Chapter 1

Ella Robinson was enthusiastic and generous, and she reminded people of the sun.

In contrast, Silvia Robinson was quiet, just like her name, and she was just like a shadow without any sort of presence.

From the moment Gregory Fisher first met Ella, Silvia had a bad feeling about it.

Back then, Silvia reassured herself that she and Gregory had been together for a decade, so it wouldn't happen.

But harsh reality proved that Silvia couldn't have been more wrong.

Gregory had sent her to the hospital and kept watch by her bed. He was even worried that the IV fluid would make her hands cold, so he asked the nurse for a heating pad to keep her warm.

"That kiss was an accident," Gregory said. "I just think of her as you, a younger and livelier version of you. Silvia, why do you have to be so strong and distant? I always feel like you don't need me anymore.

"Anyway, this won't happen again. As for Ella, well, she's your sister, after all, and she's so young, too. Don't hold it against her, okay?"

Silvia lowered her gaze, and she suddenly laughed. "Are you telling me all this just because you're worried that I might drive Ella out?"

Gregory's breath hitched as he gripped Silvia's hand. "Silvia, I know you're still upset about it. It's okay. I'll stay with you until you feel better."

Silvia pulled her hand from Gregory's grasp, then turned over so that she had her back to him. She could hear Gregory sighing behind her, as if he were dealing with a spoiled child.

Just then, his phone rang, and she could hear Ella's voice coming through the phone. "Gregory, I'm scared. I'm all alone at home. Can you come back and keep me company?

"I didn't mean to push Silvia. I was just heartbroken when I saw her slapping you. Later on, I calmed down and thought about it. I really didn't push her that hard, so I have no idea why Silvia would suddenly fall down the stairs like that."

After reassuring Ella in a low voice, Gregory said to Silvia, "Something came up at work. I'll be right back."

Then, he hurried out of the hospital.

Gregory never once returned, not even after Silvia was discharged.

The injury in Silvia's legs hadn't completely healed. She only left the hospital because she didn't want to deal with any more visitors.

Over the past few days, lots of people had come to see her, but they were always repeating the same things.

They all wanted her to forgive Ella.

She had no idea what Ella told them, but all her friends and colleagues were looking at her with heavy condemnation.

They said things like, "Ella is practically a child. No matter how terrible her mother was, you can't just take out your anger on a child, can you? You're her only sister and the only family she has left. If even you are holding a bias against her, she'll really be all alone!"

When Silvia heard her best friend, Tessa Meyer, saying those words in self-righteousness, she felt her heart grow cold.

She did indeed feel some resentment.

However, she had never once mistreated Ella. Even when Ella wanted to study abroad, she had sent Ella overseas as soon as she had scraped together the money.

Everyone seemed to have conveniently forgotten that their father, Jared Robinson, had eloped with Ella's mother when Silvia was barely three years old. He had taken all their wealth and walked out, leaving Silvia and her mother, Rosaline Hall, drowning in debt.

Rosaline resented her husband, and she took it all out on Silvia. She worked hard to raise her daughter, but she was also cursing and shouting at her.

Silvia studied hard, got into a famous school, landed a job at a major tech company, and met Gregory. Just when everything was looking up, the Robinsons brought Ella along and came knocking.

"Jared and his wife died in an accident, leaving their daughter all alone. Ella is 13 years old, and you're her older sister by blood. It's your responsibility to care for her until she's of age."

As a father, Jared had never once called Silvia or sent her any money in all those years. But now, according to the law, Silvia had to raise the child of the couple who had been the root of all their suffering.

Left with no other choice, Silvia took Ella in.

She herself was only 20 years old, but she had to take care of her 13-year-old sister like a mother.

Sometimes, things got too busy at work, so Silvia had no choice but to bring Ella to the office.

Ella was Jared and his wife's only daughter, so of course, they spoiled her and raised her to be cheerful and self-assured.

Silvia's friends and colleagues started out feeling some sort of aversion to Ella, but they gradually grew to like her.

"Your sister is much more likeable than you." Silvia had heard the people around her tell her that more often than she had liked.

And even now, the man she had been dating for a decade shared the same opinion.

"Silvia, wake up…" In her daze, Silvia heard someone gently calling her name.

With her thoughts interrupted, Silvia opened her eyes to find that the session was over. She got up, and the nurse removed the equipment attached to her head.

The nurse said, "You may experience a decline in memory during this period, and that's normal. Just be sure to stick to a regular daily routine. Don't forget your next appointment."

Silvia nodded, jotting down everything the nurse had said in the notebook that she carried with her at all times.

With every ECT session she went through, she gradually began to forget lots of things. So, she wrote down everything she had to do in the notebook.

She tried to remember but realized that events in the past seemed to have been shrouded in fog. She felt like a bystander, calm and rational.

At the top of her notes, she saw two points written in bold red font.

The first one was to sever official ties to Ella.

The second was to break up with Gregory.