On my twenty-second birthday, I confessed my feelings to Ethan.

He froze for a moment, his smile slowly fading.

"Zoe, listen carefully. You'll always be my little sister."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there in front of all our friends.

...

I never imagined that reaching out to Ethan would one day feel like such a difficult task.

Since that confession, he hasn’t returned to the old house.

Ethan’s father, Ryder, and his mother, Maeve, each have their own places, and they rarely come back anyway.

Now, the large house is mostly empty, just me and a few servants.

It’s been almost a month since I last saw Ethan.

After my failed confession, I was heartbroken and disappointed, but I never regretted it.

Ethan had always been the person I secretly admired growing up.

For the past few years, while still in school, I had kept my feelings to myself, too afraid to tell him.

In the past, he had always seen me as just a little kid.

I kept telling myself to wait a little longer—wait until I was more grown-up, until I was truly an adult.

Then, when I could express my love with confidence, I would tell him again.

This year, I’d turned twenty-two, and I was about to graduate from college.

In every way, I was mature enough to be in a relationship.

I had imagined many possible outcomes after confessing.

The best-case scenario was that he would accept my confession, and we’d begin a sweet, romantic relationship.

The worst-case scenario was that he’d reject me and tell me he didn’t feel the same way.

If that happened, I’d want to know why.

I needed to understand the reason behind his rejection, to see if it was worth pursuing him further.

If, after all my efforts, he still insisted on rejecting me, then I would have to spend some time trying to let him go and heal from the hurt.

It wouldn’t be easy, because I really liked him.

But I would try—at least enough to maintain some peace and avoid making things awkward for everyone.

I’d considered countless possibilities, but never once did I imagine that he’d reject me, get angry, and then give me the silent treatment.

At first, I didn’t realize what was happening.

A few attempts to message him on WhatsApp went unanswered, and he didn’t pick up my calls either, which made me feel something was off.

He was avoiding me.

I even had the butler call him.

Though the butler was able to reach him, when I took the phone, all I heard was the sound of the line disconnecting.

I called his assistant next, but the assistant only spoke politely and respectfully.

"Zoe, Ethan’s not at the office. Sorry, but he’s instructed me not to reveal his whereabouts."

I reached out to some of his close friends—many of whom had attended my birthday party and used to be on good terms with me.

Those who would normally greet me warmly now sounded distant, almost awkward.

"Uh, I don’t know where Ethan is. I haven’t seen him lately. Sorry, but I’ve got to go!"

The truth was, I wasn’t trying to force him to give me an answer.

I only needed to find him because next week, our school was holding the graduation ceremony.

Before, he’d promised me that he’d be there.

"I told you, I’ll be there for all your important days," he’d said, his voice gentle, his gaze soft.

"It’s just some pictures with your cap and gown, right?" He had glanced at the pictures I was looking up on my phone. "All these online photos are the same, no originality. I’ll hire a professional photographer for yours. Something unique, no one else will have it."

"Thanks, Ethan!" I’d said, smiling. "You’ve got to take some photos with me, too!"

"Alright, I’ll make sure to dress well that day."

I’ve always been someone who values important occasions, and the graduation ceremony was a significant moment for me.

Even though my confession had failed and our feelings for each other over the years hadn’t been returned, I still wanted him to be a part of this day.

But now, I couldn’t reach him.

In a moment of panic, I went to the office to find him.

His assistant told me that Ethan wasn’t at the company.

I insisted on waiting on the couch in the reception area all day, but he never returned.

Unable to reach him, I felt completely helpless.

Normally, no matter when I called, he would always answer right away.

Even if he missed my call, he'd return it as soon as he could.

Whenever I sent him a picture of a beautiful fallen leaf on WhatsApp, he'd always respond; he never left my messages unanswered.

I had never experienced not being able to reach him like this before.

I tried every possible way, but it was all in vain. I had no choice but to give up.

On the day of the graduation ceremony, I went alone.

Ethan didn’t show up, and neither did the photographer he had hired.

Although I felt a little regretful, my classmates’ enthusiasm and joy quickly cheered me up.

I took many pictures in my cap and gown with my roommates, and the results turned out much better than I expected.

In the end, we also took a big group photo in front of the school gate.

After saying my goodbyes to my classmates, I headed back to the old house alone.

Ethan still hadn’t returned.

That evening, I carefully selected nine photos from the ones I’d taken and posted them on social media.

There were plenty of likes, but none from him.

The next morning, as soon as I walked down the stairs, I saw his familiar figure sitting on the sofa.

"Ethan, you’re back!" I exclaimed, rushing over to him.

"I was on a business trip for a while," he replied dismissively with a simple sentence.

In reality, I had so many questions.

Where had he gone on a business trip for over a month?

Was there no signal where he was?

Why didn’t he return my calls?

But I kept quiet.

Between adults, some things are understood without being said.

I didn’t want to make things more awkward for myself.

So, I smiled and casually asked, "Didn't you say you’d get me into Obelisk Capital Group right after graduation? Well, I’m officially a graduate now!"

Unlike other graduates, I hadn’t been running around to job fairs or sending out resumes during my senior year.

Because Ethan had told me he didn’t want me to be taken advantage of elsewhere and asked me to join Obelisk Capital Group instead.

"Does that mean I’m the so-called ‘nepotism hire’?" I asked, blinking up at him.

He tapped my nose lightly. "I’ll let you walk around the company like you own the place."

In reality, Obelisk Capital Group’s main business had nothing to do with my field of study, journalism.

At one point, I had big ideals and ambitions, wanting to make something of myself in my career.

But one sentence from Ethan made me give up on that.

I thought, being a happy “freeloader” wasn’t so bad.

The most important thing was that I could see him every day at work, and that was the biggest pull for me.

But now, Ethan said in a calm tone, "Work isn’t urgent. Aren’t you all supposed to be going on a graduation trip these days? Take a trip, clear your head."

In that instant, my heart sank.

Ethan didn’t want to see me.

He didn’t want me to join the company, and he even sent me away.

Was I really that annoying?

I had never felt so hurt and humiliated before.

Choking up, I asked, "Ethan, can I ask… why don’t you like me?"

I really couldn’t understand.

He had been so good to me before.

It was his kindness, thoughtfulness, and attention to detail that had gradually made me fall for him.

If he didn’t like me, why had he been so caring all this time?

"I’ve told you, you’re like a sister to me. We’re family," his face darkened as he spoke seriously.

"But we’re not blood-related!" I shouted at him.

I was adopted by Ethan's parents, though the adoption paperwork was never fully processed.

My parents were both journalists.

In eighth grade, they went to cover a flood disaster and tragically lost their lives there.

The news of my family’s death went viral, and many people online expressed their sympathy for me, the orphan.

At the time, Obelisk Capital Group was also involved in flood relief efforts, and, coincidentally, they were from the same hometown as me.

During an interview, the president of Obelisk Capital Group and his wife, Maeve, were asked if, as fellow townspeople, they would offer help to the orphaned girl.

Maeve immediately said they would adopt me.

This decision earned Obelisk Capital Group widespread praise.

However, despite being adopted, I didn’t want to let go of my parents. I refused to change my legal residency to their household.

They didn’t pressure me to change my mind either.

I called them Ryder and Maeve.

They were both extremely busy and hardly ever home.

Later, I found out they owned multiple properties and often lived elsewhere.

They brought me back to their old house, instructed the butler and staff to take care of me, and then disappeared.

In the years that followed, it was just me and their son, Ethan, depending on each other.

Ethan, who was three years older than me, was my supposed older brother.

In truth, he treated me better than many real brothers would.

He helped me with my homework, took me out to have fun, and even picked out my clothes.

Since I arrived at their house, every time he went out—whether to play basketball with his friends, game, or visit an internet café—he always took me with him.

He never left me alone at home.

His friends had even grown used to having me, his little sister, around.

At some point, my feelings for him shifted from brotherly affection to romantic attraction.

As the days went by, my feelings only grew stronger.

Until, one day, I couldn’t hide them anymore.

On my twenty-second birthday, I confessed.

But Ethan didn’t return my feelings—he only saw me as his sister.

How could I take back all this love?

“Zoe!” Ethan’s voice was the harshest I had ever heard. “If you don’t want to be my sister, then leave this house!”

I didn’t go on the graduation trip. Instead, I spent five aimless days at home.

On the fifth day, Ethan’s assistant arrived.

He spoke to me with respect, “Ethan has arranged for you to work at Parchment & Pixel’s new office in San Jose. It’s a media company, and your major aligns with their work.”

“Parchment & Pixel? Jasper’s family’s company?” I asked without thinking.

Jasper was Ethan’s childhood friend.

“Yes, it’s Declan’s company.”

“I’m not going,” I refused immediately.

I had a strong attachment to my hometown. I could travel out of town or go on business trips, but I couldn’t live elsewhere long-term.

When I applied to universities, I could’ve gone to a better school, but the thought of living away from home for four years scared me. So, I chose a local prestigious university.

I had often told Ethan, “I love San Francisco. I want to live here for the rest of my life!”

Ethan had agreed, saying, “I wouldn’t feel right if you were anywhere but under my nose.”

But now, he wanted me to work in San Jose.

How could he be so cold?

“Where is Ethan? I want to talk to him in person.”

“Ethan said he’ll only meet you once you agree to go to San Jose.”

Once again, I found myself unable to reach Ethan.