Chapter 2
Mom, Dad, and Anna all looked over at me at the same time.
I pulled myself together, stood up, and met Dad's gaze. "Mom, Dad, what about me?"
Maybe Mom and Dad never expected me, the one who always did as I was told, to speak up at a moment like this.
An awkward look crossed their faces.
After a few seconds of silence, Mom walked over to me. "Emily, you're still young. Focus on your studies. Anna and your dad will handle the company. You don't need to worry about that."
I could read between the lines and knew exactly what she meant.
All the effort I'd poured in over the years? It was a joke to them.
I forced a smile, brushed past her, and headed upstairs to my room.
All the hurt and frustration finally broke through, and I buried my face in my pillow, sobbing my heart out.
For twenty-two years, I'd always felt like an outsider in the Summers family.
I didn't get it. Why did I always have to step back to keep Anna happy? Why did nobody give a damn about how I felt?
Was the "good kid" in the family supposed to suck it up and deal with all the unfair crap?
Eventually, my tears wore me out, and I drifted off to sleep. By the time I woke up again, it was already the middle of the night.
There was no water left in my room, so I grabbed my cup and headed to the kitchen to get some.
As I passed by my parents' room, I suddenly heard Mom's voice coming from inside.
"The Hart family's heir is back in the country. I heard he's going to be at tomorrow's party, and his mother wants me to bring the kids along," she said.
My heart skipped a beat, and I stopped in my tracks without realizing it.
The Hart family's heir? Was it Lucas Hart?
He was my senior back in high school, and honestly, everyone on campus knew his name.
He was handsome, smart, and always had girls chasing after him, yet somehow, there was never any gossip or scandal about his love life.
Last year, right by the school entrance, after shopping, before I could zip up my bag, a thief grabbed my wallet.
Lucas happened to walk by, and instinctively, he chased the guy down and brought my wallet back.
That was when I realized we were both at the same grad school.
From that day on, my heart, which had been frozen for so long, started to flutter again.
*****
The next morning, I got up early for once and made sure I looked presentable.
After thinking it over, I realized I'd spent my life backing down and giving in. But this time, I was going to stand up for myself.
When I came downstairs, Mom was already in the dining room, having breakfast.
When she saw me, a flicker of surprise crossed her face. Then she waved me over. "Emily, come have breakfast."
I nodded and sat down.
Neither of us mentioned what had happened yesterday. It was like an unspoken rule.
Halfway through breakfast, I finally worked up the nerve to ask, "Mom, are you going to the Hart family's party today?"
She paused, looking a bit confused. "Yeah," she replied.
Gripping my hands tightly, I asked, "Mom, is it okay if I—"
"Mom, I'm ready. Let's go," Anna called out and cut me off. She came down the stairs, dressed to the nines in an elegant evening gown.
I was momentarily stunned.
Mom stood up, grabbed her bag, and explained, "I'm taking Anna to the party today. The driver's waiting outside, so we're heading out now."
With that, she didn't spare me another glance, took Anna by the arm, and walked out the door.
I stood there, frozen, like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over my head.
A storm of emotions crashed over me.
I looked down at my dress. 'Emily, you really are such a clown,' I told myself.
My phone suddenly buzzed. I checked it, finding it was a reminder for the dental appointment I'd scheduled.
My wisdom tooth had been acting up lately, so a friend recommended her own dentist to me. She said he was nearly impossible to book, but somehow, I managed to snag an appointment on my first try.
*****
By the time I got home from the dentist, Mom and Anna were already back.
As soon as I walked in, Mom dragged me over, her eyes shining with excitement, and pointed at the necklace around Anna's neck. "Emily, what do you think? Isn't Anna's necklace gorgeous?"
I glanced over. Even if I was clueless about jewelry, it was obvious the thing cost a ton.
I nodded mechanically, going along with it. "Yeah, it looks nice."
Anna arched her brow, showing off with a smug grin. "Of course. Mrs. Hart gave it to me herself.
"Mom took me to the party today, and the Hart family was impressed with me. You must've heard of Lucas Hart, right? I heard he goes to your school. Do you know him? What's he like?"
When I heard Lucas's name, I got nervous for a second.
I quickly replied, "No, I don't know him."
She glanced at me and laughed. "I figured as much. I heard he's super aloof, not the type to be friends with anyone.
"But hey, since Mrs. Hart really likes me, he agreed to go on a blind date with me."
"You're so charming, Anna. Lucas will definitely like you," Mom chimed in, jumping to back her up.
"Oh, right. Since you're going on a blind date, you better make sure you look your best. Tomorrow, I'll go shopping with you and help you pick out some new outfits," Mom added.
As she said that, she wrapped her arm around Anna, walked over to the couch, and sat down.
The two of them were chatting away, caught up in their own world, and I was left standing there, completely forgotten.
My feet felt weighed down like they were filled with lead. All I could feel was an overwhelming heaviness pressing down on me.
When I got back to my room, my phone buzzed with a message from Ethan Reed: [Miss Summers, don't forget to apply the medicine on time.]
He was the dentist I visited today, and after meeting him, I finally understood why he was so hard to book.
He was young, single, and ridiculously handsome. No wonder everyone was dying to see him.
[Okay,] I replied.
[In three days, the swelling should be down enough. You can come in and get your wisdom tooth out.]
[Understood.]
[Get some rest. See you in three days.]
Wasn't he supposed to be all cold and distant? Then why was he texting me so much?
I set my phone down and ignored him.