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Chapter 3

Author: AgustD
That afternoon, we all went out on the yacht as planned.

My father came over holding a snorkel mask. For once, his voice softened. "Evelyn, we do care about you. I know you've always been the sensible one. I set this aside especially for you."

I stared at the mask. A chill ran through me.

Everything I'd held back for years was about to come spilling out.

"Dad, do you even remember who I am?"

Before my father could react, Lily suddenly cried out in pain.

"Ow..."

My father immediately pulled away from me and rushed to her.

"What happened? Where does it hurt?"

As he turned, he bumped into me, sending me tumbling off the swim platform at the back of the yacht and into the water.

Suddenly I was nine years old again, drowning.

Fear crawled up my throat. I could hardly breathe, and I was shaking all over.

But no one looked at me. They were all crowded around Lily.

I gritted my teeth, fought through the panic, and hauled myself back onto the platform despite the searing pain.

And my father? He turned around and barked, "Don't just stand there! Go get Lily some antiseptic!"

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I stomped down on the snorkel mask lying on the deck, and it shattered.

"Enough!"

Everyone stared at me in shock.

"Look at me, Mr. Howard! I'm Evelyn!

"When I was nine, I almost drowned. I spent three days fighting for my life in the ICU, suffered a severe lung infection, and I've been terrified of deep water ever since!

"You swore you'd never let me near the water again, and today you handed me a snorkel mask yourself!

"All Lily got was a scrape. I fell into the ocean, and you're angry I didn't get her antiseptic?

"How can you be so unfair?"

I screamed out everything I'd been holding in.

But what I got back wasn't guilt, and it wasn't an apology.

My father looked stunned for a moment, then lashed out to cover his embarrassment.

"You're still holding a grudge over something that happened years ago? You know how fragile your sister is! Why can't you act like an older sister for once?"

My mother wrapped her arms around a sobbing Lily and shot me a look of disgust.

"Are you happy now that you've made Lily cry?"

Ethan's face was dark with anger.

"If you were even half as considerate as Lily, people wouldn't be so sick of you."

Even Julian shook his head, disappointed.

"Evelyn, stop making a scene. Just apologize to your parents."

There was no point defending myself when they'd already decided Lily could do no wrong.

I wiped away my tears and looked at the people who were supposed to be my family.

Whatever warmth I still felt for them vanished.

I gave them one last icy look before walking away to the infirmary alone.

That night, back at the estate, I skipped the dinner party and stayed in my room.

Photos kept flooding the family group chat.

Lily and my mother in matching jewelry, hugging and laughing.

Julian teaching Lily to golf, his hands guiding hers...

My mother even sent a message aimed directly at me. "At least Lily knows how to behave. Her foot still hurts, but she came to the party with me anyway. Unlike someone who throws a fit over a little fall. And to think we went out of our way to bring her along."

Ethan replied with a thumbs-up.

Sick of watching them play happy family, I closed the chat and opened Instagram.

A trending post caught my eye.

It featured a photo from the dinner party.

Lily stood arm in arm with Julian, smiling shyly as he adjusted her necklace.

The caption read, "The Howard family makes a quiet appearance in the Hamptons with their only daughter. Richard Howard confirms plans for her to marry Julian Walker."

The post already had more than 10,000 likes.

The comments were full of congratulations from New York socialites.

[They're perfect for each other!] [They've been sweethearts since childhood!]

My father had left a comment.

And Julian hadn't denied a word of it.

He'd even left a heart on the post announcing Lily as the Howard family's only daughter and his future bride.

I looked at the screen, and I was so calm it surprised even me.

I took a screenshot of their intimate moment and saved it alongside the evidence that Julian had accessed my email and turned down the job offer behind my back.

Then I went back to my messages and changed Julian's contact name back to his full name.

And I left the family group chat.
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