My soul was trapped in the living room, forced to watch this heartwarming family reunion.

Father, who usually slept early, showed no signs of drowsiness as he helped Bella unwrap her celebration gifts. Mother was on her tablet selecting haute couture from Paris Fashion Week, promising to outfit Bella with an entire new wardrobe for her European tour.

"Mom, I have enough clothes already; the walk-in closet is bursting," Bella said in a cloyingly sweet voice.

"Then put them in Elena's room. She only knows how to bury her head in ledgers anyway. She wears those dead, dull business suits; she doesn't need such a large closet."

"Is that okay? Sister will be unhappy..."

Mother frowned: "Bella, you don't need to be so timid. This is what Elena should do for you as a sister. Aside from calculating those petty accounts, what else can she do for the family?"

Luca sat nearby, diligently slicing expensive Iberian ham for Bella.

I couldn't speak a word; I simply watched this tender scene play out.

It turns out, souls can cry, too.

The warmth was theirs; all that was left for me was solitude.

"But Sister still hasn't come back, and she isn't replying to my texts," Bella's voice sounded pitiful and lovely. "Is she still mad at us? With her not here, my heart feels so heavy."

Hearing Bella's words, the three of them finally shifted their attention from her and remembered me.

Father instinctively furrowed his brow: "Ignore her. She just wants us to revolve around her. When will she ever be as sensible as you?"

A flash of impatience crossed Mother's face: "It's just a strategy document. The family isn't lacking that bit of business. Does she not know that Bella taking over the casino is a major event for the family? She insists on throwing a tantrum on a day like this!"

Bella pouted coquettishly at Mother: "Mom, don't say that. Sister will be sad if she hears it. She stayed up many nights writing that strategy book... Oops, did I just accidentally let the truth slip?"

Though her mouth said one thing, the triumph in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

I knew Bella was never innocent.

Growing up, her performance in family training was never as good as mine. Even though Mom, Dad, and Luca all pampered her and put her first, Bella would still occasionally forge evidence of me leaking secrets to outsiders. Every single time, Father would execute family law on me without distinguishing right from wrong.

From a very young age, I told myself that one day, I would find a partner of my own and experience the feeling of being someone's first choice, even if just once.

But I never imagined that two years after getting engaged to Dante, his heart would also begin to lean toward Bella.

I should have felt sad, but perhaps I was numb. My soul was so numb that it couldn't even ripple with pain.

The butler brought out a plate of desserts—all Tiramisu, Bella's favorite. Naturally, they stopped talking about me.

"Bella, you worked hard taking over the casino. Here, eat more of what you like."

Father and Luca kept feeding her. She smiled brilliantly, bragging about how she conquered the casino managers with her charm. In reality, I had already bribed those people beforehand for Father's sake.

Father and Luca listened, praising her endlessly.

And I just floated quietly to the side.

The clock struck one in the morning. I still hadn't appeared.

Mother seemed to feel a sliver of guilt and finally remembered me. She placed a few hard biscuits that Bella disliked onto an empty plate and handed it to Luca.

Her expression was somewhat unnatural: "Luca, save this for Elena. She can eat it when she's done throwing her tantrum and comes back. Don't let her think we only favor Bella. Look, we saved some for her."

I stared at those few biscuits, my heart a void.

Luca thought for a moment, then reached for the plate.

Suddenly, Bella screamed, jerking her hand back from a black velvet gift box.

"Ah! It hurts! There are—razor blades in this box!"