The Last of 99 Goodbyes

When my appendix bursts, my parents, my brother, and even my fiancé are all too busy celebrating my sister's birthday.

I'm outside the operating room, frantically calling every family member I can think of to sign the consent form, but every call is either ignored or hung up on.

After hanging up on me, my fiancé, Joel Graham, texts back.

"Sophie, stop being dramatic. It's Yvette's 18th birthday today. Whatever it is can wait until after the party."

I quietly set my phone down and sign the consent form myself.

It's the ninety-ninth time they've chosen Yvette Norton, my sister, over me. This time, I choose not to care.

I'll stop letting their favoritism hurt me. Instead, I'll do everything they ask of me without complaint.

They'll all think I've finally learned to be obedient, and they'll never realize that I'm preparing to leave them for good.

I stayed in the hospital for three days, and for those three days, my phone stayed silent. I didn't receive a single call from my family.

I didn't call anyone either. I didn't scroll through their Instagram feeds like I used to, trying to keep up with every little update in their lives.

Instead, I just quietly rested in my hospital bed and dragged my weak body around for checkups and payments.

Even on the day I was discharged, I didn't tell a soul. I simply packed my own things, endured the pain in my abdomen, and slowly made my way home.

When I pushed the door open, the laughter inside the house abruptly stopped.

Everyone was gathered in the living room. My fiancé, Joel, was sitting beside Yvette with his arm casually draped around her shoulders.

The moment he saw me, he pulled his hand back and gave me an awkward smile. "Soph, you're back? Where have you been these past few days?"

My brother, Joshua Norton, let out a cold snort. "Where else would she have gone to? She just didn't want to show up to Yvette's birthday party. She always has to ruin things for her since she can't stand seeing Vivi happy."

I didn't say a word. I just headed straight for my room.

Joshua seemed surprised that I didn't argue with him. Normally, whenever he accused me of being selfish, I would break down in tears and desperately defend myself.

But this time, I'd kept quiet.

My mom rushed over to me with a glass of juice. "Sophia, we were so busy with Vivi's birthday the other day that we missed your calls. Don't be mad at us, okay?" She placed a glass of mango juice in my hand.

Although my heart had long since stopped expecting anything, it still ached faintly.

I was allergic to mangoes, but Yvette loved them. There was always mango-flavored food and drinks in the house because of that. But no matter how many times I reminded them, no one ever remembered that I couldn't have mangoes.

I handed the glass back to