I Was The Outsider
After my adopted sister, Bella, borrowed my phone, she forgot to log out of our family's secure channel.
I was about to log her out when an encrypted group chat message popped up at the top of the screen.
"To celebrate Enzo, the Moretti heir, handling his first piece of business for the family, we're having dinner at the private club tonight."
I tapped on it without a second thought.
The member list in the channel was painfully clear, showing only four avatars: my father, my mother, my brother, and Bella.
My brother, Enzo, replied a moment later, "Just the four of us. Don't call Aurora."
"If she comes, she'll just find another excuse to bully Bella."
I stared at the words, frozen.
It dawned on me then. In this family, I had been the outsider all along.