Chapter 1
I’d been secretly dating my brother’s best friend for a whole year.
I was still trying to figure out how to tell my brother when he suddenly dragged me into a 7-Eleven.
“Ashton’s mystery girlfriend? Yeah, she’s getting exposed today.”
I froze.
Before I could say anything, my heart stopped.
Some girl was wrapped around my boyfriend’s arm, laughing and touching him.
I forced a smile and choked out, “Oh. Hey, Ashton.”
“And nice to meet you… sister-in-law.”
Ashton Reid. Call me “little sister” in public, whisper “babe” in bed—and then cheat?
Hell no.
So yeah. I dumped him and stole his ruthless rival instead.
Karma’s a bitch. So am I.
I spotted that familiar figure in the distance.
My vision blurred.
Dylan didn’t notice anything wrong. He ruffled my hair and snorted.
“Chloe, FaceTime Ashton and ask what he’s up to.”
“This guy told us he had family stuff this weekend.”
“Turns out he’s here playing lovebirds with his girlfriend.”
I gripped my phone tightly. I didn’t say a word. I just hit call.
Ashton was standing by the shelves picking something out when his screen lit up. His face tensed.
He smiled softly at the girl next to him, then switched the call to audio only.
When he answered, his voice was cold.
“What? I’m busy. I’ll call you back later.”
I stayed silent.
I wanted to say something.
But I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, I’d start crying.
The call ended, and Ashton happened to turn his head.
Dylan shoved me forward before I could react while he slipped behind me, pretending we had just run into them by chance.
I stared at the girl clinging to my boyfriend’s arm.
I forced a smile and choked out, “Oh. Hey, Ashton.”
“And nice to meet you… sister-in-law.”
Ashton panicked.
He stared at me, jaw tight, his eyes suddenly cold.
“What are you doing here? Did you just call to test me on purpose?”
Before I could answer his accusation—
Dylan popped out from behind me, grinning like an idiot.
He held up his phone, leaned in next to Ashton, and flipped the camera to the front for the group chat.
“Our boy Ashton’s officially taken! I knew it!”
“Guys, he’s gotta treat us all to dinner now, right? Let us meet his girlfriend properly!”
The second Dylan appeared, Ashton’s icy expression softened.
He looked at the girl next to him with so much affection.
“No problem. Once Sienna’s free, I’ll introduce her to everyone properly.”
Then he leaned down and gently brushed her bangs out of her eyes.
That scene stabbed me right in the chest.
Is this really Ashton?
Just this morning, he had still been my personal alarm clock—calling me “babe.”
How did he turn into someone else’s boyfriend in just a few hours?
Just then, a message popped up on my phone.
“Don’t blow this. I’ll explain later.”
I looked up at him.
He avoided my eyes, chatting like nothing was wrong.
The girl next to Ashton smiled sweetly at us.
She glanced at me, then at Ashton.
“Is this the chubby little sister you always talk about?”
“But she’s actually really pretty! You totally exaggerated.”
Ashton’s eyes flickered. He answered stiffly.
“Yeah. That’s her.”
As if he were afraid she’d get the wrong idea, he quickly added,
“She was a chubby kid back then. Always followed us around. Super clingy and annoying.”
“We used to pull all kinds of tricks just to ditch her.”
The girl laughed. “You’re terrible.”
“Tricking a little girl like that—you should be ashamed.”
Watching them flirt, my eyes suddenly burned.
I quickly lowered my head.
Chubby. Clingy. Annoying.
So that was what I really was to Ashton.
Before Ashton and I got together, I never imagined he’d like me.
Especially after I realized how much he disliked me when we were kids.
I avoided him like the plague.
Two years ago, we somehow ended up at the same college. I still kept my distance.
But he changed.
At some point, he started asking me out constantly.
If I refused, he’d use Dylan’s name to trick me into hanging out.
Designer clothes. Plushies. Luxury gifts.
Things girls my age had to save up forever to afford—he just kept buying them for me.
Every time I returned them, he’d find another way to get them back to me.
Then came that dorm dinner.
I drank too much and called my brother to come pick me up.
Ashton showed up instead.
When he arrived, I was crouched on the ground feeling dizzy.
Some guy who had a crush on me was holding a water bottle and keeping me company.
Ashton’s death glare scared him off.
I heard footsteps and looked up. Ashton was crouching next to me.
His eyes were soft, his voice gentle.
“Little drunk.”
“You know it’s dangerous for girls to get wasted like this?”
I swatted his hand away and staggered to my feet.
This guy’s a player.
He was just teasing me again. I couldn’t fall for it.
Even drunk, I kept repeating that warning in my head.
Behind me, Ashton seemed to sigh helplessly.
He caught up and grabbed my arm before I could flag down a cab.
He was strong. I lost my balance and stumbled.
Fell right into his arms.
He smirked. “You really hold a grudge.”
I ignored him.
So he leaned closer, his handsome face inches from mine.
Our breaths mixed. My heart went haywire.
“Be with me. I’ll let you get your revenge. Deal?”
My foggy brain cleared for a second.
The word revenge was too tempting. I nodded without thinking.
“God, you’re adorable.”
Ashton laughed again, pinched my cheek, then pressed a warm kiss to my forehead.
“Deal sealed. No take-backs.”
Honestly, this past year with him—he really was a good boyfriend.
Patient. Gentle. Nothing like how he treated me when we were kids.
He remembered every little thing I mentioned.
I hated breakfast.
So he’d wake up early every day, buy it, drop it off downstairs, and have someone bring it up to my dorm.
He even ditched gaming nights with Dylan just because I was sad.
Dylan complained to me once.
“Ashton’s definitely got a girl.”
“I’m telling you, dude’s been acting all weird lately. Keeps dodging questions too.”
“One of these days I’m gonna catch him red-handed.”
I ducked my head, my ears burning.
I asked Ashton when we should tell Dylan.
He shook his head dramatically.
“Can’t even imagine how badly your brother’s gonna beat me.”
“But whatever. I stole his precious baby sister. I’ll take the beating.”
I tilted my head.
“You didn’t steal me.”
He grinned, then lunged at me, tickling my sides.
“Didn’t I? Didn’t I? You sure about that?”
Even though we were just messing around, my heart felt so warm.
But now—
This man who said he’d love me forever
Was holding a tissue and gently wiping another girl’s mouth.
I stared at the scene in front of me and felt sick.
The table was full of food, yet I hadn’t taken a single bite.
Dylan, though, rolled his eyes and spoke teasingly.
“Dude, I knew you were acting different lately.”
“Every time we asked, you denied it.”
“Single all through college, then suddenly you’re all in during senior year? You’ve been hiding this the whole time, huh?”
Then he turned to Sienna and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Girl, you have no idea. This guy’s usually ice-cold.”
“So many girls confessed to him—he wouldn’t even look at them.”
“Never thought I’d see the day someone got him whipped.”
Sienna rested her chin on her hand, smiling sweetly at Ashton.
“So you’re that popular, huh?”
Dylan quickly changed the subject.
“Alright, Ashton, spill. How’d you land someone this gorgeous?”
“I’m still single over here. Gotta learn from the master.”
Ashton lowered his gaze and glanced at me for a split second.
All he saw was my blank face. No reaction left.
He didn’t know that after everything, I had gone completely numb.
Breakup.
That was the only word left in my head.
“Ashton’s liked me for a long time.”
When Ashton didn’t answer, Sienna jumped in.
Ashton stiffened and turned his head awkwardly.
Sienna placed her hand over his other one on the table.
“We’ve actually known each other forever. I used to think what I felt for him was just friendship.”
“But then last December, that huge snowstorm…”
I froze.
My heart plummeted.
Despair. Sadness. Helplessness.
All of it tangled together—then slowly dissolved into nothing.
Sienna’s voice continued.
“That day I got cheated on. Ashton drove through a blizzard and crossed two cities just to be with me.”
“He stayed by my side all night. Comforted me.”
“He even cooked my favorite meals and bought me everything I wanted.”
“It made me feel like I was his princess.”
“Eventually, all that overflowing love made me fall for him too.”
Right then, I interrupted.
“Last December. Was it the 13th?”
Sienna blinked.
“I think so? I don’t really remember the exact date.”
Dylan immediately looked at me.
“Wait, that’s crazy. Your anniversary is my sister’s birthday!”
Suddenly, I laughed.
But when Ashton saw me smiling,
The color drained from his face instantly.
Last year on my birthday—it was also our 100-day anniversary.
I didn’t really care about anniversaries.
Yet Ashton insisted I cancel all my plans with family and friends so I could spend the day only with him.
So I did.
But he never showed up.
He told me something urgent came up.
When I asked what it was, he wouldn’t say.
That night I waited from 8 PM until midnight.
Then quietly ate the whole cake by myself.
We didn’t talk for three days.
On the fourth day, he showed up outside my dorm like nothing had happened.
Cake in one hand. Flowers in the other.
He apologized with that sincere look on his face. Let me yell at him, hit him, whatever I wanted.
I was stupid enough to believe he really had some emergency, so I forgave him.
Now I realize—
While I thought I was giving him the silent treatment, he was busy comforting her.
I was the clown the whole time.
Once I pieced it all together, I didn’t say another word.
Ashton started getting fidgety and kept glancing at me.
When he realized I wasn’t looking back, his expression darkened.
He pushed a dessert toward me.
“Try this. Isn’t this your favorite?”
The second he said that, Dylan and Sienna went quiet, watching us.
I finally looked up from my phone and smiled politely.
“Thanks, Ashton. But I suddenly don’t like it anymore.”
“Maybe ask your girlfriend if she wants it.”
Ashton’s face darkened. It looked like he was about to snap.
But I didn’t care anymore.
Right then my phone buzzed—a message from my internship supervisor.
“There’s a party on Friday. Wanna come?”
I replied immediately.
“Yes.”
My supervisor was a graduate who had already finished school. He’d been really helpful lately.
I knew this event would be full of big names in the industry. A good opportunity.
I was grateful and sent him a bunch of thank-you emojis.
I got so caught up chatting that I didn’t even notice how quiet the table had become.
Until the tension turned suffocating.
I looked up.
Dylan was staring at me, eyebrows furrowed.
“Chloe, I’ve been calling your name like a hundred times.”
“Who are you texting? You’re glued to that screen.”
“Don’t tell me you’re hiding a boyfriend from me too!”
I was about to deny it—
Then I saw Ashton’s face change.
His hand on the table curled into a fist.
He was nervous.
I almost laughed and suddenly felt like playing along.
“Yep. You’re about to have a brother-in-law.”
Dylan’s eyebrows shot up.
Ashton’s jaw clenched, his dark eyes locking onto me like a warning.
Dylan exploded.
“Who?! Who is it?!”
“Chloe Barrett, you’ve got some nerve!”
“You didn’t even let me vet this guy first! What if some loser is playing you?!”
Ashton flinched at Dylan’s outburst. His eyes flickered with panic.
I smirked.
What are you so scared of, Ashton?
Scared Dylan will find out and beat you?
Or scared I’ll expose you right now?
After yelling for a bit, my brother finally calmed down.
He looked at me like a worried mom.
“Okay, okay. Chloe, sweetie. You can joke around all you want.”
“But when it comes to dating, you’ve got to tell your brother!”
I smiled sweetly and nodded.
“You’re right, brother.”
“Actually, since Sienna and Ashton are here too, why don’t you all help me figure out if he’s worth it?”
Ashton’s deep eyes locked onto me.
He watched as I dialed the number.
The voice on the other end was low and smooth.
“Send me your location. I’m on my way.”