Chapter 3
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The second gift box held the newest iPhone.
Levi’s eyes lit up instantly, his hand shooting forward on reflex.
“This is for me, right? Give it to me.”
I stepped aside. “I have nothing to do with you anymore. If you want one, ask your other sister.”
His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out.
My father’s gift was a massage device.
I picked it up without hesitation.
No one had expected me to be so blunt, so unapologetic, or that I would still be set on leaving.
My mother stepped in front of me, blocking the door. My father’s face stayed cold and unreadable.
Sherilyn glanced from one person to another before picking up her phone. Her fingers tapped the screen a few times right in front of me.
A second later, my parents‘ and brother’s phones all chimed at once.
They glanced at their screens, and the heavy atmosphere instantly loosened.
One message from Sherilyn, and all their phones lit up.
That wasn’t a coincidence.
They were chatting privately, right in front of me.
I’d known about it for a long time. The four of them had their own family group chat- without me.
Hilarious, wasn’t it?
The real, biological daughter of this family was excluded.
I had made a fuss about it before. My request was simple, just add me to the group.
Their solution?
They all went on a month–long vacation, blocked me on every form of contact, and left me alone in the house.
It was summer break during high school. They left me no money. Whenever someone called them on my behalf, the moment they heard it was about me, they’d hang up. No one could reach them.
By the time they came home from their fun, I’d spent half a month living on plain boiled noodles. My face had gone pale from malnutrition.
They didn’t ask how I survived the month.
Chapter 2
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They only asked if I had “learned my lesson.”
After that, I stopped asking about the group chat.
Now, my brother sat there replying to their messages, a smile playing at his lips, occasionally glancing at me with something almost smug.
Whenever they chatted in that group, I’d always try to wedge myself into the conversation
or throw in some sarcastic remark–anything to remind them I existed.
But this time, I stayed calm.
When they saw I was still dragging my suitcase toward the door, Levi glanced at his phone and walked toward me with obvious impatience.
“Alright, fine, I shouldn’t have called you a country bumpkin.”
“Really sorry, okay?”
“Now you should apologize to Dad, right?”
I looked at him quietly. “Levi, you’re a real ungrateful little bastard.”
He clearly thought he was giving me an out, but I didn’t take it. His temper flared instantly.
“That’s enough! The whole family has apologized to you–what more do you want? You trying to drive us all to our graves?”
I slowly shook my head. “You’re in my way. Can
you move?”
He froze, clearly not expecting that. “You do realize, Celine, that once you walk out that door, it won’t be easy to come back?”
I touched the swollen side of my face.
What he didn’t know was that I had already given up.
Affection you have to fight for wasn’t worth having.
Sherilyn stepped forward, tugging on my arm, her voice dripping with sincerity.
“This is my fault. I shouldn’t have treated your parents like mine just because I lost mine.” “If my presence really bothers you, I’ll disappear and never show up in front of you again.”
Her words were humble, but her feet didn’t move an inch.
That pitiful act had everyone rushing to comfort her.
“Sis, how can you leave? If anyone should go, it’s her!” my brother declared.
Watching her fake display of selflessness, I couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Can you drop the act? If I leave, aren’t you the happiest one here?”
I yanked my arm free. She stumbled back, losing her balance, and fell straight onto the floor–right where shards of glass were scattered.
Chaster 2
