He Favored Her as "Family", I Left

Chapter 2

By the time Wyatt set the birthday cake on the table, I was helping Sharon put on her birthday hat.

Then, as if they'd rehearsed it beforehand, every guest stood up at once.

As the band began playing Happy Birthday, each person walked over carrying a single white rose tied with a neat white ribbon.

"Happy Birthday!"

Sharon gasped, her eyes sparkling with pure delight.

Just then, Wyatt slipped a tiny bouquet of blue baby's breath into my hand.

Our fingertips brushed. "Your hand's freezing."

Without thinking, he took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

Sharon spotted the scene immediately and started teasing us.

"Look at you, taking such good care of Viola. You even remembered to bring her flowers on my birthday. That's why we're family."

Wyatt quickly pulled his hand back and waved it off. "No, nothing like that. I just split these off from your bouquet. The florist threw them in for free."

I looked down at the flowers in my hand, then at the jacket that still carried his warmth. The smile that had just begun to form quietly disappeared.

Sharon's birthday party had been planned entirely by Wyatt.

The restaurant, the live band, even asking the other guests to surprise her with flowers.

He'd started preparing everything over two weeks ago.

Yet somehow, he hadn't had time to celebrate my birthday yesterday.

"Viola, you have to understand," he told me. "Sharon sees me as family, I really want to make sure she's happy."

Now I finally understood. "Family" was just another word for favoritism.

Yesterday was my 24th birthday too. Wyatt didn't prepare a single thing.

When Sharon casually asked, "Why didn't you buy her flowers?"

Wyatt answered without even thinking, "Buying flowers is kind of cheesy."

Sharon immediately wrapped an arm around his neck in mock protest.

"Cheesy? No way! Flowers make everything feel romantic. Viola and I both love white roses."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wyatt ordering white roses on his phone during dinner yesterday.

I waited all night until after midnight. They never came.

Now I finally knew why. Those white roses had never been meant for me.

I raised my wine glass. "Happy Birthday again. My present for you should arrive tomorrow. My company scheduled a last-minute business trip to Kingsford. I have to fly out tonight. Gotta go."

Sharon threw her arms around me in a bear hug. "Viola, take care of yourself in Kingsford! I'm gonna miss you!"

I hugged her back gently. "I will."

She was warm. Just like she'd always been.

Sharon and I had met at the orphanage.

We'd both lost our parents. But unlike me, Sharon was cheerful, sweet, and impossible not to like. Everyone adored her.

Even the director would secretly bring her little treats now and then.

Every single time, she'd say thanks with a huge smile, wrap the snacks carefully in a napkin, then sneak into my bed after lights out. We'd lie there together, sharing every last bite.

In middle school, the financial aid application I'd filled out slipped onto the floor. One of my classmates picked it up. That's how everyone found out I was an orphan.

The kids from the orphanage who went to school with us all stayed silent. Only Sharon stepped forward. For the first time, there wasn't a trace of a smile on her face.

"What gives you the right to laugh at her? So what if she doesn't have parents? So what if she's an orphan? I am too. But I do have family. Viola is my family. Don't you get it? Family isn't just about blood. You can choose your family. Viola is amazing. She's the best family I could ever ask for."

Standing behind her, I felt my vision blur with tears.

I felt like a patch of moss that had spent its whole life growing in the shadows. Even if the darkness kept it alive, it would still long for sunlight.

Sharon had always been that sunlight in my life. So even if this was the last time we'd ever see each other, I still hoped she'd live a happy life.

After leaving the restaurant, I realized the little handmade sleep doll hanging from my purse was gone.

I retraced my steps until I reached the restaurant again. Then I stopped.

Through the huge floor-to-ceiling window, I saw them. Sharon was laughing. Wyatt was smiling.

Sharon suddenly bent down and picked up my doll from the ground.

"Huh? How come this one is less cute than the one you made for me?"

Wyatt took the doll from her. "I made this one first for practice. When I realized I was clumsy, I gave it to Viola. The one I gave you was made by a professional."

As he spoke, his fingers gently traced the uneven stitches. An unconscious smile crossed his face.

I knew that tiny dark red stain on the fabric. It was his blood. He'd pricked his finger sewing late into the night under his desk lamp.

Back then, I panicked more than he had. I rushed to grab antiseptic and Band-Aids.

He laughed. "If you don't calm down, this cut's gonna heal before you finish."

I'd treasured that clumsy little doll for years. I thought it was the quietest, most sincere confession he'd ever made.

Turns out it had just been a failed practice piece. A reject he didn't mind giving away.

When I got home, I started packing.

Four years of my life.

Every trace of me in that apartment.

All of my belongings fit into a single carry-on suitcase.

The things I'd given Wyatt filled two large duffel bags.

I opened the vanity drawer and took out a delicate little gift box. Inside were hand cream, an eyebrow pencil, a lipstick, a pair of earrings, and a necklace.

Every gift Wyatt had ever given me.

The hand cream, from buy-one-get-one-free.

The eyebrow pencil, cost one dollar during a birthday sale.

The lipstick, a free sample from the one he'd bought for Sharon.

The earrings and necklace... He'd picked them up on impulse while shopping with Sharon.

I let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh. Then tossed the entire box into the trash.

Junk given without sincerity belonged in the garbage anyway.

As I rolled my suitcase toward airport security, my phone rang.