PART 1

I used to believe that if I gave my family enough, eventually they would love me the way I wanted.

I was wrong.

That morning, I stood inside the international terminal holding my passport and the confirmation for a $30,000 Mediterranean cruise I had purchased for my parents, my brother Julian, and myself.

I had planned everything.

Private tours in Santorini.

Sunset dinners in Mykonos.

Luxury cabins.

A week where I hoped we could finally stop arguing and simply feel like a family again.

Then my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Julian.

**You’re not coming. Dad wants this trip to be family only. We gave your ticket to Serena’s sister.**

I stared at the screen.

Family only?

I was their daughter.

I had paid for the entire vacation.

Only months earlier, I had also purchased a $966,000 coastal home so my parents could retire comfortably.

Still, somehow, I was the one who didn’t belong.

I called my mother.

Julian answered.

“Where is my ticket?” I demanded.

He laughed.