Chapter 2

I spent three hours cooking and brought the food to his office. His assistant took the lunchbox and sent me home by saying, "Mr. Sutton is still in a meeting. Please go home and wait for him."

I sat in the café downstairs for a while. But I still wanted to see Edward. So I used the elevator card he'd customized for me—with that silly Hello Kitty sticker—to go straight to the top floor.

The moment the elevator doors slid open, I heard giggles—soft, syrupy, and flirty.

"Eddie, my hands are so tired. You have to feed me," Mia pouted.

Edward glanced down at her and chuckled, indulgent and helpless. "Alright, alright." He picked up a piece of shrimp and held it to her lips. He even blew on it first, just in case it was too hot.

Mia caught sight of me frozen in place. Her spaced-out look instantly turned smug and dismissive. It was like she was saying, "See? All I have to do is beckon, and he'll drop everything for me."

My heart, warm a second ago, felt like it had been split open—sharp, sudden, brutal.

I swallowed the pain and turned to leave, but Mia wasn't done with me. "Oh, Sophie, you're here."

Edward shot up immediately, putting some space between them. "Sophie, why didn't you call? I would've come down to meet you." He smoothly took my bag and pulled me into his arms as he brought me into the office.

But I had nowhere to sit because Mia was lounging in my chair. She looked me up and down, pride written all over her face.

The air felt thin in here. My head spun; my stomach turned. I pushed Edward away. "You two go on. I'm heading home."

I'd almost never said no to him before, so my sudden pushback made him panic. He said, "Sophie, what are you even saying? We're totally innocent. Isn't it normal for a brother to take care of his sister?"

When my expression didn't soften at all, he ignored the way I pulled back and wrapped his arms around me, whispering in my ear, "Honey, don't be mad. Talk to me, please?"

But just as I was about to say something, a soft, sugary voice cut right through me. "Eddie, why are you calling her honey? You know you love me."

Mia clutched her head and crouched down, looking all miserable.

Seeing her like that, Edward instantly let go of me, crouched in front of her, and started digging through the bag for her meds.

I could see through her act right away. I called out. "Edward, get back here. Can't you see she's faking it? She's reeling you in on purpose."

He didn't listen. He grabbed the glass from the table; his hands shook as he held it up to her lips.

Mia's cheeks flushed pink as she sipped water while Edward held the glass for her, swallowing the pill bit by bit.

Flirting with her own brother right in front of his fiancée—she wouldn't have dared if Edward hadn't allowed it.

"Edward," I said, my voice tight, "are you sure this is just guilt? Is that really all? You've strung your fiancée along for five years without proposing, and at the same time, you're using this 'guilt' to have an inappropriate relationship with your 'sister.'

"You really want it all, don't you? One foot here, one foot there."

I fought the urge to cry as I laid out all the anger and resentment I'd been holding in for years.

But the second I finished, Mia suddenly rushed over toward me and cried. "Sophie, I'm sorry. I can't help the way I feel about Eddie. Please don't be mad at him. It's all one-sided. He's only been doing what he should."

Edward yanked Mia toward him right away. The softness in his eyes vanished, replaced by disgust as he glared at me. "Sophia, can you please get a grip? Even if she does like me—so what? There are plenty of women out there who like me. Are you going to get jealous of all of them?

"I've told you. What I feel for her is just guilt and responsibility. What has made you turn so bitter and nasty?"

I tilted my head back, refusing to let my tears fall, and let out a soft, humorless laugh. It was the first time anyone had ever called me "bitter and nasty." What a fresh little insult.

He kept insisting there was nothing between him and Mia, yet every move he made screamed protection and favoritism.

I was never as good with words as Edward. Silence—and walking away—felt like the only dignified exit I had left.

I went back to his place and packed up my things. Anything I couldn't carry, I tossed straight into the trash.

"Sweetie, why are you tossing out such nice clothes?" An old lady with snow-white hair was digging through the bin with a cardboard box.

I gave a tired smile. "What's the point of keeping things that no longer matter?"

She glanced up at my face. Her smile dropped instantly. She grabbed my hand and stared at my palm like it held the secrets of the universe. "Sweetie, you need someone solid in your life. Someone with enough strength and steadiness to break this curse hanging over you. Otherwise, you really won't make it past 25."

Her words wrapped around me like a cold iron cage. Trying to stay calm, I asked, "What do you mean by someone 'solid'?"

She let out a long breath, thinking. "You need someone whose life runs parallel to yours. Same kind of timing, same kind of rhythm. Someone who was born around the same hour as you."

Seeing my doubt, she added, "There is someone around you who fits."

She wasn't wrong. There was someone. But he hardly looked like the kind.

By the time I snapped out of it, she had already vanished.