Early the next morning, Frederick and Agatha left ahead of me. By the time they arrived home, my parents were waiting at the door with open arms.
"Welcome home, Agatha! Mom and Dad have had dinner ready for hours!"
Frederick had even tidied himself up for the occasion, all to welcome Agatha back.
After I finished the discharge paperwork, I went home alone. No one noticed I'd arrived.
Ever since my parents adopted Agatha when I was ten, their love had slowly tilted toward her.
She was sweet and adorable, the kind of girl who made people want to protect her. But her love life was a disaster. After a string of breakups, cheating boyfriends, and ugly fights, my parents only grew more protective of their youngest daughter.
Then I met Frederick. Out of sheer jealousy, Agatha tried to sabotage the relationship. She faked a suicide attempt by swallowing pills, though the dose wasn't enough to do real damage. My parents caught her in time.
She blamed me. Said I'd driven her to it. After that, they grew even colder toward me, convinced I was some vicious, jealous creature.
After the wedding, my parents barely kept in touch. All their energy went to worrying about how Agatha was doing.