Chapter 1

I had been waiting on the porch for three hours, and my legs were numb and aching.

As I stumbled inside, I heard my parents talking in the living room.

"Zelinda should be there by now."

"Oh, that poor girl. She and Kane are perfect for each other, but she doesn't get to marry him. Mirta does, of all people."

My heart went cold.

They'd known all along that Kane had gone to the island with Zelinda, yet they'd watched me call him again and again, knowing he wouldn't answer.

Unable to hold back, I stepped forward. "Why didn't you tell me?"

My mother shrugged it off. "So you wouldn't try to stop it, obviously. Your sister hardly ever gets to take a trip. Behave yourself and don't cause trouble."

My voice came out hoarse. "But Kane and I were supposed to have our pre-wedding photos taken today."

My father narrowed his eyes and snapped, "You can reschedule the pre-wedding photo shoot. Do you have to compete with your sister over this?"

I took a deep breath. "I've never competed with her. You're the ones who always make me give in."

My parents had favored Zelinda for as long as I could remember, all because she'd been frail at birth.

She didn't like being disturbed, so my parents moved me into the attic.

She didn't want to go to school with me, so I had to walk.

From a slice of cake to an entire house, if Zelinda wanted something, I had to give it up.

It was the same now. My father gave me a cold look. "You're already going to marry Kane. Why can't you let Zelinda have this?"

My mother was even more dismissive. "Besides, your sister saved Kane's life. What's wrong with him going on a little trip with her?"

All the hurt I'd buried came surging back. I clenched my fists and looked them straight in the eye.

"But I'm the one who saved Kane."

Three years earlier, an enemy of Kane's set off an explosion at a company celebration hosted by the Orsini Group.

I was the one who ran into the fire without a second thought.

A falling sculpture slammed into my lower back as I tried to save him. Flying shards of glass left more than 20 cuts across my back, and I suffered several burns.

I used the last of my strength to carry Kane out on my back before collapsing from blood loss.

When I woke up, no one was at my bedside. Not a single person visited me for the next seven days.

I asked the nurse, "Where's my family? And..."

The nurse told me, "They're busy with another patient."

I didn't notice the pity in her eyes. I assumed Kane was badly hurt, and as soon as I could get out of bed, I ran to see him.

But when I walked into the room, I found Zelinda in the hospital bed instead.

My parents, who hadn't come to see me once in seven whole days, were fussing over her.

And Kane, the man I'd risked my life to save, was sitting by her bed, gently coaxing her to eat dessert.

The room felt warm and intimate, but I stood there frozen, cold to the bone.

Kane was the first to notice me. He paused, then stood up without thinking. "Mirta, what happened? Why do you look like this?"

Before he could come closer, my mother grabbed me. "It's nothing. She just has a little fever.

"Your sister got hurt this badly saving Kane, and instead of helping take care of her, you're here fighting for attention? What kind of sister are you?" she scolded, turning on me.

Stunned, I opened my mouth to protest, but Kane frowned, his voice turning cold. "Mirta, you're being so thoughtless."

It was the first time he'd ever scolded me.

I couldn't breathe.

I wanted to say it wasn't like that, but my mother dragged me back to my room.

Her grip was so tight that her fingers dug into the wound and tore it open, sending blood trickling down my wrist.

But my mother just threw me onto the bed and jabbed a finger in my face.

"Everyone knows your sister saved Kane now. From here on, you keep your mouth shut and don't say one more word about it!"

On the verge of breaking down, I cried, "Why would you tell a lie like that? You know it was me!"

My mother didn't care.

"If your sister weren't so frail, you'd never have had the chance to be the hero.

"You're the older sister. What's wrong with letting her have it?"

Let her have it.

Ever since Zelinda was born, those words had followed me everywhere. But back then, my parents hadn't been this harsh about it.

They used to comfort me, sit me down and explain things, and even buy me extra presents to cheer me up.

But Zelinda wasn't satisfied.

She wanted all our parents' love to herself. No one else could have even the smallest share.

So when I gave her my cake, she dumped it all over herself on purpose, then cried and asked me why I'd done that.

At her birthday party, she pretended to chat with me, grabbed my hand, and made it look like I'd pushed her into the pool.

Every time my parents saw Zelinda sobbing so hard she couldn't breathe, they believed her without hesitation.

The disappointment in their eyes deepened, and so did their disgust for me.

And Zelinda got her wish. She became the only princess in the house. Whatever she liked, whatever she wanted, my parents gave her, like she was their only daughter.

And me? I never should have been born into that family.

I gave in again and again, foolishly hoping for a little bit of their affection.

But giving in only made them demand more and more.

It got so bad that they even forced me to let Zelinda take credit for saving Kane.