Chapter 1

Over the holidays, my adopted sister Wanda brought my boyfriend Boyce home and announced their engagement.

My parents gave their blessing. Boyce looked thrilled. I caught the warning buried in his glance at me, and offered a calm little smile.

"You two make a beautiful couple. Congratulations."

But that night, once everyone else was asleep, he slipped into my room, his face dark.

"You just—gave me up to your sister, just like that? Then what were the last seven years?"

…

"Call it a doctor-patient relationship."

His expression cracked.

His fingers started worrying against each other—an old tic of his, the one that surfaced whenever his nerves got the better of him. Every other time he'd had an episode, I would've been the first to soothe him.

Tonight, I simply looked away.

"You're taking Wanda to confirm the engagement venue tomorrow. Get some sleep."

He didn't move. He stayed pressed against the door, his breathing audibly uneven.

"And what about you? What about us? Our seven years?"

I paused, then almost laughed.

Where did he find the nerve to bring up our seven years?

I had spent seven years walking beside a man with severe social anxiety and emotional dysregulation, coaxing him back into something resembling a normal life. Sitting through his therapy. His rehabilitation. Teaching him, slowly, how to build connections with other people again.

And in the end—he became my sister's fiancé.

For as long as I could remember, Wanda had been the favorite. She was always at the center of every room, and I was always the one expected to step aside. The night before an SAT exam, I still had to stay up talking to her. Three sleepless days at work meant nothing—I was still dragged to Disneyland to keep her company.

What I felt had never mattered.

I gave him a faint smile.

"I wish you both happiness."

Boyce stood frozen.

It was a long time before he turned and walked out.

I shut the door, sat back down at my desk, and looked at the email I'd already drafted.

The recipient was a top-tier psychiatric center in Boston.

I stared at the screen a long while, then pressed send.

---

Early the next morning, I'd planned to round everyone up for a trip out to the lighthouse—until I saw Wanda's Instagram post.

【They say if you watch a sunrise together, you'll be happy for the rest of your lives. We're going to be so happy! 】

Nine photos.

My parents. Boyce. Wanda. Everyone clustered around her, grinning. They'd driven down to the coast before dawn to watch the sunrise—even brought the family dog.

I was the only one they hadn't invited.

I scrolled through every picture in silence, then put the phone down.

On my way downstairs, I dropped the travel itinerary I'd spent half a month putting together straight into the trash.

The four of them came back through the door, mid-laugh.

The laughter stopped when they saw me.

My father cleared his throat, fumbling.

"Wanda got a sudden urge to see the sunrise. We didn't want to wake you, so we just let you sleep."

My mother instantly produced a Polaroid.

"See, we even saved you a spot. We can Photoshop you in later and print a new one."

Later. Again.

Next time. Again.

They watched me, almost wary, as if bracing for me to be jealous of Wanda.

I just nodded.

"It's fine. I don't really like hiking anyway."

The relief on their faces was visible. They walked right past me and up the stairs.

No one asked where I was going. No one asked whether I'd eaten.

I stood there for a long time.

Then I sat down to a tasteless breakfast, alone.

On my way back to my room, I passed my parents' suite.

The door hadn't quite latched. From inside came the muffled sound of Wanda crying.

"I didn't mean to take Edith's things…"

"I was just scared. Scared of becoming the kid no one loved best."

My mother, undone, hurried to comfort her.

"How could you ever not be loved? From now on, you're the only child in this family who matters."

My father chimed in.

"We've never told anyone outside which of you was adopted. People have always assumed it was Edith—from now on we'll just let them go on thinking it."

Wanda's tears turned to laughter in a heartbeat.

"Really? I knew you loved me most."

I stood outside the door and listened to all of it.

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing. The relatives had already started passing the news around the family chat.

【So Edith wasn't actually theirs?】

【That explains why she never looked like the rest of them.】

【Wanda was always the more lovable one anyway.】

I read through the messages, and something in me turned almost amused.

To make Wanda feel better, they were willing to sever blood ties with me by their own hand.

What was the point, then, in staying?

I turned, went back to my room, and opened my laptop.

I formally accepted the offer from the hospital in Boston.