Chapter 2

When I got there, I saw photos scattered and torn across the floor.

They were pictures of me with Mom and Dad, and years of photos with Joy.

Slap!

There was a sharp crack, and my cheek exploded with pain.

Aiden was having another episode, screaming at me in a frenzy.

"Did you do this on purpose? Put this stuff in my room? You're a parasite! Living off my family!"

Aiden kept screaming while Mom and Dad wrapped him in a heartbroken embrace.

Mom's eyes went red, and she whipped around to glare at me.

"Zac, you're not our real son, but I still raised you for eighteen years.

"Is this how you treat my real son? You're nothing but an ungrateful brat."

A ringing filled my ears.

I hung my head.

Joy was crouched beside Aiden, carefully removing the shards of glass embedded in his palm.

I was still the one standing outside all of it.

Those photos, I never had the chance to take back. They'd thrown me out before I could. Ever since Aiden came into this family, I'd been banned from setting foot in it.

My chest felt like it was wrapped in a soaked, heavy towel. I could barely breathe.

The moment I reached for the broken pieces, Dad's foot slammed into me and knocked me down.

"Why are you even picking those up? Do you want to hurt Aiden again?"

My eyes burned, and my voice cracked.

"Dad, that's our family photo," I started, but he cut me off.

"He's not your dad! What are you, even?" Aiden let out another scream.

It startled Joy so badly her voice came out shaking.

"Let's get him to the hospital. Something's wrong with him."

They stopped paying attention to me completely. Every bit of it went to Aiden.

After they left, a sharp pain suddenly shot through my arm.

I looked down and found a fresh cut running along it, blood winding its way down my skin.

I picked up the blood-smeared photo fragments.

I forced myself to stay conscious and caught a cab to the hospital.

After my wound was bandaged, I ran into Mom and Dad in the hallway outside the psych ward.

I ducked into a corner.

Dad's voice reached me clearly.

"Maybe we should just send him away. Give him some money and let him go. Aiden's condition is getting worse again."

Mom's face clouded over.

"We raised him for eighteen years… for someone else. We still don't even know where his real parents are.

"We've done more than enough, raising him to adulthood. What matters more, our real son or some outsider?"

The word outsider hit me like a blade straight to the chest.

The pain spread through me.

I still remembered the day they brought Aiden home. That was the first night I moved into the storage closet to sleep.

I'd cried so hard that night, and Mom comforted me. She promised everything would stay exactly the same. That there'd just be one more person in the house.

I used to believe eighteen years of family bond could survive anything. But now, they were planning how to cut me loose.

I couldn't listen to another word after that. I turned to leave and walked straight into Joy.

She winced from the impact and only then seemed to notice me.

"Zac? Why aren't you wearing your mask again? What if Aiden sees you?"

Pain shot through my arm from the collision.

That was when Joy finally noticed the bandage wrapped around my arm.

She opened her mouth, then just shoved a cake box into my hands.

"Aiden couldn't finish it. You can have the rest; no point letting it go to waste. If your wound's fine, just go home. If Aiden sees you, he'll get upset again."

Before I could say anything, her phone rang. She didn't look back at me again and hurried off. Not once, from start to finish, had she shown a hint of concern.

I looked down at the half-eaten cake in my hand. It was the flavor I hated most.

There used to be a time when Mom, Dad, and Joy all remembered exactly what I liked. They used to know every one of my preferences by heart.

A chill settled into my body.

I laughed at myself and tossed the half-eaten cake into the trash.