Chapter 2

A few days later, under everyone's care, Edith was finally discharged from the hospital.

Jayce was running around, gathering all her things. Adeline had already pulled the car up to the hospital entrance, worried that Edith might have to take even a single step. Colton wouldn't even let her put on her own shoes.

On the way home, Jayce grumbled, "Sylvia is unbelievable. Her own sister gets out of the hospital, and she doesn't even show up, let alone apologize. Just wait until I get home. I'm not letting her off easy."

Adeline shot him a look. "See? I told you letting her stay at the house was a bad idea. Sooner or later, something will go wrong."

When Jayce said he was not going to let her off easy, I couldn't help but feel conflicted inside.

A flood of old memories rushed back.

Since I was little, Jayce had always favored Sylvia. He always told me to give in to her, no matter what.

It all started the day Sylvia was born. I accidentally knocked over a pot of boiling water, burning Jayce and making him fall, which caused Adeline to go into premature labor.

Sylvia had to spend her first days in an incubator, and the whole family was heartbroken over her.

Adeline slapped me so hard that it broke my nose, blood pouring down my face. "You're nothing but a curse. Your sister almost lost her life the day she was born, all because of you."

Jayce lay in the hospital bed, weakly opening his eyes, looking at me with nothing but disappointment.

Back in elementary school, I got into a fight with Edith over a dress. Adeline beat me so badly that I couldn't get out of bed for three days.

That dress was my favorite.

Even though it was a bonus gift for me when Adeline bought something for Edith on her business trip, it was still the one I loved most.

Edith already had so many dresses she couldn't fit them all in her closet, but she still insisted on fighting me for that one.

While we were pulling at it, she suddenly let out a shriek and started crying.

Jayce rushed over, scooping Edith up in his arms. His voice cracked with emotion as he yelled at me, "Sylvia, your sister has suffered so much because of you. What more do you want from her?"

"It wasn't me," I protested.

Before I could explain, Edith squeezed out a few tears and said, "Dad, please don't be mad. It's my fault. I shouldn't have fought with Estrella over the dress."

When Adeline stormed in and saw what was happening, she yanked me over and started hitting me.

"A heartless kid like you should be thrown out. Keeping you around brings nothing but trouble," she yelled.

I cried and begged her to stop, but the more I cried, the more she thought I was faking it, and her blows only got harder.

Jayce and Colton stood by, watching without any concern.

It was like they wouldn't be happy until Adeline had beaten me to death, as if I were their enemy.

From that day on, every time I made Edith cry, Jayce and Adeline would yell at me and hit me without a second thought.

Eventually, I stopped trying to win their affection. I didn't dare defend myself or go near Edith.

Now, they left me on that cold operating table.

*****

As soon as they came home, Edith plopped down on the couch and complained about being hungry. Colton rushed to the kitchen, eager to show off his new cooking skills.

Colton, who had never boiled water before, was scrolling through his phone, looking for healthy recipes, while making sure Edith was comfortable.

Adeline pulled out the latest tablet, saying it was a gift to celebrate Edith coming home from the hospital after her close call.

Meanwhile, Jayce was busy cleaning Edith's room from top to bottom and setting up air purifiers, insisting that fresh air would help her recover faster.

Edith lounged on the couch, watching TV, while the whole family fussed over her, worrying about every little thing.

It felt like my soul was tagging along with them. No matter how familiar this place was, it always felt cold to me.

Then the doorbell rang, and I saw a figure I knew all too well. It was my boyfriend, Simon.

As soon as he stepped inside, he immediately started fussing over Edith. "Jayce, Adeline, I heard Edith was discharged today, so I brought some supplements to check on her."

Edith quickly put down her tablet and acted shy. "Simon, you really didn't have to go toall that. I'm already feeling much better."

Simon flashed her a sweet smile. The guy who was always so distant with me turned into the gentlest, most caring big brother whenever Edith was around.

As I watched him, I felt this strange sense of unfamiliarity.

I remembered how he used to talk endlessly about his job. As a safety engineer, he was really into fire safety and building regulations. He even became a certified fire safety engineer.

Back then, I thought he was rambling. Now, I thought it might be his way of showing his care for me.

Suddenly, Simon switched gears. "Where's Sylvia?"

Honestly, if he hadn't mentioned me, the family probably would've forgotten me.

When Jayce heard my name, his face soured. "Why bring up that disaster? I barely said anything to her the other day, and she hasn't come home since.

"Honestly, it's probably for the best. If she loves being out there so much, let her stay gone. If she dies out there, this house will finally get some peace. No more chaos every day."

Simon quickly nodded. "Yeah, probably better that way. She won't come back and mess with Edith's recovery."

Colton came out with the supplements, teasing, "So, when are you going to break things off with Sylvia? If you don't make a move, someone else might scoop up my little sister."

Simon ducked his head, a little shy. "I was thinking of bringing it up today, since I was already coming over to check on Edith."

A kind of heartache I couldn't even describe welled up inside me, almost choking me. I gave a self-deprecating smile and then turned away, refusing to look at them again.

I had long been used to not being loved.