MasukA year later, I won the Best Event Planning Award.When I walked out of the awards venue, I saw the Geller family.Dad had lost a lot of weight.A few strands of Mom’s hair had turned gray, and she stood at the entrance with swollen, red eyes.David stood behind them, looking at me with an exhausted expression.Beth didn’t come.I heard she hadn’t left the house in a long time.I was about to walk around them, but Mom hurried over.“Lilith.”Her voice was soft, so soft that it didn’t sound like her.In the past, whenever she called my name, it was always an order.Now, she sounded as though she was afraid of disturbing me.“Is there something you need?”Tears immediately slipped down Mom’s face.“Mom knows she was wrong. I really do. Come home and have dinner with us, okay? I’ve had your room cleaned up.”“Which room?”She froze.I smiled faintly.“My old room? You gave that to Beth as a walk-in closet a long time ago.”Mom’s face went pale.“I had it cleared out. I even had the walls
Beth’s final downfall came at a design competition.She won the Silver Award, and in the video of the award ceremony, she cried.“I want to tell everyone who has been hurt that being broken isn’t the end. It can grow new flowers.”The applause from the audience was thunderous.When Monica sent me the link, it was followed by a string of curse words.“She submitted your graduation project!”I clicked on the video.One glance was enough to make my heart turn cold.The collection was my graduation project .Aside from displaying it at school, I had only ever shown it to my family.Back then, Beth had lain on my bed, hugging a throw pillow as she said,“Sis, how are you so talented? I wish I could be even half as good as you.”I had even comforted her.“Take your time and learn.”As it turned out, the thing she learned fastest was how to steal.The competition organizers soon received an anonymous report.And it wasn’t just one person who reported her.My graduation project had been exhibi
The first person to come looking for me was Dad.When he arrived at the studio, I was in the middle of discussing our annual partnership with a business partner.When the meeting ended, I walked over to the reception area.Dad stood up.A few months had passed since I last saw him. His hair had turned a little grayer, and his suit no longer looked as crisp as it used to.“Lilith.”I replied indifferently, “What do you want?”A flash of embarrassment crossed his face.“Your mother hasn’t been sleeping well lately.”“Take her to see a doctor.”He looked as though the words had caught in his throat.In the past, whenever he told me Mom wasn’t feeling well, I would immediately soften.That trick didn’t work anymore.He sat down and clasped his hands together.“There have been some problems at home lately. Come back and help out for a while. We can talk about the rest once things have stabilized.”“In what capacity?”He answered immediately.“Deputy Director. Your salary and profit share ca
After the wedding, I didn’t go back home.Edward gave me his private art gallery in Sicily to curate and showcase my work.The day the sign went up, I stood downstairs and stared at it for a long time.“Lilith’s Curated Exhibition.”No Geller Club.No Beth.Just my name.Monica looked up at the sign, smiling even more brightly than I was.“Back when you were at the Geller Club, you clearly did most of the work, but you were always standing at the back in group photos.”“Beth would just stand there, and everyone assumed she had done it all.”I didn’t argue.Because it was true.Back at the Geller Club, whenever I worked until the early hours of the morning, Mom would only text me:“Beth has an interview tomorrow. Can you polish her script for her?”Dad would say, “The client needs the proposal urgently. Stay up and finish it.”My brother would say, “You’re reliable. Thanks for taking care of it.”No one ever asked if I am tired.Now things were different.Edward would shut my laptop at
On the way to Sicily, I slept for two hours.When I woke up, my phone was flooded with messages from the family group chat.Beth was posting photos from the airport.“The camera my brother bought me is amazing. It makes my skin look so clear in photos.”My brother replied almost immediately.“Don’t wander off when you get there. If anything happens, call me right away.”Mom sent a long list of things to keep in mind.Dad said, “Have fun. Don’t worry about things at home.”Half an hour later, Mom suddenly tagged me in the group chat.“Did you go to the new club? The employees said no one showed up to take over.”My brother followed up:“Don’t let your temper get in the way of work.”I didn’t reply.As I got farther and farther away from home, the weight that had been pressing on my chest for years seemed to slowly lift.When I arrived in Sicily, it wasn’t Edward who came to pick me up.It was my college roommate, Monica.She was now a freelance photographer. When she heard I was changin
I didn’t look back.Dignity was never something they gave me.All they had ever given me was one humiliation after another.The day Beth left the country, the house was as busy as if we were preparing for a wedding.As Mom packed her luggage, she kept reminding her,“Put this medicine in your carry-on. Don’t check it in.”“Bring two sun hats. You can’t get too tanned—you need to look good in photos.”“Take that white dress, too. It’ll look beautiful in pictures by the sea.”My brother checked the camera, power bank, and travel adapters.Dad urged the driver from the doorway, then turned around and asked,“Beth, do you have your passport? Let Dad check one more time.”Beth sat on the couch and said softly,“Stop hovering around me. I’m not a little kid.”Mom immediately said.“You’ll always be my little girl.”When I dragged my suitcase downstairs, the voices in the living room stopped for a moment.Mom was the first to frown.“Why do you have a suitcase?”I said, “I’m leaving.”Dad’s e







