If I Disappear, Will She Notice?

Some scars never fade—even when the world pretends they were never there. Ellie has always been compared to her beautiful younger sister, living in the shadow of a mother whose love comes laced with cruelty and blame. Bullied at school and invisible at home, Ellie clings to hope, believing that one day her achievements will win her family’s approval. But when a single night of neglect spins into a nightmare, Ellie's desperate wish for acceptance collides with a brutal reality. In the aftermath, her family is left to face the truth they never wanted to see. What does it take to break the cycle of cruelty—and is it ever too late for a mother's love to matter? If love can hurt more than hate, what’s left for the ones who are never chosen?