Chapter 2

The autumn wind stung my eyes until they burned.

I wiped away the tears and rushed to the supermarket. Peanut butter pie was simple in theory, but the filling had to be smooth and the crust perfectly crisp. I told myself this would be the last day the Colobo family sat together, so I made it carefully.

The oven chimed just as they came back with Sophia.

I carried the pie to the table and glanced toward the living room.

They were laughing together.

My father, who was always busy, sat across from Sophia, listening as she talked about the hunt at the Rizzo estate. She mimed riding a horse, and he laughed openly.

My brother took the glass from her hand.

“Let me,” he said, his voice soft with indulgence. “You’re going to the equestrian club tomorrow. Your hands shouldn’t shake. You’ll represent the Colobo family in front of the Rizzos.”

Luca Rizzo was there with his parents.

It was obvious they were more satisfied with Sophia than they had ever been with me. She was polite, attentive, and never made anyone uncomfortable.

Luca sat beside her, watching her with quiet affection. When her voice grew dry, he lifted a cocktail and placed it in her hand without being asked. The only son of the Rizzo family treating the Colobo family’s Sophia Vale this way made the alliance look stronger than ever.

I stood at the kitchen doorway.

No one noticed me.

Just like always. The moment Sophia was there, I disappeared. I was no longer the Colobo family’s princess.

She was.

The living room was warm with laughter. The kitchen felt cold.

One half alive, the other empty.

For a moment, I almost forgot that not long ago, that place had been mine. I had been the one at the center.

“Isabella, why are you standing there?” Sophia called gently. “Come sit with us.”

My brother let out a cold laugh.

“Better not. The mood will change the second she comes over. I don’t understand how people from the same family can think like that.”

I clenched my hands, forcing the tears back.

“It’s fine,” I said with a faint smile. “I’ll stay here. Dessert is ready. You can come when you’re done.”

By the time I finished arranging the last batch of cookies, all six seats were taken.

Sophia sat where I used to sit.

My father, my brother, Luca, and Luca’s parents filled the rest. The Rizzos were the Colobo family’s most important allies. This was not just a family dinner. It was a display.

I was not part of it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my brother gaze pause for a brief moment.

Then it was gone.

He turned back to Sophia, cutting her steak with practiced ease, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The table was full.

Sophia liked peanut desserts. Everyone was focused on her, cutting her pie, pouring her drinks, making sure she had everything she needed.

Luca’s mother had once liked me because I carried the Colobo name. Now, like Luca, she preferred Sophia. Sophia was gentle, considerate, easy to be around. The Rizzo family wanted someone like her, not someone they saw as troublesome.

The room was full of warmth.

For a moment, I remembered when I had been the one sitting there, surrounded and cherished. My father used to praise me in front of our allies and say that Isabella was the daughter he was most proud of.

I didn’t realize I had been staring until my brother looked up.

The warmth in his eyes vanished instantly.

What replaced it was cold and distant, the look of someone judging a disgrace.

I turned away and hurried back into the kitchen.

I wasn’t paying attention and tripped over a baking tray on the floor.

It crashed loudly.

My father stopped cutting the pie.

“I knew she wasn’t truly sorry,” he said coldly. “All we asked was for her to make dessert, and she starts making noise in the kitchen. No manners at all. She’s an embarrassment to the Colobo name.”

I held myself, shaking.

Father, it wasn’t like that. I just slipped. This was supposed to be our last day together. I wasn’t trying to ruin anything.

But I knew it didn’t matter. He would not believe me.

Luca’s mother glanced toward the kitchen, a trace of hesitation in her eyes.

“They’re still young,” she said gently. “She’s been busy all day. It’s normal to feel a little upset. We should have noticed there weren’t enough seats. Let’s add one and have Isabella join us.”

Under everyone’s disapproving gaze, she pulled me to the table.

“Isabella, it’s only been two months. Why have you lost so much weight? You should eat more.”

As soon as she spoke, all eyes turned to me.

My father looked at my face. His expression shifted for a brief second, and he opened his mouth as if to say something.

Sophia suddenly grabbed her throat and coughed.

“I don’t feel well… I can’t breathe…”

My father, my brother, and Luca rushed to her side at once.

She was the center of the Colobo family now, the future daughter-in-law of the Rizzos. Nothing could be allowed to happen to her.

When they saw the rash spreading across her arm, my father’s expression changed.

“This looks like a honey allergy. How did this happen? Who put honey in the dessert?”

Then his gaze snapped toward me.

He had already decided it was my fault. He didn’t need proof. He didn’t need an explanation. In his mind, I had always been jealous of Sophia. I had made scenes before. I was the disgrace of the family.

He struck me hard.

“Did you do this on purpose? How could I raise something so vicious? Do you know she’s allergic to peanuts? Are you trying to ruin the alliance between the Colobo and the Rizzos?”

I fell to the floor, my head ringing.

The others looked at me without hesitation, as if I were an enemy. Even the Rizzos’ expressions turned cold.

My face pale, I tried to speak.

“It wasn’t me. I didn’t—”

But just like every other time, they had already judged me. No one wanted to listen.

My brother spoke through clenched teeth.

“I can’t believe I have a sister like you. It makes me sick. I should have known something was wrong when you offered to make dessert. You wanted to hurt her.”

Luca looked down at me.

“Now you understand why I refused to marry her,” he said to his mother. “She’s manipulative. A disgrace to the Colobo family.”

Anna opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something.

My father cut her off.

“That’s enough. Take Sophia to the hospital first. We’ll deal with this later.”

They rushed out together, surrounding Sophia. The Rizzos followed, not sparing me another glance.

I was left alone on the floor, holding my swollen cheek.

Watching them leave, I finally let the tears fall.

It was always like this.

Whenever it involved Sophia, they never chose me.

Something inside me went silent all at once. The pain pressed against my chest until I could barely breathe.

But I knew this was the last time.

I was leaving soon.

The Colobo family. My father. My brother. Luca.

I would leave them all behind.