We're Even

I turned to Enzo and gave him a faint smile. "Mr. Lior, congratulations to you and Miss Selina Arroway. I only came today to offer my blessings in front of everyone. And also…"

My tone shifted as I glanced down at my parents, whose faces had suddenly turned ashen. "To take back what rightfully belongs to me."

"Mom, Dad," I emphasized the words deliberately, but there was no warmth in my voice. "If I remember correctly, after I went missing three years ago, my 15% shares of Arroway Corp. were transferred to Selina's name, weren't they?"

My mother's face went pale. She couldn't utter a single word.

I smiled faintly. "That's fine. I'll handle it through the proper legal channels. Starting today, I'll have my lawyer reclaim every asset under my name. After all, I'm still alive."

"Raina!" my father finally burst out, his voice full of anguish. "What do you think you're doing? Selina is your sister! What's so wrong about giving her the shares? We thought you were dead! Why must you come back just to make a scene and embarrass the family?"

My mother joined in, crying. "That's right, Raina. We know we weren't there for you growing up, and we feel guilty about that. But Selina has been with us all these years—so sweet, so thoughtful. We've come to see her as our own daughter. How can you be so petty, so ungrateful?"

There it was again. The same words.

Not as considerate as Selina. Not as gentle as Selina.

Because I hadn't grown up under their care, I was born guilty—destined to be sacrificed, destined to be abandoned.

Selina stepped forward at just the right moment, eyes brimming with tears as she clutched my hand. "Raina, I'm sorry… It's all on me. If you want, I'll give everything back—the shares, the inheritance, all of it. I'll even call off the wedding with Enzo. Please, don't be angry…"

Her pitiful act—so precise, so practiced—once again struck straight at Enzo's sense of protectiveness. He immediately pulled her behind him and glared at me. "Raina Arroway, must you be so pushy? Selina is innocent! Whatever pain you've suffered, I can make it up to you—with money, with my time, with whatever it takes. But you can't keep hurting her like this!"

Watching him stand there so self-righteously, I couldn't help thinking of the boy he used to be.

Back in high school, when I had just joined the Arroway family, I was plain, insecure, and the laughingstock of the class. Only Enzo—our class monitor—had stood up for me when others mocked me. Only he had silently walked me home after evening study sessions to make sure I was safe.

But three years apart had turned everything upside down.

I looked around the wedding hall. The champagne roses, the ceiling lights glittering like stars, the white chocolates placed on each table—everything was exactly how Selina had once described her dream wedding to Enzo in that sugary, coy tone.

So, he hadn't forgotten our past. He had simply given all those memories—and all that affection—to someone else.

Whatever warmth had been left in me went cold.

Meeting Enzo's complicated gaze, I raised my wrist and unfastened the delicate bracelet made of tiny seashells. He had crafted it for me himself back when we were deeply in love, and I had treasured it ever since.

The bracelet fell to the floor with a crisp, decisive cling.

"That," I said, pointing at it, "along with the life I once gave you three years ago—you don't owe me anything now."

Drawing my gaze away, I said softly, "Enzo Lior, we're even."

The Family I No Longer Belonged To

In the end, the wedding was called off. To avoid scandal, both the Lior and Arroway families publicly announced that the ceremony would be rescheduled for another day. And to dispel rumors of discord between us sisters, they even decided that I—the elder one—would personally officiate the wedding.

When I returned to the Arroway Residence, my parents were waiting, their anger ready to explode.

"Raina Arroway, you must host that wedding!" my father shouted, slamming the newspaper down onto the table. The front-page headline was dripping with mockery. "People are saying we mistreated our birth daughter—ostracized you for the sake of an adopted one! You have to come forward and clear our name!"

I met his glare with a cold expression. "Why should I lie just to protect your reputation?"

"You—" My father's hands trembled with rage.

Selina's eyes instantly filled with tears. "Raina, are you still mad at me? Mad that I took Enzo from you? I know you still love him—that's why you can't stand to see us happy, isn't it?"

Before I could even respond, she turned toward the balcony, clutching the railing as tears streamed down her face like broken pearls. "You're right, I don't belong here. I stole your life, your happiness. Maybe if I die, everything will go back to the way it should've been. I'm sorry, Raina…"

She made it look as though she was about to climb over the railing.

The next second, Enzo rushed in and yanked her back into his arms, holding her tightly, his voice trembling with panic and fear. "Selina! Don't be stupid! You're not the one who doesn't belong. You've done nothing wrong!"

After soothing her, he looked up at me, his bloodshot eyes blazing with fury. "Raina, when will you finally stop?!" he shouted. "Selina is kind and gentle—she's never fought for anything, never hurt anyone! But you—you're all thorns! You can't seem to rest until you've driven everyone around you to the edge!"

My parents hurried over as well, wrapping their arms around Selina protectively, whispering words of comfort as if she were the only one worth saving.

"Raina," my mother said softly, "why don't you stay somewhere else tonight? You need to calm down. We don't want Selina getting upset again after seeing you."

I looked at the loving, united scene before me—this family that had never once stood on my side—and felt nothing but cold emptiness. Without another word, I turned and walked out of that house for good.

…

At the corner of an empty street, I pulled out my phone. On the screen was a text I'd received a few hours earlier. 'Raina, have you made up your mind? Mr. Ellery and the team are all waiting for your return.'

I took a deep breath and typed back a simple reply. 'I'm in.'

Almost immediately, my phone rang.

A familiar, excited voice came through. "That's wonderful, Raina! You finally agreed! Mr. Ellery will be thrilled to hear this! But… you know the experiment requires total isolation, right? There's no set duration. Will your parents and… fiance be all right with that?"

The Goodbye That Set Me Free

They were the people I had met during the three years I'd been missing—scientists stationed at a secret research base overseas. They were the ones who had pulled me from the sea, healed my wounds, and helped me rediscover my true passion—the study of neuroscience, something I had once loved deeply but given up for Enzo and my parents.

In my previous life, I had turned down their repeated invitations, foolishly clinging to the belief that Enzo still loved me. I had stayed behind out of obsession, only to meet a tragic end, my body never even recovered. This time, I wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"I don't have a family," I said evenly over the phone. "I make my own decisions."

There was a brief silence, then a warm laugh on the other end. "How could you say that? We're your family, Raina! You'll always have a home with us."

I stood there in the chill of the night, gripping my phone, and for the first time in years, I smiled—genuinely.

The departure was set for the next day, coincidentally, the same day Enzo and Selina were to hold their second wedding ceremony.

I didn't sleep that night, but I wasn't tired either. At dawn, I finalized all the paperwork for my asset transfers and legal authorizations, then rolled my suitcase straight toward the airport.

There was nothing left in this city to keep me anymore.

Just as I stepped onto the boarding stairs, my phone vibrated with a new message from Enzo. 'Raina, the ceremony's about to start. Where are you? Get here now! Don't forget you promised to officiate, and don't let those rumors affect Selina!'

Same commanding tone. Same misplaced concern. Always for someone else.

I looked at the text and let out a soft, bitter laugh. Without replying, I popped out the SIM card and flicked it into the wind.

Goodbye, Enzo Lior.

Goodbye, the foolish, pitiful half of my life.

I turned off my phone, lifted my head high, and boarded the plane without looking back. From then on, the mountains and seas between us would be my final curtain—one we would never cross again.

…

Meanwhile, at the wedding venue, Enzo stood beside the stage, face beyond grim, dialing the same unreachable number again and again.

Selina, dressed in her wedding gown, twisted her fingers nervously, her eyes brimming with tears. "Enzo… do you think Raina's still mad at us? Is that why she's not coming? Maybe we should just start the ceremony without her."

"She'll come," Enzo said in a low voice, though his expression grew colder by the second. "She always does."

He was convinced that Raina was simply throwing another tantrum—trying to get his attention, just like before. In his mind, she would always come back if he pressed hard enough.

Just then, his assistant burst into the room, pale and panicked. "Mr. Lior, we have a problem! Miss Arroway's gone missing!"

Enzo's eyes widened with incredulity. "What did you say?"

"And that's not all," the assistant stammered. "The company's legal department just received notice—Miss Arroway has transferred all her shares overseas through a private channel!"