Chapter 2

I frowned, pressing both hands against Sebastian's chest in an attempt to push him away, but it was useless. He slid his hand along the wall above my head, then suddenly grabbed my hair and pulled slightly, forcing me to look up and meet his gaze.

He smiled indifferently, his eyes as cold as ice. "But it's too bad a vicious woman like you is no longer worth my time."

With that, he let go of his grip in disgust, and I collapsed to the floor.

There was a time when he used to look at me with deep affection, his eyes shimmering like starlight. He had been just like a loyal little puppy craving my love. However, after I rejected him again and again, he brought back Ian's first love.

"Ian, this is my girlfriend, Eva. You wouldn't mind, right?"

Even though he had been speaking to Ian, his eyes had been glued to me.

That same night, Ian left the house with the excuse that he would be working late. That was when Sebastian broke into my bedroom, took a strand of my hair into his mouth, and asked me with a fake troubled look, "Sienna, the girlfriend I brought home is my brother's first love, the woman he used to care a lot about. They're out on a midnight date now, so I'm alone again. What should I do?"

With a keen gaze, he stared at me like I was prey he was bound to catch. "Sienna, why don't you compensate me for my loss instead?"

That was the first time he revealed his true intentions.

After that, Sebastian repeatedly schemed to lure Ian away with Eva. However, somewhere along the way, he began to care about Eva too.

At this moment, Sebastian let go of my hand as soon as his custom ringtone for Eva started ringing. "Eva, don't be scared. My brother is probably caught in traffic. I'll take the bike and be right there."

Without sparing me a second glance, he turned and left.

As his motorcycle disappeared into the flurry of snow, a wave of sadness and worthlessness washed over me. I had never loved Sebastian, but I had always seen him as a younger brother.

But the two brothers had never trusted me. Whenever Eva cried, they would instinctively blame me for everything.

When I was lying in the hospital bed before, I was clear-headed at last. That was when I decided it was time to cut ties with both of them completely.

I had come back today intending to formally break up with Ian and properly say goodbye to Sebastian. Unfortunately, once again, the two of them had left me behind for Eva. Let it be, then. I had grown used to this.

…

The next morning, I went directly to Ian's office to submit my resignation. Looking at the company I had helped build from the ground up, I felt an overwhelming feeling of reluctance.

When Ian first started his business, he could not close a single deal and spent every day sighing at home.

I could not bear to see him like that, so I started handling the sales myself. When the company was still a startup, I was the one who signed 90% of the orders.

Back then, Sebastian was still a student. On weekends, he would come home and scold Ian, "Is this how you take care of your girlfriend, making her go out, meet clients, and drink until she throws up every day? Did she give up everything just to be your sales representative?"

Ian barely looked at Sebastian when he replied, "What does how I treat my girlfriend have to do with you?"

That night, Sebastian came to me, wanting to elope with me. I turned him down.

He looked at me with eyes full of pain. "Why him and not me?"

I didn't have an answer because I had only ever seen Sebastian as a brother. I never thought that not long after, he would bring Eva home.

When Eva showed up, the company had finally begun to gain stability. Ian replaced me with her in no time at all.

"Sienna, it's not that she's replacing you. I just don't want you to be too tired. I want you to rest at home. Remember the day you said you'd come with me? I promised then that I'd help you live your dream. Wasn't it always your dream to be a pianist?

"Now, I have the money, and you have the time. You can finally pursue that dream."

Thinking Ian was doing this for the sake of helping me achieve my dream, I held him and cried tears of joy.

A month later, I was about to perform on the stage for the first time. As I waited nervously and with anticipation, I received a call from Ian.