They Chose My Twin, So I Chose a Life Without Them Chapter 02

They Chose My Twin, So I Chose a Life Without Them Chapter 02

My parents decided to take Lily out to dinner.

Before leaving, she turned to me.

“Claire, do you want to come?”

Mason answered before I could.

“She never eats with us. You know that.”

Then he gave me a disgusted look.

“She doesn’t have an ounce of warmth in her. Having such a cold sister is embarrassing.”

Heat rushed into my face until I wanted the floor to open beneath me.

At the same time, hurt pressed hard against my chest.

Lily loved heavily seasoned food, so every family dinner was at her favorite Cajun restaurant.

My stomach couldn’t handle the spice, and I usually ended up chewing plain bread.

Then my parents called me dramatic and accused me of ruining Lily’s appetite.

After enough nights like that, I stopped going.

My silence had never earned their concern. Instead, it became proof that I was heartless.

Lily stuck out her tongue, stopped pretending to persuade me, and followed our parents out.

I went into the kitchen alone and made myself a bowl of mild chicken noodle soup.

I ate quietly at the table, then carried the bowl to the sink and washed it.

I had just put down the dishcloth when my phone rang.

It was my mother.

After dinner, they had taken Lily shopping for clothes.

My mother pointed her camera toward a rack of T-shirts behind her.

“Which color do you like? Pick one.”

I hesitated between blue and white.

My mother waved grandly. “We’ll take both.”

The moment the call ended, I burst into tears.

They were tears of happiness.

Compared with Lily’s expensive designer dresses, two T-shirts were almost nothing.

But at least they proved I still had a place somewhere in my mother’s heart.

For one reckless moment, I wanted to change my college decision and stay close to my parents.

They came home not long afterward.

Sure enough, my parents and Mason walked in with both hands loaded, carrying dozens of shopping bags between them.

Every bag held the latest release from a luxury store, all bought for Lily.

I hurried forward and reached for the one meant for me.

Then I heard Lily bragging.

“That was such a bargain. All those outfits only cost sixty-five hundred dollars.”

“And they threw in two free T-shirts!”

My hand froze halfway out.

So they hadn’t suddenly decided I mattered after all.

Bitterness surged through me.

“Give the shirts to whoever you want. I don’t need them.”

I dropped the bag and hurried back to my room.

The moment I closed the door, I could no longer hold back my tears.

My parents’ and Mason’s complaints drifted through the crack.

“Lily was nice enough to give her two new shirts, and she doesn’t have a shred of gratitude!”

“I don’t know where she got that stubborn personality.”

Mason joined in. “Exactly. She’s nowhere near as likable as Lily.”

“No wonder none of us likes her.”

Then he asked our parents bluntly, “Are you sure you had twins?”

“Life would be so much better if Lily were my only sister.”

Don’t worry. Your wish will come true soon.

I whispered the words silently to myself.

Mason would no longer have an unwanted sister, and my parents would no longer have a disappointing daughter.

I would no longer have to beg for love they had never intended to give me.