This novel is so caring

Ajouté : 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Joel had come up beside me without my noticing. He leaned in close and whispered, "Are you really not angry?"

[00:00:04]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.

[00:00:47]After being abandoned 99 times, why would I still expect any love from them?

[00:00:51]When I didn't respond, Joel impatiently scratched his head. "Come on, Soph.

[00:00:54]Yvette's never been abroad before. It's her first time going somewhere that far.

[00:00:58]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.

[00:01:05]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?

[00:01:24]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 fiance 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.

[00:02:19]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. Joshua yanked my hair so hard that I stumbled down the stairs.

[00:02:27]"Vivi's an adult now. You can't just ignore her feelings like you used to." I fell to the floor and pain shot through both my knees. Joel frowned. "Soph, I was the one who decided to delay the wedding. It had nothing to do with Yvette. If you're upset, take it out on me. Just don't make her feel bad." As I lay curled up on the floor, I couldn't tell whether the pain in my chest or in my knees hurt more. "Don't be mad at Sophia," Yvette said, wiping the corners of her eyes. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have turned 18 so soon. If I had waited a little longer, then the trip wouldn't have clashed with her wedding." I caught the tiny smirk tugging at her lips. "You can't