Chapter 1

For as long as I remembered, my mom kept telling me, "You're loved by lots of people, but your sister only has me.

"She's the only princess in this family. We all need to spoil her and give in to her."

She worried my sister would get jealous, so she never held me.

When my sister grabbed my toys, Mom said I was selfish.

When my sister scratched my face, Mom only cared about whether her hand hurt.

Later, my parents divorced.

My mom cried and begged me to go with her, but I turned away coldly.

Mom could make up for her own childhood, but she had no right to sacrifice mine.

*****

I always knew, for as long as I can remember, my older sister, Sandra Reed was the only princess in our family.

We all had to spoil her and give in to her every whim.

Once, when Sandra tried to shove a toy into my mouth, the nanny who was looking after me quickly pulled her away.

Sandra's arm got a little red, and she started bawling her eyes out.

Mom was so heartbroken she started crying right there and fired the nanny on the spot.

"Sandra is my only princess. I can't even bear to touch her, so how could you hurt her?" Mom yelled.

One day, Mom found a bunch of pictures of me on Grandma's phone, but not a single one of Sandra.

Grandma looked troubled and tried to explain, "Sandra's older now and she's always so energetic, running all over the place. I can't catch her and snap a photo."

But Mom thought Grandma was just making excuses out of guilt.

In a fit of rage, Mom threw Grandma's phone straight into the sewer.

"How can you be so unfair? Is it because Sandra isn't your biological granddaughter? Do you realize how much your favoritism is hurting her?" Mom shouted.

One time, Dad came home and hugged me first. Mom slapped him hard across the face, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Liar! You promised you'd treat both kids the same, but you still only care about your own daughter. If you can't stand Sandra, then why did you marry me?" Mom screamed.

All these years, Mom and Dad have been at each other's throats more times than I can count.

The most explosive fight turned our whole house upside down.

My toys, Dad's coffee set, and Grandma and Grandpa's plates were all shattered.

Only Sandra's room stayed untouched, pristine as ever.

Dad stood there, staring at the chaos, his hands shaking with anger.

"You're completely insane," he yelled at Mom.

After Dad slammed the door and left, Mom sank to her knees on the floor.

Her hair hung loose and wild, her makeup a mess from all the crying.

She grabbed my arm, tugging me over, staring at me without blinking.

"You're my daughter, right? You'll do what Mom says, won't you?" she said.

I nodded, playing the obedient child.

Mom smiled, looking genuinely pleased. She patted my head and pulled me onto her lap.

"Just remember, Sandra is the only princess in this family. You have to respect her, love her, always put her first, and give in to her in everything, okay?" she said.

I was only five, and I couldn't understand at all. I asked, curious, "But why?"

"Because you have so many people who love you: Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, and the nanny," Mom replied.

She looked down at me, her face soft but her voice icy and unyielding. "Sandra only has me in this family. If we start favoring you, she'll always feel left out and anxious.

"That's why we have to spoil her, let her know she's the only princess in the family. That way, she won't feel insecure or end up hurt by her family."

I nodded, not really understanding, just echoing her words. "Sandra's the princess, so we have to spoil her."

But what about me?

The question flickered in my mind, but I kept it to myself in the end.

Little by little, Mom's way of thinking started to rub off on me.

I learned to always put Sandra first, no matter what.

She got first pick of the fruit and snacks, and I always let her play with the toys and dolls before I even touched them.

Whenever we got home, I'd quietly move out of the way so Dad could hug Sandra first.

After I did it, I'd always look up at Mom, waiting for her praise.

But every time, she'd barely glance at me before heading straight over to Sandra.

"Sandra, you're so wonderful. My little princess should be loved and spoiled by everyone," Mom would say.

I watched Mom holding Sandra in her arms, and I just couldn't wrap my head around it.

Wasn't I her daughter too? I was only three years younger than Sandra.

Why was Sandra the princess, and I was just a nobody?

I didn't really get what it meant to feel safe, or what having a real family was supposed to be like.

All I knew was that I felt hurt and so sad.

So when Sandra took my favorite toy again, I shoved her hard and snatched it back.

"You already have so many toys! Why do you always have to take mine?" I yelled.

I glared at Sandra, all the hurt and frustration finally bursting out.

Mom rushed over, pulled the red-eyed and sobbing Sandra into her arms, and shot me a furious glare.