Early the next morning, Mom brought a few gifts into my room. It was obvious they were the leftovers Joan didn't want.

Her voice sounded gentle, but it carried a hint of blame.

"Cynthia, you're being too immature. You came home and didn't even tell us ahead of time. And you were so cold to your dad. Yes, we're sorry we didn't look for you, but you can't hold a grudge over that…"

Before she finished speaking, I pulled the curtains open, and bright sunlight poured over me.

I was wearing a thin nightie. Only then did Mom notice that everywhere she looked, my body was covered in scars.

She finally realized what I had been through. Her hands trembled; she reached out to touch my injuries, but I stepped away coldly.

Ned walked in just in time to see it. He opened his mouth.

"Cynthia, you're so badly hurt… Why didn't you say anything?"

I looked at them coldly.

They only had eyes for Joan, and now, they're blaming me for not saying anything?

Joan had suffered a lot in the kidnapper's poor family, so she was malnourished and weak. My parents would rush her to the hospital even if she got a tiny cold.

When I had acute stomach pain so bad that I nearly passed out, they acted like they didn't see it. They only cared about bringing Joan to the hospital because she had a slight fever.

A kind neighbor had called an ambulance for me.

Even when my parents saw me at the hospital, they thought I was faking it on purpose just to compete with Joan for attention.

Maybe my gaze was too cold, because a hint of panic flashed through my mother's and Ned's eyes.

After all, ever since Joan was brought back, I had always lowered myself in front of my parents, trying desperately to please them, afraid they would abandon me.

Ned nervously grabbed my hand. It was then that he noticed the engagement ring on my middle finger was gone.

"Why aren't you wearing your ring?"

"It got washed away in the flood," I answered lightly.

A trace of disappointment crossed his face, but he quickly smiled again.

"It's fine if the ring's gone. I'll take you to buy an even better one."

"No need."

The truth was, I had thrown the ring into a storm drain in the foreign city myself.

Back then, Ned was the only support I had. I treasured every gift he gave me.

When my parents were disappointed in me, I met the gentle, warm Ned in college. He treated me well and believed that I didn't intentionally lose Joan back then.

But at some point, he had also ended up standing on her side.

He said that since Joan had suffered so much all those years, I should give in more and be more understanding toward our parents.

So now, I was done with him.

I didn't care about him anymore.

Soon, it was time for Joan's and my birthday.

To be exact, it was only Joan's birthday.

We were supposed to share the same birthday, but on her seventh birthday, she got lost at an amusement park.

Once she disappeared, she was gone for ten years. Our parents spent ten years searching for her. They finally found 17-year-old Joan after the cops cracked the serial kidnapper case.

The first thing she said after coming home was:

"If Cynthia hadn't dumped me on purpose, I wouldn't have gotten lost and taken away."

That was the first time I ever saw disappointment in my parents' eyes.

Dad didn't listen to a word I said. He slapped me hard across the face.

From that day on, there was no place for me in this family.

After that, my parents only celebrated Joan's birthday.

Mom, Dad, and Ned gathered around Joan in her princess dress in front of the cake, lit the candles, sang Happy Birthday, and waited for her to make a wish.

No one noticed me standing in the corner.

Even the housekeeper told me, "Ms. Cynthia, you really should stop showing your face in front of Mr. and Mrs. Geis. If it weren't for you back then, Ms. Joan wouldn't have been missing for all these years."

I wasn't sure what Joan wished for. But once she opened her eyes, she leaned in under the soft candlelight and kissed Ned on the cheek.

Mom and Dad didn't stop it. Instead, they looked at the two of them with wide smiles.

They had always known that Joan had feelings for Ned.

Back when I first brought Ned home, Joan had fallen for him at first sight. She had cried and caused a scene.

Mom had even tried to persuade me more than once.

"Joan's your sister. She suffered all those years because of you, so you should make it up to her."

Back then, I wouldn't give in. Ned also told my parents to their faces that he would only love me for the rest of his life.

But now, as he looked down at smiling Joan, his eyes were full of quiet affection.

After blowing out the candles, Joan took a small piece of cake and held it out to me.

I reached to take it, but she let go on purpose, and sticky frosting smeared all over me.

Joan's eyes filled with tears.

"Cynthia, do you hate me that much? You even threw my birthday cake on the floor…"

My parents' faces darkened immediately. I knew they were about to start blaming me again and listing all my so-called sins.

Before they could speak, I grabbed Joan's wrist, slipped off the bracelet I was wearing, and put it on her.

I said to her solemnly, "Joan, Ned's mom gave me this bracelet. She said whoever wears it becomes part of the Jenkins family. You like Ned, right? You can have him. This bracelet is my birthday gift to you."

Joan froze for a moment, then joy flashed through her eyes.

When my parents saw that, their eyes lit up. After all, they had urged me more than once to let her have Ned.

Mom beamed and no longer brought up the cake incident.

She hurriedly said, "Oh, darling, I'm so glad you've finally come to your senses. When your birthday comes, your dad and I will throw you a big party!"

I smiled faintly.

"Joan and I have the same birthday."

Awkwardness flashed across my parents' faces.

Ned, who had just realized what was happening, rushed forward in anger and grabbed my hand.

"What are you doing? I'm your fiancé! Are you giving me to another woman?"

I shook his hand off.

"I'm surprised you still remember you're my fiancé. When you were flirting with Joan, did you ever remember that? Since you can't say it, then I'll say it for you."

I glanced at Joan behind him, looking pale and about to fall apart, and added, "Though if you say another word, Joan's going to faint."

Hearing that, they all rushed to support Joan.

I watched the scene with a bitter smile, then walked away without looking back.

The hospital's overseas assignment list came out, and everyone was congratulating me.

Once you were selected for this program, it usually meant a promotion was right around the corner.

I didn't tell them that I no longer needed that chance.

After all, I was about to follow Robin and join Doctors Without Borders.

Joan and I worked at the same hospital. When she saw the list, her eyes turned red.

That night, Mom and Dad cooked dinner themselves and made a huge spread for me.

At the table, Dad said guiltily, "Cynthia, this is all my fault. I saw the news from overseas. You must've been terrified when the flood hit, right?"

Mom's eyes were watery, too. "My heart broke when I saw your injuries!"

They kept talking about how unfit they were as parents.

They said they shouldn't have held onto the past and blamed me all these years, that they were sorry and hoped I would forgive them.

They were crying so hard that I almost believed them.

But then, they suddenly changed the subject.

"We heard your hospital released the list for the overseas assignment."

"Joan almost made it. You know her biggest dream has always been to save lives and become a great doctor. So… Can you give this chance to Joan?"

Seeing my face darken, Mom hurried to explain.

"It's not that we favor Joan. She went through so much back then. It's only right that you make it up to her now. You're so capable, you'll get promoted sooner or later. But Joan's different."

I almost laughed out loud with anger.

To make it up to Joan, I had already given up my parents' love.

I had even given up my fiancé.

And now, for one chance at a promotion, they were dragging up the past again to pressure me.

When Joan saw that I wasn't speaking, she suddenly groveled before me and started crying.

"Cynthia, I'm begging you. I really need this chance! I know you hate me because Mom and Dad favored me all these years, but I'm really begging you!"

I forced a cold smile. "Fine. Kiss my feet right now, and I'll give you the chance. How does that sound?"

Joan stared at me in shock.

Mom's and Dad's faces changed instantly. Dad even raised his hand to hit me.

"Cynthia, you ungrateful child! How could you treat your sister like this!"

I quickly dodged his hand and sneered, "Mom, Dad, did you forget? Back then, when Joan came home, and you believed everything she said and tried to throw me out, you said the exact same thing when I knelt and begged you."

It was December. I was wearing thin clothes and kneeling in the snow, frozen stiff, yet still begging them not to abandon me.

The three of them were inside the heated house, eating a full dinner.

They only let me back in because they were afraid I'd freeze to death and cause a real mess.

And yet, that wasn't even the worst of it over the years.

"Mom, do you remember when Joan fell into the lake, and you all believed I pushed her? I was on my period back then, and you still threw me into the water. Ever since then, I've been in unbearable pain every month, and you just say I'm being dramatic.

"When I lost my college entrance exam ticket, you didn't help me. You blamed me for being careless. If my teacher hadn't vouched for me, I wouldn't have even been allowed into the exam room. Later, I found that ticket in Joan's pencil case, and you still said she did it by accident.

"When my school asked you to attend my graduation speech as an outstanding graduate, you promised you would come. At the last minute, you only cared that Joan had a cold. I became a joke to the entire school.

"I'm your daughter, too. When Joan came back and said all those things, none of you wanted to hear a single word from me. Was it really my fault that she got lost back then?"

Tears splashed onto the back of my hand.

That was when I realized I had already been crying this whole time.