Chapter 1
After my sister Emily Lane's ex left her at the altar, she decided all men were trash.
The day I brought William Reed to meet her, she didn't even offer us coffee.
She just said, "He's nice to you now because he hasn't met someone who needs his sympathy more."
I tugged at her sleeve.
But William took my hand and looked Emily straight in the eye.
"If I ever betray Sophie, I'll make sure I lose everything she's given me, with my own hands," he said.
Emily let out a laugh.
"We'll see about that," she said.
After that, things between Emily and me grew really distant. William was caught in the middle, always telling me I shouldn't push someone who's been hurt to heal overnight.
Then, right before I got back from my exhibition, I came across an anonymous confession post.
[I've fallen for my sister's fiancé. Am I a terrible person?]
The comments were full of hate.
But there was a reply from a throwaway account.
[Don't blame her. I was the one who got close first. She's got a tough shell, but inside she's all broken. The more I see her, the less I can bear to let her go through it alone.]
I clicked into the throwaway account's profile.
The only thing there was a video of a dog.
That dog, Buddy, was the one William gave me, kneeling in the rain all those years ago.
*****
I didn't leave the profile right away.
In the video, Buddy was sprawled by the couch, his tail sweeping across a man's slipper.
I recognized those slippers.
Buddy had chewed up the left one, but William couldn't bring himself to toss them. He always said they were the lucky charm of our home.
Emily's voice drifted in from the corner of the video.
"Looks like he likes you more," she said.
William let out a low chuckle.
"He just knows who treats you better," he replied.
My finger hovered over the screen. I almost couldn't stop myself.
The exhibition wrapped up early, so I changed my flight home without telling anyone.
When I got home, the motion-sensor light at the door flickered on for a second, then went out.
There was a bouquet of white roses sitting on the shoe cabinet.
I never liked white roses.
Emily did.
The living room was spotless, and the cups on the coffee table were paired up.
I stood in the entryway, hearing the faint sound of voices drifting down from upstairs.
"Sophie's not coming home tonight."
It was William.
Emily's voice sounded tense.
"But this is her home," she said.
"It's my home too," William replied.
I gripped the handle of my suitcase, frozen in place.
There was a brief silence from the stairs.
Then William added, "You don't have to keep acting like you don't belong here."
I looked down and changed my shoes.
Buddy poked his head out from behind the couch. When he saw me, he froze for a moment, then tucked his tail and retreated.
Back then, whenever he saw me, he'd go crashing through half the living room.
Now, he just stood a few steps away, too scared to come any closer.
I crouched down and held out my hand to him.
"Buddy," I called out.
He was just about to come over when the door upstairs creaked open.
Emily was standing on the second floor, draped in my knit sweater.
I'd spent ages knitting that sweater myself, using yarn Mom left behind. There was even a patch I'd sewn on the cuff, a little crooked.
Her face was ghostly pale.
"Sophie, why are you home early?" Emily asked.
William stepped out from behind her, his shirt with one button undone.
I looked up.
"Do I have to let you know every time I come home?" I shot back.
Emily's fingers tightened around the edge of the sweater.
"That's not what I meant," Emily said.
William came downstairs, sounding worn out.
"Emily wasn't feeling well tonight, so I came over to check on her. Don't start with that attitude as soon as you walk in."
I pushed my suitcase inside.
"Did you have to wear my sweater for that?" I shot back.
Emily's eyes welled up with tears.
William's brows furrowed.
"Sophie, she's just feeling cold," he said.
"I feel cold too," I replied.
My voice was barely above a whisper.
"You used to remember..." I said softly.
William paused for a moment.
Buddy let out a low whimper and slunk over to Emily's feet.
Emily bent down to pet him, her voice trembling like she was holding back tears.
"I'll go back to my room. I won't get in your way," she said.
As she turned to leave, a keychain slipped out of the sweater pocket.
It was a little silver dog.
I bent down and picked it up.
There were two words engraved on the back.
Emily Lane.
I'd ordered this as a matching set when I got Buddy's ID tag.
The other one had "Sophie Lane" on it.
That tag had always been on Buddy's collar.
I reached out to touch Buddy's collar.
But it was gone.
William reached out to take the keychain.
"Sophie, don't start," he said.
I pulled my hand away.
"Is this because she's cold too?" I shot back.
William's face darkened.
"It's just a little thing. Do you really have to get so worked up over something so small?" he said.
Emily stood at the corner of the stairs, her voice hoarse, like she'd just been crying.
"William, just give it back to her. She doesn't like me messing with her stuff," she said.
William turned to her.