Chapter 3

Haleigh looked at me with sympathy.

I just gave a careless smile. At least they bothered to call a doctor. Maybe they were not total monsters after all.

By the afternoon, the four of them showed up together, making a scene.

Gloria was still the center of attention, with everyone fawning over her.

When Houston saw me, his eyes flickered. "Daisy, I'm glad you're fine. By the way, Gloria's been really upset about what happened with your allergy. Maybe you could talk to her or something..."

It was rare for him to speak so nicely to me.

His voice trailed off at the end.

I turned to Gloria right away. "I don't care, so you shouldn't worry about it either."

Then I looked at Houston. "Does that work for you?"

My parents quickly jumped in to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, family doesn't hold grudges overnight... By the way, Daisy, what are you doing with that rolling pin?"

I smiled. "I need to talk to you about something, Houston."

Houston looked surprised. "What's up?"

Without warning, I swung the rolling pin and smacked him hard on the head.

He didn't see it coming and let out a yelp as he fell backward.

The other three gawked at me in shock, like they were seeing a whole new side of me.

Houston clutched his forehead, absolutely furious. "Daisy, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Blood started seeping through his fingers, and he looked at me like I'd lost my mind, totally stunned that I'd actually hit him.

Yeah, I used to be all about "Houston this, Houston that." Even when he iced me out, I'd just mope for a bit and move on. Who'd ever imagine I'd actually go off on him like that?

I stared straight into his eyes. "Well? What do you say, murderer?"

I could play along with them to keep things smooth before I left this place, but there was a line. When my own life was on the line, I was not just gonna let them sweep it under the rug.

Houston yelled, "Murderer? All I did was give you some hazelnut cake! Look at you, you're totally fine now!"

"Yeah? Well, you're not dead either, are you?" I shot back.

"You..." Houston was stunned, lost for words.

Dad barked, "That's enough! Everyone, shut up! Houston, I'll have the family doctor come by again to check your head. Daisy, go back to your room and rest. This is over."

It might've looked fair on the surface, but both Dad and Mom gave me a look, shook their heads, and their eyes were full of disappointment.

Gloria held onto Houston, crying again. "Daisy, I know you're mad at me for what happened, but how could you hit Houston like that? He's always been the one who cared for us since we were little!"

I answered evenly, "He's your brother, not mine. I don't have a brother."

And honestly, I didn't have parents either.

It was like I was completely alone in this world.

When Houston heard me say that, a flicker of panic crossed his face.

I turned and headed back to my room.

"Gloria, what's wrong? Gloria!" Mom called out, her voice full of panic.

Oh, it looked like something was up with Gloria again.

But I couldn't be bothered with the mess behind me. I went straight upstairs, closed my door without hesitation, and didn't look back.

I flipped on the light and sat down in my chair.

Thinking back, I honestly don't know if my parents ever loved me. Maybe they did, once.

But ever since I can remember, all I've seen is Mom, Dad, and Houston doting on Gloria.

All I ever heard was how Gloria was the sick one, and since I was the older sister, I was supposed to always put her first.

Yeah, when Gloria turned seven, out of nowhere she started having heart issues.

From then on, whatever she wanted, the family never said no.

If she had her eye on my room, I had to hand it over.

She couldn't make up her mind about which second-floor room she wanted, so I got booted to the maid's room downstairs, and she got free rein over both rooms upstairs.

And Houston? He was the golden boy, so of course he kept all his perks.

But I was just one year older than Gloria.

Grandma was the only one who ever really cared about me. She'd make my favorite garlic ribs, buy me the violin I wanted, and always stood her ground against everyone else to convince Mom and Dad to let me learn.

If it hadn't been for her, Mom and Dad would've shut down my request to learn the violin as soon as Gloria started bawling about how she was "too dumb" and "could never play like Daisy."

I got used to living at Grandma's place. It was the only place I ever felt truly loved by family.

Five years ago, Grandma passed away. Mom and Dad said it looked bad for me to live alone, so they dragged me back home.

But honestly, what difference did it make if I came back or not?

It didn't change a thing. I was still invisible to them.

After the last two days, I knew I couldn't stick around this house anymore. No one knew what kind of stunt Gloria would pull next.

So on the third day, I picked up my suitcase and headed out.

Mom and Dad saw me and just frowned, clearly not happy about it.