The door to my room was suddenly pushed open without warning. My brother, Adrian Hoffman, walked in and scoffed when he saw me staring blankly at my diary.
“Aren’t you a little too old to be writing a diary?”
Normally, I would have argued back. But this time, I didn’t even lift my head or respond.
Seeing my lack of reaction, he grew irritated and ran his hand through his hair before snatching my diary to take a look.
On it was a single number—99.
It was the number of times they had let me down over the years.
Adrian frowned, unable to make sense of it.
He tossed my diary onto the floor and ordered, “Stop writing this nonsense. Nina wants to eat the garlic shrimp you make. Go wash your hands and get downstairs. Consider it an apology for that snarky remark you made to her earlier.”
I only hummed in response before I got up and headed downstairs.
Adrian was surprised that I didn’t throw a tantrum. After all, every time my family asked me to make garlic shrimp, I would always cry and whine as if it were some huge injustice.
He must be wondering why I was so quiet this time.
“Sadie, did you switch personalities or something? Or are you planning something sneaky like putting something in the food?”
Adrian eyed me suspiciously, trying to see through me. He finally noticed my slightly red-rimmed eyes and stiffened, shutting his mouth.
After a long while, he spoke again, “Nina was abroad for a year. She’s been on her own for so long, and this is her first time back. We were eager to see her. You should be more understanding. It was just a wedding. We can just push it to a later date, can’t we?”
