Chapter 2

I looked at George's indifferent expression. If Mom hadn't warned me, I probably would've believed him again.

In the past, I used to trust him so much. I really thought he liked being friends with me.

I still remembered my birthday three years ago. He gathered all the kids around to sing the birthday song for me, his eyes shining as he said, "Tam, I'll protect you forever."

At that moment, I was so touched I nearly cried. From then on, I followed him everywhere.

I never imagined he actually preferred playing with Ariana all along. He'd only been nice to me because of my dad.

And now? He was just pretending to have amnesia so that he could openly say he liked being with Ariana, while still agreeing to "take care of me" so that Dad would adopt him.

As if things were that simple.

What a jerk.

I held back from exposing him and thought that I would let him enjoy himself for two more days. Honestly, I really wanted to see the look on his face when he heard Dad's announcement in person.

Seeing me stay quiet, Martin nudged my shoulder. "So who did you pick?"

I said calmly, "You'll find out in two days."

I turned to leave, but Trevor's voice came from behind me.

"George, she definitely picked you. Remember when you had a fever? Tam ran through the rain to get medicine for you and ended up soaking wet herself. She treats you so well."

"Really?" George smirked, clearly pleased. "I didn't know she cared that much about me."

Something pricked in my chest, and my eyes instantly burned, but I forced myself not to cry.

Everyone around here knew I liked being around George. Even though the other kids teased me for being his "tagalong", I didn't care.

I had lost my mom when I was young, and Dad was always away on missions. George was the only one who stood up for me when other kids bullied me.

So when he became my friend, I was so happy. I told myself I'd be extra nice to him. But now I realized that maybe he was only nice to me because of who Dad was.

"Tamsin, wait!" George called out.

I turned and saw him walking toward me, holding one of Ariana's dolls.

"I know you picked me," he said. "I'll be your brother, but I hope you won't interfere when I hang out with Ariana."

I looked at him seriously. "Didn't you lose your memory? How are you so sure I picked you?"

George frowned. "Everyone says you like hanging out with me the most. Who else would you pick?"

A wave of anger surged in me.

So he knew all along how much I cared, yet he still treated my feelings like this.

"Don't worry, I won't cling to you anymore. You can spend all the time you want with Ariana."

Honestly, I figured if he knew I chose Clyde, he'd probably be even happier.

George froze for a moment, clearly surprised by how easily I agreed.

I turned and kept walking. He instinctively reached out to grab me, but suddenly, a child's bicycle came wobbling straight toward me.

The wheel slammed into my leg, and I fell hard onto the ground. My palms scraped against the rough concrete, the skin breaking open.

Ariana jumped off the bike in a panic, her voice trembling and tearful as she rushed toward me. "Tam, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you…"

Before I could say anything, Mom's voice exploded in my head. "That little actress! Last time, she also grabbed your swing first, then cried as if you bullied her. That idiotic George believed her every single time!"

Sure enough, seeing Ariana on the verge of tears, George softened immediately. "It's fine, Ariana. It was just an accident. Tam won't blame you."

He helped Ariana up, then turned to me with a look of annoyance. "It's just a scrape. Don't make such a big deal out of it."

My arm burned with pain as I forced myself to stand, holding back tears.

Ariana sniffled. "Tam, I'm really sorry… I wasn't paying attention while riding. How about I hit myself once to make it up to you?"