Chapter 3

I sat in my room, wiping my wound in front of the mirror. The past eighteen years slowly replayed before my eyes. Sometimes, it was a tiny me, sitting by the village entrance day after day, waiting for Mom to pick me up. Then it was me, after Grandma passed away, realizing there was no place for me in this family. There was also me, framed by Luna for breaking her birthday gift, then slapped hard by Ryan. And me, scorned by Mom and Dad, who said they wished they hadn't taken me back, crying on the floor, feeling utterly wronged. Finally, it all turned into… me, waiting at that fancy restaurant for my family to celebrate my birthday. But they never came.

Creak—

The door suddenly pushed open. Without turning, I knew it was Luna. This was her favorite tactic. After I'd been reprimanded by the whole family because of her, she'd come to gloat under the guise of comforting me.

"Aubrey, are you very sad?" she said with a grin. "Knowing you're adopted too, do you feel like dying?" "You know, we're both adopted daughters, so who's nobler than whom? You still fight with me every day." "But you can't win against me in the end, you're really so ridiculous." "Mom and Dad, and Ryan, I'm the one they've always loved."

After she finished, she covered her mouth and burst out laughing. She had said things like this to me countless times. Each time, it made me furious. Because of it, I had slapped her. I had poured milk on her. But this time, I found it utterly meaningless.

I wiped the wound on my forehead and said flatly: "Since you're so happy, then they're all yours. Completely."

Perhaps my expression was too calm. It robbed Luna of some of her pleasure. She glared at me viciously: "Don't act all superior and pretend to be magnanimous here." "In the end, you're just a loser who can't win against me, I'm telling you." "Everything I have now, I fought for it, you didn't give it to me. Now I'm going to make you see reality clearly."

With that, she messed up her own hair. Then she threw herself to the ground, screaming: "Aubrey, don't hit me!" "I won't go to Disneyland ever again!"