Chapter 1

Julian had spent the past two weeks preparing for my birthday party at the estate, assuring me with complete confidence, “Claire, just leave everything to me. Don’t I know what you like by now?”

His initiative had made me look forward to the party more than ever.

But when my birthday finally arrived and I stepped into the ballroom, I was completely stunned.

The entire venue had been transformed into the romantic garden theme my younger sister loved.

But my taste had always leaned toward classic European elegance.

The magnificent crystal chandelier I had spent a fortune acquiring was nowhere to be seen, replaced by pink drapery. The gilded reliefs had been removed and replaced with artificial floral garlands.

Even the red roses I had arranged to have flown in had been replaced with peonies and hydrangeas, both of which I was allergic to.

Worst of all, the three-tier birthday cake was covered in mango, which I was allergic to as well.

Julian knew perfectly well that I couldn’t eat mangoes.

When he noticed me staring at the cake, he was quick to explain on my sister’s behalf.

“Mia made the cake herself. She might have overlooked a few things, so try to be understanding.”

Mia hurried over and clung to my arm, pouting playfully.

“Claire, I stayed up for two whole nights designing this cake. Do you really not like it?”

The ballroom fell silent for a moment as the guests stole curious glances in my direction.

After a brief pause, I forced a smile.

“It’s not that I don’t like it.”

I said nothing about how disappointed I was.

Ever since we were children, our parents had always favored Mia—the younger sister who always knew just what to say. Our birthdays were only two days apart, so every year, they bought a single cake and celebrated Mia’s birthday.

I had always wanted a birthday that belonged to me alone.

Yet I had never imagined that this time, Mia would even blow out my candles for me.

I was reminded of the day I received my acceptance offer from MIT. Before I could even share the news myself, she had already posted about it on social media.

“My sister is amazing! She absolutely has to take me out to dinner tonight!”

When I got promoted and bought my first car, she climbed into the passenger seat, then posted a nine-photo collage online.

“My first car, of course I’m taking the most important person in my life for a ride.”

On our third anniversary, she announced that she had just gone through a breakup and that eating alone would be too miserable to bear. She insisted on sitting across from us, turning what was supposed to be a romantic candlelit dinner for two into a meal for three.

I had told Julian that it made me uncomfortable, but he always laughed it off.

“You know what your sister’s like. It’s not as if you haven’t known her your whole life.”

“She’s close to both of us. Don’t read too much into it.”

And this year, she had turned my birthday party into her own event.

By then, Mia and Julian had already started distributing the cake.

The first slice, the one bearing the words Happy Birthday, went to Mia.

Then came the second slice, the third, and so on, each going to one of the guests who had teased them earlier.

By the time it was my turn, the three-tier cake had collapsed into a misshapen mess that had completely killed my appetite.

I set down my plate, picked up my bag without a word, and headed for the doors.

Mia called out to me from the stage.

“Claire, the dancing is about to start! Aren’t you going to get ready for the opening dance? Where are you going?”

Standing beside her onstage, Julian frowned in displeasure.

“Claire, don’t make a scene at an important event.”

I turned back and asked him just one question.

“Whose birthday is it, exactly?”

Julian froze, while Mia’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

“Claire, did I upset you again? I’m sorry!”

Julian frowned.

“Claire, she’s apologized. What more do you want?”

I no longer had the energy to say another word to either of them, so I turned and walked straight out of the ballroom.

Behind me, I heard Julian say, “Don’t go after her. She’ll come back on her own once she’s calmed down.”

He was so certain I loved him too much to leave. To him, this was just another tantrum. Nothing would actually change.

But this time, I really was leaving for good.