"Nora!"

Ethan's face changed instantly. He rushed over to protect her, shooting a wary look at me.

Nora hid in his arms, sobbing.

"Sadie, if you didn't want me to stay here, you could have just said so. Ethan just bought me this outfit. It's very expensive, and I love it. Why did you have to bump into me on purpose and ruin it?"

I tried to explain, my hands flapping uselessly. "I didn't, I wasn't trying to…"

"That's enough!"

Ethan cut me off sharply. "Sadie, I told you to stop playing these games. If you don't want Nora staying here, we'll move out the day after tomorrow."

Then, without giving me a chance to say another word, he scooped Nora up into his arms and carried her back to her room to change.

As he walked away, Nora, with her arms wrapped around his neck, shot me a triumphant smirk.

When Nora came out wearing the one dress I treasured most, the blood drained from my face.

Ethan was completely unapologetic. "Well, you never wore this dress after I gave it to you anyway. Nora might as well wear it."

I gave a bitter smile.

The reason I never wore that dress was because I cherished it too much.

In all the years I'd known him, that was the only birthday present Ethan had ever given me.

After he found out about my crush, he stopped giving me anything at all, so I treated that dress like a precious treasure.

But now, I just nodded numbly. "Fine. It doesn't fit me anymore. I was planning on getting rid of it or giving it away anyway."

For the next few days, Nora clung to Ethan, constantly showing off their affection, seemingly for my benefit.

On the day Ethan got down on one knee and proposed, I was so distracted that I got into a minor car accident and was taken to the hospital by a passerby.

They came to visit me as a group.

Nora's face crumpled, on the verge of tears.

"Ethan, do you think... do you think Sadie got into an accident on purpose because we got engaged?"

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't pushed you to propose, Sadie wouldn't have gotten hurt…"

She blamed herself endlessly, and Ethan comforted her, his voice full of concern. "It has nothing to do with you. It's okay. I ordered you that latte you like; it should be ready. Go get it."

The moment Nora left, Ethan's face clouded over, and he pointed an accusing finger at me.

"Sadie, did you really have to pull a stunt on the day I proposed to Nora? Are you that desperate to break us up? I told you before, drop it! There's no future for you and me!"

I just gave him a faint smile.

"Ethan, you've got it all wrong. I only see you as a brother."

"And you're thinking way too much. My car accident had nothing to do with you."

Ethan didn't believe me. He thought for a moment, then said, "Nora and I are getting married soon. Sadie, if you know what's good for you, you'll find a boyfriend and get over me."

I nodded. "I already have a boyfriend."

"If you don't, you don't! You don't have to lie!"

Ethan's eyes darkened as he stared at me, a strange, inexplicable frustration rising in his chest that made it hard to breathe.

But just then, Nora came back in with her latte.

She smiled and handed me one, while deliberately flashing the diamond ring on her finger.

"Sadie, don't waste your energy. No matter what you do, it will only make Ethan hate you more. See this? I'm the only one in Ethan's heart. He put this ring on my finger himself. So just give up."

As they were leaving, Ethan gave me one last, long look.

"Even if you don't have a boyfriend, it doesn't matter. You're Leo's sister, which makes you my sister. As long as you drop all those ridiculous ideas, I can take care of you for the rest of your life."

Hearing this, Nora shot me a venomous glare but managed to sound sympathetic.

"That's right. You can think of me as your big sister. Ethan and I will both take care of you."

But I wasn't lying.

I really did have a boyfriend.

My gaze softened as I looked at the gardenias on my bedside table.

They were from my boyfriend, Max.

At first, I had only agreed to my brother's setup to give it a try, but when I got to the coffee shop, I realized Max was the so-called escort I had slept with that night.

My face turned beet red when I saw him, but he just chuckled as if he'd been expecting it, and pinned me against the wall.

"Shy, are we? You weren't so shy last time we met."

I was mortified and wanted nothing more to do with him, but one night, when I was walking home late, some creep started following me.

Max appeared out of nowhere, threw a few punches, and then drove me home.

On the way, I asked him, "Aren't you an escort?"

He kept his eyes on the road, one eyebrow raised. "Who told you I was an escort?"

"You were the one in a hurry that night, grabbing the first man you saw. It's a good thing I was at my club doing an inspection, or who knows which poor guy you would have victimized."

I punched him in the arm, annoyed, but he just caught my hand and pulled it to his chest.

"Sadie, I've liked you for a long time. Be my girlfriend."

Even my car accident had been because I heard Max was going to propose and I got momentarily distracted.

Every time I thought of his face, a quiet joy bloomed in my heart.

After I got out of the hospital, I was out from morning till night. One evening, when I got back after eleven, Ethan was standing at the door in his lounge clothes.

His expression was complicated. "Sadie, have you been avoiding me lately?"

I blinked, then smiled. "You're overthinking things."

But Ethan blocked my path, his brow furrowed as he grabbed my wrist. "You'd better be. Nora and I are getting married soon. I'm warning you, don't try any more funny business."

I pulled my hand away, my expression sincere. "I wish you both a happy marriage."

Ethan's face finally relaxed, but then his eyes fell to my neck, and his expression shifted again.

"Who did that to your neck? Don't tell me it was mosquitoes again."

Max had insisted on leaving those marks earlier in the day, claiming he was "staking his territory."

Before, I would have been afraid of misunderstandings, but now that I had a real boyfriend, there was no need to hide.

"I don't think that's any of your business."

Ethan's face grew even darker.

I turned and walked away, not noticing Nora hiding in a corner, her face pale and her eyes flashing with jealousy.

"Babe, I'm taking you somewhere special."

I got a text from Max that day and was about to happily head out for our date when I saw Nora in the yard, playing on my swing set.

"Sadie!"

I heard Ethan call my name but pretended I didn't hear him.

But when I came home that night, an enraged Ethan kicked my bedroom door open.

He slapped me across the face, his expression contorted with uncontrollable fury.

"Sadie! How could you be so vicious? Nora just wanted to play on your swing for a minute! Is your jealousy so strong that you had to tamper with it and make her fall? She's in the hospital now. Are you happy?"