Chapter 1

Although I was born only five minutes after my twin, Alexia Cavanaugh, my family treated me like I was the curse that caused mother’s death.

I grew up surrounded by my family's favoritism and Alexia's quiet jealousy—until the day I was diagnosed with late-stage cancer.

I decided I wouldn't keep begging for their affection or settling for scraps of their attention. I was done, and I would walk away on my own terms.

Yet the very people who'd once ignored me were starting to unravel.

...

"I'm right outside."

When my boyfriend, Marcus Shaw, heard my hoarse voice, he paused for a couple of seconds but said nothing. He caught a server's attention and had him let me in.

My brother, Sean Cavanaugh, spotted me first. His smile vanished instantly. "Ophelia, where did you go? Don't you know it's Lexi's birthday? You couldn't have picked a worse time to show up!"

The clatter of forks and plates filled the air.

My father, Wesley Cavanaugh, snorted. "You're only five minutes younger than Lexi, but you're still acting like this. How could you show up at a place like this without even dressing appropriately?"

I pulled out a chair and sat down silently.

So they did remember. They remembered Alexia and I shared the same birthday but just didn't want to celebrate mine.

I forced a small smile and said calmly, "I went to buy Alexia a birthday gift and didn't have time to change."

Noticing that I didn't argue back like I normally would, everyone froze for a moment. The room fell silent, and the atmosphere grew tense and awkward—nothing like the cozy picture I'd glimpsed through the window.

Dad turned away, muttering, "Always making excuses."

Sean cleared his throat, trying to smooth things over. "Ophie, don't mind Dad's words. When you're not around, you're actually the one he mentions the most."

I kept my expression neutral, thinking bitterly, "He's probably scolding me most of the time."

Sean placed a piece of lobster on my plate. "Have some of this. It's imported lobster, and it's really fresh. Dad even told us to save some for you. I remember you used to like it the most."

As I stared at the lobster on my plate, I had a hard time breathing. My chest tightened, and my stomach churned.

I was allergic to shellfish.

Alexia was always the one who loved lobster.

I sneered. "You sure have a good memory, don't you?"

Dad slammed his hand on the table. "Who do you think you're sulking for? Everything we do is for your sake, and this is how you act? You've been the most troublesome out of the three of you since day one. After what you did to your mother, are you trying to make me and Sean lose our minds too?"

Every word pierced straight through me, sinking into my bones and blood, leaving only a deep ache that spread through every limb.

I picked up the piece of lobster and bit down, swallowing the sweet meat.

It tasted perfect.

For me, even the best things always came at a cost.

"I miss Mom too. I never meant to upset you. I didn't want the lobster because I'm allergic. And none of you even remembered," I said flatly, as though I were recounting someone else's story.

Dad's expression flickered with discomfort, but he still refused to back down. "Well, maybe if you didn't have so many issues all the time, people would remember. If no one knew, why didn't you say something yourself?"

Sean's face shifted. He reached for my hand, gripping it tightly. "Ophie, we're your family. You don't need to put on a brave face or fight us. Come on, spit it out now."

Marcus shot to his feet and hurried over. "Allergies aren't a joke. Ophie, spit it out immediately!"

The concern in his eyes was genuine. For a moment, it threw me off.

I was just about to reach for him when a sharp gasp sounded beside us.

Marcus brushed past me as if I weren't there and hurried forward, catching Alexia just as she collapsed. He had one arm wrapped around her waist, holding her in a way that was unmistakably intimate.

"Lexi, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Marcus was always calm and restrained. I'd never seen him look this anxious.

I slowly lowered the hand I'd instinctively reached out with. The absurdity of it all almost made me laugh.

Alexia leaned weakly against his chest and pointed toward the table. "Ophelia said she prepared a birthday gift for me, so I thought of opening it and taking a look. But there was blood on it. Marcus, Sean, Dad, I'm so scared…"

I looked over. There really was a faint smear of blood on the jewelry box.

It must have gotten there when I collapsed earlier and scraped my arm.

Dad snatched it and threw it across the room. "Don't you know Lexi faints at the sight of blood? Ophelia, do you want your sister dead?"

That necklace was the latest design. I'd saved for a whole year to buy it.

Sean looked at me, disappointment written across his face.

"Ophie, everyone knows this store never messes up the packaging. No matter how upset you are, you can't deliberately leave blood on a gift just to frighten Lexi."

Marcus, who'd just ended a call to his personal doctor, turned sharply. "Ophelia, don't use the fact that you're the younger sister as an excuse for this. Apologize to Lexi."

Alexia looked at me, her eyes full of smug satisfaction.

Anyone who saw us together knew we were twins, but people always said I was the better-looking one. I picked things up faster and always stood out.

Alexia had been jealous of me for a long time. She seemed calm and gentle, but she used Dad and Sean's favoritism to push me aside.

And now, even my own boyfriend had chosen her side.

I clutched the cut on my arm, shivering. I said softly and obediently, "I'm sorry, Lexi. I didn't mean to upset you. It won't happen again."

And just like that, the disgust and irritation in everyone's eyes froze.