The Last of 99 Goodbyes

My obedience caught everyone off guard. After a brief silence, Dad finally said, "That's more like it. We're family. There's nothing we can't talk about. I only say these things for your own good."

"Yeah, I know." I obediently nodded with a numb smile fixed on my face.

Upon seeing that I wasn't upset, they relaxed and returned to the living room with Yvette.

I paused for a moment, then continued up the stairs toward my room.

But just as I stepped onto the staircase, someone grabbed my wrist.

Joel had come up beside me without my noticing. He leaned in close and whispered, "Are you really not angry?"

His gentle tone made my eyes sting all over again. I felt a rush of grievance rise in my chest, but I could only shake my head. My throat tightened, and I couldn't utter a single word.

Joel, however, looked relieved. "I knew you'd be the sensible one. You never get upset over the little things.

"Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about…" He turned his head away, avoiding my eyes.

"We should postpone the wedding next week. I promised your sister that I'd take her to see the Northern Lights at Aurora Bay once she turns 18.

"Now that her birthday's over, she won't stop begging me to keep my promise. So, I thought—why not take the whole family along for a trip? What do you think?

"The invitations haven't gone out yet. It's just a wedding, so pushing it back a few days won't matter," he said with a faint smile and a hint of affection in his eyes.

My heart went cold. The tears I had just shed out of gratitude suddenly felt ridiculous.

After being abandoned 99 times, why would I still expect any love from them?

When I didn't respond, Joel impatiently scratched his head. "Come on, Soph. Yvette's never been abroad before. It's her first time going somewhere that far. As her family, we should be there for her.

"Besides, you've never seen the Northern Lights either. Think of it as an early honeymoon."

"Sure," I replied.

Joel blinked, taken aback. "What did you say?"

I let out a long breath and calmly said, "I said, I agree to cancel the wedding."

"Cancel? No one's canceling anything. I said postpone. We can't just cancel the wedding," he corrected me with a frown on his face.

I lowered my head. A faint, bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Was there really a difference? As long as Yvette was around, she would never let our wedding happen. She couldn't stand me, and she coveted everything I had. I had known that since we were children.

No matter how hard I fought, I could never win. My family's favoritism was her greatest weapon, and it was the reason she could keep me under her heel all these years.

Now, even my fiancé had joined her side.

My eyes burned, and a familiar itch started to spread across my skin.

The mango juice was finally taking effect.

I nodded lightly and turned to go upstairs.

There was allergy medication in my room, and I needed to take them before the reaction got worse.

"Are you upset because I'm going to Aurora Bay with Joel?" Yvette's voice came from behind me, dripping with false innocence.

I ignored her and kept walking.

Yvette had always been that way. Even if I did nothing, all she had to do was cry or pout in front of our family, and everyone would rush to defend her.

Joshua was the first to lose his temper. "That's enough, Soph! Didn't you hear Vivi talking to you? One moment, you say you're not angry, and at the next, you're giving everyone an attitude. Is this how you treat your family?"

I didn't answer him. Such baseless accusations had filled my entire childhood, and I'd long since learned to face them without showing any emotion.

But just as I set foot on the second-floor landing, a sharp pain shot through my scalp.

Someone had yanked my hair from behind.