Chapter 1

The twin sisters lived right next door to me in our quiet suburb.

Ever since we were toddlers, they fought over which one of them would get to marry me.

Our parents always joked that no matter which girl I picked, our families would be joined forever.

But when we finally reached the age to settle down, they both claimed those years were just childish nonsense.

The very next day, they started fighting over a different guy named Jasper.

To make Jasper laugh, they pushed me into a freezing river over six feet deep, knowing full well I couldn't swim.

As I thrashed in the water, desperate and gasping for air, they pointed at me and giggled.

"Look at him flailing around like a drowning mutt. Isn't that just the funniest thing you've ever seen?"

They only pulled me out when I was seconds away from losing consciousness, all to satisfy Jasper's cruel curiosity.

That was the moment my heart turned to ash, and I moved far away from that city.

But later, they started searching for me like they had completely lost their minds.

1.

The biting wind sliced through my soaked clothes on the walk home, making me shiver uncontrollably.

But the chill racking my body was nothing compared to the ice in my heart.

Before I even reached my door, Vivienne's name flashed on my phone screen.

Her voice was sharp with annoyance the moment I picked up.

"Silas, where the hell are you? You only had to soak in the water for a bit to make Jasper smile. Why are you making such a big deal out of a little joke? Get your ass back here."

Before she could finish, her sister Quinn chimed in from the background.

"Jasper won't cut his birthday cake until you're here. He thinks you're actually mad at him and it's ruining his mood. We worked so hard to make him happy, so stop being a brat and move it."

A bitter taste filled my mouth as I listened to their baseless accusations.

I tried to find my voice to respond, but my vision suddenly went black.

When I finally opened my eyes, the sterile smell of disinfectant filled my nose.

The nurse standing by my bed didn't hold back her lecture.

"You young people really have no respect for your health. You're lucky a Good Samaritan found you. Walking around in wet clothes with a high fever like that? You nearly kicked the bucket."

I closed my eyes and stayed silent.

The nurse asked me to call my family to come stay with me.

I waited a long time before whispering, "I don't have any family."

During my two days in the hospital, neither of the Foster sisters called me once.

Before they met Jasper, they used to call me a dozen times if I was even thirty minutes late for dinner.

They would panic, asking where I was and offering to come pick me up.

Now that I had been gone for forty-eight hours, they hadn't bothered to send a single text.

On the day I was discharged, I paid my own bills and took an Uber back home.

Before I realized it, I was standing in front of the Foster family's front door.

I shook my head at my own habit and turned to leave, but Jasper's voice drifted through the cracked door.

"Silas hasn't been back in two days. Shouldn't you girls give him a call?"

Vivienne let out a mocking snort.

"He's just throwing a tantrum. He'll crawl back eventually. Besides, his parents are dead. Where else is he going to go? He'll show up looking like a kicked dog sooner or later."

Quinn jumped in to agree with her sister.

"Jasper, you're just too kind for your own good. Silas was being a buzzkill the other day. Letting him suffer outside for a bit will teach him that we don't actually need him around."

"But still..."

Jasper didn't finish his sentence because Vivienne covered his mouth with her hand, whispering for him to be quiet.

"Don't let that loser ruin our mood."

Jasper glanced toward the door as if by accident and locked eyes with me.

A smug, triumphant grin spread across his face.

I understood everything in that instant.

He knew I was standing right there. He did it all on purpose.

I clenched my fists, my entire body trembling with a mix of rage and heartbreak.

That night, I went back to my own house.

It was the first time I had stepped foot in my parents' old home since I moved in with the Fosters after their funeral.

In the middle of the night, my phone buzzed with a call from Jasper.

As soon as I answered, I heard the sisters screaming at each other.

They were fighting over which floor Jasper should sleep on.

This scene used to happen every single day when I first moved in with them.

Vivienne lived on the second floor and Quinn on the third, and they used to fight over who got to have me on their level.

Back then, I solved it by alternating floors every week just to keep the peace.

Listening to that familiar arguing now felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

I hung up and opened a travel app.

I booked a one-way ticket to my remote hometown for the day after tomorrow.