Chapter 2

Six months ago, my dad's company hit a severe cash flow crisis.

A major business partner pulled out at the last second, leaving the firm on the brink of collapse.

My mom was so stressed she had to be hospitalized.

Back then, I was prepping for finals during the day and sleeping beside my mom's hospital bed at night. I was so exhausted I could fall asleep standing up.

At my lowest point, I called Ethan, crying, and asked him: "Can you please come and be with me?"

He said: "Chloe, I'm swamped with prep work right now. Once admissions season is over, I promise I'll be all yours."

I felt so bad about putting pressure on him that I didn't dare bother him again.

Only now did I realize that his "busy schedule" was spent rolling in bed with Wendy!

Nausea surged in my stomach.

The next second.

*SLAP!*

I brought my hand down hard across his cheek. The crack echoed sharply through the room.

Ethan's head whipped to the side, his cheek blooming bright red.

He stared at me in utter disbelief. "Chloe, are you insane?!"

"Me, insane?"

My eyes burned red. "Ethan, how dare you?!"

"Where were you when my mom was dying in a hospital bed?!"

"Where were you when I needed you the most?!"

"You lived on my family's money, used my family's resources, and then turned around to jump into bed with my adopted sister! How do you even have the audacity to stand in front of me?!"

Ethan's face twisted into an ugly sneer. Just as he opened his mouth to talk back, the bedroom door was pushed open.

"Stop it!"

A soft, fragile voice broke the tension.

Wendy stood in the doorway. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she wore an innocent white sundress, looking every bit the delicate victim.

Anyone watching would have thought she was the one who had been wronged.

She rushed forward, throwing herself in front of Ethan.

"Chloe, please don't be like this."

"Ethan is already hurting so much."

Looking at her, I felt a wave of cold absurdity.

Ten years ago, when my parents brought her home, she was as thin as a twig, burning up with a fever, clinging to my mom for dear life.

Over the past decade.

Her food, her designer clothes, the elite private school she attended—which of those hadn't been bought with my family's money?

My mom, terrified she would feel inferior, even introduced her to society as her own biological daughter.

And now, she stole my boyfriend, stole my future, and dared to stand there looking completely blameless.

I took a step toward her.

"Wendy."

"Do you honestly think I've treated you too well all these years?"

Her face paled slightly, but she bit her lip and whispered: "Chloe, I know this is hard to swallow."

"But you can't force love."

"Ethan was never happy with you."

"You're too domineering. You try to control every aspect of his life, and it suffocated him."

"Besides..."

She looked up at me, her voice soft as silk. "In love, the one who isn't loved is the real homewrecker."

Chapter Three