Chapter 2

I stood quietly, just watching everything in the room, saying nothing.

My tears kept falling, completely out of my control.

Bradley pulled me into a hug. "After your accident, Mom and Dad were so devastated that they blamed Regina for everything and kicked her out. I figured, since she's your sister and you were gone, I should take care of her for you. That's why I brought her back."

His explanation felt hollow, but I just didn't have the strength to dig any deeper.

Suddenly, his phone rang. When he saw the name on the screen, his face lit up.

The words "Regina Baby" flashed on the screen, stabbing into my chest like a splinter I couldn't cough up or swallow.

"Are you guys at the restaurant yet? Sabrina and I are coming right now," he said.

Bradley sounded happier than I'd ever heard him before.

It was just like back when he was in love with me.

After hanging up, he gently wiped away my tears and walked me to the restaurant.

Regina Chapman was sitting at the center of the table, right between Mom and Dad, who kept piling food onto her plate.

"Eat up, Regina. You're way too skinny," Mom said.

Derek carefully picked out the seeds from a strawberry and held it up to her mouth.

"Mom, you should eat more. As long as I'm here, no one's gonna mess with you," he said in his sweet, childish voice.

His sweet, innocent words made everyone at the table smile.

Even Bradley looked at him, clearly pleased.

But what about me?

My feet felt like they were weighed down with lead, and every movement pulled at my aching heart.

"Hey, Sabrina, you're here!" Regina called out, her voice bright and cheerful.

As soon as she saw me, Regina jumped up. "Since it's your welcome dinner, I really shouldn't be sitting at the center of the table."

Mom instinctively pulled her back down. "What are you talking about, honey? It doesn't matter where you sit."

Then, as if she suddenly remembered I was supposed to be the main character tonight, Mom looked up, a flash of embarrassment in her eyes.

"Right, Sabrina? Letting your little sister have the seat isn't a big deal. It's just a seat, after all," she said.

The day I came back home, Mom and Dad threw a huge, fancy party for me.

All the big shots showed up, and some folks even tried to snag the seat right in the middle to get closer to my parents.

For the first time ever, Mom and Dad, who always cared about saving face, actually lost it in front of everyone.

Dad raised his voice. "This is my real daughter, Sabrina's homecoming dinner. She's the only one who gets to be the center of attention tonight!"

Mom chimed in, "No matter what, Sabrina always gets the seat beside us."

The contrast cut into me like being flayed alive. Every time I remembered, it was like the wound was ripped open all over again.

I held back my tears and took the seat farthest from everyone.

Bradley served me some food and held my hand, trying to reassure me. "Eat up, Sabrina."

My voice was barely above a whisper as I said, "I'm allergic to seafood."

Everyone went silent, and the cheerful atmosphere shattered in an instant.

Every dish on the table was seafood, yet nobody remembered my allergy.

Because seafood was Regina's absolute favorite.

Regina's eyes instantly filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry; it's all my fault. I'll go get them to change the whole menu right now," she said, her voice trembling.

With that, she rushed out, her tears falling in a messy trail as she turned away.

Suddenly, the sharp crack of a bowl hitting echoed through the room.

Derek smashed a bowl right down onto my head.

Scalding soup burned my skin, and glass shards cut into me, blood rolling down my cheek. Yet none of it hurt as much as the ache in my heart.

He was like a furious little wild animal. "You're a bad woman! Why are you bullying my mom again? In just one day, you made her cry twice! I hate you."