Chapter 2

By the time the concert ended, it was already late at night. Valerie, completely worn out, still managed to put on a smile when she saw Matthew walk in.

"Matthew, thanks for going through all that for me today," she said.

Matthew's eyes softened as he gently patted her shoulder. "Anything I promised you, I'll do. If you're happy, it's all worth it for me."

They shared a smile, and even as their real sister, I felt a little lost in the warmth between them.

Honestly, who was the real outsider in this family?

Suddenly, Valerie's smile faded as she remembered something. She anxiously fidgeted with her fingers. "Did Ruth really not come?

"It's my first concert ever. She didn't even care enough to show up?"

Matthew's face instantly darkened when Valerie brought up my name.

Like I was some filthy thing, just the thought of me made him sick.

Matthew replied, "Her selfishness is all because I spoiled her too much. This time, I'm going to teach her a lesson she won't forget.

"Don't bother defending her. She can only come home when she's willing to kneel and beg for your forgiveness."

Hearing Matthew say something so harsh and absolute, I realized just how messed up things between us had gotten.

It was crazy. The siblings from the same womb, and now we were nothing but enemies who couldn't stand the sight of each other.

And honestly, Valerie definitely played her part in all this mess.

Just as I expected, when Valerie heard I'd been kicked out, she immediately put on a worried, anxious face.

But she couldn't hide the thrill in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried.

She said quickly, "Matthew, Ruth is out there all alone. What if something happens to her? Her reputation matters more than anything.

"Even though she tried to mess me up back then... maybe she was just young and reckless.

"All these years, I've honestly treated her like family. I think she's just mad at me. Once I talk to her, things will be fine."

Her innocent words matched perfectly with those big, innocent eyes. Anyone looking at her would feel nothing but pity.

But it was that harmless look that ended up destroying my life.

Matthew rubbed his temples in frustration. "You're just too kind. Every time you back down, she takes advantage and pushes even further.

"Not only did she skip your concert, she didn't even bother to send a gift. Am I even her brother anymore? Are you even her sister?"

When Matthew looked back at all the reckless things I'd done over the years, even the strongest bonds just faded away with time.

The last message between us on my phone was still my desperate plea for help. Nothing ever moved past that.

The WhatsApp chat window was dead silent. It was so quiet that made my heart uneasy.

In the past, whenever Matthew lost his temper, no matter how urgent or chaotic my own life was, I'd always drop everything and obediently apologize.

But now, hours had gone by. And there was not a single text from me, not even an apology.

Matthew thought, 'Looks like she's finally standing up for herself.'

Matthew couldn't stand anyone defying him, and now the internet was swarming with people trashing me.

They were desperate to dig up every bit of dirt on me, trying to expose everything.

My social media was blowing up with angry comments from strangers.

Every single comment was just nasty hate and vicious insults.

Matthew didn't like what they were doing, but he just let it happen.

After a long pause, he finally typed out a message on his phone. [You can come home when you're ready to apologize to Valerie. That's when I'll forgive you.]

Then he turned off his phone and closed his eyes.

Back then, Matthew really spoiled me.

Ever since I could remember, Mom would always tell us. "You two are Mom's sweethearts. Stick together, and never, ever bully each other, okay?"

I took those words to heart, so no matter how much I got hurt, I was always the first to swallow my pride and go make up with Matthew.

To me, nothing in the world mattered more than him.

Back then, Matthew treated me just as well, but everything turned upside down the year I turned thirteen.

That night, rain was pouring down, and Dad showed up with a little girl, called Valerie Warren.

She was the orphan of Dad's old friend. Her parents had died in that notorious plane crash everyone talked about.

She survived only because she couldn't bear to leave her grandma, so she threw a tantrum and refused to board the plane.

At that time, I really liked this girl. She looked just like a doll. I welcomed her into my room and shared all my toys and snacks with her.

But then, right in front of me, Valerie suddenly fell to the floor and burst into tears.

She sobbed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mess with your stuff. I've never seen toys this pretty before.

"I know I messed up. You're right, I'm just an orphan. I don't deserve anything this nice."

Valerie's cries were so loud that Mom, Dad, and Matthew all rushed upstairs to see what was happening.

Mom and Dad surrounded me, scolding me nonstop, while Matthew just stared at me, his eyes full of disappointment.

I was totally flustered, trying to explain myself, but everyone was busy comforting Valerie and didn't even bother to listen to me.

No one even paused to listen to me.

But that was just the beginning.

I couldn't even remember when it all began.

The school I once loved turned into a nightmare. Senior girls would randomly wait for me in the bathroom, just to mess with me.

As soon as I stepped inside, they'd start beating me up, rip out the hairpin Mom gave me, and toss it on the ground.

They'd burn me with their cigarettes, leaving scars, then drench me with water from the bathroom sink.

Sometimes, they'd surround me and hit me, one after another.

I honestly had no idea what I'd done wrong. When I came home, crying and begging my family for help, all I got was Matthew's cold slap across my face.

Matthew snapped, "Did Mom, Dad, and I raise you to be like this? It's one thing if you can't stand Valerie, but how could you actually get others to bully her at school?

"If I hadn't noticed those scars on her when I dropped her off this morning, were you just planning to hide it from us forever?"

All I could do was clutch my burning cheek, stunned. After all, I'd been spoiled my whole life.

Tears poured down my face, wild and unstoppable, like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

All those explanations I'd practiced on the way home? Gone. I couldn't get a single word out.

All I could think was I needed to get out of here. No one believed me anyway.

I ran out the door, which only made Valerie's story look even more convincing.

They all figured I was just guilty and too cowardly to stick around.

But I was the only one who knew what it felt like that night.

I was wandering alone through those icy streets. All I felt inside was pure fear and dread.

From then on, school bullies weren't my only problem anymore. I also had to face the cold remarks and biting sarcasm at home.

The brother who used to grin and hide a teddy bear behind his back, just to surprise me, was gone.

The promise he made to never hurt me, to always protect me, was long gone, just empty words now.

Finally, I was the one who didn't belong in this family after all.

I let out a bitter, mocking laugh.