looked at the grease-stained band-aid and said nothing.

Once the food was served, Vivian took one bite and started gagging violently.

"Nora, did you put onions in this? You know I'm allergic to onions!"

"I didn't..."

"Enough! We all know what you did. Stop lying!" Ethan barked, his voice booming.

I flinched, my cut finger throbbing.

Before I could even process what was happening, Jack grabbed his car keys and rushed out the door.

Ethan scooped Vivian up in his arms and followed closely behind.

My parents grabbed Vivian's favorite snacks and a bag of spare clothes, rushing out without giving me a single glance.

The apartment fell dead quiet.

I dragged my suitcase back inside and double-checked my ID and documents.

Lying in bed, my mind was completely blank and peaceful.

The next morning, I took a pre-booked cab to the airport.

During the ride, I scrolled through Instagram and saw a post Vivian had just uploaded.

It was a nine-photo grid celebrating her birthday.

A beautiful double-tier cake covered in expensive berries.

Handwritten cards from the family.

My parents wrote that she was their "most beloved daughter."

Jack wrote that she was his "favorite sister."

My husband wrote that she was "the most important woman in his life."

I looked through every single photo, my heart completely numb.

I gave the post a 'like,' and then, without hesitation, left the family Snapchat group.

With a loud roar of the engines, the plane lifted into the sky.

......

After blowing out her candles, Vivian was about to cut the cake.

Ethan suddenly stopped her.

"Wait a minute. Today is Nora's birthday too. Let me call her over so you guys can cut it together."

Vivian frowned in annoyance, but she nodded reluctantly.

Ethan opened the family Snapchat group to mention me.

"Nora, we misunderstood you last night. Vivian wasn't having an allergic reaction, it was just mild stomach flu. Take a cab over now, let's celebrate both your birthdays."

But the moment he hit send, a system notification popped up:

"This user is no longer in this group chat."