Beyond You

The cake I had spent four long hours painstakingly making was completely ruined with a fork.

The blueberries I had carefully arranged to spell my name "Colin", had been scooped out in one chunk. They stuck to the frosting-covered "Happy Birthday" cake topper.

Joel Slade picked it up with a napkin and tossed it into the trash like it was garbage.

His disgusted voice rang in my ears.

"What is this nasty thing? It tastes awful! It doesn't even compare to what Lena makes. She's a professionally trained chef, after all."

"You're so picky." Our sister, Megan Slade, teased him. But her eyes were full of affection for him. "If you don't like it, just throw it away. I'll have Lena make you a new one."

"Deal. Then have her write, 'Megan will be at Joel's beck and call for the rest of her life' in frosting!" Joel said. "It's your fault for coming back and stealing Mom and Dad's love.

"You even kept fighting me because of that dead weight!"

Megan, who used to clash with Joel constantly and hated hearing anyone call me a "dead weight", now showed no reaction at all.

She merely smiled and ruffled Joel's hair.

Helplessly, she said, "Okay, fine. You win. It's all my fault, alright?"

They were so affectionate, as if no one else were there. It made me feel like I was an outsider.

To be fair, I was.

Megan was the Slades' biological daughter who had been separated from them as a child.

Joel had been switched at birth, but he had been raised in the Slade family with everything he could ever want. Over the years, he had already formed a deep bond with them.

When they found Megan, they couldn't bear to let Joel go. So they adopted him.

From the very beginning, they were one family. I was the only one who didn't belong.

This morning, I saw Megan's social media post about taking Joel to an amusement park.

That's when I knew she had forgotten my birthday again.

I wasn't even hoping she would celebrate with me anymore. So why couldn't I even keep one cake?

I couldn't hold back my tears. They fell to the floor one after another.

Megan frowned and instinctively reached out to wipe my tears, just like she used to.

"Why are you crying?" she asked.

But Joel suddenly scoffed. "I just ate your cake. Do you have to be this dramatic? You've been sulking all night!

"Looks like your usual good behavior was all fake."

He turned to Megan and said, "Megan, you spoil him too much. That's why he's become so unbearable."

Her hand paused for a moment before she pulled it back, and her expression turned cold.

Megan said, "This isn't your old home. You're living under the Slade family's roof now. It's just a cake. Don't be so petty."

When I saw the irritation in her eyes, my heart sank little by little.

The day Megan was reunited with her family, I stayed awake all night.

I was happy for her. But deep down, I was afraid she would leave me behind.

When she noticed how down I was, she hugged me and promised again and again, "I'll never leave you, Colin. From now on, my home is your home, too."

But now she was saying this place wasn't the home I came from.

At some point, without me even realizing it, I had become a burden to her.

"I understand." I nodded numbly, hearing the tremble in my voice.

"Megan, I think I'll move out."