The instant he saw me, his expression changed, and he crossed the space to me in a few quick strides.
"Why do you look so pale? Are you feeling sick?"
Before I could say a word, my mother let out a soft scoff.
"Don't bother with her. Last night Susan was eating shrimp, and she had to put on that sulky face, so Susan kindly offered her one. She's allergic to seafood and she still ate it, then threw a tantrum at us afterward."
"When you get right down to it, she just wanted us to blame Susan."
My father's voice was colder still. "Letting her suffer a little is fine. Maybe next time she won't act out like this."
Julian frowned, turned back to the house next door, and came back quickly with a box of allergy medicine, then poured a cup of warm water and handed it to me.
"Take this first."
I held the cup, and my eyes suddenly stung with heat.
In those first years after I came home, Susan was always hurting herself on purpose, crying that I'd bullied her.
To win our parents' favor, I confessed every time like a good girl.
Only Julian would secretly slip me candy when no one was watching.
Later, after I was sent to the facility, everyone forgot my birthday. Only he still remembered every year, arranging for someone to bring a gift inside.
Even though those gifts always ended up thrown out by the wardens, I still held on to the memory for years.
I bowed my head and swallowed the pill, and that frozen spot in my chest felt as if the warm water had finally scalded it back to life.
But the next second, Julian leaned close to my ear and murmured,
"You really should stop bullying your little sister all the time."
My fingers went rigid.
"Look at you. You're so bent on going after Susan that you've hurt yourself this badly. That's no way to be."
"Try to get along with Susan. Then your aunt and uncle won't stay angry with you, and you can come home."
The blood in my body seemed to freeze in that instant.
I looked up at him, and the words have you never once believed me? jammed in my throat, refusing to come out no matter what.
He didn't seem to notice how stiff I'd gone. He even ruffled my hair the way he used to.
Susan had already come running out of her room, and the moment she saw Julian standing beside me, her eyes went red.
"Julian, do you only care about my sister?"
Julian faltered, then hurried over to soothe her.
Susan grabbed his hand and deliberately ran past me.
"Today is my birthday. As punishment, you're not allowed to leave my side all day!"
Watching their backs, my parents finally let smiles spread across their faces.
"If only Julian could be our son-in-law someday."
My mother nodded too. "He's looked after Susan since they were little. Handing her over to him one day would put our minds at ease."
I stood where I was, watching the four of them and their happy backs, and that last flicker of warmth in my heart went completely cold.
The car soon reached the amusement park.
My parents fussed over Susan the whole way, buying her a princess crown, taking pictures with her, watching her climb aboard the birthday parade float.
A staff member wheeled over a cake cart, the birthday song came over the loudspeakers, and everyone was wishing Susan a happy birthday.
But they'd forgotten.
When they adopted Susan back then, it was precisely because she shared the same birthday as me.
Today was my birthday too.
As evening drew near, Susan suddenly pointed at the drop tower ride in the distance and said she wanted to go on it.
My mother frowned. "That one's too dangerous. Pick another."
My father coaxed her too. "Be good, Susan. Daddy will take you on the carousel."
But Susan pouted, turned, and grabbed my hand.
"But my sister's here. She's so capable, she'll definitely be able to take care of me."
I instinctively tried to pull my hand back, but my father's eyes had already darkened.
"It's your sister's birthday, and she has just this one wish. You can't even grant her that?"
Julian gave me a push too.
