Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 8

Chapter 1

Just then, Mom called.“Freya, your dad and I have something to do tonight, so we’ll be home late. Collect the clean clothes I left on the balcony and fold them.“Oh, right. Lucas and your cousin both have plans today, too.“So don’t wait for us and make yourself something to eat.”Before I could even respond, she hung up.I walked out onto the balcony.Looking at my brother’s and Emma’s clothes hanging there, I suddenly zoned out.It turned out that the signs had been there all along. I was only fooling myself.At some point, I had become the one who didn’t belong in this family.I picked up the last apple in the house and took a bite.Back then, my cousin, Emma Hunter, said she wanted an apple, and everyone in the family told me to give it to her.So I cut the apple in half, one half for each of us.However, all I got was Mom’s scolding.“Half an apple isn’t even enough!”As she spoke, she threw the half in Emma’s hand straight into the trash.Then she grabbed Emma’s h

Chapter 2

“Freya, enough! It’s just a social media post! Why are you always so petty?!“You made Emma cry! Hurry up and apologize to her!”My heart suddenly sank.I clearly hadn’t done anything, yet somehow I was the one who had to apologize.I let out a cold laugh. “Apologize? For what? What did I do wrong?”Lucas instantly exploded.“What did you do wrong? Making Emma upset means you’re going against me!“I don’t care. Apologize right now! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude to you!”Then Mom’s voice came from the other end of the phone.“Lucas, don’t talk to Freya like that. She’s your sister!”Then she turned back to me.“Freya, Lucas is still young. Don’t stoop to his level.“And we really did just come out for a simple meal today. Don’t overthink it.”Listening to Mom’s words, a wave of bitterness rose in my chest.I said coldly, “You don’t need to explain. You’re the real family anyway.”That completely set Mom off.Her voice immediately shot up.“Freya, how can you

Chapter 3

Mom immediately stopped caring about anything else and pulled Emma into her arms.“You silly child, how could I possibly let you leave? I’m all you have now.”Then she turned to look at me, her eyes filled with disappointment.“Freya, you really went too far this time! I’m very disappointed in you!”Disappointed?I pulled a bitter smile.She wanted me to give in to Emma in everything, and I did. I was to be understanding and considerate of her, and I was, too.So what exactly was she disappointed about? That I didn’t keep letting Emma treat me like a dog while staying silent about it?Or that after realizing they never treated me like family, I stopped pretending not to notice?But Mom, I’m a person too! I have dignity!Dad started trying to smooth things over.“Freya, your mother is genuinely angry this time!”“Hurry up and apologize to Emma, and we’ll let this matter go.”An apology again! From beginning to end, I was always the one expected to apologize.This time, I r

Chapter 4

I forced myself to walk to the side of the road and hailed a cab.“To the airport.”The driver noticed how pale I looked and saw the injuries on me.He asked if I wanted to call the police, but I shook my head and repeated my destination.Outside the car window, the streetlights passed by one after another.It reminded me of when Mom used to hold my hand as a child while we counted the lights together.Back then, she always said, “Freya is the sweetest girl. Mommy loves you the most.”How ridiculous!By the time I arrived at the airport, there were still more than four hours before boarding.I found a seat in the corner and sat down.My knee was still throbbing faintly. Rolling up my pant leg, I saw a large purple bruise swollen.I went to the restroom and rinsed it with cold water.The pain made me suck in a sharp breath.In the mirror, my eyes were red, and there were still dried bloodstains at the corner of my mouth.I rubbed at them hard, but the more I wiped, the red

Chapter 5

I tightened my grip on the phone but said nothing.Her voice was trembling as she sobbed.“Say something! Where exactly are you? I’ll come pick you up.”I spoke calmly, “No need. I’m out of town, and I won’t be going back anytime soon.”The other end went silent for a few seconds.Then Mom’s disbelieving voice rang out.“What do you mean? You went out of town by yourself? Are you crazy? You’re a girl—”“I’m not asking for your opinion. I’m just informing you,” I cut her off, my voice calm.Her voice instantly rose.“Freya Brown! You come back right now! “What kind of behavior is this?! We just didn’t bring you to one meal. Did you really have to blow things up like this?”I stayed silent.She probably thought I was wavering, because her tone softened slightly.“Alright, alright. Just come home. Mom will make your favorite sweet and sour ribs.”“Lucas knows he was wrong, too. Come back, and we’ll live together properly as a family again.”Family!I tugged at the corner

Chapter 6

In the past, I probably would’ve cried from how wronged I felt.Now, I only found it ridiculous.She always used the same trick.First, she made herself look like the victim, then everyone else would think everything was my fault.What I didn’t expect was to see a familiar name in the comments.It was my mom.She didn’t know it was Emma’s private account and thought it was just some random influencer’s post.Underneath it, she commented, [You’re absolutely right. My daughter is just too immature. It would be great if she were even half as understanding as you.]I stared at that comment, my fingers turning cold.So this was really the kind of person Mom thought I was.I put my phone down and stood on the balcony for a long time.I remembered when I had a fever as a child, and Mom stayed awake all night by my bedside, changing the towel on my forehead over and over again.Back then, I thought a mother’s love lasted forever. Later, I realized love could shift.A week later, N

Chapter 7

She had a “best friend” who knew all of her secrets.The two of them fell out over a man, so the other girl exposed everything.How ironic.The person who ruined me was ultimately destroyed by her own actions.…When Mom saw those posts, she was completely stunned.She showed the phone to Emma and asked if it was true.Emma’s first reaction was denial. She claimed those accounts weren’t hers and that someone had faked them.However, one of the accounts was linked to her phone number. She couldn’t deny that evidence.Mom burst into tears on the spot.She cried hard as she said, “Emma, haven’t I treated you well? Why would you do this? Freya is my biological daughter. How could you…”Emma cried too, but this time she wasn’t pretending to be pitiful. She was hysterical.“Auntie, I was just scared! I was afraid that once you had your daughter back, you wouldn’t want me anymore!”Mom froze.“You were afraid we wouldn’t want you anymore, so you drove Freya away?“You made her

Chapter 8

I tightened my grip on my backpack strap and took a deep breath.“I’m doing fine out there.“I have a stable job, and I have a place to live. You don’t need to worry about me.”“But I miss you!”I didn’t respond and walked out of the hospital room.Lucas chased after me.“Freya, come back. Mom and Dad both miss you.”I let out a cold laugh.“Miss me? Or miss having that ‘understanding’ daughter back?”He opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.I walked out of the hospital entrance. The sunlight was blinding.My phone buzzed. It was a message from Nancy.[We got another huge order. When are you coming back?]I replied, [Tomorrow.]That night at the hotel, the doorbell rang.When I opened the door, Mom and Dad were standing outside with swollen, red eyes.“Freya, can we come in for a while?”I didn’t say anything and stepped aside to let them in.They set down the fruit they brought and stayed silent for a long time before finally speaking.“Emma left.”I didn’t r

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