Chapter 1

I lowered my gaze to the four custom LEGO figures sitting on my desk.

I had ordered them during my first week here—Mother, Father, Dante, and Luca. It had seemed pathetic even then, but arranging them around my textbooks made the apartment feel less empty.

I was about to pack them away when my phone lit up.

Mother: Come home this afternoon. We need to discuss your college decision.

My eyes caught on one word.

Home.

Something inside me stirred before I could stop it.

Maybe they remembered their promise.

I called a cab.

Months ago, I had taken a Bellini car to visit Bianca at the hospital. The moment she saw me, she suffered another breakdown.

Father blamed me and revoked my access to the family fleet, making sure I could never show up uninvited again.

When the cab stopped at the estate’s iron gates, guards surrounded it and questioned the driver before finally letting us through.

By the time I stepped into the main salon, Bianca was seated in the center of the room, four beautifully wrapped gifts arranged before her.

Mother, Father, Dante, and Luca surrounded her.

“UCLA and USC,” Mother said, smoothing Bianca’s hair. “Our girl received two wonderful offers in California.”

She didn’t mention the donations Father had made, the trustees he had called, or the favors he had traded to secure those offers.

Bianca smiled softly. “I still don’t know which one to choose.”

“UCLA,” Dante said. “It’s one of the best universities.”

Luca shook his head. “USC would suit her better. It’s smaller, more private, and the Bellinis already have connections there.”

Mother gave Bianca’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

“Either way, California will be good for her. Her doctors have always said the sunshine and warmer climate would help her recovery.”

They argued over Bianca’s acceptance as if she had just conquered California.

But I knew her recovery had never been the real issue. I had seen how quickly Bianca’s fragility vanished when no one was watching.

Once, after one of her panic attacks, I found her alone, laughing at something on her phone. The instant Mother entered, Bianca dropped the phone and her hands began to tremble again.

I told my family what I had seen. Mother accused me of being jealous, while Dante said I was trying to damage Bianca’s recovery.

After that, I stopped trying to prove anything.

Father watched from his chair, pride softening the severe lines of his face.

No one noticed me standing in the doorway.

For one disorienting moment, I felt like an intruder inside the house where I had been born.

Then Mother glanced up.

“Valentina. You’re here.”

The warmth left her voice, not entirely, but enough for me to hear the difference.

Bianca followed her gaze. Her smile faded.

Dante gestured toward the sofa. “Don’t just stand there.”

I sat in the chair farthest from Bianca.

Father studied me across the room. “Have all your college decisions come in?”

“Yes. I got into—”

“The exact list can wait,” Mother interrupted.

She sat beside Bianca and took her hand before looking at me.

“We asked you here because we need you to turn down any offers from California.” Mother said, “Bianca needs a fresh start, and it would be better if you weren’t attending school near her.”

For a moment, I thought I had misheard her.

Mother knew I had spent the past four years working toward Stanford. It had been my dream since freshman year.

Every advanced class I had taken, every competition I had entered, and every sleepless night I had spent studying had been for the chance to go there.

And now Mother was asking me to give it up as if it meant nothing.

I stared at her. “Why would I do that?”

Mother continued carefully. “Bianca has worked very hard this year. She deserves to begin college without feeling as though she’s competing with you again.”

Worked hard?

I knew exactly how Bianca had received those offers. Father had made donations, called trustees, and traded favors until doors opened for her.

I was the one who had spent four years earning my Stanford acceptance. No donations. No family connections. Not even a word of encouragement from the people now asking me to throw it away.

“I never competed with her.” I said.

“You don’t have to,” Bianca whispered. “You win without trying.”

Dante placed a protective hand on her shoulder.

I looked at Father. “You’re really asking me to throw away four years of work just to make Bianca comfortable?”

His gaze remained cold and steady.

“The decision has been made. You will stay away from California altogether. Bianca deserves one place where she won’t have to live in your shadow.”

Mother agreed. “This family has finally had a year of peace,” she said. “We can’t risk anything threatening your sister’s recovery. I knew you would understand.”

“Stanford has one of the best computer science programs in the country.” I insisted.

“And Cornell is an excellent school,” Father replied. “Far enough from the city to give Bianca room, but close enough that the family can still reach you.”

He had already chosen my future.

Just as he had chosen my apartment. My isolation. The amount of protection I deserved.

All without asking me.

I turned to Dante.

He frowned as though I were the one being unreasonable.

“You’ll do fine anywhere. You always do.”

Finally, I looked at Luca.

He had once sat beside me in the Bellini library while I filled out my Stanford application. He had kissed my temple and told me he couldn’t wait for me to join him there.

Now he wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Luca?”

His jaw tightened.

For one foolish second, I still expected him to defend me.

Instead, he said quietly, “You’re brilliant, Val. A school doesn’t change that.”

Then he looked at Bianca.

“But she isn’t like you. She needs someone to take care of her.”