Chapter 2

Olympia burst into tears.

Mom immediately pulled her into her arms.

"I knew it!"

"You're sisters after all—there's no rift you two can't get past."

Dad finally smiled too.

"That's more like it."

"From now on, our family starts over."

A family.

I lowered my head, looking at the bruises on my wrists that hadn't faded yet, and said nothing.

Mom had already happily pulled open the wardrobe.

"By the way, today happens to be your sister's birthday."

"We were worried you weren't doing well, so we didn't dare tell you."

She picked out a dress and handed it to me, her tone as light as if nothing had just happened.

"Now it's all fine."

"Hurry and get yourself ready."

"Tonight we'll all go celebrate your sister's birthday together."

My whole body went rigid.

The color drained from my face in an instant.

Three years ago, the thing that ruined my life was also a birthday party.

Back then, I had only just been found and brought home by my parents.

After being separated from them for so many years, I'd finally returned to my birth parents, gotten into the university I most wanted to attend, won a top scholarship, and had a top-student boyfriend everyone envied.

I thought my life was only just beginning.

But on the night of my sister's birthday, she secretly invited the man she'd been dating online for several months to a hotel.

And the whole time she'd been dating him online, she had used my photos.

The moment that man showed up, he was certain I was the person he'd been talking to for months.

He dragged me into the room by force.

When everyone found me, all they saw was the wreckage of the room and me, utterly disheveled.

Olympia stood in the crowd, her face ghastly pale, but she never dared to tell the truth.

So everyone assumed I'd been fooling around with a strange man behind my boyfriend's back.

My boyfriend broke up with me in front of everyone and went abroad not long after.

The rumors at school spread everywhere.

People who used to envy me started pointing fingers, and even my teachers looked at me differently.

I couldn't bring myself to go back to school, and in the end I had no choice but to withdraw.

It wasn't until things had completely blown up that my sister finally broke down and knelt in front of me.

"Sis, I'm sorry."

"I was so insecure that I used your photo for online dating. I only wanted to meet the person I loved on the happiest day of my life, so I invited him to my birthday party."

"I really didn't know he was a stalker, and I certainly didn't know he'd mistake me for someone else..."

She cried and apologized to me over and over.

But I just looked at her.

That one "I didn't know" of hers

had destroyed my university, my love, my reputation, and the life I was supposed to have.

Her apology couldn't buy any of it back.

That night, I completely fell apart.

Mom got up in the middle of the night and saw me sitting in the kitchen holding a knife. She was so frightened she broke down crying on the spot.

The next day, Dad drove Olympia out of the house.

They struck her from the family register right in front of me.

Mom held me and promised, over and over.

"Gertie, from now on she has nothing to do with this family."

Dad said, his eyes red too:

"You'll never see her again. You'll never have to be afraid again."

But now.

Three years later, today.

Now Mom stood in front of me holding a dress, urging me to go to Olympia's birthday party.

Seeing me trembling uncontrollably, the smile on Mom's face finally faltered.

She reached out to steady me.

"Maybe we should just skip it today..."

"No."

But Olympia immediately cut her off.

She looked earnestly at our parents.

"Sis is scared right now because the memories from three years ago haven't truly faded yet."

"The more she avoids it, the worse it gets. She has to go back into a similar environment—that's part of exposure therapy too."

Dad was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Right."

"We've come this far. We can't quit halfway."

Before I could get a word out, they took me by both arms, one on each side, and brought me to the banquet hall.

The moment the doors pushed open, a cheer burst out from inside.

"The birthday girl is finally here!"

"Happy birthday!"

"Quick, quick, the guest of honor is here!"

Everyone laughed and clapped, calling out my sister's name.

But as I stood in the doorway and saw the faces of the people inside clearly, all the blood in my body went cold.

This was nothing like what my parents had told me—that only a few relatives and close friends had been invited.

The room was full of people who'd gone to the same school as me three years ago.

Classmates who used to be in my class.

There were even people who had seen with their own eyes as I was led out of that room.

My breath caught, and I instinctively backed away.

Just then, the crowd suddenly parted.

A man walked out from the very back.

I stood frozen in place.

Daniel Harding, my first love.

The man who, three years ago—after everyone believed I'd betrayed him—walked away from me without looking back.

Three years apart, and he'd grown up a great deal.

So familiar I recognized him at a glance, and yet so unfamiliar it was as if I'd never known him at all.

Before I could even react, Olympia had already lifted her skirt and flung herself into his arms like a butterfly.

Daniel slid his arm around her waist as if it were the most natural thing.

A chorus of teasing erupted around them at once.

"Three years together, and he's finally willing to bring his girl out to meet us!"

"His girl? After today you'll have to call her Mrs. Harding, won't you?"

"Daniel's already got the ring ready—everyone knows he's going to propose today!"

Three years together.

My mind went off with a roar.

An unbelievable thought surfaced in my mind, and the pain made me shake and convulse uncontrollably.

Nestled in Daniel's arms, Olympia heard what everyone was saying and first smiled shyly, then her eyes reddened.

"Today is the happiest day of my life."

"So there's someone very important to me I want to witness it with her own eyes."

When she finished, she turned to look at me.

My face went deathly pale in an instant.

"No..."

But she had already crossed over quickly and seized my wrist.

I shrank back with all my might, my legs so weak I couldn't stay standing, until I nearly curled up on the floor.

But Olympia still held on to me tightly.

"Sis, don't be afraid."

"Everyone here is someone you knew before."

She hauled me up off the floor by force and dragged me step by step into the crowd.

"It's time you faced them again."

The banquet hall, so lively a moment ago, suddenly fell silent.

Everyone finally saw my face clearly.

The next second.

Those smiles froze, little by little, on every single face.