A few days later, they arrived at the new house.

Mom and Dad decorated Chloe’s room like a princess suite, while next to it, there was a small, windowless room with nothing but a small cot inside.

My mom glanced at it, and her face darkened. “That heartless girl, Anna,” she muttered. “After I went to all the trouble of getting a room ready for her, she still hasn't come back after all this time. Still holding a grudge.”

My dad took her hand. “I told you she was cold-hearted. It’s been this long and she hasn’t even tried to find her own parents. From now on, I’m putting all my hopes in Chloe.”

The words “cold-hearted” made my blood boil.

I’d been hearing them my entire life.

It was because Chloe and I were twins. In the womb, I had apparently absorbed too many nutrients, leaving Chloe with not enough, so they had to do an early C-section.

That’s why Chloe was frail and sickly growing up.

So whenever Chloe got sick, Mom and Dad would call me cold-hearted, for stealing nutrients from my own sister.

Every birthday, Chloe always got to pick her present first. There was only one exception.

That one time, Mom and Dad had gotten us a dress and a music box.

Chloe already had a closet full of pretty dresses.

I had none.

I only ever got her hand-me-downs, so for once, I grabbed the dress first.

Instantly, Chloe burst into tears with a loud “Waaah!”

My mom rushed to hug my sister, her face full of pity, but then she turned and slapped me across the face.

“Anna! You are the older sister! You owe this to her! Why can’t you ever just let her have something?”

“I wanted the dress. Chloe has so many…”

Before I could finish, Chloe sobbed, “Mommy… it’s my fault… but I just wanted the dress so much. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have tried to take it from my sister.”

My dad turned to comfort Chloe, and after a moment, he looked back at me, shaking his head in disappointment.

“You just have no heart. Your mother and I have told you a thousand times, you have to be gentle with your sister, you have to let her have her way. Why can’t you understand? You are such a disappointment.”

Then my dad dragged me out onto the balcony and locked the door, ignoring me no matter how hard I banged on the glass.

They celebrated with Chloe, blowing out her candles and cutting her cake, and then the three of them went out for a big dinner.

I cried myself to sleep on the balcony and woke up in the middle of the night.

It was as if they had completely forgotten they had another daughter out on the balcony.

From then on, the balcony became my place of punishment.

And I learned, with absolute clarity, that my parents did not love me. They loved my sister.

And everything I had belonged to her. I couldn’t fight her for it, and I couldn’t fight back when she bullied me.

And now, I was still lying in the cold, dark earth.