Chapter 1

I was at the movies with my bestie, Chloe Quinn, and just as we walked in, I suddenly spotted my childhood friend, Ryan Lane, in the very back row, making out with my dad's illegitimate daughter, Evelyn Heath.

I heard Evelyn teasing him, "Ryan, aren't you worried Corrine will get jealous if she finds out you're on a date with me?"

Ryan replied, his voice full of amusement, "Corrine's just my simp. She comes crawling back whenever I beckon. So what if she knows? She's head over heels for me anyway."

Evelyn's mocking laughter echoed in my ears, and Ryan just went along with it, completely unfazed.

In that moment, something inside me died.

From that day forward, I made a conscious effort to keep my distance from Ryan.

Later, Ryan actually reached out to me for once. He texted: [Corrine, stop having tantrums. If you come back now, I'll forgive you.]

I was at the movies with my boyfriend, Charles Quinn, when I got the message. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Ryan's text.

"Corrine, when are you going to make us official?" he teased.

*****

As the clock struck midnight, I sent Ryan a New Year's message right as the year changed.

He didn't reply. I figured he was probably busy.

I remembered texting him earlier that day, asking if he wanted to spend New Year's Eve together and maybe catch a movie.

But Ryan didn't reply until the evening. [I'm busy. Go have fun without me.]

I felt a little disappointed, but Ryan was always busy. I'd gotten used to it.

Luckily, with New Year's around the corner, the area near the university was buzzing with activity.

Chloe noticed I was feeling down, so she ditched her crush and dragged me out to the square near campus for a wild night of fun.

When the clock struck midnight, Chloe said, "Dorm's locked up anyway. Forget Ryan. He can't be bothered, but I can. Let's go."

Chloe knew I'd been looking forward to this movie for ages, so she'd booked the tickets way in advance.

There was only one cinema near campus, and by the time we got there, it was already late. The place was almost packed—mostly college couples everywhere.

Right before the movie started, the theater went pitch black. Chloe dragged me to the second-to-last row.

As soon as we sat down, Chloe nudged my shoulder.

She motioned for me to look around, and then sighed, "Looks like we're just here to watch couples flaunt their love tonight. It's all couples.

"Corrine, how about you be my girlfriend instead? I swear I'll make you happy. Come on, let me give you a kiss."

I laughed and pushed her away, but out of the corner of my eye, I accidentally caught sight of a couple sitting in the back row.

The guy had his body turned away from us, pressing a girl against the black leather recliner and kissing her.

The blue jacket he was wearing looked really familiar. I'd just given Ryan a blue jacket like that last week, so I found myself staring a little longer.

The way he looked from behind felt strangely familiar, too.

But the theater was pretty dark, so I couldn't see clearly. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Ryan said he was busy, so it couldn't be him.

Still, a nagging unease lingered in my chest, and my eyes kept flicking back to the couple behind us.

It wasn't until the movie started that the two finally pulled away from each other.

Then, a sweet and oddly familiar girl's voice drifted from behind me, and I stiffened on the spot.

"Ryan, you're spending New Year's Eve with me. Aren't you worried Corrine will get jealous if she finds out?" the girl teased.

As soon as I recognized her voice, my body started shaking before I even realized it.

Chloe caught on that something was wrong and was about to say something, but I put my hand over her mouth before she could speak.

It had to be a misunderstanding. It must be. I kept reassuring myself, desperately clinging to that last bit of hope. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe it was someone else with the same name.

The girl's voice from the back row was all too familiar. It was Evelyn Heath, the daughter my father, Henry, had with his mistress. She was born just three days after me.

Henry was a classic rags-to-riches guy who married my mom after saving her life. But less than a year into their marriage, he cheated on her with his first love, who'd been dumped by a businessman and came crawling back to him.

Ever since we were kids, if there was anything I liked, Evelyn would always try to snatch it away from me.

I always figured, if something could be taken from me, it wasn't really mine to begin with. So I never cared if she took it.

But the things that truly belonged to me—my family, my real friends, and Ryan—no one could ever take away. Ryan grew up with me. He always stood with me, united against mistresses.

His own mom had been driven into depression and eventually took her own life because of a mistress.

There was no way Ryan would do that.

But in the very next moment, Ryan's familiar, mocking voice rang out. "Corrine? She's just my simp. All I have to do is snap my fingers and she's right there. Who cares if she finds out? She's obsessed with me anyway."

Evelyn snorted with laughter, covering her mouth, and Ryan just shrugged it off, totally unfazed.

Right then, it felt like someone had grabbed my heart and squeezed it tight. I could barely breathe, and my eyes started to sting as tears spilled out before I could even stop them.

Evelyn kept teasing, "Oh? Campus heartthrob, since you don't like Corrine, why not give me a shot? We're already out together. How about making it official?"

Ryan said casually, "Depends on how you do tonight."