Chapter 2

Alex glanced at me, then lowered his head and said something quietly to Mandy.

Mandy finally broke into a smile, scooped up Dolly, and headed upstairs, looking all cheerful.

Before she disappeared, she shot me a challenging smirk.

I gave a wry smile.

Ever since my parents brought me back, Mandy did everything she could to prove that our parents and Alex loved her more.

But what she didn't realize was, I never really cared about their love.

I wasn't some kid who grew up deprived of affection.

My adoptive family was truly wonderful people.

They gave me enough love and courage to face anything.

With my head down, silent, Alex cleared his throat and came over to me.

Trying to explain and comfort me at the same time, he said, "Don't worry. We said the whole family would go out together, and we're not leaving you home by yourself.

"I'll figure something out. Trust me, okay?"

I just nodded, not really agreeing or disagreeing.

Honestly, I wasn't even that keen on going out with them anyway.

But my mom was in tears, saying this was the first time I'd ever gone on a trip with them, and everyone was really excited about it.

I just couldn't figure it out.

My mom said she wanted to take me on this trip, but all the luggage was filled with Mandy's things.

My dad said this trip was supposed to make up for all the happiness I'd missed out on over the years.

But when he was assigning seats, even Dolly got its own spot, but somehow, he forgot about me.

And Alex. When he brought me back, he hugged me so tight, eyes all red, and swore he'd always look out for me, never letting anything hurt me ever again.

Yet just now, he didn't think twice; he shoved past me just to catch Mandy before she hit the ground.

He noticed the tears welling up in Mandy's eyes, but he completely missed my knee: already banged up from crashing into the coffee table.

Guess when one had a favorite, one just couldn't hide it, no matter how hard one tried.

But I never saw this coming.

When Alex said he'd figure something out, his grand plan was literally a train ticket to Auremont.

Alex said, "Thea, the roads are gonna be totally gridlocked for the holiday. Driving's just a pain.

"I bought you a train ticket. Head up north first and wait for us in Auremont.

"It'll get you there in just over three hours: way quicker than us driving."

Every word he said sounded like he was desperately trying to prove he was doing this for my sake.

I asked, "If the train is so comfortable, why doesn't Mandy take it then?"

Alex's expression changed instantly, and he blurted out, "Mandy's not like you. She's been spoiled since she was a kid. She's never even been on a bus, let alone a train."

I said, "So it's not that the road trip is uncomfortable. It's just that the car only has room for the four of you and the dog.

"You can't stand the thought of Mandy having a hard time, so you just decided to ship me off alone on the train to Auremont."

Seeing Alex caught off guard and guilty, I just wanted to cry right then.

I missed my brother—not Alex, my blood, but William, my adoptive brother, way down south.

Alex would never know that, honestly, I was just another girl who'd never really left home either.

Mistvale didn't have a high school, so I lived in the dorms those three years—home every Friday, back every Sunday.

William always worried I'd run into trouble on my own, so every Friday after class, he'd be waiting for me right outside the school gate.

Then on Sunday afternoons, he'd ride the bus with me back to town for school.

On those rough, winding mountain roads, whenever we managed to get a seat, I'd rest my head on William's shoulder.

Whenever there weren't any seats, William would have me stand right in front of him.

He'd use his broad shoulders to shield me from any unwanted attention.

When I first returned to the Smith family, I missed my adoptive parents and William so much that I'd call them for video chats almost every night.

Alex would get all jealous and ask me who the better brother was: him or William.

Back then, I'd secretly feel ashamed, thinking maybe I shouldn't be video chatting with William every single day. What if I was hurting Alex's feelings?

But now, it finally hit me.

Turns out, one just couldn't hide who one cared about most.

Alex never hesitated; he'd always choose Mandy over me.

And me? Between Alex and William, I'd choose William every single time.

We all had our favorites.

I didn't hold it against Alex.

Because now, I was going to find William.