Chapter 1

Three days before the wedding, I called off the engagement with Matthew Evans.

He sighed with a smile and asked, "Is it because I helped Sophie buckle her bra?"

I nodded.

His smile turned wry. "Sophie is too clumsy. She couldn't fasten the last hook, and there were so many people at the party last night. I had to help her."

Seeing me silent, he offered me a Victoria's Secret gift box, but I turned away and didn't take it.

From a small town to Parvoria, we journeyed together, transitioning from innocence to maturity.

It had been eighteen years, and it was time to let go.

Seeing me refuse, Matthew opened the box himself and showed me this year's exclusive Victoria's Secret bra.

"Look, I know you're pissed, but Sophie is your sister. Can't you be more tolerant?" he said.

I glanced at him and then quietly unfolded the bra. There was a milk stain right on the fabric.

I forced a bitter smile.

"So, there are even second-hand Victoria's Secret gift boxes now?" I asked.

Matthew's face changed, and he looked at me with a look of disapproval.

He said, "I had Sophie test it out.

"Since her miscarriage, she's been suffering from milk discharge, and her tits are really sensitive. If she's comfortable in that bra, I bet you'll like it too.

"It's nothing worth fussing over. Why can't you just let it go?"

Listening to his excuse, exhaustion washed over me. I sighed, turned around, and pushed the door open.

Unexpectedly, Sophie, who was eavesdropping outside the door, fell to the ground in fright because of my sudden action of opening the door.

"Natalie, please don't be mad. I just tried it on for you, that's all," Sophie mumbled.

I shook my head with a bitter smile. I honestly couldn't remember when it started. Nothing ever came to me unless Sophie had tried it first.

"So you even came here to try out my man, didn't you?" I asked.

Sophie looked up at me, her voice barely a whisper.

She said, "Sorry. I discharged milk again. That's why I came looking for Matthew at the office.

"The information online suggested that it might be a sign of cancer. I swear I didn't mean to bother your meeting with Matthew, but I'm really scared."

Sophie suddenly burst into tears, as if my glare was making her feel a lot of pressure.

I stared at her, and my voice was calm. "Do our parents know about this?"

Back in her senior year of high school, Sophie got pregnant and miscarried before marriage. When she needed a transfusion, people found out that she wasn't my parents' real daughter.

That was when they found me and brought me home.

But to protect Sophie, they told everyone I was just their adopted daughter.

Remembering the prolactin I'd spotted at home a few days back, I gave Sophie a searching look that drifted to her chest.

Sophie's face instantly drained of color, as if I'd just humiliated her. She looked ready to collapse.

"What are you implying? I'm sick, but you're still going to slander me in front of our parents?" she cried.

"I just really want to know. If you think it might be cancer, why aren't you at the hospital? Why are you hanging around here with Matthew instead?" I shot back.

"Natalie, that's enough! Why are you mean?" Matthew cut in.

He helped Sophie up. "Sophie is just a teen. This kind of thing is embarrassing for her. She finally got brave enough to talk to us, so quit giving her a hard time, alright?"

He gazed at Sophie as if she were a delicate, untouched flower.

I shook my head. I'd told Matthew many times about how Sophie had made my life a living hell.

But in his eyes, she was always the most innocent and spotless girl.

One was out to fool, the other happy to be fooled. Maybe that's their own kind of bond.

I turned and walked out the door, not looking back.

After I finished organizing the share transfer agreement and sent it off to George Johnson, the owner of a company, he asked me one question.

"Ms. Coleman, have you ever thought about joining the Johnson Group?" he asked.

His offer caught me off guard for a moment.

Eighteen years had blown my relationship with Matthew to bits, but had also made me one of the hottest partners in the business.

I gave a faint smile. "Mr. Johnson, we'll talk about it another time. I still have some things to handle."

When I got back to my house, I looked around at all the little traces of life Matthew and I had shared. I found myself slipping into deep thought.

Suddenly, a knock at the door snapped me out of it.