Everyone Favored My Cousin, and I Was Disowned

I was out shopping for clothes with my younger brother when he suddenly spoke.

“You know... you’re really not much to look at.”

At that moment, I was busy comparing shirts I’d picked out for him, so his words didn’t quite sink in right away.

He went on without waiting for my reaction.

“I mean, yeah, you take good care of the house, but you’re nothing compared to our cousin.”

“To be blunt, what you do is basically what a nanny does.”

His casual tone hit me like a slap in the face.

My mother, standing right beside us, didn’t say a word to correct him.

“You’re good to me, sure. You buy me whatever I want. But going out with you, it just feels cheap. With our cousin, it’s different—going out with her feels classy.”

On hearing that, I realized something.

So this was all because I had scolded him earlier—after seeing our cousin wearing the brand-new clothes I had bought for myself. He’d been sulking ever since, convinced I was being petty.

At that moment, I felt utterly done with it all.

So I decided to do something that, at least to me, felt worthwhile.

That very day, I moved out.

The whole family just sat on the couch watching me pack, not a single one of them getting up.

“All this just because of something your brother said?”

“Yes,” I replied curtly.

——

My father sat dead-center on the sofa, eyes glued to the evening news, not sparing me a glance.

My brother kept his head down, tapping away on his phone.

My mother frowned at me like I was a child throwing a tantrum.

“What’s with this attitude again? Your cousin is our family—she’s not your enemy. She wore one of your dresses, so what? Can’t you be more sensible and stop threatening to run away every time you’re upset?”

Her voice was steady, but every word was a judgment.

Actually, the truth was simple. My father’s company was hosting a mid-year party, and he planned to take the whole family.

Except... they brought my cousin along.

And she showed up wearing the dress I had bought especially for the event. The one I had kept neatly in my wardrobe.

I’d made a fuss about it, and they’d been holding it against me ever since.

“Am I interrupting?”

My cousin, Sherilyn, stood at the door with a set of keys in hand.

The same family who had been cold to me just seconds ago suddenly lit up with smiles.

“Sherilyn, we told your uncle to pick you up. Why trouble yourself in this heat?”

My brother rushed over to carry her bags for her, all sweet and obedient.

I watched as they surrounded her, as if she were the real daughter of this household. A sharp, suffocating ache spread in my chest.

“Celine, we’re going to a concert later. Auntie said you weren’t interested, so we didn’t get you a ticket.”

She hesitated, glancing at me.

My brother immediately stepped in front of her. “Don’t bother with her. She’s such a country bumpkin, she probably doesn’t even know what a concert is. She can just stay home and do chores.”

Country bumpkin?

I never imagined the boy I had practically raised would say something like that to me. My grip on my suitcase weakened.

I looked at my parents. “Dad, Mom—are you really not going to say anything about what Levi just said to me?”

My mother sighed, walked over, and gently cupped my face.

That small gesture stirred the tiniest spark of hope in my chest.

If she chose my side—just this once—maybe...

But her next words sent me plummeting from heaven straight into hell.

“Stop making a scene.”

“Look at yourself. In what way can you compare to Sherilyn? If it were her, she’d think of the bigger picture. Of course your brother would prefer her as a sister—can you blame him for telling the truth?”

Her voice was still warm, but every word cut deep.

The pain in my chest became unbearable.

I was done—done with all the comparisons, done with being measured against her.

Like someone possessed, I smashed everything in sight.

The TV. The fridge. The chandelier...

All the things I had bought with my own money.