Chapter 2

It was 10 p.m. when I stepped out of the dance studio.

"Sophia, someone's looking for you downstairs," said my roommate Lily Johnson. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Is that your boyfriend? He's really handsome."

I glanced out the window and saw a tall figure standing under the sycamore tree, holding a box and constantly looking toward the door.

"No," I answered flatly, not even bothering to react to her teasing.

Instead of going downstairs, I grabbed my phone from the cabinet and texted Andrew: [Is there something you need?]

Since I wanted to keep things clean between us, I tried to avoid seeing him in person.

My phone started ringing. I hesitated for a moment before picking up.

"Sophia, I brought you some food." Andrew's gentle voice came through the phone. "Can you come downstairs and pick it up?"

"Thanks, but I don't need it." I hung up, not feeling a thing.

Andrew stood there, stunned. He hadn't expected me to be so cold. Something between us wasn't the same anymore.

As he walked out of the school gate, Cindy was waiting for him in the passenger seat of the car.

"Andrew, did you see Sophia?" asked Cindy with a soft and sweet voice. She looked up at him with her big, teary eyes.

"No," Andrew replied, still stuck on that "I don't need it" from earlier. His tone was stiff. "She didn't come down."

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't twisted my ankle, I could've brought it up to Sophia's dorm myself." Cindy looked all guilty. "She hasn't been home in ages. I wonder if she's taking care of herself."

As she spoke, her eyes were starting to tear up.

Andrew suddenly felt a pang of guilt and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "Hey, don't cry. I know you're worried about Sophia, but she'll be fine. I promise."

He gently wiped the tears from Cindy's cheeks and gave her nose a playful poke. "You're way skinnier than her. You need to eat more."

Back home, Andrew pulled out his phone and stared at my name on the screen, lost in thought.

Before today, he hadn't received my message for a long time.

The top message was from the night of the party, when I wanted him to come early so I could wear the necklace he was giving me.

That necklace was the latest design by Charles Chloe, and I had been looking forward to it for ages.

He'd planned to surprise me with it once he got it.

But Cindy spilled the beans to me as soon as Andrew reserved it, and my eyes lit up like a sky full of stars.

Thinking about how I looked back then, Andrew couldn't help but smile.

Andrew typed out a message to me: [Hey, are you still up? Want to grab lunch together tomorrow?]

But after a long while, there was still no reply.

Andrew's face clouded with disappointment. "Maybe she's already asleep and didn't see it," he said to himself, trying to comfort himself.

I lay in bed, read Andrew's message, and couldn't help but feel a wave of irony wash over me.

Was he really trying to ask me out, or was he doing what Cindy wanted?

Every time Andrew and I were alone, Cindy would always coincidentally pop up out of nowhere.

"Cindy is all by herself. Let's bring her along." That was what Andrew would always say.

And I never thought anything of it.

Andrew and I had grown up together since we were little.

He was always by my side. Together, we went to the dance studio, talked about school stuff, took part in outdoor activities, and shared our little secrets.

Our friends and families all saw us as the perfect match and were convinced that we'd end up together someday.

Honestly, I believed it, too. Now, thinking back, I was so naive.

Cindy was five years younger than me, and back then, she was always tagging along behind us.

While I was always the star, Cindy was ordinary. She was quiet, timid, insecure, and way too sensitive.

Our parents never put any pressure on her. As long as she was happy, that was all they cared about.

I took care of her with extra attention out of a natural sense of responsibility as her older sister.

I never imagined Cindy would get involved with Andrew. The guy everyone thought I'd marry, with my little sister, teamed up to push me into the abyss.

Thinking back, I was so stupid in my previous life, never seeing the truth behind any of it.

I still remember that Valentine's Day when Andrew and I were supposed to walk along the Lovers' Bridge together.

But Cindy's presence turned it into the three of us walking side by side.

I politely reminded her. "Mom's waiting for you at home."

Cindy looked at me with her eyes brimming with tears. "Sophia, am I getting in the way of you and Andrew?"

Then she took a couple of unsteady steps back and turned around. "I'll head home now."

Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. She looked so small and miserable that Andrew snapped at me. "Sophia, she's your sister. How could you treat her like that?"

My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and guilt hit me hard.

"Andrew, don't be mad at Sophia." Cindy ran back and grabbed my hand. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have bothered you guys."

Andrew immediately stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into his embrace. "It's not your fault. Sophia was the one in the wrong."

I didn't think anything was weird at the time. I was even mortified by what I'd said.