Chapter 2

The next morning, I went to school.

In the office, my homeroom teacher pushed a thick stack of documents toward me.

“Lily, this is a full scholarship to Westbridge University.

“There are only a limited number of spots awarded worldwide each year.

“You earned this. I’m incredibly proud of you.”

My teacher looked at me with genuine pride.

I picked up the pen, but my hand hesitated.

“Sir, does the confirmation form have to be signed by a legal guardian?”

He paused.

“Technically, yes.

“But…”

He checked my student records and suddenly smiled.

“I almost forgot. You turned eighteen last week.

“You can sign it yourself.”

My eighteenth birthday.

My fingers tightened around the pen.

Last Wednesday had been my eighteenth birthday.

That day, Chloe said she was craving a cake from a famous bakery across town.

Mom, Dad, and Ryan drove halfway across the city to get it for her.

Callum stayed home and played video games with her.

Not one of them remembered that it was my birthday too.

“Lily?”

My teacher’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“If your family has any concerns, you should still talk it over with them.

“Studying abroad is a big decision, after all.”

I took a deep breath.

Then I signed my name on the last page of the confirmation form.

“There’s nothing to discuss.

“I can make this decision for myself.”

My teacher studied the determination in my eyes and didn’t say anything else.

“All right. I’ll submit the paperwork today.

“The school will help you with your visa and flight arrangements.

“You should be leaving in about two weeks.”

I thanked him and walked out of the office.

The sunlight outside was harsh enough to make my eyes sting.

I found a shady spot beneath a tree and sat down, pulling out my phone.

A red notification dot appeared on my social media feed.

Mom had posted something.

It was a nine-photo collage, and every picture radiated happiness.

There were photos of them walking barefoot along the beach.

Pictures of an extravagant seafood dinner.

And in the final photo, Callum and Chloe were sitting together.

Callum was patiently peeling a shrimp for Chloe.

She smiled sweetly at him.

The caption read:

“The perfect family vacation. As long as Chloe is happy, that’s all that matters.”

Several relatives had already liked and commented on the post.

One of my aunts asked:

“Why didn’t Lily come?”

Mom replied almost immediately.

“Lily’s gotten too wild from growing up in the country. She has no sense of proper behavior.”

“If we’d taken her with us, who knows what trouble she would’ve caused.”

I stared at those words, my fingertips turning cold.

Too wild from growing up in the country.

That was all they thought of me.

They had no idea that back home, I had to wake up before dawn every day to feed the pigs.

They didn’t know that I’d washed clothes in freezing river water during the winter.

And they certainly didn’t know that, desperate to get into a good high school, I’d studied by moonlight every night because we couldn’t afford proper lighting.

I calmly tapped the 'Like' button and closed the app.

Two weeks.

In just two weeks, I’d finally be able to leave this place for good.

When I got home, I started cleaning the house just as Ryan had instructed.

I wiped every corner of the living room until it was spotless.

Then I walked into Chloe’s bedroom.

It was spacious, faced south, and was filled with sunlight.

Her closet was packed with the latest designer clothes.

Her desk was covered with expensive skincare products and collectible figurines.

After mopping the floor, my eyes landed on the nightstand.

A delicate velvet box sat there.

The lid was slightly open, revealing a blue gemstone necklace inside.

It was the eighteenth-birthday gift Callum had given Chloe.

I’d once seen that exact necklace in the notes app on Callum’s phone.

He had labeled it:

“For Lily’s eighteenth birthday.”

But in the end, it was around Chloe’s neck.

Callum’s explanation had been simple.

“Lily, Chloe really likes this necklace.

“You don’t wear jewelry much anyway, so let her have it.

“I’ll get you something even better later.”

I hadn’t thrown a fit.

I hadn’t cried.

I’d simply removed that necklace, which should have been mine, from my heart.

I closed the bedroom door and returned to my tiny storage-room bedroom.

I carefully tucked the confirmation form into the deepest compartment of my backpack.

It was my only path to freedom.

I lay on the hard wooden bed and stared at the ceiling.

If you expect nothing, you can’t be disappointed.

It had taken me three years to finally understand those words.