Chapter 2

2

After our shift, my father stayed late at the lab to finish his research.

I bought a basket of fresh organic fruit and drove directly to Sadie's apartment.

Mrs. Wells opened the door. She glanced down at the fruit in my hands and immediately blocked the doorway with her body.

"Caleb, dear, Sadie is not home. You should head back."

I stood there in awkward silence. In all the time Sadie and I had been dating, her mother had never once turned me away at the door.

"Mrs. Wells, please take the fruit anyway. Since Sadie was not feeling well, she should have some vitamins."

She waved her hand dismissively.

"We have plenty of imported fruit inside, more than we can eat before it spoils. Take it back to your father. Drive safe, I will not see you out."

She shut the heavy door in my face.

Through the thin wood, her mocking voice drifted clearly into the hallway.

"His family sits on millions, yet he acts like such a cheapskate. All these years, and he has never bought Sadie a single thing of real value."

I walked down the stairs with a cold weight pressing against my chest.

Just as I stepped out of the building, a sleek red Porsche pulled up right in front of me.

Sadie stepped out of the passenger seat alongside the man from her hidden posts. They were laughing intimately, their bodies pressed close together.

"Do you think your parents will like the vintage wine and luxury caviar hampers I picked out?"

"Of course! My mom cooked an entire feast just for you."

A bitter realization struck me.

Mrs. Wells had slammed the door on me simply because she did not want me ruining their celebration with her daughter's wealthy new suitor.

My humble basket of fruit stood no chance against his high-end imported delicacies.

"Sadie!"

I stepped out from the shadows and called her name.

Sadie gasped, quickly pulling her arm away from the man as panic washed over her face.

"Caleb? What are you doing here?"

I ignored her question and locked my eyes onto the stranger. "Who is he, and what is going on between you two?"

Sadie waved her hands frantically. "Please do not misunderstand! It is nothing like what you think."

"Did your mother not mention anything to you? This is your older brother, Damian Burke. He just moved to the city, so your mom asked me to show him around for a couple of days."

I scanned Damian from head to toe, noticing the gleaming couple's bracelet on his wrist.

Sadie instinctively tucked her hand behind her back.

In the next second, Damian grabbed her wrist and pulled it forward, flaunting the matching bands right in front of my face.

"Custom matching bracelets. I bought them for her. Got a problem with that, little brother? Since you are always acting like a broke loser, somebody had to step up and spoil her."

His blatant provocation snapped my last thread of patience. I lunged forward and threw a hard punch across his jaw.

Damian was stronger than I expected. He quickly regained his footing and retaliated with a heavy blow that sent me crashing to the pavement.

Sadie rushed over to pull me up. "Stop it! You two are blood brothers! My mom made dinner, so just come upstairs and eat with us."

I shoved her away with all my strength.

"Your mother would not even let me step past the welcome mat! What dinner?"

"Sadie, why did you lie to me? Is there not an ounce of honesty left between us?"

"If you want out of this wedding, just say the word! I will not waste another second of your time!"

I pushed myself off the dirty ground and sprinted back to my car, covered in dust and humiliation.