Chapter 2

When Ryan was little, he was a little tyrant, acting like he ruled the world. It was the complete opposite of how calm and collected he was now.

Our families lived right across the hall, and our moms were best friends, so he was always dragging me into trouble. We'd get scolded by our parents, but he never let it bother him.

When did he turn into the person he was now?

It must've been in high school. He pretty much became a school-wide celebrity during freshman orientation.

And it wasn't because he showed off some talent or anything. It was his face.

He was ridiculously good-looking, with that sharp nose and thin lips. He even aced the first exam of the year, so people would crowd around the honor roll to catch a glimpse of him.

Back then, my mom was still around, and he and I commuted together. My backpack was always in his hands, and whenever we had to move books for exams, he'd handle it for me.

At the school track meet, I totally ate it on the track during the 400-meter dash. My knee was a bloody mess. Ryan carried me all the way to the nurse's office on his back. And the worry in his eyes? That was real.

That was when I started keeping my girlish secrets locked away in my heart.

After my mom passed away, my dad wasted no time bringing home his mistress, along with my half-sister who was two years younger.

I felt like I had no family left. I was an outsider at every family gathering, the person everyone wished wasn't there. I completely fell apart.

Ryan was always there for me. When I couldn't eat, he'd whip up all kinds of dishes, hoping I'd eat something. He stuck with me until I clawed my way out of that depression.

Because my dad never stepped in, I got plenty of dirty looks from my stepmom at home. Somehow, Anna, Ryan's mom, found out about it and took me in.

She even stormed into my dad's office and raised hell. When she got back, she told me, "Emmy, honey, you don't have to go back to that house. Stay with us, and I'll look after you forever."

I nodded hard, and like that, I moved in with the Carters. Ryan and I saw each other every day, and he knew all my likes and dislikes by heart.

Then my half-sister, Lily Grant, transferred to our class. She wasn't exactly a star student, but somehow she skipped two grades. I was pretty sure Dad had to spend a lot to make that happen.

But she didn't bother to study. Instead, she was all over Ryan.

Every time class ended, she would rush over to him. "Ryan, how do you solve this one?

"Ryan, you gotta come to my birthday party next week.

"Ryan, let's go to the amusement park this weekend, okay?"

Even though he always brushed her off coldly, it seriously bugged me to see them together.

After school, I gave Ryan a subtle warning, telling him not to get too close to Lily.

He seemed to see right through me, shooting me a smile that was impossible to read.

I thought he'd taken it in, but before long, rumors started flying around class that Ryan was into Lily.

They said some classmates had spotted Ryan and Lily on a date at a dessert shop over the weekend, both looking delighted.

I remembered that Ryan hadn't been home that weekend, and when he'd been leaving, he'd said vaguely he'd be right back.

I'd assumed he'd been out to buy something. I never imagined he was meeting Lily. The ache in my chest was unbearable.

On the way home from school that day, I didn't say a word to him. He knew I always went silent when I was mad, so he kept glancing at my face, treading carefully.

I ignored Ryan for days. Lily, on the other hand, strutted in front of me, gloating more than once.

Every word she said made it clear that she was dead set on claiming Ryan.