Chapter 2

Before I could speak again, Mom slammed a carton of almond milk down in front of me.

"You're the slow one, yet you have the nerve to interrogate your sister!"

She rolled her eyes at me.

"Hurry up and drink this. Keep your mouth shut!"

I looked down at the carton.

It had expired three days ago.

Of course.

The expensive, unexpired fresh milk was reserved for Piper's lattes.

She never spared any for me.

The pain from my incision intensified. Unable to sit there any longer, I stood up to leave.

Dad walked over to the dining table, taking a seat without even looking at me.

"College Decision Day is today, right?"

"It ended yesterday," I croaked.

Dad let out a small "oh" and kept scrolling through his phone.

"Didn't you score a 1580 on your SAT? Just stay local, commute to the state university, and you can tutor Piper while you're at it."

His tone was completely flat, as if he were assigning a household chore.

"Piper is applying to colleges next year. You can help edit her essays and organize her extracurriculars. Plus, it'll save us a ton on room and board."

As for my future, he didn't care in the slightest.

I couldn't speak, terrified that if I opened my mouth, only pure resentment would spill out.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was the hospital billing department, informing me that there was a supplemental insurance claim form I needed to sign. They asked when I could come in.

I took a deep breath and looked at my parents.

"Mom, Dad, do you have some time tomorrow morning?"

Dad cut me off coldly.

"We're taking your sister to the dermatologist for a facial treatment. She scheduled it first thing this morning."

Mom looked up, annoyed.

"Rowan, how many times do we have to tell you? Everything in this house requires a reservation. Can't you get that through your head?"

"Look at how well-behaved your sister is. She never causes us any trouble!"

Piper glanced at me and spoke up tentatively.

"Mom, maybe you guys should go with my sister tomorrow first."

Mom patted Piper's hand gently.

"Silly girl, the rules of this house can't be broken. You scheduled it first, so our time rightfully belongs to you."

Dad nodded in agreement.

"Your sister was too late. She deserves to learn a lesson."

I lowered my head and silently opened the calendar app.

I finally couldn't hold it back, letting out a soft chuckle from my chest.

It was self-deprecating and full of pity.

The words "Server Error" were still displayed on the screen.

It proved that everything my parents just said was yet another biased lie.

Growing up, I really tried to numb myself.

I told myself it was my fault for always being one step behind Piper, that I couldn't blame my parents.

But lying alone on that freezing operating table yesterday, trembling and convulsing, I realized I couldn't lie to myself anymore.

I was never too late.

My parents' hearts were simply skewed from the very beginning.

Sitting there felt like sitting on pins and needles. I stood up abruptly and went to my room.

Behind me, Mom grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Always walking around with that miserable face since she was a kid. Completely unlikable!"

Dad spoke indifferently.

"Just let her throw her fit."

"People who don't follow the rules will learn their lesson once the real world beats them down."

In their words, I sounded like an unreasonable stranger.

No one had noticed that I was missing all night.

No one had noticed that I limped back home, my face terrifyingly pale.

Locking my bedroom door, I pulled out my phone and sent a confirmation email to London.

I had received the full-ride offer from that UK university three months ago.

Visas, dorms, flights—everything had actually been sorted out.

Originally, I was going to give it all up for the sake of this family.

Now, I didn't need to.

I changed my flight to tomorrow morning.

The scholarship program director had contacted me earlier, letting me know that aside from the full ride, the International Student Office would set me up with a summer job on campus, and I could move into my dorm early.

With that, my living expenses were covered.

My new life was secured.