Chapter 2
412words
I saw my brother gazing at Lily with deep affection, completely oblivious that his sister had just run off with someone else.
"What a lovesick fool," I couldn't help but sigh.
Beside me, Ethan suddenly reached out, blocking my view.
His voice dropped low with obvious displeasure: "Is that how you see me?"
I turned and threw myself into his arms, saying softly: "No, I'm the lovesick fool here."
Ethan's tense face instantly melted into a smile as radiant as morning sunshine.
I couldn't help but reach out to touch his Adam's apple.
But he pushed me away with a half-smirk: "I didn't pick up who I meant to—instead I brought back a little pervert."
The car started, and I sat properly, yet I couldn't help stealing glances at him checking stock prices beside me.
Four years ago, I was still a chubby kid.
With my brother always causing trouble elsewhere, I was constantly bullied at my elite school.
To keep him from knowing his sister was a pushover, I hid everything from him.
On high school graduation day, they locked me in the storage room.
A smoldering cigarette in the adjacent bathroom set the trash on fire. As smoke filled the room, I thought I would suffocate to death.
Just as I was about to lose consciousness, Ethan Shaw—a senior who'd come to give a speech at our school—appeared.
He kicked the door open and rushed through the smoke to carry me out.
"I'm sorry you broke your arm because of me." I covered my face and sobbed in his arms.
Ethan's lips curved into a smile as he gently pinched my cheek. "If I hadn't seen them lock you in here earlier, you might not have made it tonight."
"Thank you... I'll repay you someday."
He wiped the soot off my face with a handkerchief. "No need to thank me. Just become stronger—that'll be enough to make this worth it."
From then on, I started losing weight, learning to stand up for myself, and knowing when to say no.
But eventually, my brother found out about the bullying.
He was furious and stood up for me, then said when we got home: "My sister should be like me. How can you be such a doormat?"
I yelled back: "So what! If you're so damn capable, go find another sister just like yourself!"
And that very night, Lily Smith arrived.
