My cousin forgot to log out of her messaging app on my laptop.

I was helping her sign out when a notification from a group chat popped up on the screen.

“We’re having family dinner tonight to celebrate Lucas improving his exam scores.”

Out of curiosity, I clicked into the chat.

There were only four people in the group.

My dad, my mom, my brother, and my cousin.

Then my brother replied, “Just the four of us. Don’t invite Freya. She’s always so petty. She even fights with Emma over an apple.”

I froze.

That was when I realized I was the outsider in my own family.

Just then, Mom called.

“Freya, your dad and I have something to do tonight, so we’ll be home late. Collect the clean clothes I left on the balcony and fold them.

“Oh, right. Lucas and your cousin both have plans today, too.

“So don’t wait for us and make yourself something to eat.”

Before I could even respond, she hung up.

I walked out onto the balcony.

Looking at my brother’s and Emma’s clothes hanging there, I suddenly zoned out.

It turned out that the signs had been there all along. I was only fooling myself.

At some point, I had become the one who didn’t belong in this family.

I picked up the last apple in the house and took a bite.

Back then, my cousin, Emma Hunter, said she wanted an apple, and everyone in the family told me to give it to her.

So I cut the apple in half, one half for each of us.

However, all I got was Mom’s scolding.

“Half an apple isn’t even enough!”

As she spoke, she threw the half in Emma’s hand straight into the trash.

Then she grabbed Emma’s hand and headed for the door.

“Come on, Emma! I’ll take you to buy more!”

Even my younger brother gritted his teeth.

“Why are you so petty? You even have to fight Emma over an apple?”

Meanwhile, Dad acted like it had nothing to do with him.

I used to think they treated Emma that way because she was an outsider staying at our house.

I was wrong, though.

I was the outsider!

I brought the clothes in one by one, folded them neatly, and placed them in their rooms.

The soft beds in both rooms looked especially warm.

Then I glanced at the folding cot on the balcony where I slept, and my chest tightened.

On Emma’s second morning at our house, she came downstairs with dark circles under her eyes.

Mom immediately asked her if she hadn’t slept well.

Emma carefully explained that she used to sleep alone and wasn’t used to sharing a room.

And just like that, I was moved to the balcony.

At the time, my aunt had just passed away. I felt sorry for Emma and knew she was emotionally unstable.

I also didn’t want Mom to be put in a difficult position, so I willingly agreed.

But my understanding only made them go further.

Because I was understanding, I was expected to give everything to her.

Mom would wash Emma’s and Lucas’s clothes, while I had to wash my own.

I was left to handle all the housework. Emma and Lucas only needed to enjoy themselves.

However, before Emma came, the whole family loved me too! So why did everything change the moment she arrived?

Thinking about it made my chest ache.

I sat on the bed and scrolled through my phone aimlessly.

Emma had updated her private social media account.

In the photo, Mom, Dad, Lucas, and Emma were all smiling brightly, and the picture looked warm and happy.

The caption read, [This “Mom” may have come late, but she still came. Thank you to my aunt’s family for giving me a second home.]

The comments below said, [Congratulations. Your aunt’s family will be your salvation for life.]

[Congrats! Wishing you happiness forever.]

I casually liked the post. Then I commented, [Wishing your family happiness forever.]

Very quickly, the post disappeared.

She probably forgot that she had followed her private account on my phone before and never unfollowed it afterward.

Right after that, she called me.

“Freya, don’t take that post seriously. I was just posting for fun.”

…

I laughed.

Her two-faced acting skills had really improved.

In front of my parents, she always acted like a sweet, obedient girl. However, behind their backs, she used the fact that she was older than me to push me around.

I endured it.

Later, she could easily “take” things from me, and somehow the family would still say I was being petty.

I tried to explain, but all I got in return was blame.

When I didn’t reply for a long time, her voice on the other end became tearful.

“Freya, you’re mad at me, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I just… I just want to be loved…”

As she spoke, she completely broke down crying.

Before I could react, my brother Lucas Brown’s angry voice came through the phone.

“Freya, enough! It’s just a social media post! Why are you always so petty?!

“You made Emma cry! Hurry up and apologize to her!”

My heart suddenly sank.

I clearly hadn’t done anything, yet somehow I was the one who had to apologize.

I let out a cold laugh. “Apologize? For what? What did I do wrong?”

Lucas instantly exploded.

“What did you do wrong? Making Emma upset means you’re going against me!

“I don’t care. Apologize right now! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude to you!”

Then Mom’s voice came from the other end of the phone.

“Lucas, don’t talk to Freya like that. She’s your sister!”

Then she turned back to me.

“Freya, Lucas is still young. Don’t stoop to his level.

“And we really did just come out for a simple meal today. Don’t overthink it.”

Listening to Mom’s words, a wave of bitterness rose in my chest.

I said coldly, “You don’t need to explain. You’re the real family anyway.”

That completely set Mom off.

Her voice immediately shot up.

“Freya, how can you say something like that?!

“So what if we went out to eat without you? Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?

“If you want food that badly, I’ll transfer you two hundred dollars so you can eat whatever you want!”

A notification immediately popped up showing a two-hundred-dollar transfer.

“There. I already sent the money. Let’s just drop this.”

Then she hung up.

I let out a mocking laugh.

If this was family and this was love, I didn’t want it anymore!

I called my best friend, Nancy Goldman.

“The project you mentioned before, can I still join?”

Nancy immediately replied, “Of course!

“Freya, you finally agreed to join my team!

“When can you come over? I’ll book your flight.”

Without any hesitation, I answered, “Tomorrow. The sooner, the better.”

After hanging up, I felt strangely calm.

Nancy had invited me to join her team countless times before, but I always refused because it was too far from home.

Back then, my dream was to stay close to my family.

Now, I had let it go.

…

By the time the four of them came home, it was late at night.

They seemed to have been drinking, and the smell of alcohol filled the air.

At that moment, I was packing my things.

The second Mom and Dad saw it, their expressions changed.

Mom rushed over and snatched the clothes out of my hands before throwing them onto the floor.

“Freya, what are you doing? Are you planning to run away from home?

“Didn’t I already send you money? Why are you still making a scene?!”

I silently picked the clothes back up and stared at her.

“Making a scene? Who’s the one making a scene here?

“I saw the family group chat. Have you ever treated me like family?”

Mom’s face instantly turned pale.

“Freya, listen to me…”

I sneered, “There’s no need. I don’t care about this kind of family anymore.”

Dad finally spoke from the side, but every word was filled with blame.

“It’s just a group chat. What does that prove? Freya, you’re just too petty.”

I’m petty?

Fine, then!

No matter what happened, they would always make me the villain anyway.

I stopped responding to them and continued packing my things.

Emma suddenly stepped forward in tears.

“Freya, did you see my messages?

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.

“If I hadn’t come to this house, I wouldn’t have caused you so much trouble.”

As she spoke, she grabbed my arm.

“Freya, don’t be angry at me, okay?

“If anyone should leave, it should be me. You’re part of this family.”

I shook her hand off.

“Stop acting in front of me! I’m not buying any of this!”

I hadn’t used much force, but Emma still stumbled backward toward the edge of the table.

Lucas quickly caught her from the side, pulling Emma behind him before shoving me hard.

Caught off guard, I crashed heavily onto the floor.

My knee slammed against the ground with a dull thud, and the pain instantly brought tears to my eyes.

However, there wasn’t the slightest trace of guilt on his face.

Instead, he looked pleased with himself.

“You deserved that for laying your hands on Emma! Let’s see if you dare do it again!”

A trace of hesitation flashed across Mom’s face.

She was just about to help me up when Emma’s sobbing drew her attention away.

“Auntie, maybe I should leave. As long as I’m here, everyone will just be unhappy.”

Mom immediately stopped caring about anything else and pulled Emma into her arms.

“You silly child, how could I possibly let you leave? I’m all you have now.”

Then she turned to look at me, her eyes filled with disappointment.

“Freya, you really went too far this time! I’m very disappointed in you!”

Disappointed?

I pulled a bitter smile.

She wanted me to give in to Emma in everything, and I did. I was to be understanding and considerate of her, and I was, too.

So what exactly was she disappointed about? That I didn’t keep letting Emma treat me like a dog while staying silent about it?

Or that after realizing they never treated me like family, I stopped pretending not to notice?

But Mom, I’m a person too! I have dignity!

Dad started trying to smooth things over.

“Freya, your mother is genuinely angry this time!”

“Hurry up and apologize to Emma, and we’ll let this matter go.”

An apology again! From beginning to end, I was always the one expected to apologize.

This time, I refused.

I stubbornly lifted my head and looked at them.

“I’m not apologizing.”

Unexpectedly, Lucas kicked me hard.

“Then let’s see whether your mouth is tougher or my fists are!”

The metallic taste of blood instantly filled my mouth, and I spat out a mouthful of blood.

But Lucas still refused to stop and continued shouting at me.

“Freya, don’t try to pull any tricks!

“I’m telling you right now, if you don’t apologize to Emma, I’ll beat you until you do!”

As he spoke, he raised his foot again.

Dad stopped him. “Lucas, stop it. She’s still your sister!”

Lucas immediately snapped back, “She’s not my sister!

“She’s so petty. I don’t want someone like her as my sister!

“I only have one sister, and that’s Emma!”

Then Mom spoke up too.

“Freya, don’t blame us for favoring Emma. Look at what you’ve become. You used to be so understanding.”

As she spoke, she pulled Emma into the room.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Emma looking at me smugly.

It was as if she were saying, “See? You’ll always lose to me. Everything you have, including your family, belongs to me now!”

Meanwhile, Lucas seemed to think he had permission now and started walking menacingly toward me again.

Dad saw that Mom had already spoken, so he stopped interfering and went back to his room.

Lucas cracked his knuckles.

“Freya, I’m warning you. Apologize to Emma.

“Otherwise, my fists don’t know how to hold back.

“Don’t end up getting beaten for nothing and still have to apologize in the end.”

It was the first time I had ever seen this side of him, and suddenly he felt like a stranger.

Normally, he wasn’t exactly nice to me, but with our parents around, he never went too far.

He looked at me now like I was some unforgivable sinner, though, like he wanted to tear me apart.

Things between us had never been this serious.

Emma really was skilled.

First Mom, then Dad, and now Lucas.

One by one, they were all willing to hurt me for her.

I let out a miserable laugh.

“Even if you beat me to death today, I still won’t apologize!”

Lucas punched me over and over again.

I didn’t make a sound.

Compared to the pain in my heart, this was nothing.

In the end, Dad was the one who stopped him.

“That’s enough. It’ll be bad if someone actually dies.”

Lucas seemed to lose interest after that and finally stopped.

The whole house instantly fell silent.

I lay on the cold floor, thinking back on everything that had happened before.

After an unknown amount of time, I heard my parents whispering in their room.

“Did we go too far today?”

“No. Freya was the one who went too far today. She needed to be taught a lesson.

“At worst, we’ll just cook her something nice tomorrow to make up for it.

“You know how she is. Family means the most to her.”

I laughed.

So just because I cared about family, they thought they could trample all over my dignity.

Just then, my phone rang.

Nancy had sent me the flight information. It was a flight early tomorrow morning.

Enduring the pain, I slowly got to my feet, grabbed my ID, and walked straight out the door.

The moment the door closed behind me, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

I didn’t want this family anymore.