Chapter 2

Party poppers burst, showering us with colorful confetti. I stood silently off to the side.

Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Tyler gathered around Maria to celebrate.

I was the only one who didn't belong, like a stranger who'd wandered into someone else's home.

Ethan ruffled Maria's hair, looking pleased with himself.

"Maria, you'd better thank me first. I took a whole week off to do mock interviews with you."

"No way," Tyler cut in.

"I'm the one Maria should thank first. For the past two years, I've been coaching her one-on-one in communication and workplace skills."

The two of them argued over who Maria should thank first until they were both red in the face.

Maria stood between them, giggling behind her hand.

Mom raised her camera to capture the moment and accidentally stepped on my foot.

She looked up, startled, as if she'd only just noticed me. "Oh, you're still here. How have you been?"

I was about to answer, but she cut me off.

Mom waved it off.

"Never mind, that's not important. We called you here today because we have something to tell you.

"Maria's starting at a new company, so she'll need us while she settles in. You'll keep living on your own."

I bit down hard on the tip of my tongue, and the pain slowly spread.

In the two years since I'd moved out, no one had once asked how I was settling in or said a word about bringing me home.

Now, for Maria's sake, they were choosing to abandon me all over again.

I looked up at Dad. He nodded in agreement with Mom.

Then I looked at Ethan. He was cutting cake for Maria and didn't spare me a glance.

Finally, I looked at Tyler.

He looked away, unable to meet my eyes, but his voice was firm. "Adele, you've always been strong. You can live on your own.

"But Maria can't. She needs us to take care of her."

I tasted blood. I'd bitten my tongue hard enough to make it bleed.

Strong.

I'd heard that word my whole life.

Maria and I were twins, and I was the younger one.

But whenever anything happened, she cried louder than anyone.

So Mom, Dad, and Ethan always went to her first.

They'd kiss her tear-streaked cheeks and give her whatever she wanted.

Later, I learned to cry when things got hard too, but Mom and Dad still didn't pay me any attention.

They'd tell me, "Adele, you need to be strong, so you can take care of Maria later."

So I stopped crying.

I thought that if I became what they expected, maybe I'd get a little love and attention.

When Maria broke my toys, I learned how to fix them.

When Mom and Dad were too busy with Maria to feed me, I learned how to use the microwave.

Even when we were both sick, Ethan would carry a wailing Maria to the hospital. I had to drag myself around the house to find something for my fever and take it on my own.

But nothing got better.

Then Tyler moved in next door.

At first, he couldn't stand Maria's crying. He was only kind to me.

After I told him everything, he frowned.

"Just because you're strong doesn't mean people get to ignore what you need. You deserve to be loved."

But later, his attention slowly shifted to Maria too.

Once again, I was the one nobody noticed.

Still, I couldn't help falling for him.

He was the first person who'd ever told me I deserved to be loved.

Now he stood with the others, telling me to face everything alone.

The living room went quiet. The only sound was Maria eating cake.

Ethan gave me an impatient look. "Adele, stop being difficult."

I lowered my head.

My bitten tongue throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

I nodded and gave in.

I didn't say a word. My mouth was filled with the taste of blood.

I turned and walked to the door. Mom hesitated, then followed me.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" she asked, but none of them looked at me like they wanted me to stay.

I shook my head. My eyes stung, and I hurried out before I could cry in front of them.

Back in my room, I finally let myself sob.

I'd already planned to leave.

But hearing every one of them tell me to go still hurt terribly.

The four dolls I'd made so carefully sat on the couch, watching me in silence.

As if I were a joke.

My phone buzzed. Maria had sent me a message with a photo.

"Now that you're gone, you little pest, we can finally enjoy dinner."

In the photo, Mom and Dad were serving Maria food, and Ethan was pouring her red wine. In the corner, I recognized Tyler's hand, gently fastening a bracelet around her wrist.

Every dish on the table, even the pasta, had onions in it.

That was how Maria liked it.

Suddenly I was a little glad I'd left.

Not one of them remembered I was allergic to onions.

If I'd stayed, I'd only have been asking to be humiliated.

Another message came in, this time from the company.

They'd booked my flight to London for the following week.

I let out a long breath.