Chapter 1

Tags: Betrayal, Twisted Stepsister, Mastermind Revenge, Epic Face-Slap, Badass Female Lead

The moment the elite college portal locked, my boyfriend dropped to his knees.

Tears streamed down his face as he choked out three confessions.

His very first sentence turned my blood to ice.

"I secretly changed your college application."

"Columbia's Prestige Honors Program only has one spot this year. If you don't step aside, Wendy will never have a chance."

Before I could even process the shock, he dropped two more bombshells.

From start to finish, he didn't care at all that he was burning my future to the ground.

Finally, he reached out to hug me, his voice sickeningly sweet.

"I know you won't get into the Honors Program now, but we can still have a wedding."

"Once we hit legal age, we'll sign the marriage papers."

"You love me so much, this is basically a dream come true for you, right?"

Looking into his eyes, where calculation and smug triumph could barely be hidden, I suddenly laughed.

He had no idea.

That application was something I deliberately filled out just for him to see.

"Chloe, please don't freak out! Just let me explain!"

"The Prestige Honors Program at Columbia only has one spot this year! Wendy desperately needs this opportunity!"

"Her health is fragile, and her background is so tragic. If she misses this, her entire life is ruined!"

"You're different. Even without this honors program, you'll still live an amazing life."

My mind went completely blank. A roaring thunder exploded in my ears.

I stared down at him, my breath turning cold.

"You changed my application? Who the hell gave you permission?"

Ethan reached out frantically, trying to grab my hand. "Chloe, I did this for everyone's sake—"

"For everyone's sake?!"

I shot up from my seat, the chair legs scraping against the floor in a piercing screech.

It felt like a knife was tearing through my chest.

"Ethan, how many times did I tell you that getting into Columbia's Honors Program was my dream?!"

"Do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I endured for that single spot?"

"Do you know how many competitions I won and how many exams I aced?!"

"And now, with one casual excuse that 'she needs it more,' you just threw it away for me?!"

I practically screamed the last sentence.

Tears spilled over my lashes, hot and bitter.

I never imagined this.

The person destroying my life was Ethan Cole.

The boyfriend I had loved for three years.

The boy whose tuition and living expenses had been paid for by my family throughout high school.

Ethan looked stung by my shout, his face darkening, but he braced himself and snapped back:

"Chloe, can you stop being so selfish for once?"

"Wendy has suffered so much since childhood. You know that better than anyone."

"Her mom died early, and her alcoholic dad beat her every single day. If your parents hadn't taken her in, she wouldn't have even finished private school."

"Now that she finally has a chance to turn her life around, why do you have to fight her for it?"

My heart froze over, inch by inch.

So my sweat, my tears, and the dream I fought tooth and nail for were reduced to me just "fighting her for it."

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to stay calm.

After a long pause, I opened my eyes and looked at him. "What was the second thing?"

Ethan visibly relaxed, assuming I had accepted reality.

He hesitated for a few seconds before lowering his voice. "Well... one night, I got really drunk. And... I slept with Wendy."

My entire body went rigid. "And then?"

He couldn't even look me in the eye. "And then... we started seeing each other behind your back."

I stared at him, my voice turning raspy. "When did it start?"

"...Six months ago."

Six months ago.

Those words plunged straight into my heart like a dagger.

Chapter Two