Chapter 2

A little while later, Liam came back carrying a mug, his voice almost overly pleasant.

"I made you some coffee. Get to bed early tonight. Good night."

Then he yawned and headed back to the bedroom.

It could have been milk. Juice. Even a glass of water would have been fine.

Instead, he made me coffee.

I'd struggled with insomnia for years. Sleep was already hard enough, and I kept sleep aids in the nightstand beside the bed. After living with me for five years, there was no way Liam hadn't seen them. No way he didn't know.

A hot, bitter ache rose in my throat.

Holding back tears, I stumbled into the kitchen. The cold takeout potstickers belonged in the trash, and the coffee needed to go down the sink, but my hands weren't cooperating. I moved the wrong way and dumped the entire mug of hot coffee straight into the garbage.

The mug slipped from my hand and shattered.

The crash woke Sophie.

Liam came out looking angrier than I'd seen him in a long time.

"Didn't I tell you to keep it down?"

With my back to him, I quickly wiped away my tears.

"My hand slipped."

He didn't let it go.

"You did that on purpose."

Before I could answer, Sophie wandered over rubbing her eyes. She caught Liam by the arm and gave it a little shake.

"Don't be mad at her. I'm sure she didn't mean to do it."

The anger disappeared from his face almost instantly.

"I'm not mad at her. Go back to sleep."

Sophie blinked up at him with exaggerated innocence, then came over and slipped her arm through mine.

"Don't be upset," she said sweetly. "You'll always be my favorite person."

From the couch, Liam frowned.

"What about me? I treat you pretty well too. How come you only like your sister?"

Sophie immediately let go of me and hurried back to him. She tugged playfully at his sleeve.

"Fine. You're my second favorite, okay?"

Then, in an even sweeter voice, she added, "You're the best. Don't be mad anymore, Liam."

The last word came out drawn and teasing, with the same playful affection she always used when reminding him he was supposed to be her future brother-in-law.

Just like that, Liam was smiling again.

Standing together beneath the warm light, the two of them looked less like family and more like a couple still in the honeymoon phase.

It wasn't the first time I'd had to watch something like this.

When Liam and I first got together, things had been different. Back then, what we had really had felt gentle and complete.

My father died when I was young, and my mother had never been particularly loving. For as long as I could remember, I'd wanted a home that truly felt like mine.

So when Liam asked me to move to Cedarford and live with him, I said yes without hesitation. I was so happy, convinced I'd finally found the place where I belonged.

And back then, he really had adored me.

My stomach was sensitive, and I couldn't handle the rich, heavily spiced food that was popular around here. Liam would get up half an hour early just to make me a mild breakfast I could actually eat.

No matter how late he had to work, he always came to pick me up on time.

His phone passcode was my birthday. My picture was his lock screen.

There had been so many small moments when he'd taken care of me so completely that I'd grown used to feeling safe with him. Sometimes I even worried about it, afraid that one day I might somehow lose the love he'd given me.

Whenever I admitted that fear, Liam would patiently reassure me.

"I take care of you because I want to give you all the love you missed growing up. I want to make up for everything your parents couldn't give you."

I believed him.

For five whole years, I believed every word.

Then Sophie graduated from college and moved to the same city.

Little by little, Liam stopped remembering what I liked and started remembering everything about her instead.

He remembered what she liked to eat. When her exams were. When she was on break. When she was running short on money.

He even remembered when her period was due.

At first, I told myself he was only looking after her because she was my sister.

Eventually, I realized how wrong I was.

She was always the one allowed to laugh, make a fuss, and take whatever she wanted.

I was always the one expected to back down.

Sophie could pout, act spoiled, make demands, and never question whether she had the right.

Somehow, I had been pushed back into the same role I'd spent my whole life playing: the one who had to be mature, understanding, and accommodating.

The faint indentation from my engagement ring was still visible around my finger, a reminder of how hopeful I'd been when Liam proposed.

Looking at it now, I finally understood something.

This wasn't the home I'd wanted anymore.

Across the room, Sophie curled up on the couch and said something I couldn't hear. Liam laughed, then reached over and gave her an affectionate pat on the head.

Warm light fell over the two of them.

I stood alone in the shadows, feeling the cold spread through my body.

I clenched my teeth until my jaw hurt, refusing to let the tears spill over.

When I finally spoke, my voice trembled.

"Liam, come here for a minute. I need to talk to you."