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Chapter 3

Penulis: Flying Dragonling
The next day, instead of going back to campus to finish checking out of my dorm, I followed Dad's car to find out where Alexandra was living.

He led me to Oakmont Residences in the north end of the city, one of the most expensive luxury apartment complexes around.

I'd passed the building before, and I still remembered joking with my classmates that if I ever made enough money, I'd love to go inside just to see what it was like.

When security stopped me at the entrance, I gave them my sister's name. The guard checked the register, then immediately waved me toward the elevators.

So Alexandra wasn't worried about anyone finding her after all.

The only person she'd been worried about was me.

The elevator carried me to the 27th floor. I rang the doorbell and waited. It took a long time before the door finally opened.

Alexandra stood in the doorway wearing a silk nightgown, with a sheet mask covering most of her face.

The moment she saw me, the cup in her hand slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.

Her first instinct was to turn around and run, but I grabbed her arm before she could get away and looked past her into the apartment.

The living room was enormous, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire river. A row of designer shoes lined the entryway, and everything inside looked expensive and immaculate.

She hadn't just been living all these years comfortably. She'd been living better than anyone else in our family.

The color drained from her face. "How did you find me?"

"Allie," I said softly. "Did you really think you could keep fooling me forever?"

She bit her lip. "I can explain."

"Then explain." My voice remained calm.

"After I jumped, someone rescued me. Mom and Dad were afraid you wouldn't be able to handle the truth, so they didn't tell you. I was the one who asked them to keep it from you."

She lifted her head, tears quickly filling her eyes.

I stared at her. "After you came home, my birthday became your birthday every year for seven years. My room became your room. I couldn't even tell anyone about my scholarship. Whenever I wanted to buy new clothes, I had to stop and wonder if you'd feel hurt by it."

My voice tightened as I looked around the luxurious apartment. "And somehow, even after all that, it still wasn't enough."

Tears rolled down Alexandra's cheeks. "Because I lost three years of my life, and you didn't."

She wiped her face, her voice trembling. "What's wrong with Mom and Dad trying to make it up to me?"

The door suddenly swung open, and Mom rushed inside, her face pale.

The moment she saw me, she didn't ask how I'd found the apartment. She hurried straight to Alexandra and stepped in front of her, shielding her from me.

"Eleanor Sterling, what are you doing here?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Mom, she's alive."

"I can see that."

"You lied to me for seven years."

Mom froze. Before she could say anything, Dad walked in behind her. His expression darkened when he saw me.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from Allie? She's not doing well, and you just had to come here and upset her?"

I stared at him. "She's going on an expensive vacation to Epea. How is she not doing well? She lives in Oakmont Residences and carries a handbag worth more than 30,000 dollars. How is she not doing well?"

My voice grew colder. "She can even jump into a river and somehow end up with a life better than mine."

Mom raised her hand and slapped me across the face. My cheek burned as I slowly turned back toward her.

"How can you talk about your sister like that?" she snapped. "She's suffered enough!"

I looked at her and gave her a small, bitter smile. "What about me?"

No one answered.

Alexandra suddenly clutched her chest and shrank into Mom's arms. "Mom, I can't breathe."

Dad immediately rushed to get her medication while Mom held her tightly, her voice trembling with panic. "Allie, don't be scared. We're here."

I stood there completely still, watching them gather around her as if I were a stranger in my own family.

And suddenly, I felt like I was the one person who didn't belong—just like I had at my birthday party seven years ago, on every anniversary of the day my sister was supposedly supposed to have died, and in every moment since I'd somehow found myself feeling like an outsider in my own family.

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  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 10

    A year later, Mom stood by the same river where Alexandra had supposedly jumped seven years earlier. When she called me, her voice was trembling. "Ella, you're all I have left. I want to see you." I went to the river and found Mom sitting on the other side of the safety railing. Her hair had turned noticeably grayer since I'd last seen her. When she spotted me, she reached out a hand. "Ella, forgive me, and I'll come back over." The wind coming off the river was strong, just like it had been seven years ago. I stayed behind the railing and didn't move any closer. "Mom, come back over." "I want you to promise me you'll forgive me." "I can't promise that." She began to sob. "I'm your mother." "That's why I came," I said quietly. "But coming here doesn't mean I'm going to hand my life back to you." Mom stared at me, disbelief spreading across her face. "I gave you life." "And I'll take care of you financially when you're old," I said. "I'll pay for what I'm responsib

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 9

    Seven days later, Dad still hadn't provided the complete transaction records. My lawyer eventually uncovered the truth himself—the education fund had been drained in installments over the previous three years, with the final payment transferred to an art studio registered under Alexandra's name. Alexandra had always called it her dream. But the money she'd used to make that dream a reality had come from the education fund my grandparents had set aside for me. The day before the hearing, Mom called me. She was crying so hard she could barely get the words out. "Allie cut her wrists. Ella, she knows she was wrong. She said she'll give all the money back. Please come see her. Just once." I didn't refuse. I went to the hospital that afternoon.Alexandra was lying in bed with bandages wrapped around her wrists, her face pale against the white pillow. Dad sat beside her, looking as though he'd aged years overnight. The moment Mom saw me, her eyes filled with tears. "Allie knows

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 8

    Mom's face slowly drained of color. Dad, who had been sitting silently on the couch, finally spoke. "What exactly do you want?"I reached into my bag, pulled out a document, and placed it on the table. "First, stop opening or maintaining any bank accounts, insurance policies, or other financial accounts in my name. Second, I want the education fund you've been holding for me returned in full." Mom froze. "What education fund?""Starting when I was eight, Grandma and Grandpa gave me money every New Year's. Then there was my scholarship money, along with the cash gifts they gave me when I came of age. "You told me you were keeping all of it safe until I graduated from college so I could use it to buy a home." I looked directly at Dad. "Over the years, it added up to 486,000 dollars. And last month, 200,000 dollars of that was transferred to Alexandra's overseas account."The living room went dead silent. Dad's fingers twitched against his knee before he finally said, "Your sis

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 7

    That night, Mom texted me. "Allie's in the hospital. The doctor says it's acute anxiety. Are you happy now?" I stared at the messages for a long time before finally replying, "Is she in a private room?"Mom never answered. But half an hour later, I saw that Alexandra had posted an update on social media. The location tag showed the city's most expensive private hospital, and the photo featured a bouquet of imported tulips beside a beautifully plated steak and fries. Her caption read, "With my family by my side, there's nothing to be afraid of."I closed my phone, but not before taking a screenshot and saving it to a folder labeled "The Sterling Family".There were already 372 pieces of evidence in that folder containing records showing how they'd fabricated the story of my sister's death, seven years' worth of her spending and travel records, bank transfers proving Mom and Dad had secretly sent her money while pretending they were struggling financially, and messages reveali

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 6

    Two months later, my parents finally tracked me down at the accounting firm where I worked. That afternoon, I'd just returned from a client's office when the elevator doors opened. Mom stood at the far end of the hallway, wearing an old padded coat, her hair completely unstyled. She clutched a thermal flask in both hands while Dad sat in the waiting area, looking exhausted. For a moment, they looked like ordinary parents who had spent months searching for their daughter and had finally run out of places to look. One by one, my coworkers glanced in my direction. The moment Mom saw me, tears spilled down her cheeks. She hurried toward me. "Ella, how could you be so heartless? Your father and I have been looking for you for two months. You couldn't even pick up the phone." I instinctively took a step back. "How did you find me?""You listed your workplace address when you replaced your Social Security card." Dad stood up, his expression hardening. "So you've grown up enou

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 5

    During my first week in Riverton, Mom and Dad didn't call me once. Mom sent a few messages, though."Did you get there safely?""Don't make any rash decisions just because you're angry." "Your sister hasn't been doing well these past few days. Once she's feeling better, your dad and I will sit down and talk things through with you." I didn't reply to a single one. …Winters in Riverton were colder than back home. I rented a tiny studio apartment with an elevated highway right outside my window, and the traffic never seemed to stop, even late into the night. The apartment was cramped and noisy, but I didn't mind. For the first time, the space was entirely mine.Work at the accounting firm was hectic. As the newest hire, I was responsible for organizing receipts, making bank runs, checking financial statements, and handling whatever else needed to be done. When things got busy, I barely had time to eat lunch. Still, I liked being busy. At least every transaction had a s

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