Chapter 3

During my two weeks' stay in the hospital, I could see the wedding preparations unfolding every day.

The simple and elegant venue I'd always liked was swapped out for Lila's favorite pink theme. Dreamy balloons were everywhere.

My parents, wearing a suit and a tight dress respectively, smiled brightly as Lila paid respects to them.

My brother posted ten videos a day, each one captioned with a choked-up message: [My crybaby finally put on her wedding dress. I'm so proud of you.]

Familiar classmates kept coming up to me, totally baffled. [Chloe, is your younger sister getting married at the same time as you?]

*****

I didn't bother answering. Instead, I hailed a cab and headed home.

Ryan was peeling an apple for Lila. When he saw me, he subconsciously stepped in to block me out. "Why are you back?"

I looked at him calmly. "I'm here to grab some clothes."

Ryan let out a sigh of relief and whispered to me, "Lila is still mad at you. Rest up in the hospital for a few more days. I've taken care of all the expenses."

Without a reply, I went back to my room, packed my things, and took my driver's license and passport.

I reached into the very back of my closet and pulled out a delicate box. When I opened it, I found the emerald bracelet was gone.

My mind went blank.

That was the only thing my grandma left me.

I walked into the living room. Sure enough, I saw it on Lila's wrist.

The bracelet was light green and made one feel warm inside.

My dad didn't look up. "Lila found it a couple of days ago and thought it looked nice, so she put it on. Don't pick a fight with her."

My brother was grinning as he doted on Lila. "That looks amazing on you. Now, tell me, who's my one and only little princess?"

Lila proudly raised her hand.

I walked over and reached out to her, my voice raspy. "Hand me the bracelet."

Lila looked scared and scrambled into my mom's arms. She sobbed, "No, I won't. Chloe, you're bad."

She started hurling whatever she could grab at me.

My dad shielded Lila and snapped, "It's only a bracelet. Losing it won't kill you."

But I couldn't feel any physical pain anymore. I only had a piercing pain in my heart.

I locked my gaze on him. "That's the only thing Grandma left me. It's mine."

My dad paused, clearly impatient. "Your grandma is dead. Do you have to stir up drama and mess up this family?

"And anyway, she was Lila's grandma too. Don't go too far when you're fighting for attention."

I didn't care what he said and went for Lila, reaching for her wrist to take the bracelet back.

Lila screamed and tried to get away, but she tripped and fell. Her leg got scraped and started bleeding.

The bracelet shattered right there on the floor.

The metallic taste of blood rose in my throat as I tried to gather up the pieces, my fingertips covered in blood.

The next moment, my brother yanked me up. A burning pain shot across my cheek.

The crisp sound of a slap rang out, freezing everyone in place.

My brother grabbed me by the collar. "Are you out of your mind?"

He kicked the broken shards at my feet and made me grovel on them. "You must learn your lesson today, or you'll get completely out of hand." He dragged me over, leaving me a mess.

Ryan glanced at me. A flicker of pity crossed his eyes, and his feet moved a bit.

But then Lila let a few tears fall while looking at him.

He looked away, turned, and pulled a coat over her shoulders.