My Own Harbor のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 8

My fingers brushed against something stiff inside the hidden compartment of the guitar case. I pulled it out and found an old photograph, its edges slightly yellowed with age, carefully pressed flat to preserve it.In the picture, Dad had his arm around Mom's shoulders, while I stood between them, cradling the guitar and beaming at the camera. Cecilia stood quietly beside us, a perfectly measured smile resting on her lips.Yet beneath that composed expression, her eyes held a trace of envy—or perhaps resentment—that was easy to miss.On the back of the photograph, Mom's elegant handwriting read, "Happy 15th birthday, Ellie! May all your dreams come true!"The date was exactly seven years ago.My eyes instantly filled with tears.Looking back now, all that warmth and hope seemed nothing more than a cruel joke. What Cecilia had destroyed with her own hands wasn't just my family. She had destroyed the dream that had once given my life purpose.Before I could stop myself, my thought

"Enough!" Mom interrupted me, her eyes filled with a depth of disappointment and anguish I'd never seen before. "Cece has already told us everything! She said you've been in contact with Silas lately, and that she's even tried to talk you out of it! How could you have so little self-respect? The SATs are just around the corner!"I stared at Cecilia in disbelief. She was hiding behind Mom, tears streaming down her face, looking as though my self-destruction had left her heartbroken and terrified. "Ellie… I know you're under a lot of pressure, but you can't do this to yourself…"As I looked at the undisguised disgust in my parents' eyes and Cecilia's tear-streaked face, I felt as though I'd fallen into an icy abyss. No matter what I said, I couldn't defend myself.For the first time, I understood with absolute clarity that I'd long since become an unwanted outsider in this family. My dreams, my innocence, my entire life—Cecilia could take them all away with a few casual words, then

"I know you're short on money, so I specifically asked the organizers to invite you. I wanted you to see just how miserable your life is now, and how well I'm doing in comparison."Her words pierced my heart like a needle. I suppressed my anger and replied coldly, "I'm not interested in anything the Kesslers own.""Is that so?" Cecilia repeated, as though she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. Deliberately raising her voice, she made sure the people around us could hear every word. "You certainly didn't act that way back then. You used the fact that you were their biological daughter to monopolize Mom and Dad's affection, all for their money, no? So, why are you pretending to be above it all now? I've heard you've been singing in bars for the past few years, and that you have to drink with customers to earn tips. Is that true?"The guests around us immediately began whispering among themselves. Their strange, judgmental gazes raked over me like knives, making me deeply u

I shook my head, my voice calm but firm. "I'm sorry, but I can't forgive you. Your distrust and heartlessness back then hurt me far too deeply. I once desperately wanted your love and trust, but you disappointed me time and time again. I don't need them anymore.""Ellie…" Victoria tried to say something, but I cut her off. "I know you regret what happened, but what good does regret do now? The damage has already been done, and there's no way to make up for it."I looked at them both. "My life may be modest now, but I'm free, and I have peace. I don't want the grievances of the past disrupting my life anymore, and I certainly don't want to return to the home that broke my heart."With that, I turned and walked out of the ballroom.…It wasn't until I stepped outside and felt the evening breeze against my face that I realized tears had already streamed down my cheeks.Later, I came across news about Cecilia online. After being cast out of the Kessler family, she had no marketable