Chapter 1

My brother, Vincent Moore, zipped the last suitcase shut. "Valerie, did you go mute or something? Mom booked you a first-class ticket, and you can't even say thank you?"

I looked up at him. His forehead was slick with sweat, and the back of his shirt was soaked through.

At breakfast, Annie Fuller had casually said, "When I get to college, I won't be able to eat anything from home anymore."

Because of that, Vincent had gone out at the crack of dawn and run over half the city in over 90-degree heat to buy local specialties. Then he'd come back, portioned them out, and packed everything up. He'd been busy the whole day.

But when I'd asked him to grab me a box of ibuprofen while he was out because I'd had bad cramps yesterday, he'd snapped, "Don't you have legs? Do you need other people to do every little thing for you?"

I dropped my gaze and locked my phone screen. "Thanks, Mom."

Mom came out of the kitchen with a plate of sliced fruit. She walked right past me and set it down in front of Annie. "Just learn to be a bit more sensible in the future," she said. "Stop trying to compete with Annie over everything."

Annie's head snapped up. "Mrs. Moore, please don't say that about Valerie. She worked hard to get into Jossvale University. She deserves to fly first-class."

I hated Annie, especially how she always spoke up for me like she was being so understanding. She quietly soaked up all the favoritism and resources from my family, yet she acted as if nothing had happened.

Over the years, I'd cried and thrown tantrums. But the gentler and better-behaved Annie was, the more I came off as loud and unreasonable.

All I'd ever wanted was just a little bit of their love.

At some point, a torrential downpour had started outside. Dad pushed the door open and came in. He was soaked from head to toe, but he carefully kept the box in his arms shielded.

"Annie, look what I brought you!" he said.

Annie's eyes lit up as she ran over. "It's that viral cake from online! But I heard the line here is, like, two hours long."

Dad laughed and wiped the rain off his face. "It's no big deal. If you wanted to eat it, I'd stand in line all day and all night."

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of me sitting in the corner. He froze for a second, then added awkwardly, "There was only one left when it finally got to my turn. I'll buy you one next time, Valerie."

Mom ground her teeth and hissed, "You idiot. Couldn't you have just grabbed a cheap one from downstairs to bring back for her? What if she starts making a scene again?"

She kept her voice low, but I still heard every word loud and clear.

I said evenly, "It's fine."

The living room fell into a strange silence. No one seemed to have expected that reaction from me.

In the past, I would've fought desperately for even a shred of their attention. I would've argued and demanded explanations with red, tear-filled eyes, refusing to let it go until I got to the bottom of why Annie had something and I didn't.

If they bought her a new dress, I would throw a fit until they got me the same one. Even if it didn't fit me at all and I looked like a clown in it, I would still stubbornly force myself into it.

But now, I didn't want to fight anymore.

Last night, I'd gotten up for a drink of water and had walked past Dad's study. The door had been ajar, a thin sliver of light spilling through the crack.

I'd heard Mom ask, "Is all the paperwork done for that apartment in Harbury? I'm really not comfortable with Annie going to another city all by herself and living in a dorm. What if her roommates bully her?"

Dad had answered, "It's done. The apartment is under Annie's name. We'll all take the train together to send her there. We can help set up her new place while we're at it."

Mom had sighed. "Be careful. Don't let Valerie find out. If she does, she'll definitely kick up a fuss again."

I'd stood outside the door, feeling like there was ice in my veins.

So that was how it was. A child nobody loved could cry and scream all they wanted, but it wouldn't magically make anyone care. The noise would only be annoying.