Veronica was already dressed.

The usual tomboy was gone, replaced by a woman poured into a sexy, tight-fitting skirt, her face painted with heavy makeup. I stared at this completely unfamiliar version of my sister, unable to stop myself from asking.

"Ronnie."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

I wanted to warn her, to tell her the man seemed dangerous. I wanted to advise her to be careful, but I didn't know what I said to set her off. Her face suddenly darkened.

"Vivi, I know we're sisters, but you can't be so lost in your own perfect little world that you try to ruin my happiness, can you?"

"Vivian Rossi," Veronica’s temper flared, "you're so selfish!"

"I shouldn't have taken time off to help you with this stupid wedding. Vivian, you've really disappointed me!"

Veronica grabbed her bag and stormed out.

I rushed after her, shouting, "Ronnie!"

"That's not what I meant!"

The elevator doors slid shut, cutting me off.

I chased her down to the parking garage, but she was already gone. I stood in the empty space, my mind reeling, trying to process why she had exploded at me. A primal fear of losing her washed over me, and the motel's location tag from the text message flashed in my mind.

I remembered.

The photo. The message.

*Tonight, let's play something a little more exciting.*

I was terrified she was being deceived, but I was also terrified she'd freeze me out, that she'd hold this grudge forever. She was the closest family I had besides my parents—even closer than Haward. Forgetting my jacket, I snatched my car keys and sped toward the motel.

Just as I pulled up to the entrance, my eyes locking onto Veronica's car, my breath caught in my throat.

I saw Haward. The same Haward who was supposed to be out of town on business, stepping out of a motel room. He was wearing the trench coat I’d bought him for his birthday. He pulled Veronica into an intimate embrace, and right there, in the open, they kissed as if no one else existed—a deep, lingering kiss that stole the air from my lungs. I couldn't believe it. The owner of that phone... It was really him.

I still couldn't believe it.

That Haward was with my sister.

My hands trembled uncontrollably. I instinctively killed the engine and shrank into the shadows, a thief spying on secrets that were never meant for me. I watched as Haward thoughtfully pulled Veronica's jacket tighter around her.

"Are you cold?" he asked softly.

Veronica just smiled and shook her head.

"Not when I'm with you."

Haward pinched her cheek playfully.

"So, how did you explain slipping out tonight to my fiancée?"

He was grinning from ear to ear.

"My fiancée is so wrapped around your little finger. How did you ever manage to slip away?"

My heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest, each beat a fresh agony. I watched the man I loved and the sister I cherished wrapped in an embrace, and I heard Veronica's carefree, mocking reply.

"I just had to throw a little fit and she practically pushed me out the door."

Veronica bit his Adam's apple, adding, "What, you still don't get how much Vivian dotes on her 'poor little sister'?"

"Believe me, she's probably still worried sick right now, terrified I'm angry with her and will give her the cold shoulder."

I saw the undisguised contempt on Veronica's face. Her outburst, my panicked rush to get here... My fear of losing her, my overwhelming concern, had all just been a game to her. The punchline to a cruel joke.

A chasm ripped open in my chest. It widened and widened until my heart was a bloody, mangled mess, yet I still clung to a sliver of hope, waiting for Haward's response. Haward, the man who had always doted on me, who indulged my every whim, just gave a noncommittal grunt.

"Alright."

"You two are sisters, after all."

I remembered when I first met Haward.

He had told me.

"The one thing I hate most in this life is traitors. People who betray their family."

He said, "My mother ran off with my father's best friend. After my father found out, he was killed in an ambush by a rival family."

"My father died, and my mother abandoned me."

"I was like a ball they kicked back and forth until they both got sick of me," Haward had looked at me with a self-deprecating smile. "So, Vivian, I don't have a whole family like you do. My life is broken."

"Vivian."

"Do you understand?"

In that moment, I felt like Haward was about to shatter, and my own heart broke with his. I sat quietly beside him, comforting him.

"Haward."

"Someone will love you."

"She'll gather up all your broken pieces, one by one, and claim every single one as her own."

"And she'll stay, putting you back together, and together you'll build a happy life."

Later, everyone knew Haward was pursuing me, and they all took his side.

Haward once traveled a thousand miles on a 36-hour train just to buy a pastry I'd idly mentioned wanting.

When Haward was just starting out, so broke he had to budget every meal, he still spent thousands on a custom-designed birthday cake for me.

Once, while he was away on family business, he heard it was thundering back home and drove all night just to be with me, to tell me not to be afraid. As soon as the storm passed, he drove right back.

Every memory, every little detail, echoed in my mind. Moments I thought I'd cherish for a lifetime were now just knives twisting in my gut. I watched Haward wrap his arm around Veronica's waist and lead her into the motel, my heart aching with a pain so intense that silent tears streamed down my face.

I fumbled for my phone, found his number, and just as they were about to step through the revolving door, I dialed.

I sat in my car.

He stood just outside the door.

I watched Veronica's face fall when she saw the caller ID, but Haward just gave her a placating smile.

"I'll just take this."

Veronica tried to snatch the phone, but Haward held it high out of her reach.

"I told you," he said, his voice hard.

"I never ignore Vivian's calls."

"Veronica."

"We had an agreement."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Veronica stomped her foot, furious but helpless, as Haward stepped aside to take my call.

"Hello."

His voice was as gentle and loving as ever.

"Baby."

"Miss me?"

Tears streamed down my face. I had to choke back a sob that would have given me away. Through my blurred vision, I heard Haward say, "I'll be back tomorrow."

"I got you a little something."

Haward stood just meters away from me, stroking Veronica's hair as he murmured into the phone, "You're going to love it."

I couldn't understand. How could a person split their heart in two?

Haward claimed to hate betrayal, to despise cheating more than anything. So why? Why would he become the very thing he loathed?

Just like I couldn't understand...

*Haward.*

*Did you ever love me at all?*