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!"