After that day, no one mentioned painting the walls again.
My room became the sole exception in this buttercream castle.
Aurora lay low for a few days, but she was soon back to her old tricks.
On her birthday, Julian gifted her a screaming-red Porsche, the keys nestled in a velvet box.
Aurora shrieked with delight, hugging Julian’s arm and jumping for joy. “Thank you, brother! I love you so much!”
The whole family watched her with beaming smiles. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
I stood in the corner, an outsider.
Chapter 1
Julian’s gaze flickered over to me, a hint of discomfort in his eyes. He pulled another, smaller box from his pocket and handed it to me. “Lily, this is for you.”
I opened it. It was a bracelet, clearly expensive, but compared to a Porsche, it was a pittance.
A handout for a beggar.
Aurora glanced at it, her words dripping with false generosity. “Wow, brother, you’re playing favorites. Lily’s gift is so beautiful too.”
But the smug satisfaction in her eyes was unmistakable.
I stared at the bracelet and didn’t take it.
A tear escaped, then another. Not a loud sob, but a silent, steady stream.
The laughter in the room died.
All eyes were on me.
I choked back a sob, my voice as light as a feather. “Brother, thank you. But… I can’t accept this.”
Julian was stunned. “Why not?”
I lifted my tear-filled eyes, my gaze a carefully crafted mix of inferiority, envy, and desolate sadness. “A gir like me, who grew up in the dirt… how could I ever be worthy of something so precious?”
“My sister is a star in the sky. She deserves the best of everything. The sports car, the designer labels… i
should all be hers.”
“And me?” I let out a self-deprecating laugh, the tears flowing faster. “I’m just happy to have enough to ea and not cause you any trouble. I appreciate the thought, brother, but I’m truly not worthy of this gift.”
I turned, covering my mouth to stifle my cries, and ran upstairs.
My retreating figure was the loneliest, most tragic sight imaginable.
Behind me, I heard Julian’s panicked voice. “Lily! That’s not it! Let me explain!”
And my parents’ furious scolding. “Julian! What were you thinking? How could you treat them so differently?”
Aurora’s hand, still holding the car keys, was frozen in mid-air.
The smile on her face was uglier than a grimace.
That night, Julian knocked on my door.
His eyes were red, filled with guilt. “Lily, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
I sat by the window, hugging my knees, my eyes swollen like walnuts, and said nothing.
He pushed a black card toward me. “There’s three million on this. It’s from me, to make it up to you. You can
8/7
buy any car you want. Something even better than your sister’s.”
I didn’t look at the card. I just stared out the window. “Brother, I don’t want things. I just… I just feel that in your hearts, I’ll never be as important as she is.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I accept it. After all, she was the one who was with you for eighteen years.”
Julian looked like his heart was about to break. “No! You’re my real sister! From now on, I’ll give you the best of everything!”
He practically forced the card into my hand before fleeing my room.
I looked at the card, wiping away the last of my crocodile tears.
You want to play games with me? Aurora, darling, you’re an amateur.
