The Middle Child No One Chose

They called me the family’s disappointment, the invisible middle child lost in the shadow of my golden siblings. Every dinner table dig and silent birthday taught me to shrink myself—until college, where I finally tasted freedom, hunger, and kindness. From hustling as a hostess to surviving betrayal and claiming my voice on stage, I learned what family truly means—and what it doesn’t. But when old wounds resurface and my parents come begging, will I finally break free or be pulled back into their web of guilt and regret? In a world that never wanted me to shine, what will I risk for my own place in the light?