Chapter 4
A melodious piano piece filled the banquet hall with a cheerful atmosphere.
Vivian walked down the aisle towards Ethan in her tailor–made wedding gown with a large bouquet of white roses in her hands.
After Dad and Mom gave their speeches, it was Joshua’s turn.
He stood on the stage and jokingly waved his fist at Ethan:
“Vinny is my one and only sister, and the treasure of the whole family! If you dare to hurt her in any way, prepare to be kicked right in the butt! Hahaha!”
Ethan gazed at Vivian’s rosy cheeks and said affectionately, “I could never bear to do that.”
Applause erupted from the audience.
The aisle was brimmed with a warm and cozy vibe.
My soul stood on the huge bouquet beside the aisle, looking at them blankly.
I thought I would feel heartbroken.
But maybe, I had already experienced all the pain one could feel in her whole life.
Chapter 4
So, I felt nothing.
I just watched everything numbly. My inside had become so empty, that if a gust of wind had blown by, my heart would rattle with the sound of a rusty bin.
2/5
At one of the tables, some guests whispered in confusion, “Hey, I remember the Jones family had two girls. Why did Joshua say Vivian is his only sister?”
“Oh, you must be talking about their second kid, Willow. Tsk, what a rebel! What’s the use of having a good grade? It’s the personality that matters…”
Thank you, Mom and Dad.
Because of you, I also have a horrible reputation among my
relatives.
Actually, when I was a child, there once was an aunt who was quite nice to me.
During the Christmas holiday, when relatives came to visit, she gave me a little stuffed dolphin beside my Christmas gift.
I was the only kid who got it. Not Joshua. Not Vivian. Me.
Joshua, who was spoiled and used to others fulfilling his desires, ordered me to let him play with it, and I refused. He then took a pair of scissors and cut the dolphin into pieces.
Not long after, my aunt returned to our house to retrieve a forgotten scarf and saw the broken pieces on the floor.
3/5
In order to protect the reputation of her beloved son, my mother told my aunt without further thinking:
“Willow didn’t like this toy and insisted on cutting it up. I couldn’t stop her no matter what. What could I do? She said she didn’t even want to see it.”
My aunt’s expression changed immediately. Every time she came to my house for Christmas break after that, she never prepared my gift again.
My mom probably felt a little guilty after this incident and was kind to me for a while.
But it was a really short while.
In our family, Dad and Mom had a clear division in terms of preference.
The year Vivian was born, my dad’s business boomed with
success.
He believed it was Vivian who brought him good luck, so he
favored her the most.
As for my mom, she loved Joshua the most because he was her only son after two daughters.
And then there was me.
Chapter 4
4/5
I was born chubby and healthy, but my twin brother didn’t even survive his first 24 hours in this world.
They all thought I was cursed.
When I was young, I couldn’t understand it.
Why Joshua and Vivian could make orders for the family meal? If they wanted to eat something, they could simply name it, and the next day it would be on the dining table.
I was allergic to seafood, but on my birthday, just because Vivian said she wanted to eat crab, Dad set the place at a seafood
restaurant.
When I was twelve, an earthquake took place in the neighboring
county.
It happened in the middle of the night, and the whole family was sleeping soundly at home. When the ground started to shake, Dad and Mom quickly responded and carried their favorite child under their arms: Mom with Joshua, and Dad with Vivian. They quickly went downstairs to take shelter.
I was left behind, stumbling and tumbling downstairs in the pitch–dark stairway, watching the ceiling shaking and crying out loud.
No one came to my rescue.
That was how it had been when I was twelve years
old.
Chapter 4
5/5
And that was how it was when the taxi driver grabbed my throat and dragged me to the deserted forest at the foot of the midnight
mountains.
