Chapter 1

In my family, fairness was practically a law.

It all started with my older siblings, Xander and Kendra Hale. They were twins, and neither of them could bear the thought of the other getting even a little more. The smallest hint of favoritism was enough to start a fight.

Because of that, everything had to be equal.

If Xander got something, Kendra needed one too. If Kendra received anything, Xander expected the same. My parents followed that rule so strictly that almost everything in our house seemed to come in pairs—one for him, one for her.

I learned early that I was never part of that equation.

When I was still a child, I once looked at my mother and asked, "What about me?"

She snapped before I could say anything more. "Your brother and sister already make things difficult enough. Can you please not add to it?"

That was the last time I asked.

Years passed, and I got used to being the one left out.

Then my father bought a six-seater SUV.

There were only five people in our family.

For the first time, I looked at all that empty space and thought, maybe this time, there would finally be room for me.

I should have known better.

On the morning of our family road trip, rain poured from the sky as I stood beside the car with my bag clutched in one hand.

Two empty seats should have been waiting for me.

Instead, Kendra's cat was curled up comfortably in one, while Xander's dog had taken over the other.

I stared at them through the open door.

Xander noticed immediately and pulled his dog closer.

Kendra barely looked at me before rolling her eyes. "We already agreed to keep things fair. You're not taking my cat's seat."

For a moment, I just stood there.

The rain soaked through my clothes until they clung to my skin. Cold water ran down my face and into my collar, yet nobody moved.

Eventually, my father looked over with obvious annoyance. "Why are you still standing there? Don't you have something else to do?"

My hands were already numb from the cold.

I looked at all of them sitting comfortably inside the car, then smiled. "Actually, I do. I'm not going."

I turned around and walked back into the house without another word.

A few minutes later, I opened my laptop and submitted the study-abroad application I had been putting off for months.

For twenty years, I had waited for my family to give me the same fairness they fought so hard to protect.

That morning, I finally understood the truth: they had always made space for me, but there was never truly a place for me.

Once I realized that, I stopped waiting for one.

Chapter 1 Fair for Everyone but Me

I walked home alone through the pouring rain. By the time I reached the house, I was soaked through.

The moment I stepped inside, my phone buzzed.

My mom had tagged me in the family group chat, asking what I planned to do about meals while I was home alone for the next few days.

For one ridiculous second, warmth spread through my chest.

My eyes even started to sting.

I thought maybe she actually remembered me.

Before I could type a reply, another message appeared.

'Don't touch anything in the fridge. Everything in there belongs to your brother and sister. We divided it evenly between them, so if you take anything, you'll ruin the balance.'

The warmth vanished instantly. That same question I had carried with me for as long as I could remember surfaced again.

'What about me?'

I did not type it.

I had already asked that question too many times.

No one had ever cared enough to answer.

Instead, I replied with two simple words, 'Got it.'

Sometimes, it felt like everyone in my family had quietly agreed that nothing in this house was ever supposed to include me.

I put my phone away and went into the kitchen to look for food.

I checked every cabinet I could think of.

The only thing I found was a box of bread shoved into a corner. It had already expired, and a few slices were beginning to grow mold.

There was nothing else.

That night, I went to bed cold, hungry, and completely exhausted.

Somehow, I still managed to fall asleep.

Sometime after midnight, something cold and wet landed across my face.

I jolted awake.

A muddy jacket had been thrown over my head.

The hallway lights were on now.

The house had been silent when I fell asleep, yet voices suddenly filled every room.

The storm had apparently gotten worse. The highway out of town had been closed, forcing my family to abandon their trip and come back.

Kendra stood in my doorway with her arms crossed. She looked at me as if I were already wasting her time. "What are you waiting for? Can't you see I want you to wash that?"

Mud streaked the jacket from top to bottom.

After landing directly on my head, it had left my hair damp and sticky with grime.

I could barely keep my eyes open. "Kendra, I'm exhausted. Can I wash it tomorrow morning?"

Her voice rose immediately. "If you don't want to do it, just say so. You don't need to make excuses."

Before I could respond, Xander appeared beside her.

He dropped a pair of mud-covered shoes onto the floor. "If you're washing hers, wash mine too. And don't take forever."

A moment later, my mom passed by carrying an armful of clothes.

She noticed me sitting there, half-awake and exhausted, and frowned. "There are three children in this family. We believe in treating everyone equally."

Her eyes shifted toward Xander and Kendra. "Your brother and sister have been out dealing with this storm all day while you've been relaxing at home. Is helping them with a few things really too much to ask?"

I looked at the people standing around me.

Every one of them stared back as though I were the difficult one.

For a second, I almost laughed.

So, this was what fairness means in this family.

Whenever there was something good to divide, it belonged to Xander and Kendra. Whenever there was work to do, my parents suddenly remembered they had three children.

Apparently, fairness only included me when it was useful.

There was no point arguing.

I crouched down, gathered the muddy clothes and shoes into my arms, and carried everything to the laundry room.

Nearly four hours passed before I finally finished.

When I straightened up, black spots immediately swam across my vision.

I knew that feeling.

I had not eaten all day, and my blood sugar was dropping.

I pressed one hand against the wall to steady myself and slowly made my way toward the kitchen.

All I wanted was some warm water. Anything that might help the dizziness pass.

That was when I ran into my father.

He had just come through the front door carrying several takeout bags from a barbecue restaurant.

The instant he noticed me, he instinctively moved the bags behind his back.

Then, he gave me an awkward smile. "We only ordered four barbecue combos, so we didn't call you. If we ordered another one or split things differently, Kendra and Xander would probably start arguing again."

He paused as though something had suddenly occurred to him. "Oh. They gave us a bag of boiled peanuts too. Neither of them likes those, so you can have them."

He held the bag toward me.

I stared at it for a moment, then I gave him a faint smile. "Dad, I'm allergic to peanuts."

My dad froze.

For one brief second, something seemed to register on his face. Perhaps it was guilt or embarrassment. Whatever it was, it disappeared almost instantly.

Kendra called for him from the living room, her voice sweet but impatient. His attention shifted to her without hesitation.

Then, he walked straight past me.

My fingers slowly curled into my palms.

For some reason, that hurt more than anything else that had happened that night.

It felt like something sharp had buried itself deep inside my chest and twisted every time I breathed. I was too tired even to cry.

I drank some water and waited until the dizziness finally began to ease. Then I dragged myself back toward the storage room where I slept.

At that point, I wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed.

The moment I opened the door, I stopped.

Xander and Kendra's suitcases filled the room.

They had not even bothered to unpack.

They had simply dumped everything into the room where I slept.

Chapter 2 The Price of Fairness

There was so much luggage crammed into the storage room that almost every inch of the floor had disappeared beneath it.

Kendra had even placed her cat's litter box on my bed because there was nowhere else to put it.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank.

I turned toward the living room.

Laughter and conversation filled the house.

My mom happened to look in my direction, and our eyes met.

She saw everything. The humiliation on my face. The way I stood there with no place to sit, no place to lie down, and barely any room to move.

But after one quick glance, she simply looked away.

It was not the first time something like this had happened.

I used to have a bedroom of my own.

Then one day, Kendra threw a fit because her room was slightly smaller than Xander's. She cried and complained until my parents finally gave in.

In the name of fairness, they took half of my room and turned it into a walk-in closet for her.

When Xander found out, he did not argue. He slammed the door, stormed out of the house, and refused to come home until the next day.

After that, the remaining half of my bedroom became his gaming room.

That was how I ended up sleeping in the storage room.

It was freezing in winter, unbearably hot in summer, and barely large enough to fit a bed.

Outside, the rain came down harder.

Water collected along the windowsill until it finally overflowed and spilled onto the floor.

I stared at it for a long time.

Then, something clicked.

That was exactly what I was in this family: the extra. Whenever someone else needed more space, I was the one pushed aside.

First, they took my bedroom. Now, even the tiny corner I still called mine was being taken over.

I quietly closed the storage room door.

The laughter from the living room faded behind it.

The warmth out there had never really belonged to me anyway.

I did not sleep that night.

There was nowhere left for me to lie down.

Early the next morning, my academic advisor called and asked me to come to campus.

When I arrived at her office, she gave me the news I had been waiting for.

My application for the study-abroad exchange program had been approved.

For the first time in days, something inside me lifted.

Then her expression turned serious. "There's one issue. Since the program is overseas, we need a parental consent form on file."

She slid the paperwork across the desk. "Have you talked to your parents about this yet?"

My fingers tightened around the edge of my shirt. "It's fine. I'll figure it out."

After leaving her office, I had barely made it down the hallway when I saw my mom.

Kendra was clinging to her arm, her eyes red from crying. "Mom, I don't care. Xander won first place in his basketball tournament, and I didn't win anything. Do you know how embarrassing that is? It's not fair."

There had been a time when seeing them like that would have hurt.

I used to wonder what it felt like to have my mother hold my hand that way. I used to imagine what it would be like to have her comfort me before I even had to ask.

Now, I barely looked at them.

I tried to walk past.

"Wren, wait." My mom suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Didn't you win a gold award in that design competition? Why don't you give it to Kendra?

"You know how competitive she gets with Xander. If he has a first-place award and she has nothing, she'll be upset for days."

For a second, I honestly thought I had misheard her. "Mom, I worked for months on that competition. I—"

"I know you worked hard," she cut in. "What are you even going to do with the award? You might as well give it to your sister."

Then, she frowned. "Unless you want the whole house thrown into chaos again."

All the resentment I had buried for years rushed up at once.

'So, that's how this works. The only way this family can stay peaceful is if I'm the one giving something up.'

That same question rose inside me again.

'What about me?'

For once, I wanted to scream it in her face.

Then, my fingers brushed against the parental consent form inside my bag.

The anger inside me suddenly settled.

I looked at my mom again. "Fine. I'll give Kendra the award, but only if you sign something for me."

I pulled out the form.

My mom barely looked at it.

She took the papers from my hand, flipped straight to the signature line, and signed her name.

She never read the heading.

She never noticed the words "Study Abroad Exchange Program" printed clearly across the top.

The moment she finished, she handed the form back to me and turned toward Kendra.

Kendra stopped crying almost immediately.

As they walked away, she deliberately bumped her shoulder against mine.

Then, she glanced back with a small pout. "You could've just agreed in the first place. You made me cry for nothing."

There was not even a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

Why would there be?

She had spent her entire life believing that half of everything in this family belonged to her.

Even things that had never been hers at all.

I did not respond.

I only tightened my grip around the signed consent form.

For once, my family had given me something without understanding its true worth.

It was not merely a signature. It was my escape route.

For now, that was enough.

Chapter 3 The Birthday They Took From Me

Kendra loved the award.

The moment the trophy was in her hands, she flooded social media with photos of it.

Naturally, Xander could not stand letting her enjoy the attention by herself for long. He insisted on having his own celebration.

My parents eventually came up with what they considered the fairest solution.

They would throw one party for both of them.

The problem was the date they chose.

It was supposed to be my twentieth birthday.

I had been looking forward to that day for more than six months. I had even checked everyone's schedules in advance because I wanted the whole family to be there.

All the plans I had made suddenly felt stupid.

So did everything I had imagined.

…

At the hotel banquet hall, my parents spoke to me more gently than usual. "We can celebrate your birthday another day. If we don't do this for Xander and Kendra now, they'll only start arguing again."

My mom gave me a look as though she expected me to understand. "You know how competitive they are. Don't take it personally."

I forced a smile.

For a moment, I almost told them the truth.

This was probably the last birthday I would ever spend with this family anyway, but in the end, I said nothing.

…

A few minutes later, the hotel staff rolled out the cake.

Xander and Kendra stood proudly behind it while relatives gathered around, cheering and taking photos.

Then someone suddenly laughed. "Isn't today Wren's birthday too? One cake for three people doesn't sound very fair."

The room fell quiet for a moment.

My dad had already begun cutting the cake straight down the middle. He looked at me and let out an awkward laugh. "Dividing it into three equal pieces would be troublesome. We'll celebrate yours another time."

I had heard those words so many times that they barely sounded like a promise anymore.

By then, I should have understood what they really meant.

My parents had enough love to split evenly between two children.

There had never been a third share for me.

Maybe my mom was worried I would get upset and ruin the celebration, which was why she quickly pulled me aside and gave me things to do.

For the rest of the party, I served drinks, cleared plates, showed relatives to their seats, and ran around whenever anyone needed something.

…

By the end of it, I felt more like hotel staff than someone whose birthday it actually was.

I had just stopped to catch my breath when I heard my mother speaking to one of my aunts nearby.

"You two really shouldn't make it so obvious," my aunt murmured. "I know the twins are outgoing and easy to love, but Wren is a good kid too. She's responsible, she never causes trouble, and she always does what you ask."

There was a brief pause. "You favor Xander and Kendra too much."

I told myself I did not care.

My body still went rigid.

Without meaning to, I slowed down.

I waited for my mom's answer.

It came after a long silence.

"You don't get it. They're all our children, but the twins are different to us. Wren could never compare."

My fingers tightened around the pitcher in my hand.

My mom continued as if she were talking about something completely ordinary. "Besides, she takes everything too seriously. She's always quiet, and she never seems happy. It's hard to feel close to someone like that."

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

My grip loosened. Hot water spilled across the back of my hand, and pain shot through my skin.

Strangely, it barely registered.

The ache spreading through my chest hurt far more.

Then, a pair of wrinkled hands gently reached for mine.

I looked up.

My grandma stood beside me.

She gave me a warm smile, slipped an old ivory-colored bangle from her wrist, and placed it carefully into my palm. "Wren, I remembered that you turn twenty today. Happy birthday, sweetheart."

I stared down at the bracelet.

My grandma smiled again. "I don't have much to give you. I've worn this for years, so I thought maybe you could have it as your birthday present."

The bangle was simple. It was not flawless, and it probably was not worth much money. Still, I knew it was one of my grandma's most treasured possessions.

That was what finally broke me.

Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them.

I wanted to thank her. Yet when I opened my mouth, only a shaky sob came out.

Relatives were still nearby.

Every now and then, I could feel my parents looking in my direction.

Even then, I somehow felt like I did not have the right to cry. So, I wrapped my arms around my grandma and held her tightly.

Then, I slipped away to the restroom before anyone could see me fall apart.

It took a while, but eventually, I managed to calm myself down.

When I went back to the banquet hall, I reached into my bag for the bangle, but my hand found nothing. My heart missed a beat. I searched once more, still finding nothing.

Then, I saw it.

A familiar pale glow encircled Kendra's wrist. She was wearing my grandma's bangle.

Chapter 4 The Last Thing I Ever Asked For

I moved before I had time to think.

Ignoring the startled looks around me, I walked straight toward Kendra and held out my hand. "Give it back."

Guilt flashed across her face, but it vanished just as quickly as she stepped behind my mother.

My dad frowned at me. "What is wrong with you?"

I ignored him.

My eyes stayed fixed on Kendra. My vision had already started to blur, but I refused to look away. "I told you to give it back."

The sharpness in my voice finally made Kendra lose her temper.

She hid her wrist behind her back and glared at me. "Why does Grandma get to give you a bangle and not me? That isn't fair. I just want things to be equal."

A bitter laugh slipped out.

"Equal?" No matter how hard I tried to control myself, my voice still trembled. "Whenever relatives gave us gifts or money while we were growing up, Mom and Dad only ever accepted two shares. One for you and one for Xander."

My chest tightened as I stared at her. "In twenty years, that bangle is the only thing Grandma has ever given me that was truly mine."

I swallowed hard. "Even that is too much for you?"

Kendra opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her face turned red, and tears quickly filled her eyes.

Then, Xander stepped forward.

Before I understood what he was doing, he pulled the bangle from Kendra's wrist and threw it onto the floor.

The crack that followed seemed impossibly loud.

I stared down in horror.

The bangle had shattered into pieces at my feet.

Xander looked at me with open disgust. "There. It's broken now. None of us gets it. Happy?"

I had not even processed what happened when my mom slapped me across the face. "Enough!"

The force sent me stumbling sideways.

For a moment, I struggled to stay on my feet.

I pressed one hand against my burning cheek and stared at her. I could not believe she had actually hit me.

My mom's face was dark with anger and disappointment.

Perhaps she finally realized how terrible it looked to slap me in front of everyone. Because very quickly, she turned her anger on my grandma instead. "Mom, I told you not to interfere with how we raise our children!"

My grandma stood frozen among the relatives. All the color drained from her face.

Her frail body swayed slightly, and for a moment, she looked less like an adult being scolded and more like a child who thought she had done something wrong.

The burning in my cheek and the pain in my chest blurred together.

I could barely think.

It took several seconds before I managed to speak.

"Don't blame Grandma." My voice came out quiet and hoarse. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have fought for it."

I looked at my parents and forced a smile. "I won't fight for anything again."

The tears came anyway.

They slid down my face and over the cheek my mom had just struck.

The skin still stung.

Somehow, I barely felt it anymore.

I asked one of the hotel employees for a broom and dustpan.

Then, I kneeled on the floor and carefully collected every broken piece of the bangle, keeping them one by one in a small cloth pouch.

While I was cleaning up, I heard my dad quietly ask my mom whether they should add another place setting because they were one seat short.

My mom did not even bother lowering her voice.

"If there isn't room, tell her to go home. She ruined the whole celebration. Why should she still get to stay?"

The relatives around us fell silent.

I could feel their eyes on me.

This time, I did not cry.

I simply stood, held the pouch of broken pieces against my chest, and walked out.

When I got home, I packed everything I owned as quickly as possible.

There was not much to pack.

I called my academic advisor and explained that I needed to leave immediately. Then, I borrowed enough money to buy the earliest flight I could find to my exchange university.

By the time she called me back, I was already at the airport with my suitcase beside me.

Concern filled her voice. "Wren, did something happen? Do you want me to call your family?"

"No. There's no need." I gave a bitter smile, looking down at the pouch in my hands. "I don't have a family anymore."

Right then, a boarding announcement came over the speakers.

I stood and picked up my suitcase.

With the pouch of broken bangle pieces held tightly against my chest, I walked toward the gate.

I never looked back.