Just as I'd planned, I fell straight into a warm, solid chest.

The man who caught me barely registered my presence, steadying me with an impersonal touch before letting go. "Are you alright?"

I gave a small nod, forcing the words out. "I'm fine. I just… lost my balance."

Our eyes met. And just like that, he froze.

But in Sloan's eyes, this was a betrayal of the highest order.

She shrieked and lunged. "Griffin, what are you doing touching her?! Is that little tramp trying to sink her claws into you again?"

Before she could reach us, Griffin caught her arm.

A muscle in his jaw twitched—a clear sign his patience was wearing thin—but his voice was steady. "Sloan, what has gotten into you today?"

"Lila is the daughter of my parents' friends. If she gets hurt on campus, it will only make my parents hate you more."

"You know I love you," he said, his voice dropping. "But you also know how much my parents' approval matters. How are we supposed to build a future if they despise you?"

Brad chimed in, "Lila hasn't done anything but be nice. Sloan, why did you push her?"

Sloan gasped, realizing the cafe audience had turned on her. She forced a smile that was more of a grimace. "I'm sorry, Lila. I mistook you for someone else."

I risked a glance at Griffin before dropping my gaze to the floor, my voice barely a whisper. "It's fine. I'm sorry for getting in the way."

He looked at me, his expression stiffening. Then he pulled something small from his pocket. "A gift. My mom asked me to give this to you."

From a paper bag in his other hand, he produced a pair of envelopes and handed them to Sloan. "I got these for you. You deserve nice things, too."

Sloan's entire demeanor shifted. The moment she saw the two VIP tickets to Coachella, her eyes lit up. "Thank you, Griffin! I love you so much!"

I glanced down at my own gift. A keychain from the university bookstore. It was a designer brand, but it was cheap, generic.

She got love. I got a formality.

Sloan shot me a smug look. "Wow, Lila, your keychain is adorable. You should really show it off."

As everyone watched, a few silent tears tracked down my cheeks.

Brad looked horrified. Even Griffin's smile faltered.

"Thank you… but I can't accept this."

Griffin frowned. "Why not?"

I looked up, my eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Sloan is the one who deserves the best of everything—the designer labels, the center stage, the fairytale ending."

"I'm a nobody. It's a miracle I can even go to the same school as all of you. I wouldn't dare ask for anything more."

I wiped my cheeks and turned to a girl standing behind Sloan, offering her a gentle, determined smile. "You're so beautiful. I think this would look better on you. And since Sloan already has Coachella tickets, I'm sure she won't mind if I pay it forward. Here—please, take it as a gift from me."

As far as I knew, the word "share" didn't exist in Sloan's vocabulary.

Just as I'd predicted, the girl—Maya Flores—lit up. "Thank you! No one's ever given me a gift before! We're officially best friends. If you ever need anything, I've got your back!"

My performance of humility and kindness was so pitch-perfect that no one even thought to question it.

I saw a flicker of something in Griffin's eyes. Appreciation.

Meanwhile, Sloan stood frozen, clutching her tickets, visibly torn between keeping them and making a show of her own generosity.

With one simple move, I had won the room's sympathy.

And Sloan? She just looked shallow and petty.

As I turned to leave, Griffin called my name. He pressed a black credit card into my hand. "My parents were out of line. You shouldn't have to apologize for existing. Go buy yourself something you truly want."

My ears burned. I gave him a shy, grateful nod.

Sloan glared daggers at my back, trembling with a rage she was forced to swallow.

I had just stepped outside the school gates when two figures blocked my path.

They were storming toward me.

Mark and Linda. My "dear" parents.

"You little devil! You ran away from home just to come back and ruin your sister's life, didn't you?"

Slap. The sound cracked through the air a split second before the sting erupted across my face. Linda had hit me. Hard.

Her expression was venomous, her hand already raised for a second strike—but Griffin stepped between us, his brow furrowed.

"What's going on here? Do you know her?"

I cupped my stinging cheek, making myself small and fragile. "Sir, ma'am… I'm sorry, have we met?"

Sloan practically vibrated with vindictive energy. "Griffin, you have no idea what's really going on. 'Lila' is my sister, Avery Shaw. She's mentally unstable."

"She tore our family apart years ago. My parents finally threw her out, and now she's back under a fake name to destroy my life and steal you from me."

She looked impossibly smug, as if she'd just played a winning card. "I knew you wouldn't believe me if I just told you, so I called my parents. We set a little trap for her, and look. Caught red-handed."

She gave me a pitying sneer. "Avery, has your illness gotten worse? We might have to find a facility with better security this time."

Mark quickly jumped in, practically fawning over Griffin. "That's right. My daughter has problems—she's a danger to Sloan. You can't just let her wander around."

With that, they each grabbed one of my arms, trying to drag me toward their car.

But they clearly didn't expect my reaction. I didn't struggle. I just widened my eyes, a flicker of envy in my gaze. "I wish I had parents…"

Then I shook my head, tears welling but stubbornly refusing to fall. "Sloan, I understand you don't like me. But you're the golden girl. You have everything—loving parents, Griffin's devotion."

"You deserve the best. I'm just an orphan from who-knows-where."

"Just being at this school feels like a dream I don't deserve. Why would I ever dare to imagine I could be part of a family like the Lancasters?"

I looked at her, my expression serene but heartbroken. "Why would you make up such a cruel lie? Why go to such lengths just to hurt me?"

Before anyone else could react, Griffin spoke. "Lila is the orphaned daughter of an old family friend. You're mistaken."

Even he didn't seem to notice the shift in his own voice—no longer cold or neutral, but fiercely protective.

Linda was furious. "Avery, you little liar! You lived in our house for more than a decade! You think I can't prove who you are?!"

But the more frantically she swiped through her photo gallery, the whiter her face became. "It's… it's impossible…"

Sloan leaned in, her own panic rising. But no matter how deep they dug, they found nothing.

No photos. No records. Not a single trace of Avery Shaw.

Of course they couldn't. At my request, and with the Lancasters' bottomless resources, the hackers I'd hired had wiped every digital trace of Avery Shaw from their lives.

The Shaws had always despised me. Why would they have kept pictures anyway?

"Enough! How long are you going to keep this charade up?" Griffin snapped. His patience had evaporated. He'd disliked Mark and Linda on sight, and now his tolerance for Sloan was wearing dangerously thin.

Sloan froze. "Griffin, you don't believe me? Lila really is my crazy sister!"

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I thought you were different from your parents. But this? Ganging up on a girl who's done nothing to you? Kicking someone when they're down? I'm deeply disappointed."

Sloan tried to protest, but I gently reached out and took her hand.

"Sloan, I grew up without parents. I know what a precious gift that is. If you really thought I was your sister, maybe it's just because you miss her. You should go visit her. I'm sure she misses you, too."

That one sentence cemented my image: kind, patient, and tragically forgiving.

In the same breath, it was a stark reminder of the Shaw family's callous treatment of their other daughter.

I saw the change in Griffin's eyes.

The pity was gone.

In its place was something warmer, something more potent.

And a look like that?

That's how love usually begins.