Chapter 80
Chapter 1
I turned down the popular girl’s birthday invite for my three stepbrothers so they could focus on SATS.
Score day my brothers absolutely crushed it full rides to Stanford, MIT, and Harvard. The popular girl slit her wrists that same day after bombing her tests.
Years later, my brothers graduated and inherited Dad’s fortune. The source of thɪs content is
Then on my wedding day, they kidnapped me.
Ripped off my dress, threw me into a room full of men, and locked the door while my husband screamed outside.
Through my despair, I heard them screaming at me:
“This is your fault! If you hadn’t stopped us, Charlotte never would’ve killed herself! She just wanted us at her birthday p>
After twenty–four hours of hell, they found us barely alive and slit our wrists.
“Feel what Charlotte felt p>
When I woke up again, I watched the golden girl slip birthday invitations into my three stepbrothers‘ lockers.
This time? I didn’t even glance twice.
I turned around and walked away.
FUCK IT – your lives, your problem!
I silently turned around, shouldered my black backpack, and walked straight out of the classroom.
Behind me, no chaos erupted like I’d expected.
It wasn’t until after study hall that all three of them cornered me in our living room.
Our house was huge – Mom and Dad were constantly traveling for their consulting firm, so it was basically just us four most of the time with our housekeeper coming twice a week.
Usually, I played big sister slash mom figure – making sure they ate decent meals, did their laundry, and actually hit the books instead of gaming all night.
But tonight? I went straight to my room without even glancing their way. And definitely skipped making dinner.
They followed me in, and you could cut the tension with a knife.
My second brother Blake – student body president and straight–A student gunning for valedictorian – stood there with his arms crossed, jaw tight.
Then there was Ryan, my third brother total hothead who was ranked in the top five percent statewide. He straight–up slammed his palm against my doorframe.
“What the hell was that about today? ”
And finally Kai – my youngest brother, the quiet type. Academic decathlon captain and math whiz. He didn’t say anything, just leaned against my dresser with those cold eyes that made everyone uncomfortable.
I dropped my backpack, pulled out my desk chair, and opened my AP Chemistry textbook.
My complete indifference seemed to set Ryan OFF.
Chapter 1
He marched over and slapped my textbook shut.
“Seriously? You’re gonna ignore us p>
“I’m talking to you! You saw Charlotte’s birthday invite, right? What’s your deal? Done being our personal helicopter parent p>
He got right in my face, voice getting louder.
“You plotting something? Playing some weird mind game now p>
Just like last time – Ryan went from annoyed to absolutely losing it in seconds.
I looked up, meeting all three of their stares with complete calm.
“Your lives, your choices p>
Then I reached for my textbook again.
My reaction clearly caught them completely off guard.
All three just froze, staring at me.
Ryan’s face flashed with confusion, then his annoyance cranked up to eleven – like he’d just thrown a punch at air and came up empty.
“Your choices? Oh, give me a break! You’re just jealous as hell, aren’t you? ”
“ Jealous ‘cause she’s drop–dead gorgeous, jealous ‘cause everyone’s obsessed with her, jealous ‘cause we all think she’s freaking perfect! ”
“Just drop the whole sad little victim act already – it’s making me sick p>
His words were designed to shred me apart, but honestly? After everything I went through in my past life, this felt like getting hit with foam darts.
That’s when Blake stepped in, grabbing Ryan’s arm before he could keep going off.
Then he put on that fake–ass diplomatic smile he was famous for.
“Look, sis… you’re worried Charlotte’s gonna distract us from studying or something? ”
Classic Blake – always trying to be the voice of reason and keep everyone calm.
“Trust me, we know what we’re doing. It’s literally just one birthday party – not gonna screw up our GPAs or anything p>
He paused for a beat, clearly trying to gauge my reaction.
“ Besides, Charlotte’s actually really sweet. She looks up to us, treats us like her little brothers. You really don’t need to hate on her like this p>
4 didn’t even acknowledge him.
Just grabbed my pen, settled back into my desk chair, and flipped open my chemistry workbook.
And that complete radio silence? It hit them way harder than any screaming match could have.
The atmosphere in my room turned thick as molasses.
I could practically feel their eyes burning holes in my back – confusion morphing into frustration, then finally settling into something cold and ugly.
Behind me, they were clearly having some kind of wordless conversation with meaningful looks.
Meanwhile, I gripped my pen and started working through problem number one.
This time around, I’m staying out of your business completely.
Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.