Chapter 1
The day after Sarah Shelton got the spot to study abroad, her high school diary was uploaded to the school's forum.
Every single line exposed her hidden feelings for her stepbrother, Martin Clarke.
Just a handful of diary entries turned her from a gifted, star student into a desperate simp.
Someone suggested she should reach out to whoever posted it and ask them to take it down, but Sarah just shrugged it off and said no.
Martin had swiped her diary after the SAT. Without his say-so, nobody would pull something like this.
She guessed he was unhappy about her getting that spot to study abroad, so he was pulling this stunt to show his anger.
He was always weird like that. Like, today was his birthday, and he'd never invite her, but she'd somehow know the exact time and place anyway.
Sarah didn't feel angry. She just felt numb to it all.
On her way there, a sudden downpour hit, and she was three minutes late.
When she pushed open the door to the private room, the noise inside died instantly. Everyone's eyes landed on her, soaked like a drowned rat.
They were giving her looks, some mocking, some downright disdainful.
*****
Sarah kept her head down as she walked over to Martin, who was sitting in the middle. She quietly pulled out the gift she'd kept close to her and said, "Happy birthday, Martin."
Her fingertips left a damp handprint on the carefully wrapped present.
Martin kept his icy gaze on her, unmoved. He didn't say a word or reach for the gift, just let her stand there awkwardly, arm outstretched, while the silence dragged on.
"Only Sarah could make simping sound this poetic. Guess that's what you get from a straight-A student," Tessa Watson snarked.
Tessa waved the familiar blue diary in her hand, flashing a sly grin. "Come on, Sarah, don't blame Martin. We were all just super curious. Everyone wanted a look."
"It's fine," Sarah said quietly.
She kept her eyes down, showing no reaction at all to Tessa's teasing.
"Marti didn't invite you, if I remember right," Tessa shot back, sarcasm heavy in her voice.
Her face twisted in even more disgust. "So you really showed up like this just to make a scene? Sarah, have you got no shame? Why don't you just get out of here already..."
Slam!
Martin suddenly swung his arm out, sending the gift skittering across the floor. Tessa's rant cut off in an instant.
After the brief silence, mocking laughter broke out. "Martin, why do you even bother with this small-town nobody? Seriously, what's your deal?"
Someone else chimed in, "For real, if it were me, I would've kicked her out a long time ago. What a trashy piece of work. Wasn't her mom the same, getting ahead using those dirty tricks?"
Martin ignored them all, his stare cold as ice, locking onto Sarah. "Bring it here."
Sarah pretended not to hear any of the venom. She obediently placed the gift back in front of him, her head bowed. "Sorry, Martin. I didn't hold it tight."
Martin opened the present on the spot. Inside was a watch.
It was just a run-of-the-mill piece, which couldn't even compare to the expensive one he had on his wrist.
Maybe it cracked when she dropped it earlier, and the glass face had a split right through it.
"I figured she'd show up with something nice at least," someone snickered.
Another guy laughed. "And she's not even embarrassed to bring that?"
Martin didn't say a word. He just picked up the watch and studied it with a cold, intense focus.
The whole room went silent, tension thick around him. Nobody knew what he saw, but when he pressed his finger against the crack in the glass, blood instantly started dripping from his fingertip.
"Martin, you're bleeding!" Tessa blurted out, grabbing some tissues in a hurry.
"Sarah, what kind of worthless junk is this? You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Tessa shrieked, her tone full of accusation.
Martin's face turned even darker. He threw the watch, box and all, straight at Sarah, his voice like ice. "Get out!"
Sarah's first instinct was to turn away, but she made herself hold still, refusing to dodge as the box crashed right into her face.
Everyone started talking at once, voices mixing. Most of them were sure Martin was pissed off just because her gift was lame, with nobody bothering to look any deeper.
Sarah quietly bent down, picked up the broken box, and slipped out of the room without another word.
Just before the door clicked shut behind her, she heard the sharp sound of glass breaking inside.
The noise from inside faded away, giving Sarah a moment to catch her breath. She just wanted to go home, but before she could, someone pulled her upstairs, her heart sinking with each step.
On the bed was a dress, the exact style Martin always liked.
Sarah had hardly ever worn a dress, not since she was a kid.
She stood there stiff and awkward for ages, her fingers trembling as she finally reached out.
When Martin walked in, Sarah was struggling to reach the zipper on her back. He crossed the room in a few quick strides and zipped it up for her like he'd done it a hundred times. His voice was light, almost indifferent, "You were three minutes late today."
"Sorry," Sarah whispered.
She kept her head bowed, voice soft. "It suddenly started pouring. I got held up on the way."
Martin's gaze was steady, his tone flat but unmistakably in control. "You could have left earlier."
Then he grabbed Sarah's chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Tell me. Was that really an accident, or did you make yourself late on purpose?" he asked, cool and accusing.
"I really did just leave late today..." Sarah explained softly, her voice barely audible.
"Did that forum post bother you?" Martin asked coldly, eyes locked on her.
"Are you mad?" he asked blankly.
Sarah shook her head.
"Really?" Martin replied, his tone icy and full of doubt.
He gave a low, mocking chuckle. "Right, you timed it down to those three minutes, then handed me that cheap excuse for a birthday present just to tick me off. What were you gonna do after this? Run home and pretend nothing happened?"
His cool fingertips brushed slowly over her skin, every inch crawling with the same chilling dread as a snake sliding across her.
"Going home to get your documents ready for that study-abroad gig?" he sneered.
Sarah's face went pale. She stared up at him, almost desperate, her voice shaky, "Martin, can I please..."
"No," Martin cut her off, ice-cold and absolute.
His icy fingers closed around her neck from behind. His expression grew even colder, almost cruel. "Aren't you the one who can't live without me? Didn't you say you'd never let me get married, that you only want to be with me forever?"
He said coldly, "Wherever I am, that's your home. So what's more important, Sarah? Me, or all those dreams and ambitions of yours?"
His grip tightened, her breath becoming more and more shallow. Tears spilled from her eyes as she struggled out. "You're the only one that matters."
She choked back a sob, forcing out each word, slow and trembling. "Nothing in this whole world means more to me than you."
Martin had asked her the same question when he forced her to change her college application after the SAT.
She was an absolute wreck, crying so hard that she collapsed to her knees, begging him in a jumbled mess of words. She kept saying she remembered his kindness. After her stepdad and mom died, if Martin hadn't taken her in, she'd probably have ended up in an orphanage.