Ten minutes later, I finally pulled myself together and went inside. The private dining room was warm and cozy. Madison Calder wore a pale blue mini dress, and my brother, Brandon Lewis, was peeling grapes for her.

As soon as Madison saw me, her eyes lit up, and her smile was dazzling. "Adeline, you're finally here!"

She immediately stood up, looked around, and feigned awkwardness. "Oh no, my friend had just arrived earlier, and there's no seat left for you. I'm so sorry."

Brandon didn't even look up as he chimed in, "There's a folding stool by the door. Just sit there."

I followed his gaze and finally noticed the tiny stool near my feet. If I remembered correctly, that was where the servers usually sat to wait for customers' instructions.

"That doesn't seem right..." Madison appeared sympathetic, but a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

It was obvious that she was doing this on purpose.

When Nicholas saw I wasn't moving, he couldn't help but frown. "What, you have a seat and still won't sit? Everyone's been waiting for you long enough. Do you really want to make them watch you throw another tantrum?"

Everyone looked at me, their gaze impatient. I glanced at the dining table in the center of the room, where most of the food had already been eaten. It was clear that they were just waiting for the final celebration.

Fortunately, I hadn't expected much to begin with.

"Fine, I'll sit there," I replied calmly, sitting on the stool under everyone's gaze.

Nicholas looked surprised, but after a brief glance, his expression quickly returned to normal. Before long, the room buzzed back to life again as Brandon pushed in a massive birthday cake. Nicholas pulled out a party popper he had prepared and twisted it with a pop.

"Happy birthday!" Everyone gathered in a circle, clapping and cheering.

I sat to the side, watching them, and a wave of sadness crept up my chest. Three days ago, it was my birthday. They all said they were too busy that day, so I ended up eating alone at the restaurant I had booked weeks in advance.

When the clock struck midnight, I quietly whispered to myself, "Happy birthday."

It wasn't until I checked social media that I realized they were all out with Madison, lighting fireworks together.

They divided up all the cake among themselves without even thinking of me. I didn't know how long I had been zoning out when Nicholas handed me a small slice of cake.

I was caught off guard and smiled politely. "Thanks."

He said indifferently, "In a few days, we're taking Maddy on a surprise trip. Since you're just hanging around campus anyway, help us plan the itinerary. We're short on funds this time, so we'll take you next time—"

Before he could finish, I dropped my smile and spoke calmly. "That's fine with me."

Nicholas was caught off guard, looking stunned. "Are you serious?"

Why wouldn't I be? It was just another excuse to leave me out again. Nicholas and Brandon built the company together, and it was thriving. Yet now, they claimed there wasn't enough money to include me.

"You agreed too quickly. Are you planning something to sabotage it?"

I looked straight at both of them and answered sincerely. "I mean it. If you want to spend time with her, then go. I'll wait. How many days are you planning? I can—"

"Shut up!" Nicholas snapped, his face darkening with annoyance. "Cut the act. I'm warning you—don't try anything stupid."

I let out a quiet sigh and kept my tone steady. "I'm really not. And soon, I'll be leaving for the classified research program."

Nicholas narrowed his eyes at me, filled with suspicion. "Do you think saying that'll make me cancel the trip?"

I swallowed the rest of my sentence—the part where I would've said I was never coming back.

Just then, Madison trotted over and slipped her arm through Nicholas', smiling sweetly. "What are you guys talking about?"

Nicholas' expression immediately softened. He smiled and patted her head. "She agreed to help plan our vacation."

"Really? That's amazing!" Madison exclaimed as she hugged me. "Thank you, Adeline! That's exactly what I wanted!"

Then, she grabbed Nicholas and Brandon, dragging them away into the crowd. "Well, if we're all good here, let's play some games!"

The three of them were all smiles, holding hands and disappearing into the party without even glancing back.

As I stepped out of the room, I heard one last shout from Madison, bright and carefree. "It's us against the world!"

Suddenly, I remembered the time three years ago when my parents were killed in the line of duty; their bodies were never recovered. Brandon and I had only been able to claim their uniforms.

Nicholas had held me as I sobbed, nearly passing out, and whispered, "It's okay. You have me and Brandon. You'll never be alone."

Brandon gripped our hands tightly and added, "He's right. From now on, it's us against the world!"

What a bunch of liars.

My nose stung, and I started walking faster. By the time I pushed through the restaurant's front doors, my tears were already blurring my vision. Later, I found a quiet spot and crouched down, sobbing out loud.

I told myself that it was okay, and I just needed to cry it all out. Once everything was out of my system, no one could hurt me anymore.

My legs finally gave out, so I hailed a cab home. However, when I tried to unlock the front door, I realized the passcode had been changed.

I keyed in Nicholas' birthday—nothing. So, I tried Madison's, but it was still wrong.

Frustrated and exhausted, I fought off my drowsiness and called Nicholas, who took a long time to answer.

"What's the passcode for the front door?"

Nicholas replied flatly, "You can't go in right now. Brandon and I prepared a surprise for Maddy—we've completely redecorated the entire house inside and out."

I froze, my eyes widening in disbelief. I immediately thought about Mom's journal, worried if they had thrown it out during the cleanup.

Panicked, I quickly said, "I couldn't care less about you redecorating the house, but can you at least let me in to pack my own things?"

Nicholas couldn't help but question me. "Why do you need to pack anything? There's still a place for you in this house. Just wait at the door until we get back; we'll open it then."

I wanted to ask more questions, but he immediately hung up. The exhaustion I'd felt was gone now, and I had no choice but to crouch by the door and wait anxiously.

Mom was a researcher and barely home. We never even took a single photo together. However, before her last assignment, she left behind a journal filled with stories from her youth, her hopes and dreams, and her expectations for me and Brandon.

Unable to resist my curiosity, I read it like a storybook. Then, I'd carefully put it back in its place, waiting for Mom to come home and add more entries.

Unfortunately, she never did.

Mom was kidnapped, and Dad, being a police officer, went to rescue her. Yet, by the time they realized the criminals had deliberately lured people there, it was too late, and they both perished in the explosion.

The police were worried that the criminals might target Brandon and me, so they made us move overnight—the only thing I could take with me was that journal. It was the only proof I had left of the life I'd shared with my parents.

At 3:30 am, I finally saw Brandon's car appear, and I immediately stood up. After Nicholas got out of the car, he carefully carried the sleeping Madison from the passenger seat.

I staggered to my feet, leaning against the door as I watched Brandon's every move intently. The moment he opened the door, I tried to rush inside, but he blocked me.

He said, "Let Maddy go in first."

Nicholas slowly crouched down, gently shaking her awake. "Maddy, we're home. Time to wake up."

I had never seen Nicholas acting this way before.

After a long while, Madison finally opened her eyes slowly. She murmured, "We're home?"

Brandon immediately stepped forward to help her up. The lights inside the house finally turned on, and I saw that all the interior decorating had been changed to the princess style that Madison loved.

I froze at the sight but quickly recovered. I couldn't hold back any longer and rushed upstairs. To my surprise, the master bedroom had been locked.

I yelled from the top of the stairs, "Where's the key to the master bedroom?"

Downstairs, they were still giving Madison the grand tour. Nicholas glanced up at me, then turned away without saying a word.

I stormed down and blocked their path. I said coldly, "Give me the key."

Nicholas clicked his tongue, annoyed. "Can't you see we're in the middle of something? Why are you so hung up on that room?"

Brandon joined in immediately. "That room's Maddy's now. I already moved your stuff into the guest room."

Their words hit me all at once, and the blood rushed to my head. Everything else faded into noise, and I stared hard at Brandon, warning him, "If Mom's journal is missing, I swear I won't forgive you."

I didn't wait for an answer and sprinted toward the guest room. Calling it a "guest room" was generous because it was more like a cluttered storage closet with no windows.

My clothes were shoved into corners, and my personal items were scattered on the floor like piled-up trash. I dropped to my knees and dug through the mess, frantically searching for Mom's journal.

But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find it.

All three of them came rushing up, and Madison approached me with fake concern. "Adeline, let me help you pack."

I flung my arm without thinking, and she stumbled backward, crashing to the ground with a shriek.

Nicholas rushed to her and pulled her up, his voice thunderous as he accused, "She was just trying to help! Did you really have to push her like that?"

Brandon grabbed my wrist, trying to yank me away. "Apologize. Or you're not coming back in here again."

The old me would've done it—lowered my head, begged them not to throw me out. But right now, the only thing on my mind was the diary, so for once, I shook off Brandon's hand.

"Fine. Give me the journal, and I'll leave without a second thought."

Brandon scowled, growing impatient. "It's just a book. Why are you making a big deal—"

I cut him off, voice sharp and furious. "It's the only thing Mom left behind! Are you telling me you've never seen it? It was right on my nightstand—"

Brandon's expression faltered, and even Madison, who had been crying in Nicholas' arms, stopped her tears.

After a long silence, it was Nicholas who finally spoke. "I remember. When I was clearing out your stuff that day, I threw a bunch of it into a fire."

At those words, I stopped what I was doing and slowly turned to look at him. "You had no right to touch my things."

And then, without hesitation, I slapped him across the face. My eyes burned hot with tears as I growled, "You're a shameless bastard."

Nicholas stumbled from the force of the blow, staring at me in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind?"

I slowly stood up, my voice deadly calm as I uttered, "We're done."