Chapter 3

The day before the banquet, Mom sent me to the hotel to review the event schedule.

"Check everything—the menu, table numbers, and guest list. Don't mess anything up tomorrow, and whatever you do, don't let anyone ask about your grades."

I asked, "Why can't they ask?"

Mom snapped impatiently, "Do you seriously have to make Makayla uncomfortable? Don't be so selfish."

When the hotel manager handed me the itinerary, he casually asked, "Ms. Martin, should we arrange a toast or congratulations segment for you tomorrow as well?"

Before I could even reply, Mom cut in.

"She doesn't need one," she said completely naturally. "She has a quiet personality and hates being on stage. Tomorrow is primarily Makayla's event."

I looked down at the paper. Every single item had Makayla’s name on it.

None of them had mine.

After wrapping up at the hotel, I took a detour to the transit station and bought a ticket for the earliest morning bus heading to Corholt. The project liaison for the Green Ear Project would be waiting for me there to take the group shuttle directly to Daruna.

I hid the ticket screenshot in an encrypted photo album and deleted the purchase confirmation text.

With that taken care of, I went to the bank to withdraw the money Grandma had left me.

The teller checked her screen, then looked up at me. "Most of the funds in this account were transferred out a few days ago. There's only a hundred and three dollars left."

I thought I had misheard until the account statement was printed out.

Two thousand dollars to the Grand Plaza Hotel, over a thousand at the mall, and several thousand more listed as a deposit for catering and drinks.

I stood in the bank lobby, my ears ringing.

That was the money Grandma had given me on her deathbed. She had pressed the bank card into my hand and said, "Emma, if you ever want to go somewhere far away, use this to buy your ticket. Don't be stingy on yourself."

I had never brought myself to spend a single cent of it.

It turned out they had already spent it for me.

When I got back home, Makayla was twirling in front of the mirror in her pastel pink dress. Mom was standing beside her, adjusting her belt with a look of pure joy.

I walked over and thrust the bank statement toward Mom.

"Did you transfer my money out?"

The smile on Mom's face froze before twisting into a frown.

"Isn't this banquet for the whole family? Your money was just sitting there doing nothing anyway. What's wrong with using it to cover expenses?"

"That was the money Grandma left me for college!"

"Your grandmother was my mother, too!" Mom snapped. "Whether her money goes to you or the family, what's the difference? Besides, you have great grades, and you'll get tons of scholarships. Makayla isn't like you."

Dad's face darkened as well. "Tomorrow is Makayla's college acceptance party. Do you really have to pick a fight today?"

Jason added coldly, "I'll pay you back later. Throwing a tantrum right now will only make Makayla feel insecure."

Makayla's eyes welled up with tears. "Emma, I'm so sorry. I really didn't know. How about we just cancel the party, okay?"

Though she claimed she didn't want the party, her hands gripped the hem of her dress tightly, as if terrified I would actually make her take it off.

I looked at her and asked, "If it were your money taken today, would you still be saying we shouldn't host it?"

Makayla froze, completely speechless for a long moment.

Mom immediately shielded her behind her back. "Why are you taking your anger out on Makayla? I'm the one who took the money. She didn't know anything about it!"

I stared at Makayla’s bowed head and suddenly understood.

It wasn't that she didn't know. She just had the luxury of pretending not to know.

That evening, Dad slammed a university brochure list right in front of me on the table.

"Once the banquet is over, you're applying to the state university's agriculture department. It's close to home. After you graduate, you can take a stable government job. Don't waste your time thinking about those out-of-state schools."

They still didn't know I had already confirmed my spot in the Green Ear Project, nor did they know that my official acceptance letter was already sitting in my inbox.

They also didn't know that tomorrow, before dawn even broke, I would be gone.

Seeing me remain silent, Mom assumed I had backed down.

"Emma, Makayla only gets a moment like this in her life. Just let her have this, and the whole family will appreciate your sacrifice."

I slowly folded the recommendation sheet in half.

"Got it."

Everyone let out a massive sigh of relief.

However, what they didn't know was that when I said I had got it, it wasn't a promise to stay. It was me finally realizing this family wasn't worth staying for.