They Wanted Me to Chaperone My Sister Abroad, So I Vanished Chapter 07

They Wanted Me to Chaperone My Sister Abroad, So I Vanished Chapter 07

Dozens of planes leave D.C. every day. No one presses their face to the glass, searching for a girl escaping

her entire life.

Thirty minutes ticked by after Bella said she was heading to the restroom, and still no one noticed she hadn’t

returned.

Every person’s attention remained fixed firmly on Linda, chattering endlessly about all the ways she might struggle overseas, drowning her in worry and care.

“This suitcase is stuffed full of all your favorite snacks, but don’t overindulge. It won’t be like back home-if you get sick, Mom and Dad can’t rush to take care of you.”

“Layer up when the weather turns cold. Medical care overseas is no joke; don’t stress over spending extra

cash if you’re unwell.”

“Keep that credit card safe, call us anytime you need more funds. Don’t hold back on expenses-your happiness and health come first…”

Linda stood surrounded by their undivided attention like a princess at the center of a crowd. Her expression was half amused, half quietly smug, preening under all the fuss.

“Okay, okay, I’m not traveling overseas all by myself anyway. I’ve got Bella with me, she’ll take perfect care of

everything.”

She said it like a fact, as if Bella wasn’t her blood sister but a paid live-in caretaker they’d hired to tag along

abroad.

Owen’s brows furrowed with irritation. “She was halfway decent at looking out for you when we were little,

but the older she gets, the less sense she has. She never acts like a proper elder sister.”

Marcus quickly cut in to smooth over the tension. “C’mon, lay off her. Linda’s going to be all alone overseas, and Bella’s the only person she’ll have nearby. If any emergencies pop up, we’ll have to rely on Bella-she’s

older, so she’s far more reliable.”

Owen still seethed over the amusement park disaster, his mood sour, but he dropped the argument. My

parents also frowned, rehashing all the past incidents where Bella had supposedly let Linda down.

Linda watched their displeasure toward Bella unfold, a quiet, unspoken thrill bubbling up inside her.

This was how things were always meant to be.

Her conception had been an accident, Mom barely recovered from giving birth to Bella before she found out she was pregnant again. That’s why Linda was born with fragile health, weak and sickly year after year.

At first, Linda had written her poor health off as nothing more than unavoidable bad luck. But endless

hospital stays and constant weakness had worn away her patience and kindness. And Bella was effortlessly

perfect at everything-smart, beautiful, gifted.

If Bella didn’t exist, all the praise would be mine. All the love. All of it.

This bitter thought lingered in her head day and night, fueled by her family’s endless favoritism, until it

consumed her entirely. Those dark, selfish cravings became her only source of comfort.

With that thought lingering, Linda tugged Mom’s arm, laying on a thick layer of childish pleading. “Mom, your

buffalo wings are my absolute favorite. What am I gonna do if I can’t get them overseas?”

Mom immediately pulled out her phone, gesturing for Owen to look up a buffalo wing recipe online. “I’ll send

the instructions to Bella, and she’ll learn how to make them for you.”

Owen jumped in to add his two cents. “Yeah, don’t bother with chores over there if you don’t feel like it-no

need to tire yourself out. Leave all the messy work for Bella; it’s her job to handle it.”

Marcus scrolled through his phone, pulling up several more of Linda’s favorite recipes to forward to Bella.

“She learns fast. You won’t starve, don’t worry.”

Every single one of them spoke as if Bella’s only purpose overseas was waiting on Linda hand and foot, her

own university education an afterthought no one cared about.

They brainstormed endlessly, firing off dozens of texts to Bella: hospital visit guides, deep-clean tutorials for new apartments, freshman orientation checklists, even basic household appliance repair instructions.

For Linda, their only reminder was a lazy, dismissive line: “Don’t overwork yourself-Bella’s here to handle

everything.”

The boarding announcement crackled overhead. Only then did Linda glance around, brow furrowing. They’d

been talking so long they hadn’t noticed Bella was gone.

“We’re about to board the plane-where’s Bella?”