I held my phone screen straight up in front of Mom and Dad.
Every part-time paycheck was right there, clear as day.
“This is money I saved up working part-time through college, staying up night after night. Not a single cent of it came from the family. Before you touched it, you never asked my permission, never discussed it with me — you just handed every last coin to Tessa.”
Dad’s face went dark, and he shoved my phone aside.
“We’re family. Why are you acting like that money was yours alone? Tessa’s future is the most important thing right now.”
“Do you know the ring she designed is on the finger of the Alpha King’s son? His Highness said he’d love to meet her one day!”
I stared at Tessa in disbelief. Since when did she have that kind of design talent?
I thought of the sketches I kept hidden in the basement, and shame washed over me — I was so self-conscious that I didn’t even feel worthy of creating beautiful things.
Dad stroked Tessa’s cheek. “We’re just an ordinary family. Sending your sister to etiquette school is a way of showing respect to the royal family, so what if that money went to her first?”
“You got a perfect score on the SAT and got into Stanford. You can earn it all back with any part-time job. Why make such a fuss over a little money?”
I stared hard at Mom, years of hurt rising in my throat. “Mom, you promised me yourself back in my sophomore year of high school — if I saved up the money on my own, you’d do my braces yourself.”
“You’re a dentist. You watched me cry over these teeth.”
“You know I’ve been made fun of and left out my whole life because of them. You know I can barely even bite down when I shift into my wolf.”
“You promised me!”
Mom avoided my red-rimmed eyes, tore open the dress’s packaging, and smoothed the wrinkles in the skirt as she held it up against Tessa.
“I did promise you back then.”
“But I’m just being honest now. Your jaw naturally sticks out, and your face is flat and plain.”
“Even if we spent 28,000 on your teeth, it wouldn’t change everything about your appearance. You’d still look ordinary.”
“Listen to your mother. That money is worth so much more spent on Tessa.”
“She’s beautiful. She can study design and modeling, and if some pack’s Alpha — or even the royal family — takes a liking to her, she’ll bring honor to this family.”
“That’s a far better return than wasting it on you.”
Spent on me… it was a waste?
My wolf was raging, tormented by her own family’s rejection.
Her claws felt like they were digging into my heart.
So this wasn’t a temporary loan. They hadn’t just forgotten their promise.
From the very beginning, they’d decided I didn’t deserve to get better.
Tessa leaned into Mom’s shoulder, her smile growing sharper and crueler.
“Sis, don’t be discouraged. You’ll never measure up to me in this lifetime.”
“Even with braces, things may not change much. So why not just hand the chance over to me?”
“Once I start dating a royal prince, I’ll definitely find a way to help you out. Okay?”
At that, Mom and Dad both praised her for being so sensible.
I looked at the warm, loving “little family” in front of me — there was no place for me in it.
Years of self-deception shattered inside my chest.
Every memory from my childhood flooded back at once.
When we were little, there was always one cake, and it always went to Tessa.
When my tooth ached and I asked for a filling, Mom said kids should just tough it out, then turned around and paid for expensive teeth whitening for Tessa.
At every parent-teacher conference, Mom and Dad only ever went to Tessa’s school. They never came to mine — even though my grades were a thousand times better than hers.
When I ranked first in my grade, they’d shrug and say “not bad.” When Tessa ranked last, they’d comfort her patiently and hire tutors to catch her up.
I’d always lied to myself that they simply favored their youngest, that deep down they still loved me.
But in that moment, I finally understood — slowly, hopelessly.
They weren’t just playing favorites.
They had never loved me. Not once.
Mom and Dad couldn’t be bothered to argue with me anymore. They took Tessa’s hand and walked into the bedroom.
I was alone in the huge living room, the cloying smell of cake hanging in the air.
I sat down on the cold sofa.
My fingers trembled.
I typed out the enrollment plan for my summer tutoring classes.
28,000. I could earn it back.
The road to becoming better was always long and hard.
But no matter how many times I had to walk it, I was going to save myself.