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.

I thought I had gone numb a long time ago and wouldn't get hurt by them anymore.

My parents' faces softened a little.

However, I didn't want to hear anything they had to say.

"So Joan wants the overseas assignment? I can give it to her."

Joan looked at me with excitement, and my parents nodded over and over again.

"I don't want anything anymore. I'll give her everything, including you two."

Dad looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"

I took out a bank card and held it out to them.

"There's about 200 thousand dollars in this card. It's everything I've saved over the years. Since college, I haven't taken a single dollar from you. Is this enough to repay you for raising me for 18 years?"

Seeing the confusion on their faces, I made myself even clearer.

"The assignment and this money in exchange for a clean break. What do you say?"

Mom's face turned panicked. "Cynthia, how can you say something like that? You're my daughter. How can you be so heartless…"

I didn't feel like going back and forth with them. "Then I'll take the assignment back."

My parents fell silent right away. They looked at each other, and in the end, one of them spoke hesitantly.

"Then you have to promise you'll give it to Joan."

I almost laughed out loud.

These were the parents who kept saying I was their daughter. My own parents, once again, chose Joan over me.

I told my supervisor that I wanted to give my overseas position to Joan. She trusted me and agreed.

At the same time, I handed in my resignation letter. When she learned I was going to join Doctors Without Borders, she sighed.

"Doctors Without Borders is dangerous work. If you go…"

I shook my head. I had no ties left in this world. I might as well give myself to something that mattered.

For the first time ever, Ned came to the hospital to see me. He dragged me into the stairwell, his eyes full of frustration.

"Do you really not love me anymore?"

I shook him off. I almost found it funny.

"Ned, I think I've made myself very clear. Since you have feelings for Joan, I'm letting you be with her. You're Joan's fiancé now. Don't cling to me like this."

He kept pressing closer. "I don't believe you can just move on from me so soon!"

The stairwell door creaked open. Joan stood there staring at us, then turned and ran.

Ned let go of me and rushed after her.

Not long after, my parents called me, their words coming fast and heavy on my ears.

"Cynthia, didn't you say you'd give everything to Joan? Why are you still breaking her heart? She almost got hit by a car!"

They wouldn't listen to my explanation, so I didn't want to waste time trying to explain.

Back in my senior year of high school, someone accused me of stealing. The teacher called my parents in, and they wouldn't listen to me either. They even tried to disown me on the spot.

That was when I knew explaining was pointless. Once they decided I was wrong, everything I did would always be wrong.

After a while, Mom called again to apologize. Maybe Ned said something to them.

"Cynthia, we know there's nothing between you and Ned anymore. It was wrong of us to blame you."

I only responded with a faint hum.

Then she added, "Joan and Ned are getting married soon. Come back and help Joan plan the wedding."

"No. I won't be involved in your family's business anymore."

I hung up the phone and booked a flight for the next day.