Chapter 2
When I was a kid, I always felt like I wasn't good enough.
My dad was a self-made tycoon, building his empire from scratch.
My mom was the campus queen back in college, drop-dead gorgeous.
After they got together, they had my brother, Austin Sutton.
Austin totally lucked out. He got Dad's genius-level smarts and Mom's good looks.
By eight, everyone called him a prodigy, and by eighteen, he had the whole school swooning over him.
Two years later, Mom got pregnant with me.
Everyone expected big things from me.
At my sip-and-see, relatives and friends crowded around me.
"Austin's so good-looking, so his little sister must be a fairy," someone said.
But when they pulled back the blanket, everyone was stunned.
I was a wrinkly, totally average baby.
Someone tried to make it better. "Don't worry. She'll grow up to be pretty."
But I let everyone down.
As I got older, I was the most average kid one could imagine.
My looks were nothing special, and my brains were average at best.
Put in a crowd, I'd disappear in a heartbeat.
In the Sutton family, being average was basically a crime.
Every time my parents took me to some social event, there were always clueless kids asking me annoying questions.
"Nina, are you and Austin really siblings?"
"Why don't you two look alike at all?"
"Did your parents pick you up off the street or something?"
At that point, their parents would put on a show of scolding their kids before turning to me with a fake smile.
"Nina, I heard Austin got first place again. So, what did you get on your test?" they said.
I didn't say a word. I balled up my test with a failing grade.
That suffocating pressure to measure up followed me through my whole childhood.
When I got home, I'd raise hell in front of my parents.
"I want to transfer schools! I want to go somewhere where nobody knows me!" I'd yell.
My parents were so fed up with my tantrums.
"How about we take you to your grandparents' place in Driftwood?" Dad suggested.
I stopped crying and fussing right away.
"Okay," I said.
Dad had wanted to move my grandparents to this city, but they'd never wanted to leave Driftwood.
So, Dad switched my school to Driftwood.
In that small town, nobody knew I was the Sutton family's heiress, and nobody compared me to my genius brother.
Summers were spent catching cicadas in the yard, and winters meant huddling around the stove, roasting sweet potatoes.
With all that pressure gone, my grades shot up like crazy.
Honestly, everyone had me pegged wrong.
I got some of my parents' good genes, too.
At my core, I was competitive. I wanted to get stronger, too.
I studied my ass off every day, grinding through practice problems until the middle of the night.
When it was time to move up to high school, I got into the best school in Barrowfield.
And later, I worked my way into one of the top universities in the country.
That summer was when I first met Charles.
*****
Austin really doted on me.
Even when I was out in Driftwood, he'd show up every month to see me, always hauling over all sorts of quirky gifts.
That summer after the SATs, he called me every single day.
One day, I heard an unfamiliar guy's voice on the other end of the line.
"Austin, chatting with your sister again?" he asked.
His voice was deep and magnetic, with a lazy drawl.
Austin told him to back off, but that guy came over anyway.
He said, "Hey, I'm your brother's friend. My name is Charles Evans.
"Next time you come visit Austin, I'll take you out for a ride."
At first, I didn't think much of it.
But after that, every time I called, Charles would jump in on the call and start chatting with me.
He even snagged my WhatsApp from Austin.
He'd send me voice messages every single day, as if it were his favorite hobby.
"Hey, your name's Nina, right? That's such a pretty name.
"Nina, it's pouring in Barrowfield. What's it like over there?
"I spotted a hairpin today, and it totally reminded me of you, so I grabbed it.
"I wiped out at work today. So embarrassing! Only telling you, so keep it secret!"
At eighteen, I was right at the age when my heart was starting to flutter.
I found myself checking my phone all the time, waiting for Charles's texts.
Hearing his voice was enough to make my day.
I kept tearing off the calendar pages, counting down the days until I'd finally be heading to Barrowfield for college.
Finally, the day came.
I arrived in Barrowfield two days early.
That night, Austin tossed me a dress.
"Put this on. It's Charles's birthday tonight, and he won't stop bugging me to bring you," he grumbled.
With my heart pounding, I made my way to Charles's villa.
Feeling shy, I stuck close behind Austin.
When Charles spotted Austin, he came over with a big grin.
"Austin, you made it," he said.
He glanced over Austin's shoulder, as if searching for someone.
Austin pulled me out from behind him.
"This is my sister, Nina Sutton," he said.
I looked up, and my eyes met with Charles's.
He was ridiculously handsome, with sharp brows, striking eyes, and the cocky, confident vibe that made him stand out in any crowd.
But the moment he saw me, his smile froze.
Those striking eyes of his dropped, and he couldn't hide how disappointed he was.
My heart sank.
Charles turned to Austin and laughed, "Austin, let me introduce. This is—"
Austin cut him off, "Charles, this is Nina. You two have been chatting for ages. Don't tell me you don't recognize her."
I felt so awkward.
I forced myself to say, "Hi."
Charles gave me the laziest handshake ever. His fingers barely grazed my palm before he pulled away.
"Hi," he replied.
His tone was cold and distant. He was like a completely different person from the warm, chatty guy I'd gotten used to on WhatsApp.
Without missing a beat, he turned away to greet other guests.
He didn't spare me another glance.
I was left standing in the corner, watching him crack jokes and laugh with everyone else.
I knew it was what it felt like when all that online spark vanished the second people met in person.
After the party, I overheard him venting on the balcony with someone.
"I thought Austin's sister would be as good-looking as he is.
"But turns out she's pretty average. Guess I got my hopes up for nothing," he scoffed.
That was the moment my heart completely shattered.
When I got home, I silently deleted every single chat we'd had.
I added him to my block list.
That little crush of mine ended not long after it started.