Chapter 1

I was born into a tragedy, but the Brooks family adopted me because I had a face that belonged in a magazine.

When I turned eighteen, the Brooks brought home two boys.

The older one, Caleb Vance, was a piano prodigy. He instantly clicked with my sister, Serena, who was known as the golden girl of the Manhattan social scene.

Then there was Silas Vance. He was hidden in the shadows―a quiet, stone-faced boy with eyes like a discarded stray dog.

They said he suffered from a congenital emotional detachment disorder. Looking at him, I made a silent vow to be the one who cured him.

Instead, he locked me in dark rooms and scarred my skin with branches. He even took my favorite doll and encased it in concrete as a cruel sculpture.

I never complained. I thought he was just a broken boy acting out from the pain in his soul.

The elite heirs in our circle looked down on both of us, telling me to drop the dead weight.

I ignored them all. In front of everyone, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Silas's cold lips.

"I like Silas. If anyone messes with him again, they'll have to answer to me!"

I stayed by his side until the night our mansion went up in flames. A heavy beam crashed down, pinning me to the floor and crushing my ribs.

Silas didn't even look at me. Without a second thought, he scooped Serena up from the floor next to me.

His eyes, usually as cold as ice, actually turned red. For the first time, I saw tears fall down his face.

It turned out his emotional detachment wasn't incurable.

I just wasn't the cure.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the beginning. I stared at the silent Silas with a sneer.

"Dad, you really shouldn't just let any stray into our house."

1

The room went dead silent.

Even Silas, the boy who supposedly felt nothing, looked like he'd been slapped.

My father's face darkened with rage as he barked at me. "Elara! These are the sons of an old friend!"

Serena gasped beside him, her voice full of fake shock.

"Elara, how can you be so incredibly rude?"

Memories of being humiliated by Caleb and Serena and played like a toy by Silas rushed back to me.

Looking at their hypocritical faces made me want to throw up.

My father cleared his throat, trying to smooth over the awkwardness.

"Elara has been spoiled, she doesn't know her manners. Please don't take it to heart."

He expected me to apologize like a good little girl.

I stayed silent, my expression cold. It was Caleb who finally broke the tension.

"It's fine, Mr. Brooks. Elara is just being honest. We won't hold a grudge."

He was talking to my father, but his eyes were glued to Serena.

Serena gave me a patronizing look and spoke in her softest voice.

"Elara, Dad wants us to show them around the estate. Stop being so stubborn and help me."

I laughed inwardly and brushed her hand off my arm. A fake, bright smile touched my lips.

"Caleb is such a gentleman and a musical genius. He and Serena would make a perfect pair on the piano."

I leaned back, crossing my arms. "You two should go find a music room and get to know each other. Serena can show him around."

Serena's cheeks flushed a soft pink, but she played the modest card.

"But Elara, you always said you wanted to learn piano. I'm busy with competitions, so maybe Caleb could tutor you..."

In my past life, I fell for that trap. It made Caleb despise me.

He made me copy sheet music a hundred times a day for months. After all that, he only taught me a version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with the wrong notes.

I performed that song at Serena's birthday gala and became the laughingstock of the city. The Brooks family felt I'd embarrassed them and stopped caring about my future.

Meanwhile, Caleb and Serena performed a perfect duet and became the darlings of the elite.

No one knew that on the night of the fire, Caleb would abandon a fainting Serena just to save his precious, piano-playing hands.

I shook my head and smiled at them.

"No thanks, Serena. I've realized I have zero interest in music. Tutoring me would just be a waste of Caleb's talent."

Besides, I'd already convinced my father to buy me that expensive set of imported art supplies. I wasn't going to waste my time on their little dramas.

In my last life, I buried my talent for painting because of a man. I wasn't going to make that mistake again.

Serena laughed, assuming I was just giving her a clear path to Caleb. She then turned to Silas.

"Since I'm with Caleb, why don't you show Silas to his room, Elara?"

She never expected me to say no.

"Dad said Silas is shy. I'm way too impatient and might scare him. You're the one with the saint-like patience, Serena. Why don't you take both of them?"

Serena froze, unable to find a comeback.

We all knew Silas was the black sheep of the Vance family.

Rumor had it that when he was five, he pushed his own mother out of a third-story window.

And he hadn't shed a single tear.

Serena was terrified of a monster like that.

Suddenly, Silas, who had been staring at the floor the whole time, finally spoke.