Chapter 2

Isabela packed her few belongings. Her large, sun-filled room now belonged to Dalia. She found her new room in the basement, next to the laundry. It was small, damp, and had no window.

The room she had just left was a mess. Dalia had gone through her things, a whirlwind of petty destruction.

Dalia had deliberately "spilled" coffee on Isabela's favorite sketchbook, the one filled with designs she dreamed of turning into a fashion line.

A small, framed photo of Isabela with her late mother was torn in half, left on the floor.

Worst of all, a music box Kason had given her for her sixteenth birthday was smashed, its delicate ballerina broken.

Kason had stood there and watched Dalia do it all. He had even smiled, a strange, satisfied look on his face, as if he enjoyed Dalia's jealousy.

Isabela looked around the tiny basement room. She realized with a start that almost everything she owned had been a gift from Kason. Her clothes, her books, her art supplies. She had been completely dependent on him.

She made a decision. She packed a small bag with only the essentials, things she had bought with her own money. She left everything else behind.

She called her aunt. "Aunt May, can I stay with you for a while?"

"Isabela? Of course, sweetheart. What's wrong?" Her aunt's voice was filled with concern.

Aunt May had tried to take her in after the divorce, but Kason had refused. He had insisted he could take better care of her.

"Everyone knows how much Kason dotes on you," her aunt said, a hint of confusion in her voice. "He treats you better than his own family."

Her aunt then mentioned some old family friend, a tradition. Isabela didn't pay much attention, her mind numb.

She said nothing about Kason. She didn't want to explain the unexplainable.

She didn't tell Kason her plan. She was afraid of him now.

She remembered a time, a year ago, when she had mentioned wanting to study abroad. Kason' s reaction had been terrifying.

He had grabbed her, his grip bruising. "You're not going anywhere. You belong here, with me." The look in his eyes was not protective; it was possessive.

She had felt a shiver of fear then, a feeling she had dismissed as overprotectiveness. Now she knew better.

He had watched her like a hawk after that, his presence a constant, suffocating blanket.

She worried he would find out about her plan to leave and stop her again.

She couldn't understand his behavior. If he loved Dalia, why did he care so much about what she did?

A notification pinged on her phone, breaking her train of thought.

It was a link to a news article. Kason had given an exclusive interview.

The headline was brutal: "Kason Oneal Clarifies Relationship with Stepsister, Denounces Clingy Behavior."

The article painted her as a desperate, pathetic girl who couldn't accept that her stepbrother was in love with someone else. It was filled with quotes from "anonymous sources" describing her "obsessive" nature.

The public comments were a flood of vitriol. They called her a homewrecker, a delusional parasite.

Her vision blurred with tears.

It was all one-sided. All this time, it was just her.

Her phone buzzed again. It was a message from Dalia.

It was a picture. Dalia was wearing the jade pendant, smiling coyly at the camera. In the background, Kason was looking at her, his expression soft and full of affection.

Isabela felt the air leave her lungs. It was hard to breathe.

She could almost hear them, imagine them together in his room, laughing at her.

A call came through. It was her aunt again, her voice frantic. "Isabela, are you okay? I saw the news..."

"Aunt May," Isabela interrupted, her voice a hoarse whisper. "Please, don't tell anyone I'm with you. Not even Kason. Especially not Kason."

The next morning, Isabela crept out of her aunt's small apartment. As she walked down the hall, she saw him. Kason and Dalia were sitting at a table in the building' s cafe, laughing over breakfast.

She tried to slip past unnoticed.

"Isabela."

His voice stopped her cold.

He stood up, his face a mask of false concern. "Where were you last night? I was worried. You can't just run off like that."

She was forced to join them. The meal was consumed in a strange, heavy silence. Isabela felt like an intruder at her own execution.

She kept her eyes on her plate, trying to become invisible.

Then, Kason's phone rang, shattering the quiet.

"Hadley? What's up? ... You're getting married? No way! Congratulations, man!"

Kason' s face lit up with genuine happiness. "Of course, I'll be there. Dalia and I will both come."

Isabela's heart stopped. Hadley. Hadley Payne. The man her father wanted her to marry. The wedding was hers.