When my appendix bursts, my parents, my brother, and even my fiancé are all too busy celebrating my sister's birthday.

I'm outside the operating room, frantically calling every family member I can think of to sign the consent form, but every call is either ignored or hung up on.

After hanging up on me, my fiancé, Joel Graham, texts back.

"Sophie, stop being dramatic. It's Yvette's 18th birthday today. Whatever it is can wait until after the party."

I quietly set my phone down and sign the consent form myself.

It's the ninety-ninth time they've chosen Yvette Norton, my sister, over me. This time, I choose not to care.

I'll stop letting their favoritism hurt me. Instead, I'll do everything they ask of me without complaint.

They'll all think I've finally learned to be obedient, and they'll never realize that I'm preparing to leave them for good.

I stayed in the hospital for three days, and for those three days, my phone stayed silent. I didn't receive a single call from my family.

I didn't call anyone either. I didn't scroll through their Instagram feeds like I used to, trying to keep up with every little update in their lives.

Instead, I just quietly rested in my hospital bed and dragged my weak body around for checkups and payments.

Even on the day I was discharged, I didn't tell a soul. I simply packed my own things, endured the pain in my abdomen, and slowly made my way home.

When I pushed the door open, the laughter inside the house abruptly stopped.

Everyone was gathered in the living room. My fiancé, Joel, was sitting beside Yvette with his arm casually draped around her shoulders.

The moment he saw me, he pulled his hand back and gave me an awkward smile. "Soph, you're back? Where have you been these past few days?"

My brother, Joshua Norton, let out a cold snort. "Where else would she have gone to? She just didn't want to show up to Yvette's birthday party. She always has to ruin things for her since she can't stand seeing Vivi happy."

I didn't say a word. I just headed straight for my room.

Joshua seemed surprised that I didn't argue with him. Normally, whenever he accused me of being selfish, I would break down in tears and desperately defend myself.

But this time, I'd kept quiet.

My mom rushed over to me with a glass of juice. "Sophia, we were so busy with Vivi's birthday the other day that we missed your calls. Don't be mad at us, okay?" She placed a glass of mango juice in my hand.

Although my heart had long since stopped expecting anything, it still ached faintly.

I was allergic to mangoes, but Yvette loved them. There was always mango-flavored food and drinks in the house because of that. But no matter how many times I reminded them, no one ever remembered that I couldn't have mangoes.

I handed the glass back to Mom and quietly stepped back. "I'm not mad. I'll just go to my room."

Just as I turned around, a loud noise came from the living room.

Dad abruptly stood up and slammed his hand on the table. He screamed, "Why have you been walking around with that sour face ever since you came in? Your mother already apologized and even gave you your favorite drink.

"What's with that attitude? It looks like we've spoiled you too much!"

My heart twisted, and even breathing hurt.

Tears blurred my vision, but I still lifted the glass from Mom's hand and drank it all in one go.

I then gently set the empty glass down and wiped away my tears. I calmly looked at Dad. "Yvette's the one who likes mangoes. I'm allergic to them. But it doesn't matter, I already drank it all. Can I go to my room now?"

"Sophia! Why didn't you say something earlier if you were allergic to it? Who told you to drink it? You're so stubborn!" Mom panicked and quickly patted my back.

Dad looked embarrassed, but he still harshly replied, "You could've just explained yourself! You've always had that unlikable attitude. You're nothing like Vivi. She knows how to communicate."

Yvette's voice drifted over from the couch, "Dad, don't say that about Sophia. You'll make her sad." She sounded gentle, but the smugness in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Yvette had always used my dullness to highlight her perfection. No matter what it was, she loved comparing herself to me. She would only be satisfied when she got to trample me.

I should have felt hurt, but my heart only felt numb. Even when faced with such humiliation, I felt no emotions anymore.

"I'm sorry," I said. "It won't happen again."

The moment the words left my mouth, everyone in the room stared at me in shock.

My obedience caught everyone off guard. After a brief silence, Dad finally said, "That's more like it. We're family. There's nothing we can't talk about. I only say these things for your own good."

"Yeah, I know." I obediently nodded with a numb smile fixed on my face.

Upon seeing that I wasn't upset, they relaxed and returned to the living room with Yvette.

I paused for a moment, then continued up the stairs toward my room.

But just as I stepped onto the staircase, someone grabbed my wrist.

Joel had come up beside me without my noticing. He leaned in close and whispered, "Are you really not angry?"

His gentle tone made my eyes sting all over again. I felt a rush of grievance rise in my chest, but I could only shake my head. My throat tightened, and I couldn't utter a single word.

Joel, however, looked relieved. "I knew you'd be the sensible one. You never get upset over the little things.

"Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about…" He turned his head away, avoiding my eyes.

"We should postpone the wedding next week. I promised your sister that I'd take her to see the Northern Lights at Aurora Bay once she turns 18.

"Now that her birthday's over, she won't stop begging me to keep my promise. So, I thought—why not take the whole family along for a trip? What do you think?

"The invitations haven't gone out yet. It's just a wedding, so pushing it back a few days won't matter," he said with a faint smile and a hint of affection in his eyes.

My heart went cold. The tears I had just shed out of gratitude suddenly felt ridiculous.

After being abandoned 99 times, why would I still expect any love from them?

When I didn't respond, Joel impatiently scratched his head. "Come on, Soph. Yvette's never been abroad before. It's her first time going somewhere that far. As her family, we should be there for her.

"Besides, you've never seen the Northern Lights either. Think of it as an early honeymoon."

"Sure," I replied.

Joel blinked, taken aback. "What did you say?"

I let out a long breath and calmly said, "I said, I agree to cancel the wedding."

"Cancel? No one's canceling anything. I said postpone. We can't just cancel the wedding," he corrected me with a frown on his face.

I lowered my head. A faint, bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Was there really a difference? As long as Yvette was around, she would never let our wedding happen. She couldn't stand me, and she coveted everything I had. I had known that since we were children.

No matter how hard I fought, I could never win. My family's favoritism was her greatest weapon, and it was the reason she could keep me under her heel all these years.

Now, even my fiancé had joined her side.

My eyes burned, and a familiar itch started to spread across my skin.

The mango juice was finally taking effect.

I nodded lightly and turned to go upstairs.

There was allergy medication in my room, and I needed to take them before the reaction got worse.

"Are you upset because I'm going to Aurora Bay with Joel?" Yvette's voice came from behind me, dripping with false innocence.

I ignored her and kept walking.

Yvette had always been that way. Even if I did nothing, all she had to do was cry or pout in front of our family, and everyone would rush to defend her.

Joshua was the first to lose his temper. "That's enough, Soph! Didn't you hear Vivi talking to you? One moment, you say you're not angry, and at the next, you're giving everyone an attitude. Is this how you treat your family?"

I didn't answer him. Such baseless accusations had filled my entire childhood, and I'd long since learned to face them without showing any emotion.

But just as I set foot on the second-floor landing, a sharp pain shot through my scalp.

Someone had yanked my hair from behind.

Joshua yanked my hair so hard that I stumbled down the stairs. "Vivi's an adult now! You can't just ignore her feelings like you used to!"

I fell to the floor, and pain shot through both my knees.

Joel frowned. "Soph, I was the one who decided to delay the wedding. It had nothing to do with Yvette. If you're upset, take it out on me. Just don't make her feel bad."

As I lay curled up on the floor, I couldn't tell whether the pain in my chest or in my knees hurt more.

"Don't be mad at Sophia," Yvette said, wiping the corners of her eyes. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have turned 18 so soon. If I had waited a little longer, then the trip wouldn't have clashed with her wedding."

I caught the tiny smirk tugging at her lips.

"You're being ridiculous! You can't decide when you grow up. This happened because she picked the wrong date for her wedding. It's not because of you," Joshua snapped.

He stared at me, irritation written all over his face. "You love sulking, right? Fine. Stay here and sulk."

Joshua grabbed me and shoved me into the storage room next to the stairs.

I started to panic and fumbled for the handle, but I heard the click of a lock from the other side before I could reach for it.

He had locked the door.

"Stay put," Joshua coldly said. "You can come out when you've had the time to think about your actions."

"No! Please let me out! I'm allergic to mangoes! I need my medication!" I screamed.

But Joshua's voice was already fading as he pushed Yvette out the main door.

"I made a reservation at a seafood restaurant. It's almost time for our reservation, so we should leave soon!" he said.

"But Sophia…"

"She'll be fine. A few hours in there will teach her a lesson," Joshua replied.

"Yeah, she has such a bad temper. Locking her in there might be a good idea. I'll bring her some of her favorite shrimp later.

"Come on, Joel," Dad said. "She'll be fine in there for a few hours."

Instantly, terror surged through me. I pounded on the door with all my strength and screamed, "I'm not mad anymore! I'll apologize to Yvette! I'll do anything! Just let me out! I can't breathe! I'll die if I don't take my medication!"

My voice cracked into a shrill plea, but no one answered.

I crumpled to the floor. The itching spread from my back to my face, and soon, my throat began to close as well.

Mom and Dad had seen me drink the mango juice.

They knew I was allergic to it. But they forgot about me.

They remembered Yvette's favorite seafood restaurant but forgot that I had downed a glass of mango juice just five minutes ago.

Desperation pushed me to my feet. I twisted the doorknob with all my might, but the door was locked from the outside and wouldn't budge.

I frantically searched my pockets, but the phone I had been holding onto must've flown somewhere when Joshua had grabbed me.

Soon, the rash spread all over my body. My face had swollen up from the reaction, and I could barely see through my eyes. Not to mention, breathing became difficult too.

If I couldn't escape, I would die in the storage room.

As I searched for something to break the lock, I finally spotted my phone that had been tossed to the corner.

Overjoyed, I picked it up with trembling hands.

However, neither my parents, my brother, nor Joel answered my calls.

Suddenly, a message from Joshua popped up on the screen.

"Don't come to Aurora Bay with us. You'll make Yvette sad if you do."

Tears spilled from the corners of my swollen eyes. I should've known better than to expect anything from them.

In the end, I dialed for emergency services.

Each second dragged on like a lifetime. My airway tightened, and breathing became a chore. I could barely hold on to direct the rescue team to my street.

When the storage room door finally opened, everything went dark.