chapter 2

Chapter 2

“What did you say?” Redy scoffed, a humorless laugh slipping from behind his clenched jaw. “Enough. Don’t drag this out just because we didn’t come home for your birthday, Ivy. You should know that all this time, we’ve only been putting up with your spoiled nature. But now, wake up. You never truly had a place in this house.”

The words came out so casually, without the slightest burden, as if the fourteen years they had spent together were nothing more than scraps of memories that could be thrown into the trash at any time.

Ivy felt all the strength drain from her body. Her throat tightened, leaving only the salty taste of tears that now streamed down her cheeks. She looked at each of the men who had once been willing to put themselves between her and the outside world to protect her. Arthur stood with his arms crossed, wearing a cold expression without the slightest trace of guilt. Jensen looked away while straightening his black suit, as though Ivy’s presence before him was something he did not want to see. Meanwhile, Redy, the youngest who had once been the most diligent at wiping away her tears, now stared at her with a look of disgust that pierced straight through her heart.

There was no warmth left. No more gentle greetings. All that remained was a massive wall of ice separating them.

Unable to say another word, Ivy turned around. She ran up the stairs with the last of her remaining strength, leaving the room that now felt like hell. The moment her bedroom door slammed shut, she collapsed onto the cold wooden floor. Her sobs broke free, turning into muffled cries that tore at her chest. She hugged her knees tightly, allowing the pain that was far too intense to constrict her chest.

“So... for fourteen years, I was nothing but a replacement?”

Time continued to pass slowly. The hands of the clock on Ivy’s bedroom wall moved toward ten in the morning.

Usually, in a situation like this—when she locked herself in her room because she was sulking or angry—her three brothers would never simply stay quiet. Arthur would surely knock gently on the door while bringing her favorite hot chocolate. Jensen would come to coax her with a calm yet firm voice. And Redy would whine outside the door, apologizing even though sometimes he himself did not know what he had done wrong.

However, until the sun climbed high and shone through her bedroom window, silence was all that greeted her. There was no knocking. No attempts to coax her out. The house seemed dead to Ivy.

Slowly, with unsteady steps, swollen eyes, and a head throbbing with pain, Ivy opened her bedroom door. She intended to go downstairs to get a glass of water from the kitchen. However, after she had taken only a few steps down the main staircase, the sound of laughter and warm conversation from the living room stopped her in her tracks.

Ivy froze behind the partition wall on the upper floor.

Downstairs in the living room, the scene was laid bare before her, crushing the last remnants of her sanity. Sarah Sechan sat on a red velvet sofa. Surrounding Sarah were the five members of the Carter family, gathered closely around her.

Mr. and Mrs. Carter smiled broadly, looking at Sarah with a sparkle of happiness they had never shown Ivy over the past month. Meanwhile, Arthur, Jensen, and Redy stood around the girl, busy fixing Sarah’s hair and offering her various kinds of fresh fruit.

“...the welcoming party for you next week has to be grand, Sarah. All of my business associates need to know that the Carter family’s biological daughter has returned,” Mr. Carter said enthusiastically, his voice cutting into Ivy’s ears.

“That’s right, Dad. I’ll take care of the decorations later. Sarah has to be the most beautiful princess that night,” Redy replied enthusiastically, smiling broadly—a smile that he had once reserved exclusively for celebrating Ivy’s birthday.

Mrs. Carter gently stroked Sarah’s hair. “You’ve suffered for far too long out there, sweetheart. From now on, everything in this house belongs to you.”

Ivy’s world seemed to collapse for the second time that day. For fourteen years, she had believed that she was an integral part of that family. It turned out that she was merely a temporary shadow. A supporting character kept around to fill a void until the rightful owner returned to take everything away.

Sensing that someone was standing on the stairs, Sarah raised her face. The girl’s eyes caught sight of Ivy standing stiffly in her rumpled pajamas, her eyes swollen. Instantly, the smile on Sarah’s lips faded, replaced by a face filled with feigned guilt.

Sarah rose from the sofa and slowly climbed several steps toward Ivy.

“Sister Ivy...” Sarah’s voice sounded weak and trembling, deliberately loud enough for the people downstairs to hear as well. “I’m sorry... Because of me last night, you didn’t get to...”

Before Sarah could extend her arms to hug her, Ivy instinctively stepped backward, brushing the girl’s hand away so she would not touch her.

“Don’t touch me,” Ivy hissed coldly.

However, the people downstairs interpreted the gesture differently.

“SARAH!”

A loud roar echoed throughout the room. Before Ivy could even comprehend what had happened, she suddenly felt a forceful shove against her chest. Arthur, who had moved up the stairs the fastest, pushed Ivy’s slender body until she stumbled backward.

Bang!

Ivy’s heart seemed to stop beating. She stared at Arthur with wide, shocked eyes, unable to believe that the man who had held her as his little sister for fourteen years could now push her so hard that her back slammed against the partition wall of the staircase.

“What did you do to Sarah, huh?!” Arthur shouted, breathing heavily, his eyes red as he glared sharply at Ivy, while Jensen and Redy immediately ran upstairs to protect Sarah, who was now pretending to sob behind their eldest brother’s back.

Ivy stared intently at Arthur’s palm, the same hand that had just pushed her, before shifting her gaze to her eldest brother’s face with empty eyes. Her tears had stopped flowing, replaced by a coldness spreading through every vessel in her body.

“You pushed me?” Ivy said with a bitter laugh. “For fourteen years, Brother Arthur, you never once hurt me,” Ivy whispered in a hoarse voice that was barely audible. “It turns out that one month with Sarah was enough to make you see me as an enemy.”

Jensen stepped forward, straightening his black suit with a stiff movement before looking at Ivy without the slightest trace of empathy. “Don’t try to twist the situation, Ivy. All this time, we spoiled you too much, making you grow into a selfish and childish brat. You need to know your place.”

Redy nodded in agreement beside Jensen, folding his arms across his chest with a judgmental look. “That’s right. Your spoiled nature has gone too far. Let today be a lesson that the world doesn’t revolve around you alone.”

Ivy’s head suddenly throbbed violently. Her stomach twisted painfully because she had not eaten anything since last night, compounded by the emotional blow that had drained all the strength from her body. Her vision began to blur, making the marble floor beneath her feet seem to spin.

Before Ivy could steady her breathing, a groan came from behind Arthur.

“Ah... my head hurts again...” Sarah held her forehead with trembling fingers before her body weakened and sank to the floor as if she had lost all her strength.

Instantly, panic erupted among the five members of the Carter family. The cold expressions they had directed at Ivy moments earlier immediately melted away, drastically transforming into intense concern. Arthur, Jensen, and Redy quickly reached for Sarah’s body as she let out soft whimpers.

“Sarah! Don’t scare us!” Arthur shouted in panic. Without waiting even a second, Arthur immediately bent down and lifted Sarah into his arms, carrying her upstairs in hurried steps, followed closely by their parents, who also looked panicked.

Ivy stood frozen, her chest aching even more. She remained motionless, staring blankly at Arthur’s back as he held Sarah tightly in his arms while climbing the stairs. Once upon a time, being carried in those arms had been her safe place whenever she felt sick or tired. Once upon a time, that worried attention had belonged entirely to Ivy. Now, she stood there alone, witnessing the remnants of the neglect that shattered her self-worth into pieces.