The Girl My Family Ignored Became the Warrior They Could Never Reach Chapter 02

The Girl My Family Ignored Became the Warrior They Could Never Reach Chapter 02

After dinner, Mom casually told me to clear the table while she led Celine over to the living room couch.

Celine shot me a smug look, but her voice was hesitant.

“Should we really leave Rhea to clean up by herself?”

Liam laughed.

“It’s not like we don’t have staff to wash the dishes. You’re making it sound like we abuse her.”

Mom immediately chimed in.

“Exactly. She’s only clearing the table. Come look through these dresses with me and help me pick one for her too. All she ever does is train and study. She doesn’t know the first thing about style.”

My hand slipped, and I nearly dropped a plate.

Before most children had developed any real sense of style, I could already choose dresses that suited me and looked beautiful.

Back then, Mom would always say proudly, “My daughter is going to be a designer someday.”

But then Celine came to live with us.

Mom stopped letting me buy dresses. She said Celine had never gotten to wear anything like them and would only be hurt by seeing mine.

From then on, my closet gradually became a sea of black and gray training gear, along with uniforms made for pack combat drills.

Now Mom claimed I knew nothing about any of it.

Although we were under the same roof, the laughter from the living room felt impossibly far away, far beyond my reach.

The feelings I had forced down surged back up. I lowered my head and swallowed hard, grateful no one noticed.

I carried the dishes into the kitchen, and my phone chimed with a new message.

It was from Evan.

Evan: [Everyone wants to go to Valemont Lake. Next time, I’ll take you to the ocean, just the two of us.]

So he had not forgotten.

My grip tightened around my phone until my fingertips went white. I suddenly wanted to ask whether everyone truly wanted to go to Valemont Lake or whether Celine was the only one who did.

But the impulse drained away almost immediately.

Forget it.

There would be no next time anyway, so there was no point asking.

By the time I came out of the kitchen, the living room was empty.

I dried my hands on a paper towel just as Celine emerged from her room, smiling as she rolled a suitcase behind her.

“Rhea, go pack. We’re leaving.”

I looked down at the apron I was still wearing, stunned.

“Already? But I haven’t even—”

Before I could finish, Mom came out with her suitcase and frowned at me.

“Don’t just stand there. Hurry, or we’ll be late.”

Dad patted my shoulder.

“Pack quickly. We’ll wait downstairs.”

I bolted into my room, yanked open my suitcase, and threw in two random items of clothing.

But when I hurried downstairs, they were nowhere to be seen. I called Dad and learned that they had already left.

Before he hung up, I could still hear Mom complaining in the background.

“We kept telling her to hurry, but she just had to drag her feet…”

I stared at my reflection in the glass entry doors, tears burning behind my eyes.

My ponytail hung loose. I wore plain training clothes, carried a nearly empty suitcase, and had shoved my feet into the first pair of boots I found.

Anyone could see that I had rushed out the door.

My phone buzzed with another message from Evan.

Evan: [I called you a ride. Get over here. You still have time.]

Me: [I don’t want to go.]

Evan: [Why?]

My finger hovered over the screen, trembling slightly. There were some things I simply could not bring myself to say.

I wanted to go to the ocean.

I had nothing nice to wear.

None of you had waited for me.

Before I could answer, Evan called. Irritation sharpened his voice.

“We agreed this would be our graduation trip. What do you mean you’re not coming?”

“We’re waiting at the airport. Hurry up.”

Once again, he hung up before I could say anything.

A rideshare pulled up just then, and the driver kindly loaded my suitcase into the car.

I got in and stared silently out the window.

The pressure in my chest was so heavy that I could barely breathe.

When I arrived at the airport, Evan was waiting near the entrance.

He took my suitcase and headed inside, explaining as he walked.

“I booked our ride, and the driver kept rushing us, so we left ahead of you. Don’t blame your parents.”

“We’re supposed to be having fun. Try to enjoy yourself.”

I looked up at his profile.

I had studied the tiny dark mole on his jaw hundreds of times while he tutored me.

He looked exactly the same, yet somehow, he felt like a stranger.

After crossing the jet bridge and stepping onto the plane, I looked up and found Celine staring back at me from the first row of business class.

Mom, Dad, and Liam sat together directly behind her. All four of them were seated together like one complete family.

I froze.

My seat was in economy, on the other side of the curtain.