Chapter 2

I made my way inside the restaurant and quickly located the private dining room where Julian was.

The door wasn't shut completely, leaving a narrow crack through which familiar laughter and chatter drifted out.

Peering inside, I saw the round table surrounded by people—all faces I knew all too well.

Besides Julian, there were my father, Donald Shaw; my mother, Cynthia Shaw; my younger brother, Lucas Shaw, along with his wife, my close friend Clara Reed; and finally, my ex-boyfriend, Sebastian Vance, and my adopted sister, Chloe Miller.

What important client?

It turned out Chloe was back.

I clutched my fists in silence.

I had already guessed what I was about to witness.

Yet I stood rooted outside the door, refusing to leave until I saw it with my own eyes, needing to extinguish every last ember of hope.

My mother held Chloe's hand, tears glistening in her eyes. "Chloe's finally home. Mom missed you so much."

My father's eyes were rimmed with red as well. "You suffered so much these past four years for Nicole's sake, child."

Suffered?

She was the one who stole my fiancé and followed him overseas for four years, yet somehow she was the victim.

Beside her, Sebastian peeled a shrimp and placed it into her bowl, then pulled out a napkin to dab at the corner of her mouth.

Seeing her glass empty, he immediately refilled it with juice.

He used to care for me like that, too.

Lucas picked up a piece of chicken and placed it into Chloe's bowl. "Eat up, Chloe. You probably couldn't get authentic hometown food like this abroad, right?"

Chicken was Chloe's absolute favorite.

I had a weak stomach and couldn't tolerate spicy food, but ever since she entered the Shaw family, that dish had never been absent from our dining table.

Julian's gaze remained fixed on her the entire time.

The tenderness in his eyes when he looked at her was even gentler than when he looked at me.

Tears welled in Chloe's eyes. "Nowhere feels as good as home. Everyone is here today... if only Nicole were here too. It's all my fault..."

Clara immediately grabbed her hand. "Don't be sad, Chloe. Nicole brought it on herself by not knowing how to cherish what she had. How could anyone blame you?"

Clara had been my friend for ten years.

During the time Sebastian broke off our engagement, she had held me while crying, cursing Sebastian and Chloe as a scumbag and a tramp.

Yet ever since she married my brother, Lucas, she had changed completely.

Lucas exchanged a glance with Clara and chimed in, "Exactly. My sister is just like that. Aren't we all used to it by now? After all, she's family, so it's not like we can kick her out."

My father let out a cold snort. "Nicole is petty and vindictive, constantly picking fights with her sister. She behaves nothing like a daughter of Donald Shaw!"

My mother patted his arm. "Alright, alright. Chloe finally made it home. Let's just have a happy gathering and leave her out of it."

Standing outside the door, I felt an icy chill wash over me.

It turned out they had never changed.

Before I turned twelve, my parents held me in the palm of their hands, and Lucas trailed behind me all day long. Whenever I had something good, I saved it for him first.

Then Chloe arrived.

When she first walked through our door, she always kept her head down, speaking in a timid, soft voice and looking at everyone with wide, fearful eyes.

My parents pitied her for losing her father, so they softened their tone whenever they addressed her.

Back then, I felt sorry for her too, yielding to her at every turn.

When her eyes reddened as she stared at my dress, murmuring how pretty my clothes were, that very dress ended up in her closet the next day.

When she stood by my bedroom door, whispering that she had never stayed in such a large room, it wasn't long before I was moved to another bedroom.

By the time I realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

If I refused to give in, my parents accused me of being selfish, claiming I was being petty toward a child who had lost her father.

Gradually, the dining table was filled only with dishes Chloe loved, while the ones I enjoyed never appeared again.

Chloe had a sweet tongue and knew how to play cute. In front of my parents, she was perpetually obedient and sensible, looking far more like their daughter than I ever did.

Even Lucas stopped calling me his sister, barking out a careless "hey" whenever he needed something.

In the end, she even stole Sebastian away.

The very day after Sebastian called off our engagement, he went abroad under the pretense of expanding overseas markets.

Chloe left with him.

After they left, home gradually returned to the way it used to be.

My parents began remembering what I liked to eat. Lucas started calling me his sister again, even inviting me out to watch games on weekends.

I thought everything had returned to normal.

Only now did I realize that I had only received their affection because Chloe wasn't around.

The moment she returned, I went back to being the buzzkill who ruined the mood just by being mentioned.

Inside the private room, my father raised his glass toward Julian. "Nicole is willful. We're lucky you're willing to take her in."

My mother sighed in agreement. "Indeed. The girl was so obedient when she was little, but she grew more unlikable as she got older. Regardless, as long as you're willing to marry her, we can rest easy."

Lucas curled his lip. "At least it'll keep her from making trouble for Chloe. As for the rest, she can live however she wants; we can't be bothered anyway."

In their eyes, I was a burden, a piece of baggage finally handed off to someone else.

They had probably forgotten that once upon a time, I was the daughter they took immense pride in.

Lucas then turned to Sebastian. "Sebastian, you'd better treat Chloe well, or I won't let you off easy!"

Sebastian took Chloe's hand, leaning down to kiss the back of it. "Chloe will be my wife soon. I will never let her down in this life, and my eyes will never hold anyone else."

Everyone smiled and raised their glasses, the private room awash in joyous harmony.

Four years ago, I had witnessed this exact scene at the Shaw family dining table.

Today, the picture merely featured Julian Foster.

I unclenched my fists, revealing deep red crescents pressed into my palms.

A family like this... I didn't want them anymore.

Without looking back inside, I turned, walked downstairs, and drove straight to the visa application center.

The visa hall was packed. I took a queue ticket and sat in a quiet corner to wait.

My phone rang; it was Julian.

I answered, and he spoke first. "Babe, where are you?"

Just as I opened my mouth, Chloe's soft, coquettish voice drifted through the receiver.

Julian paused, then quickly said, "Things are still wrapped up with the client here. We'll talk later, gotta go."

The call cut off.

Staring at the darkened screen, I actually let out a sigh of relief.

Good thing he hung up quickly.

A few more words, and the announcements echoing through the visa hall would have reached his ears, giving everything away.

Then the grand gift I had prepared for him wouldn't be delivered properly.

My number was called. I slid my documents through the window and asked the staff member how long the visa processing would take.

The agent replied, "About half a month."