Chapter 2

My soul was trapped here, unable to leave, forced to watch them celebrate Lena's birthday.

"Come on," Isabella said gently, "don't let her ruin our good mood."

She lit the candles on the cake. The pink frosting gleamed under the flickering flames.

"This is our family moment now."

Dominic, Isabella, and Marcus gathered around Lena, their voices blending as they sang Happy Birthday.

Their tone was soft, full of love. A tone I'd never heard directed at me.

Lena clasped her hands together and closed her eyes to make a wish. The candlelight painted her delicate features, making her look angelic.

She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and blew out all the candles in one go.

Everyone clapped and cheered.

I remembered my birthdays. Every time I tried to bring them up, Dominic had an important meeting, Isabella had a charity gala, Marcus had to work late.

"You're an adult now. Why do you still need a birthday party?" Dominic once said.

But Lena was different.

She was always worth everyone dropping everything to gather together.

After the cake, Dominic set aside his work—something rare—to help Lena unwrap her gifts personally.

"These were all carefully selected for you," he said, his voice carrying a tenderness he'd never shown me.

Isabella handed Lena an elegant gift box. "Quick, open it."

Lena tore off the wrapping, her eyes lighting up. "It's the Chanel tweed jacket! Mom, how did you know I've been wanting this?"

"Try it on," Isabella nodded approvingly. "This new style will match perfectly with the dress your father got you."

Lena stood and twirled. The jacket shimmered softly under the lights.

"Perfect," Isabella said.

Lena glanced at the pile of gift boxes on the table, her expression slightly troubled. "But my closet's already full..."

Isabella waved dismissively. "Just use the one in Eileen's room. She rotates the same few work outfits anyway. She doesn't need that much space."

Dominic nodded in agreement.

Marcus was already carefully peeling lychees for Lena. He placed the flesh in a small dish, thoughtfully removing every pit.

I watched it all.

Then I felt warmth trailing down my face—apparently, souls could cry too.

Lena bit into a lychee and suddenly let out a soft sigh.

"Sis still hasn't responded, won't answer my messages..." Her voice was quiet. "It feels weird without her here."

Dominic waved impatiently. "Let her be. Another one of her attention-seeking stunts. She's about to get married and still acts this childish."

Isabella scoffed. "Just some stupid award. They give one out every year... and she picks today to throw a tantrum!"

Stupid award? The family honor medal I'd spent three years preparing for was just a stupid award to them.

Lena lowered her head, as if she'd accidentally let something slip. "Sister would be so hurt if she heard that. She practically begged the entire awards committee for it... oh, I shouldn't have said that, should I?"

She looked up, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes.

Lena had always been smart. She knew exactly how to play pitiful in front of our parents.

Her grades could never match mine.

Every time I aced an exam, Lena would run crying to our parents, claiming I deliberately refused to share my notes and sabotaged her grades.

In reality, she'd never asked for them.

But Dominic would storm into my room to berate me.

"As the older sister, you should help your younger sister proactively! How can you be so selfish? What kind of sister are you?"

"But she never asked me—"

"Enough!" He cut me off. "Lena's in tears and you're still making excuses?"

Every single time, I tried to explain. No one ever believed me.

I used to fantasize that maybe one day I'd meet someone who truly loved me.

Someone who would choose me completely, believe me, protect me.

Then Adrian appeared.

For the first few months after our engagement, he treated me well.

But before long, his gaze slowly shifted toward Lena too.

1 AM. The celebration continued.

The Maid, Mary brought out a bottle of 1982 Lafite and Lena's favorite truffle chocolates.

Dominic personally poured champagne for Lena. "You're an adult now. You can enjoy these things."

Marcus carefully selected chocolates for her. She popped one in her mouth, her cheeks bulging like a hamster's.

"Slow down," Marcus laughed. "No one's competing with you."

Lena finished chewing and announced excitedly, "Oh! Dad, thank you for let me intern at the family company!"

Isabella clapped. "Really? That's wonderful!"

"Of course," Dominic said. "You're my daughter. The company has a place for you."

I remembered the year I turned eighteen. I asked to intern at the company.

Dominic didn't even look at me.

"Earn it yourself," he said. "Don't expect the family to pave your way."

Watching them felt like watching a play that had nothing to do with me.

Isabella scooped the remaining cake onto an empty plate. The cake had collapsed, the frosting melted into a mess.

She turned to Marcus. "Save this for Eileen. When she's done throwing her tantrum, she can eat it. So she can't say we only care about Lena."

Marcus nodded and reached for the plate.

I stared at that collapsed, melted cake, feeling nothing inside.

Just then, Lena noticed another gift box on the table.

"There's still one more present." She picked up the most beautifully wrapped box. "This box is gorgeous. Let me guess—probably a necklace?"

She lifted the lid and suddenly screamed, throwing the box to the floor.

"Ahh! It hurts—!"