My father went pale with panic, staring at me as if he couldn't believe his ears.

“How do you know about that?”

I said nothing, only pressing closer, every step burning with rage.

“Ever since I was a child I couldn't understand your favoritism. I'm the one who's actually your blood, yet you always doted on the adopted daughter who shares none of it. Later I found out why.”

“It turned out Julie is the daughter of your first love, so your love for her mother spilled onto her.”

“Even knowing it would hurt your own daughter, you didn't care.”

The secret he'd buried deep was dragged into the open, and for a moment my father was choked into silence.

“Sonia, I hope you can understand the good intentions behind everything I've done.”

“You and Julie are both my good children. You're both my own flesh and blood, and I would never favor one over the other.”

“Get out!”

Because I truly didn't want to listen to any more nonsense. It would only waste my time.

Julie was the only child he cradled in his palm. Where was there ever any place for me?

But my father made no move to leave, wearing the look of a man with something hard to say.

“Out with it!”

He only ever came to me when he wanted something; otherwise he'd never show up at my door. I figured it was about Julie again.

“Sonia, Dad needs a favor.”

“Julie's business failed. She wants to start over, but she has no capital.”

“Dad can see you're doing well for yourself. And besides, she's your sister! Could you put up a million dollars……”

“The door's right there. Don't let me keep you!!”

I'd shown him out. I had no interest in discussing this with him any further.

I didn't expect it, but just then Bartholomew came back in, supporting Julie on his arm.

They must have overheard our conversation.

“Sonia, how could you talk to Dad like that? He's only worried about Julie!”

The words had barely left his mouth when my father crossed over to stand beside them.

The three of them together looked exactly like a family.

From beginning to end, I was the outsider.

“If he's so worried about Julie, he can go borrow the money from a bank.”

“Sonia, that's your sister……”

“Sister? Ha. How ironic.”

“If she really thought of me as her sister, how could she have slept with your fiancé?”

“Even my own father always takes her side.”

“So tell me, how much bigger a person am I supposed to be?”

In an instant, not one of them dared say a word.

This house suffocated me. Just as I was about to leave, my father ground out through clenched teeth,

“Wasn't that whole business last time just a misunderstanding?”

“They're both innocent. Why won't you just let it go? Why do you have to twist the knife in everyone's heart?”

I turned back and looked coldly at the three of them, and the retort caught in my throat lost all its appeal.

One mouth was no match for three.

In the end it was Julie who rushed in to play the peacemaker and smooth things over.

“Sis, I'm sorry!”

“That night I was so drunk I didn't know what I was doing. That's how I committed such an unforgivable sin.”

“I'm apologizing to you. I'm begging you to forgive me, please?”

“This is your home. If anyone should leave, it's us!”

My father and Bartholomew watched Julie's earnest, pleading apology, their hearts aching for her.

Seeing that I still hadn't spoken up to accept Julie's apology, Anita's face darkened at once.

“Julie apologized to you herself. What more do you want?”

“I don't want anything. I just want them to leave and get out of my sight.”

Hearing that, Julie lowered her head, her face crumpling with hurt.

My father stepped in to defend her and shot me a glare.

Just as he was about to speak, Julie went rushing out, the picture of grief.

She ran too fast, and the next thing anyone knew, she'd tumbled down the stairs.

“Julie!”

“Julie!”

Bartholomew and my father both cried out, then turned on me with cold, vicious words.

"Sonia, why did you have to push her? You're crueler than a wolf."

"Whether you forgive him or not doesn't matter anymore. We don't need your forgiveness."

"Get out. I don't want to look at you right now."

My father said nothing, only fixing me with an icy glare.

I'd told myself I would let them go and start over far away. But when the wound was reopened, all that came was pain, and more pain.

My own husband. My own father. Always, always favoring another woman.

Only in that moment did I finally understand: love or family, I no longer wanted any of it.

"Bartholomew, let's break up!"

His hand tightened around Julie's, and for a moment he froze completely.

A flicker of triumph crossed Julie's face, quickly hidden before anyone could catch it.

"Sonia, why are you saying this all of a sudden?"

"Is it just because I won't help you now that you're—"

"No!"

I cut him off.

"Because the child in her belly is yours."

"Rather than the three of us tangled up in this mess, I'd rather step aside and let the two of you have each other."

With that, I turned and walked out without looking back.

His furious shout followed me. I simply pretended not to hear it.

Stepping outside the house, I drew a deep breath.

Only then did I realize how good the air out here was, with no suffocation, no torment.

I checked into a hotel nearby for the night.

When I came out of the shower, I didn't expect to find over thirty missed calls on my phone.

All from Bartholomew. I cleared them out like garbage.

Just as I was about to rest, Julie called.

The second I answered, that arrogant tone of hers came through, no longer hidden.

"Sonia, you must be furious right now, aren't you?"

"Your man still has feelings for me, and your father treats me like some priceless treasure."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Honestly, you're pathetic. I've kept you down since we were kids. All I have to do is put on a wounded little act in front of them, and they choose me without a second thought."

"It's not that I'm vicious. It's that every one of them is more despicable than the last."

"Your father loved my mother, so he drove my father to die with hatred in his heart. That's when I swore to myself I'd destroy your happy little family. But I never imagined Bartholomew and your dad would deliver themselves right to my door. I suppose Bartholomew just can't forget how I slept with him three years ago. He must savor the memory."

The hand gripping my phone bulged with veins, a fire burning in my chest.

I'd known her purpose all along.

The problem was, those two courted their own ruin, refusing no matter what to believe me.

After wrestling with myself for a while, I let out a sigh.

"You've come running to tell me all this for nothing. I don't want that man Bartholomew anymore. And as for family, ties can be cut."

"Ha ha ha, Sonia, you'd never actually cut ties with him. Don't lie to me."

"Let me give you a little push!"

With that, she hung up. I didn't know what she was planning now, but I knew this much: I had seen through this so-called love and family, and they would never hurt me in the slightest again.

I slept through until morning. After washing up, I went to the restaurant for breakfast.

When it came time to pay, my phone wouldn't process the payment.

"Miss, there's no money in your account."

"Do you have a card linked, or anything?"

"Yes, I do!"

I had exactly a million dollars in that account. There was no way it could be gone in two days.

Suddenly, Julie's words came back to me.

I froze for an instant, then quickly called Bartholomew.

"Did you take my card and drain every cent out of it?"

“I did!”

“Julie wants to start a business, and she can't do that without capital.”

“I hope you'll understand me……”

“Then who's going to understand me? You cleaned out every cent I had. Right now I don't even have enough to pay a check.”

“Is there really any need to be this furious?”

“It's only a million dollars I took. If you can't cover a check, go borrow from a friend. But giving Julie the money to launch her business, that's something I couldn't turn my back on.”

Before I could get a word out, he'd already hung up on me.

What chilled me to the bone was this: only my father knew where I kept my card.

Hollowed out, every hope gone, I called Elijah Sanchez and asked him to wire the money over to cover the bill.

Walking out of the restaurant, I passed a baby store.

Through the glass window, I saw Bartholomew with his arm around Julie, the two of them picking out baby things, my father trailing behind and carrying items for them.

In that moment, I decided to let them go.

I took out my phone and called the police. “Hello. I'd like to report a crime.”

“Someone stole my bank card and withdrew a million dollars!”

“The man who stole the card is named Bartholomew Gilbert. The woman who took the million off it is named Julie Finch.”

“And if Bartholomew claims he didn't steal it, that he was just using his wife's money, then you tell him this. We never got a marriage license. There is no such thing as shared marital property between us!”