Chapter 1

Julian had liked me since we were kids. He took me tree-climbing, caught fish in the creek, and ran wild with me everywhere.

But toward Mara, he was only ever cold and highly critical.

Because of this blatant favoritism, I accepted his confession.

That was until I accidentally answered a call he made to Mara, and heard the uncontainable remorse in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Mara. If Evie doesn't fall from grace, no one will ever look at you."

Evie. That was me.

That very day, I called my dad.

"Dad, I agree to go to the UK to continue my studies."

"Think this through. Once you decide, there's no going back."

Hearing Dad's voice again brought back a flood of memories.

Our relationship had always been strained.

Yet, honoring my late mother's wishes, he had relentlessly tried to mold me into a proper heir to the Hale family.

Unfortunately, during all these years with Julian, my life had become a complete mess.

The board of directors was already questioning my academic performance and my fitness to inherit the Hale Estate.

But I had been blind to everything except love.

Whenever Julian called, I followed. For over a decade, I never once looked back.

For over a decade, he had meant everything to me.

So, when I first discovered that all his supposed affection was just a ploy for Mara's sake, my immediate reaction was denial.

But Dad quickly slammed a stack of evidence onto the table. I flipped through the pages, each one feeling like a brutal slap to the face.

Every time Julian dragged me away to skip class, he would deliberately take a detour just to buy a coffee for Mara.

When he took me to the gaming lounge, claiming it was to help me relax, it was actually to tank my grades.

When he coaxed me into ditching school entirely, it was so he could hand over the private college admissions counselor Dad had hired for me to Mara instead.

There was too much evidence.

Yet, I still refused to believe that the boy who had been by my side since childhood could do this to me.

Until today. Hearing those words straight from his mouth smashed the last bit of my delusion into jagged pieces.

My voice trembled as I spoke into the phone.

"I won't regret it. I'm leaving next month."

There was only a month left until graduation. My grades were already beyond saving.

Julian knew this better than anyone, which was why his indulgence toward me had become entirely boundless.

He threw an arm around my shoulder, standing at the front of the homeroom to make an announcement.

"It's Evelyn's birthday. I booked a restaurant for tonight. Dinner's on me."

The suffocating pressure of senior year made the class explode with excitement.

"Julian, you're amazing!"

Amidst the cheering, everyone eagerly agreed to go.

I glanced at the desks and immediately spotted Mara. She kept her head down, then suddenly stood up and bolted out of the classroom.

Julian didn't stay by my side for long.

Right after making the announcement, his eyes darted toward the door Mara had just disappeared through, and he hurried after her.

I followed him.

At the end of the hallway, a tall figure had Mara cornered against the wall.

Julian lowered his voice, almost growling.

"Why the hell did you take his letter? Do you really not see how I feel about you?"

Mara's sobbing paused for a second before she looked up, her eyes red.

"But you confessed to Evelyn! You treat her so well."

Julian slammed his fist against the wall, then softened his tone.

"Didn't you tell me to go after her? You said she was too perfect. That no one ever looked at you when she was around."

"So you wanted to drag her down. If she became a failure, people would finally notice you."

Julian was this furious because a boy had handed Mara a love letter today.

And just to piss him off, Mara had said yes.

See?

Julian spent all day with me, yet he never missed a single detail about Mara's life.

"But you grew up with her," Mara choked out. "You've known each other for so long..."

Yes, we had been together since we learned how to walk.

Twelve years. Inseparable.

But Julian didn't see it that way. A dazed look crossed his face.

Then, the moment Mara shed another tear, he rushed to speak.

"That doesn't matter."

"Knowing someone for a long time means nothing. You can know someone your whole life and they're still a stranger."

He said it so fast, so resolutely.

Knowing someone for a long time means nothing. That single sentence completely negated my twelve years.

Chapter 1

Julian had liked me since we were kids. He took me tree-climbing, caught fish in the creek, and ran wild with me everywhere.

But toward Mara, he was only ever cold and highly critical.

Because of this blatant favoritism, I accepted his confession.

That was until I accidentally answered a call he made to Mara, and heard the uncontainable remorse in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Mara. If Evie doesn't fall from grace, no one will ever look at you."

Evie. That was me.

That very day, I called my dad.

"Dad, I agree to go to the UK to continue my studies."

"Think this through. Once you decide, there's no going back."

Hearing Dad's voice again brought back a flood of memories.

Our relationship had always been strained.

Yet, honoring my late mother's wishes, he had relentlessly tried to mold me into a proper heir to the Hale family.

Unfortunately, during all these years with Julian, my life had become a complete mess.

The board of directors was already questioning my academic performance and my fitness to inherit the Hale Estate.

But I had been blind to everything except love.

Whenever Julian called, I followed. For over a decade, I never once looked back.

For over a decade, he had meant everything to me.

So, when I first discovered that all his supposed affection was just a ploy for Mara's sake, my immediate reaction was denial.

But Dad quickly slammed a stack of evidence onto the table. I flipped through the pages, each one feeling like a brutal slap to the face.

Every time Julian dragged me away to skip class, he would deliberately take a detour just to buy a coffee for Mara.

When he took me to the gaming lounge, claiming it was to help me relax, it was actually to tank my grades.

When he coaxed me into ditching school entirely, it was so he could hand over the private college admissions counselor Dad had hired for me to Mara instead.

There was too much evidence.

Yet, I still refused to believe that the boy who had been by my side since childhood could do this to me.

Until today. Hearing those words straight from his mouth smashed the last bit of my delusion into jagged pieces.

My voice trembled as I spoke into the phone.

"I won't regret it. I'm leaving next month."

There was only a month left until graduation. My grades were already beyond saving.

Julian knew this better than anyone, which was why his indulgence toward me had become entirely boundless.

He threw an arm around my shoulder, standing at the front of the homeroom to make an announcement.

"It's Evelyn's birthday. I booked a restaurant for tonight. Dinner's on me."

The suffocating pressure of senior year made the class explode with excitement.

"Julian, you're amazing!"

Amidst the cheering, everyone eagerly agreed to go.

I glanced at the desks and immediately spotted Mara. She kept her head down, then suddenly stood up and bolted out of the classroom.

Julian didn't stay by my side for long.

Right after making the announcement, his eyes darted toward the door Mara had just disappeared through, and he hurried after her.

I followed him.

At the end of the hallway, a tall figure had Mara cornered against the wall.

Julian lowered his voice, almost growling.

"Why the hell did you take his letter? Do you really not see how I feel about you?"

Mara's sobbing paused for a second before she looked up, her eyes red.

"But you confessed to Evelyn! You treat her so well."

Julian slammed his fist against the wall, then softened his tone.

"Didn't you tell me to go after her? You said she was too perfect. That no one ever looked at you when she was around."

"So you wanted to drag her down. If she became a failure, people would finally notice you."

Julian was this furious because a boy had handed Mara a love letter today.

And just to piss him off, Mara had said yes.

See?

Julian spent all day with me, yet he never missed a single detail about Mara's life.

"But you grew up with her," Mara choked out. "You've known each other for so long..."

Yes, we had been together since we learned how to walk.

Twelve years. Inseparable.

But Julian didn't see it that way. A dazed look crossed his face.

Then, the moment Mara shed another tear, he rushed to speak.

"That doesn't matter."

"Knowing someone for a long time means nothing. You can know someone your whole life and they're still a stranger."

He said it so fast, so resolutely.

Knowing someone for a long time means nothing. That single sentence completely negated my twelve years.