Chapter 2 A Broken Home

Mandy's POV

However, the morning after I left Nathan felt heavy, like the world had shifted overnight. I barely slept as my mind kept replaying every word he had said, every smirk, every betrayal. But the worst part wasn't him-it was the photo. The one with Mia.

I couldn't stop thinking about how easily my adoptive parents had posted it, how proud they looked of her. Like she was the only daughter they'd ever had.

I needed answers. So, I decided to pay my adoptive parent a visit and the moment I arrived at their house, the familiar sight of their pristine lawn and white picket fence didn't bring the usual comfort. It felt fake, like everything else in my life lately.

Getting to the door, before I could give a knock, I saw my mom opening the door as her smile faltered the instant she saw me. "Oh, it's you," she said, her tone more surprise than warmth.

"Can we talk?" I asked, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

"Sure," she replied as she followed me to the living room, where my dad was sitting with a cup of coffee, scrolling through his phone then he looked up, his brows furrowing. "What's wrong?" he asked but I didn't bother sitting down as I asked my question at once.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about Mia and Nathan?"

With that, my mom exchanged a quick glance with my dad before sighing. "It's not a big deal. They're just reconnecting."

"Reconnecting?" I repeated, my voice shaking. "Mom, they're dating. Did you know that?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Mia deserves to be happy. You should be happy for her."

"Happy for her?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "She's with my fiancé. How can you expect me to be okay with this?"

Dad leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "Nathan made his choice. It's not Mia's fault."

"Not her fault?" I laughed bitterly, the sound was harsh even to my own ears. "Do you even hear yourselves? You've always put her first. Always. I've spent my whole life trying to be enough for you, and now you're just... okay with this?"

Mom's eyes quickly became softened, but not in the way I wanted. It was more of pity, not love as she uttered. "We've always done our best for you, sweetie. But you have to understand, Mia's our daughter by blood. That bond is different."

And there it was. The truth I'd always known but never wanted to hear.

With that, I swallowed hard, my throat tight. "You know what? Forget it. I shouldn't have expected anything different." I voiced as with that I walked out before they could say anything else as the sound of the door slamming behind me oddly satisfying.

However, work wasn't much better.

As the office buzzed with the usual Monday morning energy of phones ringing, keyboards clicking and the hum of the coffee machine in the break room. Gosh, I tried to focus on my tasks, but the whispers started almost as soon as I walked in.

"Did you hear about Nathan and Mia?"

"Yeah, they're all over Instagram. They look so good together."

"Poor her. Imagine being dumped for your sister."

My chest tightened as I ducked into my cubicle, pretending not to hear. But their voices followed me, each word cutting deeper than the last.

"She's so plain compared to Mia. I mean, no wonder."

I clenched my fists under the desk, my nails digging into my palms. I wanted to scream, to tell them they didn't know anything about me, about what I'd been through. But what was the point?

They were right, weren't they? Mia was beautiful, confident, perfect. And me? I was just... me.

But notwithstanding, I had to still focus on my task for that day. Not too long, the rest of the day passed in a blur as the weight of their words pressed down on me. And by the time I got home, I was exhausted-emotionally, physically, in every way that mattered.

Then, I dropped my bag on the couch and sank into the cushions with my eyes burning with unshed tears as my phone buzzed on the coffee table, breaking the silence.

Having a look at it, I realized It was a text from Nathan's mom, which stated a reminder for Grandpa's birthday party this Friday.

I stared at the message with my stomach twisting in disbelief.

"Why would she still want me there? Did she not know? Or worse-did she know and just not care?" I wondered, though my first instinct was to decline as I didn't owe them anything, least of all my presence at their family event.

But then I thought about Nathan, about Mia, about all the people who probably thought I was at home crying over them.

"No!" I said to myself. "I wasn't going to give them that satisfaction."

With that, I typed out a quick reply by telling her that I'd be there. Not for her sake but for the sake of naysayers.

Immediately, I set my phone down, as a spark of determination flickered to life inside me. Though, I didn't know how I was going to face them, but one thing was certain.

I wasn't going to let them see me as weak. Not anymore.