Outsider Syndrome Novels & Stories

That same day, Fabio merely tossed his exam paper—which also had the top score—onto the table with indifference, and Papa was so delighted he cracked open a good bottle of wine. "Now that's my son." Papa raised his wine glass and looked straight past me at Fabio, not sparing me a flicker of attention. … Last night, I had a sudden, severe allergic reaction. Large red hives broke out all over my body, my throat swelled severely, and even breathing became incredibly difficult. Fighting the agony of suffocation, I dialed the number for the family's private medical team to beg for help. But the line that was supposed to be on standby around the clock was constantly busy, and I couldn't get throug

Her advisory board was made up of the most elite strategists in the business. She had invited me to be her partner more than once, telling me I possessed the two rarest qualities: an eye for beauty and a cool head. In the past, I had always let those foolish family loyalties hold me back, burying my own ambition again and again. Now, I wondered, what was I even holding on to? The family that never saved me a seat at the table? Or the so-called family that always treated me like an outsider? It wasn't until noon the next day that anyone at the Moretti manor noticed something was wrong.

The absence of my presence these past few years had made me accustomed to compromising in front of Sophie and her family. Even when Julius replaced me in the family portrait, or when every New Year's dinner table was filled with dishes Julius liked, I endured it. I even comforted myself by telling myself that things weren't so bad if someone could stay by their side in my place. I thought that as long as the family was happy, nothing else mattered. But today, a single apple gave me a wake-up call. If they already saw me as an outsider, why was I still trying so hard to belong?

Mom started pointing fingers and scolding me as if she finally found a way to attack me. She continued, "We're just asking for a room change, it's not like we're not bringing you along. And yet, you're saying such things—you really disappoint me, Heidi. "Back then, Madie chose to go abroad just to let you experience a complete family. Even after she came back, she was worried you'd mind, so she dared not come back home and rented a place herself. But now, you're even refusing her a room? How could you be so selfish?"

I know, even the old woman is aware of her real intention. At the end, there’s no one left but the old woman, Tasya, who looks obviously bothered on what to do with me. Though she looks occupied, she took me inside their small gate that gave me a full view of their house that looks so archaic, with wide cartilage yet dim atmosphere. The trees are preventing the area from the direct heat of the sun, giving both cold breeze and eeriness. She pulled me though the huge tree beside of their house and tied my rope on one of its roots.

The piercing siren of the ambulance echoed through the quiet neighborhood. Dad suffered a stroke due to a sudden heart attack. Meanwhile, Mom suffered a heart attack due to severe hypertension. They were both rushed into the emergency room. Isaac and Ivan both stood dejectedly at the emergency room door, looking completely defeated. Cathy folded her arms over her chest, a little distance away, looking at them coldly and mockingly. Meanwhile, Vivian had already disappeared, turning off her phone and refusing to reply to any messages. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.