Chapter 2

After dinner, Mom and Dad brought out two sets of formal dresses they had prepared for Luna and me.

“Your dad and I spent ages picking these out. You can wear them to prom, too.

“Go try them on.”

Luna naturally took the paper bag with the designer logo and kissed Mom on the cheek. “Thanks, Mom!”

I took the remaining cheap plastic bag and said calmly, “Thanks, Mom.”

Five minutes later, Luna and I walked out wearing our dresses. Everyone’s eyes were drawn to Luna.

Brannon’s eyes lit up. His ears instantly turned bright red.

“Luna, you look so beautiful in that.”

Luna could not suppress the smile on her lips, but she softly downplayed it.

“Mom and Dad, you’ve spent way too much. Actually, I could just wear something from a street stall like Meglena. It’s just as good, right?”

The atmosphere in the living room suddenly grew silent.

I was wearing that ill-fitting dress. The poor-quality fabric felt prickly against my skin. It made me feel uncomfortable all over.

Mom uneasily cleared her throat.

“Even street-stall clothes are pretty expensive. It’s 80 dollars! Since you’ll only be wearing it for a little while, there’s no need to waste money.”

But I could see clearly that the price tag on Luna’s gown read over 3,000 dollars.

As always, Brannon stepped in to smooth things over.

“Luna is the younger sister. You should let her have it. You look pretty good in this outfit, too.”

Mom and Dad chimed in.

“Yeah, wait until Luna’s done wearing it before you put it on. That way, it won’t go to waste.”

Ever since I was little, all the clothes I have worn have been Luna’s hand-me-downs.

They would brush it off by saying things like, “You look good in anything.”

But in reality, those ill-fitting, secondhand clothes were so tight they made it hard to breathe.

Seeing Luna in that princess dress, Mom and Dad could not help but gush over her.

“Luna has such fair skin and a lively, cheerful personality. This dress suits her perfectly.”

At that moment, the dress I was wearing felt like nothing more than a rag.

Luna chuckled. “Mom and Dad, hurry up and compliment Meglena. Otherwise, she’ll get jealous.”

Dad was silent for a long time. Then, he said with a hint of awkwardness flashing in his eyes.

“Meglena is quite responsible.”

Being responsible was my only virtue.

That evening, just before bedtime, Brannon got ready to go home. He did not forget to turn back to me with a reminder.

“Tomorrow’s the graduation ceremony. Go make us some packed lunches to take with us. Luna can’t handle eating outside food.”

After saying that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

He habitually treated me like Luna’s nanny.

I was clearly just as much a young girl in the bloom of youth as Luna was. Her fingers were so slender and soft.

Yet there I was, stuck in the kitchen cooking and washing dishes. My fingers were rough as sandpaper.

Even so, all they ever offered were half-hearted compliments. “You’re so responsible.”

I went straight back to my room and started packing.

The winters at Attarport University were colder than ones at Southshire University.

I tossed the thin, secondhand clothes out of my suitcase and packed a few extra thicker layers instead.

I did not want to come back to this home ever again.