Chapter 1

When Chloe had laughed enough, she crouched down and poked at the glue dripping onto the carpet.

"Mom, look. Sis looks like a slimy slug now."

A smile spread across my mother's face. "Go wash your hands. Don't get dirty."

Chloe pulled out her phone and started snapping photos of me in my humiliated state.

"Sis, I already thought up the caption to celebrate your wedding. From bride to monster—just add a bucket of glue."

I reached for her phone.

Ethan stepped in front of her, looking at me helplessly.

"Chloe's just playing around."

"Once we're married, you'll be the Donna of the whole family. You can't keep losing your temper over every little thing."

Then my phone buzzed.

Chloe had posted the photo of me covered in glue to Instagram.

A row of comments appeared instantly—all from Chloe's friends.

"Is this your sister Vivian? She looks absolutely ridiculous!"

"Hahaha, would anyone actually marry a monster like that?"

I stared at the post, my fists clenched.

"Delete it."

Chloe looked hurt. "I was just celebrating for you!"

My father slapped the newspaper onto the coffee table.

"We're waiting for you to cut the cake. Do you have to ruin a perfectly good family party?"

I was the one who'd been pranked.

But somehow, I was the one ruining the mood.

I locked myself in the bathroom and stood under hot water for half an hour.

My hair tangled into knots. The glue hardened into chunks.

Outside the door, I heard champagne popping. They were celebrating another successful prank with Chloe.

On my phone screen, a text from Professor Austin popped up.

"Vivian, I hope you'll reconsider my offer to join the Northern Research Institute."

"Midnight at the latest. I'll be waiting for your answer."

Professor Austin was my college advisor. Now he ran the Northern Research Institute.

He thought highly of my abilities.

He was even willing to create a dedicated research group just for me.

Triple the funding. A three-year contract.

I had turned him down twice.

The first time, my parents said a girl shouldn't move so far away.

The second time, Ethan said I was about to become the family's Donna. There was no need to chase a career.

I stared at the message for a long time.

From the living room, another burst of laughter erupted.

Chloe was imitating the face I'd made when the glue hit me.

My mother said I was still so easy to fool, just like when I was little.

My father said I'd been even funnier back then—when I got scared, I'd cry until I hiccupped, like a frog croaking.

Chloe said she was really worried I'd be angry.

But Ethan's voice floated in.

"It's fine. Vivian won't hold a grudge."

"After we're married, she'll be the Donna of the whole family. She can't keep throwing tantrums over every little thing."

In their eyes, Chloe was everything.

And my humiliation, my anger—those were always "little things."

I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair had hardened into a shell.

I typed a single line carefully: "I accept the offer."

Then I canceled next week's wedding and booked a flight north.