All Chapters of Rejected at Home, Chosen by the World: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

My brother, Vincent Moore, zipped the last suitcase shut. "Valerie, did you go mute or something? Mom booked you a first-class ticket, and you can't even say thank you?"I looked up at him. His forehead was slick with sweat, and the back of his shirt was soaked through.At breakfast, Annie Fuller had casually said, "When I get to college, I won't be able to eat anything from home anymore."Because of that, Vincent had gone out at the crack of dawn and run over half the city in over 90-degree heat to buy local specialties. Then he'd come back, portioned them out, and packed everything up. He'd been busy the whole day.But when I'd asked him to grab me a box of ibuprofen while he was out because I'd had bad cramps yesterday, he'd snapped, "Don't you have legs? Do you need other people to do every little thing for you?"I dropped my gaze and locked my phone screen. "Thanks, Mom."Mom came out of the kitchen with a plate of sliced fruit. She walked right past me and set it down in fr

Chapter 2

Annie cut the cake in half. "Valerie, let's share."I turned and headed for my room. "No thanks."Vincent's voice came from behind me almost immediately. "Ignore her. She's always been weird like that."I went back to my room and locked the door. All the laughter and chatter outside were instantly shut out.I pulled open the bottom drawer of my desk. This was where I kept every gift my family had ever given me over the years.There was the cheap keychain Dad had grabbed for me on a business trip. The night he tossed it to me, I was so happy I could barely sleep. Only later did I find out he'd gotten Annie a bracelet.There was also the old scarf Mom no longer wanted and threw my way, and Vincent's old phone after he upgraded.Every time they bought something for Annie, they would toss me scraps like these to keep me quiet.At the very bottom was an old photo album. In every single family photo, Annie wore the prettiest dress and stood right in the middle, surrounded by Mom, Dad

Chapter 3

I took a cab to the hospital by myself.The doctor checked my palm. "The cut's pretty deep. You're gonna need stitches."He looked up over my shoulder. "It's gonna hurt when we stitch it up, and you'll need a tetanus shot after. Is there anyone here with you?"I forced back the tears burning in my eyes. "No. They're busy."…By the time I got home, it was almost 8:00 p.m.A whole crowd was gathered at the front door—the principal, Mr. Green, my homeroom teacher, Mr. Brown, and a few people holding cameras.The moment she saw me, Mom hurried over and grabbed my hand. "Where the hell did you run off to? You didn't answer your phone or reply to any messages! Look at you, keeping all these people waiting for you while you were off doing God-knows-what!"Her fingers closed right over my wound, and I hissed from the pain. Only then did she look down and notice the bandage wrapped around my palm.Mr. Brown spoke up first. "Valerie, what happened to your hand?"Before I could answer,

Chapter 4

Time seemed to freeze.Mom's panic lasted only a second before it hardened into anger. "Valerie, when did you learn to sneak looks at our documents at home?"Annie's face went pale. "Valerie, I'm sorry. I didn't know Mr. and Mrs. Moore bought a place and put my name on the deed. If it bothers you, I can give it up."Dad said, "Annie, you don't need to apologize. We gave you that apartment of our own free will."Mom chimed in, "Valerie, don't harp on about one apartment. You're our biological daughter. You'll get your share of everything in this family in the future. Annie's different. She's lost both her parents, and I swore at her mother's bedside that I would take care of her."I asked quietly, "What about me?"She was taken aback. "What about you?""Do I have parents?"Vincent scowled. "Don't you feel guilty saying something like that? Mom and Dad put a roof over your head, raised you, and even bought you a first-class plane ticket. How can you ask if you have parents?"I t

Chapter 5

Mom snatched the phone from Vincent. The moment she saw the flight number clearly, all the color drained from her face."No. No way," she muttered.She pulled up the transaction record for the plane ticket she'd bought me, checking the flight number against the news over and over. Every time she looked, her hands shook harder.Next to her, Annie's face had gone pale. "Mrs. Moore, Valerie's gonna be fine."Dad kept calling my number, but all he got was a robotic female voice. "The number you have dialed is currently powered off."They all got off at the very next stop and rushed back toward Shaltone Airport.Mom stared out the window, refreshing the news every few minutes. Every time a new on-site video came out, her tears started falling again.When they reached the airport, the entire hall was filled with the sound of crying. The families of the missing passengers were shepherded to a conference room while staff members tried to calm them down."At present, we can confirm that

Chapter 6

The airline called the next evening. By then, Mom hadn't slept in two days.When the phone rang, she practically threw herself at it. "Did you find anything? Is there any news about my daughter?""Ma'am, after verification, Ms. Valerie Moore was indeed scheduled for Flight MU4922."Mom's vision went black for a second.The staff member went on, "But she never checked in."The room went dead quiet. Mom even forgot to cry. "What did you say?""Ms. Moore didn't board the plane. According to the airport's system, she entered the terminal for international departures that morning. However, we're not authorized to look into her subsequent itinerary."It was like someone had yanked Mom up out of deep water. She took a deep breath, only to be shoved back under by an even greater wave of panic."International departures?" she mumbled. "Why would she have gone overseas? She got into Jossvale University…"The next day, Dad pulled every string he could and finally dug up concrete informat

Chapter 7

When I flew home eight years later, autumn had already set in.My upperclassman, who'd traveled with me, pulled open the car door. He teased, "You haven't been back in so long, Dr. Moore. Nervous?"I just smiled without answering.My schedule was packed. The higher-ups placed a lot of importance on this overseas talent initiative, so I started the job the very next day.At lunch, I went downstairs to grab a coffee. Behind me, a hesitant voice called out, "Valerie?"I turned around and saw Annie.The shy, obedient girl from back then was long gone. She wore a sharply tailored gray business suit and light makeup. Her eyes held a new edge—fatigue and competence, the kind life carved in over time.After all these years, I never thought a day would come when I could sit across from her, calmly drinking coffee."You work at the tech company upstairs?" I asked, glancing at the badge on her chest."Yeah. I've been in sales for a few years and just got promoted to assistant supervisor.

Chapter 8

Vincent, who used to frown and act like I was a burden, was now just standing there, completely lost.Dad walked over in a hurry. When he finally saw my face clearly, he went rigid. "Valerie…"He said my name so softly, as if he were afraid I would turn around and walk away if he were any louder.Mom suddenly grabbed my arm. "Valerie, are you cold? I'll cook you something, okay? I'll cook the spaghetti and meatballs you loved when you were little."I looked down at her hand. It was so bony that her knuckles stood out and almost jabbed into my skin; I could feel it shaking.When I was a kid, I dreamed of her holding me like this, even if it was just to ask if I was cold or hungry. I would've been happy for days.Too bad these words had come far too late—so late that hearing them now only left a faint, bitter ache.I didn't shake Mom off. I just said, "I'm not cold."Her tears finally spilled over. It was like she'd only just confirmed I was real. She covered her mouth and bent o

Chapter 9

Mom froze. It was like my words nailed her in place. Her lips trembled, but for a long time, she couldn't speak.Then she suddenly started to cry. "Valerie, what am I supposed to do? I want to make it up to you, but I don't even know where to start. Whenever I think about what you went through as a kid, I just want to…"She couldn't go on. She balled her hands into fists in her apron.I stared at the gray in her hair; the rush of satisfaction I'd imagined never came.I'd pictured this moment a thousand times. I'd imagined my family regretting everything, breaking down in tears, and begging me to come home.But now that it was finally happening, I realized that remorse that came this late couldn't fix the past. All it did was remind me that, back then, they really had cast me aside so easily."Mom."It was the first time I'd called her that in eight years. Her head snapped up, and a faint light flickered in her eyes.I said softly, "The past is in the past. I have my own life no

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