Chapter 1

On the day of our family trip, I wake up early, only to find the house empty.

As I wonder what is going on, a message from my younger twin brother, Carson Smyth, suddenly pops up in the family group chat. "Oh, no! I forgot to update in this group chat that the departure time has been moved forward!"

The very next second, the message is deleted.

I stare blankly at the empty chat, my eyes stinging. So they have another group chat—one that doesn't include me.

Still reeling, I get a call from Mom. "I'm sorry, Caleb. The departure time was moved up by an hour, and I forgot to tell you. Hurry and take a cab here! You might still be able to catch up—"

My older sister, Carina Smyth, cuts her off and says quietly, "Since Caleb isn't here, let's just forget about him. Carson has always wanted to have the whole family's attention to himself. Let's consider this his wish coming true."

I sniff and force down the ache in my chest. "I'll give it a miss. Have a great trip."

After hanging up, I immediately change my train ticket from Sereia to Marevia. Maya Bingham, my childhood friend, and I have already made plans to visit Marevia's vast grasslands. Now, I finally have the chance to make that trip happen.

For the past 18 years, my family has always favored Carson for being smart and handsome. Maya is the only one who has never looked down on me for being ordinary, quietly staying by my side all these years.

Excited to tell her the good news, I get on my phone, and the first thing I see is a social media post from her. It is a photo of her posing intimately with Carson on the high-speed train to Sereia.

The caption says, "Off to chase the waves with my prince!"

The last shred of hope in me shatters completely. I get on my computer and change my choice on the university application from a local university, which Maya and I had planned to attend together, to a university in the south, more than 600 miles away.

Then, clutching my newly changed train ticket, I take a cab to the station alone. If no one cares about me, then I'll go searching for my own happiness alone.

Chapter 1

Caleb's POV

The day I returned from my trip to Marevia, my family also came back from their trip to Sereia.

No sooner had my mom, Megan Burton, stepped through the door than she glanced at the empty kitchen and started complaining, "You know full well that Carson gets carsick and can't eat anything on the road. Couldn't you have prepared dinner at home in advance? You have no sense of responsibility as an older brother!"

I was left speechless by Mom's lecture. Sure, I was the older brother, but only by an hour. Carson Smyth was my twin brother, but since I was young, I'd been expected to take care of him in every way and to yield to him at every turn. The slightest shortcoming would earn me the label of being "vicious".

Besides, I had only been home for less than ten minutes and hadn't even had time for a sip of water yet.

Cabs at the train station were nearly impossible to get. I had specifically asked in the family group chat for the time my parents would be back, hoping they could pick me up on the way. But my message sat there unanswered.

In the end, I had no choice but to resign myself to lining up. I stood under the scorching sun for a full two hours before finally getting a cab.

Just then, Carson nudged Mom's arm and mouthed something, reminding her to check her phone.

Mom paused, then opened the family group chat and finally saw my message. A flicker of guilt appeared in her eyes, but she still snapped at me, "If something comes up next time, just call us! Who has time to scroll through all that junk in the group chat all day?"

I knew it wasn't because she was too busy to check her messages. It was only because they had long since created a separate group chat just for their beloved Carson, where they pampered him. Of course it didn't include me, the eyesore.

If I had to guess, that group had existed since I was in eighth grade. One time, when I was in eighth grade, I was hit by a car on my way home from school. Strangers who witnessed it used my phone and tagged my parents dozens of times in the family group chat, but no one ever responded.

It wasn't until the traffic police tracked down their contact information through public records that they finally showed up at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Carson had never once said a word in that group, yet my parents always knew exactly where he was and what he was doing.

In the past, I had refused to believe that my parents didn't love me, so I never looked too closely at the signs. Now, I finally understood. I was always the unwanted one, be it in the family or in the group chat.

I kept my head down and murmured, "Got it. There won't be a next time."

I would never trouble them again, and I would no longer hold out hope for any illusions of family affection either.

Chapter 2

Caleb's POV

Mom and my dad, Jude Smyth, eventually decided to take Carson out for dinner.

Just before they left, Carson asked me, "Caleb, do you want to come along?"

Before I could answer, my older sister, Carina Smyth, cut in. "He never eats with us, Carson. You know that."

Then, she even shot me a disdainful glare and spat, "Not a shred of warmth. Having a cold-blooded brother like you is a real disgrace!"

Her words made my face burn red, then pale. I wished the floor would swallow me whole. At the same time, a deep sense of grievance washed over me.

Carson loved spicy food, so every time we went out, they would opt for Taresian cuisine. However, because I had a sensitive stomach and couldn't handle the heat, I could only nibble on plain bread.

But whenever I did that, my parents would call me picky and accuse me of ruining the meal for Carson. After it happened enough times, I simply stopped joining them for meals outside.

As it turned out, my forbearance hadn't earned me any pity. Instead, it only became proof that I was cold-blooded.

Carson stuck out his tongue, stopped trying to persuade me, and followed my parents out the door.

After they left, I went to the kitchen alone and made myself a plate of scrambled eggs. Then, sitting alone at the dining table, I finished my food in silence before taking the plate to the kitchen to wash it.

Just as I set down the dishcloth, the phone rang. It was a video call from Mom. Apparently, after dinner, they'd taken Carson to the mall to buy him some clothes.

Mom pointed to a row of shirts behind her and asked, "Which color do you prefer? Pick one."

I hesitated between a blue shirt and a white shirt, but Mom gestured at both of them and said, "We'll just take both of them!"

As soon as I hung up, tears welled up and spilled over uncontrollably. They were tears of joy.

Compared to Carson's expensive designer shoes and high-end outfits, the shirts cost next to nothing. But at least they were proof that Mom still cared about me.

I even felt a sudden impulse to change my choice on the university application form back to Aurevia University, the local university in Aurevius, so that I could stay close to my parents.

Before long, my family returned. Sure enough, Mom, Dad, and Carina all came back with their hands laden with dozens of shopping bags of all sizes. All of them were the latest styles from various luxury stores, all bought for Carson.

I hurried over and reached out to take the shirts they'd bought for me. But then, I heard Carson's triumphant bragging.

"What a steal! All these outfits for only 4,800 dollars, and they even threw in two free T-shirts!"

My half-extended hand froze midair. So it wasn't that they'd had a change of heart and finally started to care about me.

Bitterness surged up in me all at once.

"Give those T-shirts to whoever you want. I don't want them anymore," I said, dropping the bag and hurrying back to my room.

The moment the door shut behind me, I clenched my jaw and let the tears fall.

Outside, the dissatisfied complaints of my parents and Carina filtered in through the crack of the door.

Mom grumbled, "Honestly, Carson was kind enough to give him two new shirts, and he doesn't even show a shred of gratitude! I wonder where he got that stubbornness from!"

Carina chimed in, "Exactly! He's nowhere near as likable as Carson. No wonder we don't like him!"

She even asked Mom and Dad bluntly, "Are you sure you had twins? If only Carson was my only brother, that would be so much better!"

"Don't worry. Your wish is about to come true," I thought.

Soon, Carina would no longer have this eyesore of a brother, and Mom and Dad would no longer have this unlikable son.

As for me, I would no longer have to waste effort begging for affection I could never receive.

Chapter 3

Caleb's POV

After I washed up and got into bed, I received a message from my childhood friend, Maya Bingham.

She cut straight to the chase and asked, "Have you submitted your university applications? Did you apply for Aurevia University?"

Maya had always dreamed of going to Imperia, and before, she'd sworn she would never settle for anything less than Crownbridge University in Imperia.

But a month before the college entrance exam, she suddenly changed her tune. She insisted she would never leave Aurevius and listed the local Aurevia University as her first choice.

I couldn't help asking her why.

Maya hemmed and hawed before giving me an answer. "Well, it's because Carson's scores on the recent mock exams were too low. Applying to a local university would give him a better chance of admission."

I could hardly believe my own ears. "So you gave up your own dream just to go to the same university as him?"

Maya retorted indifferently, "It's just university. How could it possibly compare to Carson?"

I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to laugh.

When I first learned that Maya's dream university was Crownbridge University, I was so anxious that I couldn't eat or sleep for days. My grades at the time were only good enough for regular universities, so I didn't dare dream of attending a university as prestigious as Crownbridge.

But in order to go to the same university as Maya, I pushed myself to the absolute limit, studying day and night without rest. Then, when the results came out and I saw "704" on the screen, I cried over and over with excitement.

Yet she had given up her dream so easily just to continue looking after Carson, and she had also gone back on the promise she made to me.

I swallowed the bitterness rising within and asked, "Then why did you want me to apply to Aurevia University with you too?"

Before she answered, I imagined countless possible reasons. Perhaps she would say that she'd miss me, or that she was worried about me going off to another city alone.

But Maya suddenly shot me a knowing smile and said, "All heroes need a sidekick. If Carson were a hero, you'd be his best sidekick. Without you by his side to set him off, Carson wouldn't stand out so much!"

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer, and I couldn't help but shudder.

This talk of Carson being the hero and me being his sidekick had been a nightmare that had haunted me since the day I was born. Everyone around me, including my own family, used that narrative to lift Carson up and tear me down.

Maya was the only one who had once told me, "You will always be you. No matter how plain you are, you'll always be special to me."

I had believed her and naively thought that I'd always be the exception to her.

That was until the moment she met Carson. Since then, she had never taken her gentle gaze, which had once only been for me, off of him.

I closed my eyes and forced down the bitterness. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to sleep."

Before she could answer, I hung up.

Just as I was about to turn off the light, I looked up and saw Carson standing at my bedroom door with a glass of milk. "Caleb, may I come in?"

I nodded, and he came in to hand me the glass of milk. "Don't forget that we're going to take a family portrait tomorrow! Remember not to oversleep!"

With that, he playfully winked at me and left.

I had meant to tell him that I wasn't going, but the words caught in my throat.

When we were children, Carson had been sickly. Hence, my parents sent me to live with Grandma in the countryside so that they could focus on taking care of him.

They were often too busy to visit me, but every festive season, they would send me a family photo. In the photos, Carson would be beaming, snuggled up between Mom, Dad, and Carina.

I envied that, and having a family portrait with me in it became something I secretly longed for.

After I returned home, I had countless opportunities to fulfill that wish.

But strangely, every time it came to the day when we were scheduled to take our family photo, I would somehow oversleep, and I would sleep so soundly that no amount of pounding on my door could rouse me. However, I usually stuck to a very regular schedule.

After it happened several times, they lost all patience and stopped waiting for me.

Now, though I'd made up my mind to leave, I didn't want to leave with any regrets.

This time, to make sure that I wasn't going to miss it again, I set three alarms at full volume and turned off the light before 9:00 pm.

I never expected history to repeat itself.

Chapter 4

Caleb's POV

When I woke up the next morning, it was already 10:00 am. I didn't even bother putting on shoes before leaping up and rushing for the door.

But the moment I opened the door, I ran straight into my parents and my siblings who had just returned from the photoshoot.

As I collapsed to the ground in despair, my leg was cut by a shard of broken glass on the floor. Blood gushed out, yet I felt no pain. All I felt was regret and self-blame.

Carina glanced coldly at the blood on the floor and said mockingly, "You've even resorted to self-harm just to get out of taking a photo with us? Caleb, your hypocrisy and callousness have just sunk to a new low!"

With that, she ignored me and went straight back to her room.

My parents also let out a deep sigh and went off to busy themselves with their own affairs.

Carson, however, kept telling me all the interesting things that had happened during the photo session.

He even tried to comfort me, saying, "Caleb, I know you're upset about missing the family photoshoot, but I thought of something that might make you feel better! We can have you edited into the photo! What do you think?"

He sounded like he had my best interests at heart, but his eyes were full of mockery and smugness.

For some reason, I suddenly thought of the glass of milk from the night before. I shot up from the floor and grabbed Carson's arm. "Tell me, did you put something in that milk? Is that why I overslept?"

Carson's face went pale instantly. "Caleb, what are you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying!"

In the midst of the standoff, I glanced up and spotted the security camera in the corner of the living room. My eyes lit up at once.

I pushed past him, rushed into the study, and pulled up the surveillance footage from last night.

What I saw made my heart stop. Carson had crept into the kitchen, dropped a white pill into the milk, and brought it to me.

My anger peaked in that instant. So my repeated oversleeping had never been an accident. Just like the family group chat, it was all Carson's doing, just so he could have all the attention.

Overwhelmed by shock, I swayed and nearly fell, accidentally bumping the mouse with my arm.

The surveillance progress bar was dragged back to two weeks ago. Once again, the footage showed Carson adding something to my milk. The blood in my veins instantly ran cold.

Two weeks ago was the day of the college entrance exam! It was one thing for him to sabotage my chance at the family portrait, but he had actually tried to ruin my future as well?

Fortunately, I had an upset stomach that day, so after drinking the milk, I kept running to the bathroom, thus flushing the sleeping pill out of my system. I had narrowly avoided tragedy.

Furious, I took the evidence to my parents. But unexpectedly, they didn't seem at all outraged. In fact, they didn't even utter a single harsh word. They just said to Carson indifferently, "Don't do anything like this again in the future, okay?"

Then, they turned and scolded me. "No real harm was done! Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it? You've scared Carson half to death!"

They tenderly rubbed Carson's back and comforted him in soft voices. Carina also came over and said, "Exactly. We're family. Must you really be so petty? Even if Carson really did something wrong, don't you share any of the responsibility?"

I looked up at the three people I had once considered the most important in my life. They had thrown all sense of right and wrong out the window just to protect Carson. What blatant favoritism.

I couldn't help but laugh. I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face.

My parents shot me a look of disgust. "It's just a family photo! Why are you making such a big deal out of it? We'll retake it tomorrow if that's what you want!"

I stopped laughing and said calmly, "No need for that."

There was no need to retake the family photo, and I would never return to this home again.

I quietly went back to my room, took out my suitcase, and packed every last meager belonging I had in the house. I blocked every family member's number, left the family group chat, and walked out the door without looking back.

Then, I boarded a southbound train. From here on, we would go our separate ways, and I would never dwell on the past again.