Iris heard laughter from within when she arrived home. She stared at the sky, where the crimson clouds seemed to be mocking her loneliness.

Ever since her parents brought Erica home, she felt like an extra. Did she really have to give everything to Erica just because the latter's dad sacrificed his life to save hers? Iris had given Erica her toys, clothes, and now her parents' love. Even Keith had ditched Iris for her cousin.

Iris felt like a wandering spirit in this world. As she stood by the door, she felt like she was stabbed in the chest when she heard the laughter from within.

Blood seemed to seep out of her body into the floorboards underneath her feet, forming a large shadow that swallowed her whole.

Finally, she pushed open the door, and the laughter promptly ceased. Her presence appeared to have interrupted their family time.

Her mom, Rosanne Wells, pointed at a small stool nearby, where a plate with barely any food on it rested. In comparison, the dishes on their table were overflowing with meat.

From when Iris was a child, her parents had given Erica the best, claiming that the latter needed all the nutrients to grow well. They forced Iris to be "thoughtful" and to give up her place and her food to Erica.

All Iris had was a bed on the balcony, and her food was just some salad.

It had never occurred to Iris' parents that Iris was just six months older than Erica. Iris, too, needed the proper nutrients for growth.

Rosanne got up and placed a piece of grilled fish on Iris' plate. Smiling, she said to Iris, "This is your favorite dish. Hurry up and take a seat."

Iris was expressionless as she said, "Mom, I'm allergic to fish. Erica is the one who loves fish."

This time, Rosanne wasn't as impatient as before. She didn't scold Iris for being troublesome. Instead, she stared into Iris' eyes, displaying a rare friendliness. "Have you talked to the school? Give up your place at Bellevue University to Erica. You have good grades anyway. You can just retake the admission exam next year."

Iris fell silent. It was then that Rosanne's tone shifted. Sounding stern, she snapped, "You can't say no, surely? You owe Erica a life! Giving up your spot at Bellevue University is not that big of a deal. You should be more thoughtful."

Despite being subjected to the same treatment multiple times, Iris still felt hurt by Rosanne's blatant favoritism.

Her dad, Thomas Burnett, slammed his utensils on the table and suddenly slapped Iris with fury as though she were an enemy. "How did I raise an ungrateful daughter like you? If you don't agree, just move out of this house! I don't have a daughter like you."

Iris felt her head buzz. A red mark appeared on her cheek. She faced the angry gazes of her parents. It felt like she had been whipped, and she trembled from head to toe.

Meanwhile, Erica wiped her tears away, looking pitiful. "Don't force Iris against her will! It pains my heart. I guess I'm just not meant to further my studies, and that's not her fault! It's my fate to be unloved."

Thomas and Rosanne immediately went up to comfort Erica, promising that they'd make Iris give up her place at Bellevue University and shower her with gifts.

Erica finally stopped crying and looked at Iris, who had paled. "Iris, I've never thought of taking anything from you. I can leave if it bothers you."

That set Thomas off. He glared at Iris. "Are you happy now? You've made a scene at home. Apologize to Erica now!"

Iris wiped off the blood stain from the corner of her lips. Her eyes scanned the faces around her. Her family was trying to force her into a dead-end.

When Thomas was about to lay a hand on her, Keith finally said, "Iris has agreed to give up her place at Bellevue University. She's talked to the school about it today."

Thomas' and Rosanne's expressions finally relaxed as they harrumphed.

After some thought, Rosanne fixed her gaze on Iris. "I'm glad that you're being sensible. Since Erica is attending university, why don't you take up part-time jobs to help pay her tuition fees? Remember—you owe that to her."

Iris stared blankly at the woman who had birthed her. She wondered how Rosanne could say something so cruel.

But Rosanne seemed oblivious to her daughter's reaction. She ordered, "Work part-time after summer break. It's not like you have anything to do at home."

Thomas nodded in agreement. After that, the family engaged in a discussion about throwing a celebratory party for Erica. After all, getting into Bellevue University made Erica the pride of the family.

No one paid Iris any attention. Her existence was akin to a trash can in the family—only remembered and used when needed. When her family didn't need her, they would cast her away without hesitation.

Before Iris knew it, she was already lying in bed. Her chest was numb from the pain. Staying in this family devoid of warmth was suffocating.

Her blanket, which she had used for over a decade and just enough to cover half of her body, was already moldy and damp.

In contrast, Erica had a bright, spacious bedroom filled with toys and candies.

Iris could only sleep on the narrow balcony, enduring the elements for over ten years. Her heart was cold in the middle of summer.

Staring at the night sky, she thought, "One more month, and I can leave this loveless place."

Since her family did not need her, she decided to disappear for good.

That night, Iris dreamed about her childhood when her parents hugged and doted on her. Their eyes were filled with love.

Keith, who was just two years older than her, pinched her cheeks, calling her adorable.

The dream felt like a warm, cozy bath—one that she didn't want to leave. However, Erica's arrival in her dream turned everything into a nightmare. Her parents' face took on a devilish look as they yelled at her. Meanwhile, Keith slowly pulled away.

In her dreams, she had tearfully begged them not to leave her behind. She ran after them like crazy, but beneath her feet was an abyss. Once she lost her footing, she found herself trapped in a pool of despair and pain.

But her parents and Keith did not even turn around. They surrounded Erica. Together, they walked into the distance, leaving Iris behind in the eternal darkness.

…

Finally, Iris stirred awake from the noise of the fireworks outside. Her eyes fluttered open. Tears had stained her pillowcase.

At first, she thought that she wouldn't feel sad about her family and Keith, but deep down, she still craved love and approval. Fortunately, it was all but a dream.

A jeep drove into the garden. When Iris saw the tall man emerging from the car, she hurried down the stairs.

"Iris, I heard you got accepted to Bellevue University. That's great." The tall man, Marcus Brownstein, was a family friend of the Burnetts. Thomas had saved his life once, which led to the marriage arrangement between Iris and Keith.

Marcus was the only person who treated Iris well. He caressed her head and looked at his son, nodding approvingly. "Good for you. At least you're celebrating Iris' success with the fireworks show."

Keith frowned. "Dad, I didn't release these fireworks for Iris. She said she didn't want to advance her studies and gave her spot to Erica instead. Erica will study hard. She won't let us down."

Marcus' expression shifted a little. He was about to scold Keith, but Iris stopped him.

She forced a smile and said, "Marcus, you just got home. You should take a rest. I'll explain everything to you another day."

She didn't want Marcus to dig deeper, or she might accidentally let slip the fact that she had signed up to study cryptography at National Defense University.

All she wanted was a quiet departure without fuss.

Marcus' expression had changed. He glared at Keith before storming away, leaving Keith and Iris behind.

Keith's face was devoid of expression. "Do not tell my dad about our marriage and the fact that you gave up your spot at Bellevue University to Erica. You'd better come up with a reasonable explanation. Got it?"

Head hung low, Iris grunted without much reaction.

How self-sacrificing was Keith to marry a woman he didn't love so that Erica could attend university?

"Erica is younger than you, and she's sensitive. You'd better not bring up our marriage before her. By the way, why haven't you apologized like I asked yesterday?"

Keith sounded demanding before Iris could even speak.

"Erica is going to Bellevue University soon. Just offer her some cash and meal coupons to show your blessing."

Iris felt a weight on her chest when she saw how thoughtful Keith was toward Erica.

"Do you think I still keep those coupons on me? She has my parents' and your love. She's not going to lack anything at all."

Stunned, Keith finally remembered the situation Iris was in. Complicated feelings flashed across his eyes.

"Don't worry. I will not walk back on my promise of marrying you." He could only comfort Iris with the promise of marriage.

"Keith, are you really going to marry Iris?"

The question made Keith panic. He turned to the entrance and saw Erica standing there with a pale grimace.

"No, that's not—" Before he could explain himself, Erica repeatedly banged her forehead against the wall, pain written across her face. "I don't want you to marry her! I love you too…"

Erica's crushing pain sent him into a panic. He quickly shoved Iris aside and went up to hug Erica.

Thomas and Rosanne showed up when they heard the commotion. Their faces fell when they saw Erica crying.

They hurriedly put Erica into the car and left for the hospital. Before that, Keith glared coldly at Iris. His voice was unfeeling as he said, "See that? You provoked Erica on purpose, didn't you? That's very crafty of you."

The disgust and resentment in Keith's gaze was a stab to Iris' heart.

Erica only had to feign sadness to get whatever she wanted. The Burnetts would then drop everything to pacify her and blame everything on Iris.

Iris couldn't shake off the memory of the anger on Keith's face. She told herself not to be sad over a man, but tears kept falling down her cheeks.

Anyone could tell that Erica was pulling tricks if they looked harder.

At first, Keith was unhappy at the Burnetts for being biased against Iris. At the depth of her despair, he was the one who broke into her house and took her out. He even publicly threatened everyone from ever bullying her.

Keith was really good to her at that time. He showered her with gifts.

But at some point, he changed. His distaste for Erica slowly turned to empathy.

Erica was like a curse to Iris, always managing to take whatever was hers.

Tears fell down Iris' cheeks when she stared at the car that drove away. This would be the last time she cried for Keith and mourned over her heartless family.

She had decided to live for herself and give up her youth to defend the country.

With that in mind, she returned home and started to pack her stuff on the narrow balcony. She had a shabby case in which she kept the gifts from Keith—anything from a wooden doll to something small like a maple leaf.

She treasured all his gifts and couldn't bring herself to throw them out. But now, they were like trash to her.

After she packed all the gifts, she set them on fire in the garden. The items went up in flames, just like her love for Keith.

He happened to return to the garden when the gifts were nearly reduced to ashes. The sight of the wooden doll in flames made his expression fall, and an intense fear gripped him.

Keith's voice trembled as he stared at Iris in disbelief. "Iris, these are my gifts to you. Why did you set them on fire?"

The unexplainable loss of control made him panic.

She watched the burning doll turn into ashes. Then, she slowly turned around and calmly stared into his eyes.

At that moment, Keith had a bad feeling that she might leave him.

Iris took a deep breath. The moment his gifts turned into ashes, she managed to let go of her feelings. She no longer cared about her parents' favoritism or grieved over Keith's changed affection.

Those were none of her business anymore. She needed to walk her own path.

She said to him, "The gifts turned moldy. That's why I burned them all."

At first, she almost wanted to lay everything out with him, telling him that she no longer loved him.

Still, she had to bear with it for 20 more days, after which she'd be gone.

Feeling relieved, Keith nodded. "Well, better to burn them all. They're not that valuable anyway. We can always buy new ones after we're married."

Iris flashed a smile. After all, they'd never be married, and there would be no future between them.

Keith gave it some thought and decided that his worries were unfounded, as Iris had no better option than him. He was confident that she would never leave him.

He reverted to his haughty demeanor and frowned unhappily. "Smile, won't you? Erica became depressed after she lost both of her parents. She can't be triggered. You have everything, so do not try to fight with her."

Iris smiled mockingly. "Tell me. What do I have?"

She had lost the love of her parents, and Keith didn't care about her. She didn't even own proper clothes.

What else could she cede to Erica when the latter had taken away everything that once belonged to her?

Keith, oblivious to Iris' bitterness, grew impatient. "You have me and your parents! Erica is suffering in the hospital now. You should apologize to her."

Iris thought that she had misheard him. Erica had faked her depression, but her family and Keith feigned ignorance.

Her voice was devoid of emotions as she said, "My parents keep her company, and you take care of her, too. The medical staff attends to her. Do you still think I need to be there?"

Keith became enraged. "How could you be so heartless? Erica developed depression because of you! I don't care. As her older cousin, you need to be the bigger person.

"You haven't acknowledged your mistake until now. It looks like I have spoiled you too much. Iris Burnett, I'm giving you a chance now. If you refuse to go to the hospital, I'll need to think about registering our marriage."

With that, Keith left in anger. He thought that Iris would cave in if he threatened her with their marriage.

But Iris couldn't care less. She watched as Keith left in his car, her expression totally calm.

Iris returned to the house again, ready to pack up her stuff and leave, only to realize that nothing in that spacious house was worth bringing along.

At night, her parents gave her attitude, as though they blamed her for triggering Erica.

Rosanne went up to Iris, her expression stern. "Iris, you need to give up on Keith. Erica loves him, too, and she's threatening to take her life at the hospital over him. You're the older cousin, so you need to be more generous."

Even though Iris knew that Rosanne was hopelessly biased toward Iris, she never thought her mother could be this shameless.

Rosanne's words were like biting cold winds in the middle of the summer.

Iris stared into Rosanne's eyes numbly and croaked, "Mom, I'm your birth daughter. You asked me to give things up to Erica, which I did. I gave up many things to her over the years.

"I gave up the meat in my meals, my new clothes, my bedroom, and basically everything new in our house to Erica. I even gave up on Bellevue University. Now, you're asking me to give her Keith. Are you going to make me take my life if that's what Erica wants?

"Mom, am I your daughter or not?"

Iris could no longer keep her anger under control and confronted Rosanne with a piercing question.

Instead, Rosanne slapped her while looking disappointed. "Erica, your cousin, lost her dad because of you! You have enough blessings in your life!

"Your dad is right. You're indeed an ingrate. This time, you have no choice but to give up on Keith, or I'll disown you!"

She then left after making that cruel remark.

Iris leaned weakly against the doorframe. The setting sun shone from above, seemingly mocking her. Apparently, she was a blessed daughter in her family's eyes.

Not long after, Keith came back. He said frankly, "Iris, Erica's mental state is deteriorating. We need to postpone our marriage registration."

It wasn't a discussion but more like an order.

Sadly, Iris had been let down too many times to feel sad over his words.

She looked pale as she enunciated each word, saying, "Alright. Fine."