Chapter 5

I pressed my lips together and said, "I'm leaving... I'm probably never—"

I had wanted to finish what I was saying, to at least preserve some of my dignity. However, Nora suddenly raised her hand to cover her mouth, her eyes red and glassy.

With a trembling voice, she said, "Faye, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I should be the one leaving. I'm the one who's been a burden on this family."

She looked so pitiful that it made it seem like I was the villain who was forcing her out.

As expected, Corey's face immediately darkened, his brow furrowing as his tone softened. "Don't talk nonsense. You haven't done anything wrong. You should focus on getting better."

Nora sniffled quietly, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.

Meanwhile, Wesley gently wiped her tears away. His voice was filled with a tenderness I knew all too well as he said, "Hey now, don't cry."

Then, he frowned and glared at me. "Seriously? When will you stop with all this drama?"

I just stood there, feeling completely out of place. At that moment, it finally sank in that no matter how much I hurt, my brothers would only ever care about Nora.

Once Corey finished comforting her, he turned to me again. His voice returned to its usual coldness as he said, "Nora still isn't well and needs a quiet space to heal. You should move out for now."

I looked up and replied softly, "Don't worry. I won't be back to disturb any of you anymore. "

This was my home—the home my parents had left me. Yet, when I said those words, my heart felt nothing but emptiness.

Corey's expression grew even colder, as if my words offended him. "Faye, what's with this attitude? Are you throwing a tantrum now? Did anyone beg you to come back?"

I instinctively tightened my grip on the suitcase handle, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm not throwing a tantrum."

"Not throwing a tantrum?" he scoffed. Then, he pointed at Nora and added, "Look at Nora! Even when she's sick, she's so understanding. She never pulls any drama to threaten anyone. What about you? When will you learn from her and control that temper of yours?"

Every word he uttered felt like a slap across my face. I didn't know how I was still standing when my whole body was trembling.

Wesley's eyes were ice-cold, completely devoid of emotion. He said impatiently, "If you're leaving, don't come back!"

I bit my lower lip hard, holding back my tears from falling. After a long moment, I gripped the suitcase handle tightly and nodded. "Fine."

With that, I turned and walked toward the door. The snowy wind hit my face with stinging coldness, but it helped clear my mind a little.

Just as I stepped over the threshold, I ran straight into someone. I froze, looked up, and met Zachary's indifferent gray eyes.

He looked down at me, his expression blank, like I was a stranger he'd never met. His gaze paused for a moment on my slightly trembling fingertips before looking away.

I suddenly felt like I didn't even have the strength to speak.

The wind howled. Snow fell on his shoulders and also on my heart, which had long since gone numb.