I used to be the beloved little princess of the Colobo family.

Then, on my eighteenth birthday, my father brought home Sophia.

She was the daughter of the old friend who had once saved his life. Out of guilt, he gave her a place in our home.

Then he gave her my place too.

My brother began protecting her and hating me.

My childhood friend, Luca Rizzo, fell for her and left me behind.

Even my father said Sophia deserved the Colobo name more than I did, though I was his biological daughter.

On the day I graduated from college, they broke their promise to me for the ninety-ninth time because of her.

I finally lost control.

“Am I not your own daughter?”

My father pulled Sophia behind him as if I were the danger, then slapped me across the face.

“You jealous little thing. I should have given everything to her instead.”

My brother looked at me like I was something dirty.

“You don’t deserve a place in the Colobo family. Get out.”

So I left.

They thought I was only throwing another tantrum.

They took Sophia to Switzerland to see the snow-covered mountains, certain that silence would teach me to behave. They thought I would calm down, come home, and beg for my place again.

But this time, I called the research institute in Australia whose offer I had once turned down for them.

“I accept,” I said.

By the time the Colobo family realized I was truly gone, my phone number no longer existed.

And so did Isabella Colobo.

I used to be the beloved little princess of the Colobo family.

Then, on my eighteenth birthday, my father brought home Sophia.

She was the daughter of the old friend who had once saved his life. Out of guilt, he gave her a place in our home.

Then he gave her my place too.

My brother began protecting her and hating me.

My childhood friend, Luca Rizzo, fell for her and left me behind.

Even my father said Sophia deserved the Colobo name more than I did, though I was his biological daughter.

On the day I graduated from college, they broke their promise to me for the ninety-ninth time because of her.

I finally lost control.

“Am I not your own daughter?”

My father pulled Sophia behind him as if I were the danger, then slapped me across the face.

“You jealous little thing. I should have given everything to her instead.”

My brother looked at me like I was something dirty.

“You don’t deserve a place in the Colobo family. Get out.”

So I left.

They thought I was only throwing another tantrum.

They took Sophia to Switzerland to see the snow-covered mountains, certain that silence would teach me to behave. They thought I would calm down, come home, and beg for my place again.

But this time, I called the research institute in Australia whose offer I had once turned down for them.

“I accept,” I said.

By the time the Colobo family realized I was truly gone, my phone number no longer existed.

And so did Isabella Colobo.

...

“Professor Hayes, about the research position in Australia. I accept.”

The other end of the line went quiet for a second before his voice sharpened with surprise.

“Isabella, are you serious? You turned us down before.”

“I know,” I said.

“This is a long-term project. Once you join the base, outside contact will be limited. You may not be able to return for years. Have you thought this through?”

“I have.”

Professor Hayes was silent for a moment.

“Did something happen with your family?”

I did not answer.

Two years ago, when the institute first invited me, I had almost said yes. The project was remote, confidential, and difficult to get into. It was the kind of chance people fought for their entire lives.

But my father refused.

He said Australia was too far, the project was too long, and the Colobo family could not afford to have me disappear from their reach for years.

Marco had been even worse. He held my hand so tightly it hurt and asked me how he was supposed to live if I left for the other side of the world.

Even Luca said the engagement could wait for many things, but not years of distance and silence.

So I stayed.

Now they had forgotten every word.

“It’s nothing,” I said softly. “I just don’t want to miss this chance again.”

Professor Hayes let out a quiet breath.

“Then come. The institute will book your flight. Once you arrive, we will take care of everything.”

“Okay.”

The confirmation arrived almost as soon as the call ended. The flight was in three days.

Then Professor Hayes sent another message.

[Isabella, say your goodbyes before you leave. Once you enter the project, your old life will be difficult to return to.]

Say goodbye.

I thought of my father, my brother, and Luca from the Rizzo family, all of whom had grown tired of me to the point of disgust.

Three days would be enough.

I turned off my phone and stood on the street corner for a long time.

Autumn was already cold. The wind cut through the street and chilled my fingers stiff.

Still, I picked up my phone and called my father. We were bound by blood. No matter how ugly things had become, I should at least say goodbye.

He hung up at once.

When I called again, his phone was off.

I forced myself to call my brother.

It rang for a long time before he finally answered, as if granting me a favor.

The other end was noisy, like some kind of gathering. His voice was low and angry.

“Do you have any idea Sophia is receiving a family honor right now? Your call almost interrupted the ceremony.”

Pain spread through my chest.

A family honor.

It was given only once a year to those who had made special contributions to the family. Growing up, I had watched my father award it to others and believed that one day, I would stand on that stage too.

It turned out the one standing there was Sophia.

I swallowed the ache and spoke carefully.

“Brother, we haven’t seen each other in a long time. Can I see you tonight?”

He gave a cold laugh.

Afraid he would say something even crueler, I quickly added, “The emerald necklace Sophia has always wanted. I had someone bid for it in London. I can bring it over, okay?”

Sophia was the girl my father had adopted.

Since the day she came into the Colobo family, I had never lowered myself to her like this.

My brother only sneered at my humility.

“Isabella, what are you trying to pull this time? Last time, you nearly ruined Sophia at the family council. What are you planning now?”

It felt as if a blade had cut through my chest.

The brother who once promised to believe me forever was gone.

“No, Brother. I just want to see you.”

“I don’t want to see you.”

Someone interrupted him.

Sophia’s sweet voice came through the phone.

“Brother, don’t say that to Isabella. She’ll be hurt.”

“It’s been so long since we saw her. Let’s meet her.”

After a brief pause, she added, “But I just received the honor today, and I’m too tired to go out. Let’s have dinner at home.”

Then she said, “I want peanut butter pie. The pastry chef is sick. Can Isabella make it?”

“Yes.”

I agreed almost immediately.

“I’ll come back and make it now.”

I hung up before they could change their minds.

I had even forgotten that I was severely allergic to peanuts.

This was the day Sophia received an honor from the Colobo family.

And I was using the last of my strength to beg them to look at me.

The autumn wind stung my eyes until they burned.

I wiped away the tears and rushed to the supermarket. Peanut butter pie was simple in theory, but the filling had to be smooth and the crust perfectly crisp. I told myself this would be the last day the Colobo family sat together, so I made it carefully.

The oven chimed just as they came back with Sophia.

I carried the pie to the table and glanced toward the living room.

They were laughing together.

My father, who was always busy, sat across from Sophia, listening as she talked about the hunt at the Rizzo estate. She mimed riding a horse, and he laughed openly.

My brother took the glass from her hand.

“Let me,” he said, his voice soft with indulgence. “You’re going to the equestrian club tomorrow. Your hands shouldn’t shake. You’ll represent the Colobo family in front of the Rizzos.”

Luca Rizzo was there with his parents.

It was obvious they were more satisfied with Sophia than they had ever been with me. She was polite, attentive, and never made anyone uncomfortable.

Luca sat beside her, watching her with quiet affection. When her voice grew dry, he lifted a cocktail and placed it in her hand without being asked. The only son of the Rizzo family treating the Colobo family’s Sophia Vale this way made the alliance look stronger than ever.

I stood at the kitchen doorway.

No one noticed me.

Just like always. The moment Sophia was there, I disappeared. I was no longer the Colobo family’s princess.

She was.

The living room was warm with laughter. The kitchen felt cold.

One half alive, the other empty.

For a moment, I almost forgot that not long ago, that place had been mine. I had been the one at the center.

“Isabella, why are you standing there?” Sophia called gently. “Come sit with us.”

My brother let out a cold laugh.

“Better not. The mood will change the second she comes over. I don’t understand how people from the same family can think like that.”

I clenched my hands, forcing the tears back.

“It’s fine,” I said with a faint smile. “I’ll stay here. Dessert is ready. You can come when you’re done.”

By the time I finished arranging the last batch of cookies, all six seats were taken.

Sophia sat where I used to sit.

My father, my brother, Luca, and Luca’s parents filled the rest. The Rizzos were the Colobo family’s most important allies. This was not just a family dinner. It was a display.

I was not part of it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my brother gaze pause for a brief moment.

Then it was gone.

He turned back to Sophia, cutting her steak with practiced ease, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The table was full.

Sophia liked peanut desserts. Everyone was focused on her, cutting her pie, pouring her drinks, making sure she had everything she needed.

Luca’s mother had once liked me because I carried the Colobo name. Now, like Luca, she preferred Sophia. Sophia was gentle, considerate, easy to be around. The Rizzo family wanted someone like her, not someone they saw as troublesome.

The room was full of warmth.

For a moment, I remembered when I had been the one sitting there, surrounded and cherished. My father used to praise me in front of our allies and say that Isabella was the daughter he was most proud of.

I didn’t realize I had been staring until my brother looked up.

The warmth in his eyes vanished instantly.

What replaced it was cold and distant, the look of someone judging a disgrace.

I turned away and hurried back into the kitchen.

I wasn’t paying attention and tripped over a baking tray on the floor.

It crashed loudly.

My father stopped cutting the pie.

“I knew she wasn’t truly sorry,” he said coldly. “All we asked was for her to make dessert, and she starts making noise in the kitchen. No manners at all. She’s an embarrassment to the Colobo name.”

I held myself, shaking.

Father, it wasn’t like that. I just slipped. This was supposed to be our last day together. I wasn’t trying to ruin anything.

But I knew it didn’t matter. He would not believe me.

Luca’s mother glanced toward the kitchen, a trace of hesitation in her eyes.

“They’re still young,” she said gently. “She’s been busy all day. It’s normal to feel a little upset. We should have noticed there weren’t enough seats. Let’s add one and have Isabella join us.”

Under everyone’s disapproving gaze, she pulled me to the table.

“Isabella, it’s only been two months. Why have you lost so much weight? You should eat more.”

As soon as she spoke, all eyes turned to me.

My father looked at my face. His expression shifted for a brief second, and he opened his mouth as if to say something.

Sophia suddenly grabbed her throat and coughed.

“I don’t feel well… I can’t breathe…”

My father, my brother, and Luca rushed to her side at once.

She was the center of the Colobo family now, the future daughter-in-law of the Rizzos. Nothing could be allowed to happen to her.

When they saw the rash spreading across her arm, my father’s expression changed.

“This looks like a honey allergy. How did this happen? Who put honey in the dessert?”

Then his gaze snapped toward me.

He had already decided it was my fault. He didn’t need proof. He didn’t need an explanation. In his mind, I had always been jealous of Sophia. I had made scenes before. I was the disgrace of the family.

He struck me hard.

“Did you do this on purpose? How could I raise something so vicious? Do you know she’s allergic to peanuts? Are you trying to ruin the alliance between the Colobo and the Rizzos?”

I fell to the floor, my head ringing.

The others looked at me without hesitation, as if I were an enemy. Even the Rizzos’ expressions turned cold.

My face pale, I tried to speak.

“It wasn’t me. I didn’t—”

But just like every other time, they had already judged me. No one wanted to listen.

My brother spoke through clenched teeth.

“I can’t believe I have a sister like you. It makes me sick. I should have known something was wrong when you offered to make dessert. You wanted to hurt her.”

Luca looked down at me.

“Now you understand why I refused to marry her,” he said to his mother. “She’s manipulative. A disgrace to the Colobo family.”

Anna opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something.

My father cut her off.

“That’s enough. Take Sophia to the hospital first. We’ll deal with this later.”

They rushed out together, surrounding Sophia. The Rizzos followed, not sparing me another glance.

I was left alone on the floor, holding my swollen cheek.

Watching them leave, I finally let the tears fall.

It was always like this.

Whenever it involved Sophia, they never chose me.

Something inside me went silent all at once. The pain pressed against my chest until I could barely breathe.

But I knew this was the last time.

I was leaving soon.

The Colobo family. My father. My brother. Luca.

I would leave them all behind.

I went back to my room and started packing.

There was no need to wait three days. That slap had made everything clear. There was no place for me in the Colobo family anymore. Instead of waiting for them to throw me out, I would leave on my own terms.

I sorted through my things one by one.

There was almost nothing.

After Sophia arrived, my father and brother had barely bought me anything. My allowance was gone. My birthday gifts stopped. Even my name had been pushed to the bottom of the family trust. I had not really lived in this house for a long time.

In a way, it made leaving easier.

My eyes landed on a photo on the desk.

The three of us stood in front of the old Colobo estate, my father, my brother, and me. Back then, I believed carrying the Colobo name meant something.

The memories came back all at once.

Two years ago, I almost left for Australia.

A research institute had invited me to join a long-term project. The base was remote, the work confidential, and once I entered, contact with the outside world would be limited. It was the kind of opportunity people spent years trying to earn.

I wanted to go.

But my father refused almost immediately. He said Australia was too far, the project was too long, and the Colobo family could not have its daughter vanish for years with barely any contact.

Marco reacted even more strongly.

Back then, he had clung to me harder than anyone.

He showed up outside my room that night and stood there for a long time without saying anything. When I opened the door, his eyes were red.

“Bella,” he said, his voice hoarse, “if you go that far away and I can’t even call you when I need you, I’ll go insane.”

He held my hand so tightly that my fingers hurt.

I was still soft-hearted then.

So I stayed.

When I was young, I was often sick. No matter how busy my father was, the moment my brother said I was ill, he would drop everything and come home. Those were the years the Colobo family was fighting for territory across the East Coast, yet he still chose me first. People under him used to say that I was the one thing he valued most.

When I was thirteen, men from a rival family slipped into my school. They would not touch the Colobo heir, but they had no problem going after me.

After class, they cornered me in the parking lot. They pinned me to the ground and burned my arm with a cigarette, saying it was a message for the Colobo family.

My brother arrived soon after. He was only sixteen, but he had already begun handling family matters. He took them down one by one and was beaten badly in the process, his face covered in blood. In the end, he slammed the leader against the hood of a car and pressed a shard of glass to his throat.

“Touch her again,” he said, “and I’ll wipe out your entire family.”

After that, everyone on the East Coast knew that Marco Colobo would turn into a mad dog for his sister.

No one was allowed to touch Isabella.

Luca had been good to me too. When my father was away, he would take my brother and me to the Rizzo estate on weekends. We felt awkward going so often, but he would just smile at me, his eyes bright under the chandeliers, and say it didn’t matter. The Rizzos and the Colobos were allies for life. We could come as often as we wanted.

Back then, I believed him.

So on my seventeenth birthday, when my father asked if I would agree to a marriage alliance with the Rizzo family, I said yes without hesitation. I even thought nothing would really change. Luca’s estate was right next door. The Colobos and the Rizzos would always be tied together.

The next day, my father brought home a girl.

Sophia was the daughter of his old friend.

Years ago, during a failed negotiation on the East Coast, that man had taken a bullet meant for my father and saved his life.

From the moment Sophia stepped into our house, everything changed.

She always appeared at the exact moment when I was alone with my brother or Luca. She broke my jewelry, then showed them her cut hand and said I had pushed her.

She spilled the wine my brother poured for her over her own dress, her eyes red as she said she did not blame me and knew I hadn’t meant it.

She snapped the bracelet my father had just bought her, then apologized to me and begged me not to treat her that way. She said I was a Colobo and she had nothing, that she would never take anything from me.

She poured coffee over herself, cut lines into her own arm with broken glass, and ran into Luca’s arms in tears. She begged him to talk to me, said she could leave if that was what I wanted, just please don’t let me turn the family against her.

Her tricks drove me to the edge.

That day, I finally broke. I laid everything she had done out in front of them, piece by piece. I thought that this time, my father and brother would finally see the truth.

They didn’t.

My father looked at me with nothing but disappointment. He said he never thought I would turn out like this, that I had brought shame to the family, and that the Colobos did not need a daughter like me.

My brother struck me across the face. He asked how I could treat Sophia like that, whether I had forgotten what it felt like to be bullied, and said I was no different from those people. Then he told me to get out.

Luca held Sophia carefully in his arms. The eyes that used to look only at me belonged to someone else now. He said he needed to reconsider the marriage and that he did not want to be involved in the Colobo family’s affairs anymore.

They took Sophia to a private clinic.

Just like today.

After that, no one in the Colobo family ever called me Miss Colobo again.

Now they call Sophia that.

As for me, even carrying the Colobo name feels like a joke.