Chapter 1

Ryan Cole had loved me since we were kids. He'd drag me up trees, teach me to catch fish in the creek, and take me everywhere. He bought me manga, novels, game consoles—anything I wanted.

But with Emily Brooks? All she ever got from him were cold, clipped words and harsh criticisms that could cut glass.

I thought that favoritism meant something. So when he told me he loved me, I said yes without hesitation.

Until the day I answered his phone by mistake—a call meant for Emily. His voice dripped with tenderness I'd never heard before, thick with longing and regret.

"I'm sorry, Emmy. Sophie had to sink into the mud so everyone could finally see you shine."

I'm Sophie.

That same day, I called my father, Richard Brooks. "Dad," I said, my voice steady despite the knife twisting deeper in my chest. "I'll go study abroad. You were right."

*****

"Think it through carefully, because there's no going back," Richard said.

Hearing Richard's voice again made me feel disconnected from reality.

Our relationship had always been terrible, but he was bound by my mother, Diana Brooks', will to train me as a proper heir. Too bad I'd spent all my time with Ryan instead, and I'd turned into a complete mess.

I skipped classes, ditched school, and spent hours at internet cafes.

The board of directors picked apart everything I did, but I didn't care. For over ten years, Ryan had been everything to me.

When I accidentally found out that Ryan's kindness toward me was all for Emily's sake, my first reaction was denial. But Richard was quick to throw a stack of damning evidence in my face.

Every time Ryan skipped class and went out of his way to buy smoothie, it was for Emily—I was just an afterthought.

When he took me to internet cafes, claiming he wanted me to relax and let loose, he was actually trying to corrupt me.

And when he made me skip classes, it was so the expensive tutors Richard hired for me would be available for Emily instead.

The evidence was overwhelming, but I still refused to believe it. Ryan had been by my side since we were kids, and I couldn't accept that he would treat me this way.

But now, after hearing those words with my own ears, the last shred of hope in my heart shattered into pieces.

My voice trembled as I spoke, "I won't regret it. I'll leave next month."

There was only one month left until the SAT, and Ryan probably knew I was beyond saving at this point. His tolerance for me became completely boundless.

He threw his arm around my shoulders and walked me up to the front of the classroom, announcing loudly to everyone, "Today's Sophie's birthday, and I'm treating everyone to dinner."

High school was suffocating. The pressure crushed down on everyone, and we all needed some kind of release.

"Oh my god, yes. Relationship goals!" someone squealed.

The whole class erupted in excited chatter, and everyone said they'd come to the party.

I glanced down at the classroom floor and spotted Emily. Her head was down, and then she suddenly stood up and ran out.

Ryan didn't stay by my side for long. After making his announcement, he looked toward the direction Emily had gone, and then he left too.

I followed Ryan out, and it didn't take long before I saw a tall figure trapping Emily against the wall.

Ryan's voice came out in a suppressed growl. "Why did you say yes? Can't you see how I feel about you?"

Emily's sobbing caught in her throat, and then tears started streaming down her face. "But you confessed to Sophie, and you treat her so well."

Ryan slammed his hand against the wall, but he was clearly trying to soften his tone. "Didn't you tell me to confess to her? You said you felt insecure after going back to the Brooks family. You said Sophie was too perfect, and everyone ignored you because of her."

He continued, "So you wanted her to look bad, and then everyone would think you were better by comparison."

Ryan was this angry because some guy had passed Emily a love letter today, and Emily had accepted it just to spite him.

He spent all day with me, but he still knew every single thing that happened with Emily.

Emily bit her lips. "But you two grew up together. Your bond is so deep."

Yeah, we were childhood friends who did everything together, but Ryan didn't seem to see it that way.

He paused and looked stunned for a moment.

But when Emily's eyes started welling up again, he rushed to say something.

He said, "That doesn't matter. Plenty of people grow old together but stay strangers, while others meet once and become soulmates. How long you've known someone doesn't mean anything."

He spoke quickly and firmly, and his words—especially that part about growing old as strangers—hit me right in the chest. It hurt.

Those were my twelve years he was dismissing.