Behind my brother Emmett's back, I was in a secret, three-year relationship with Yates Hiddleston, his best friend's younger brother.

He would snake his arm around my waist, pulling me through Austin’s hidden corners as we chased a never-ending thrill.

By a secluded lake, in a hushed late-night gallery, even in the stark emptiness of my studio, he always pushed for more, as if each moment was a new level in some game of sensory overload.

He was five years younger than me. He would whisper my name, Aveline, his voice a breathy, almost boyish plea, even as his grip tightened on my waist, refusing to let me go.

"Let… let go of me!"

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1

I was powerless against Yates Hiddleston’s relentless advances, able only to feign pleas for mercy in his arms.

Afterward, he’d press his body against mine, playfully pinning me down. He wouldn’t relent until I’d been coaxed into whispering the sweet, filthy things he wanted to hear.

For three whole years, we spent countless nights just like this.

He was like an insatiable leopard, constantly devouring me, yet he never once spent the night at my apartment.

I watched him, steadying my ragged breath as he coolly buttoned his shirt.

"Aveline, help me with my cufflinks."

He smirked, sitting at the foot of the bed. His fingers toyed with the edge of the sheet, his face glowing with smug satisfaction.

My body ached, feeling limp and utterly spent. Under his bold, undisguised gaze, I fastened his cufflinks for him.

"My family called again yesterday. We've been together for three years. Shouldn't we tell them?"

Yates’s admiring gaze was warm for a moment. But when he pulled his hand from mine, his eyes turned guarded.

"Why the hurry, Aveline? My company is just getting started. I don't want you to have to settle."

I let out a relieved sigh and smiled at him.

"If you're too scared of Emmett, I can be the one to tell him. It’s not like he’d actually strangle his own sister, right?"

Yates didn't answer. He just kissed my forehead and left for his company's victory party.

A few minutes later, I went downstairs to look for him, only to discover an encrypted folder on his study computer labeled "Project C."

I froze.

As if possessed, I opened the folder.

It was filled with chat logs. The messages detailed how he and his friends had plotted to get me to withdraw from the competition for a spot at the Florence Academy of Art—all because his childhood sweetheart, Cora, was also in the running.

Why did his friends know?

"Yates, you're the man! Even the untouchable Aveline Prescott, trapped in Austin for three years, all because of you. We're all jealous. Spill the details. What's she like? You're not actually thinking of marrying her, are you?"

Amid his friends' teasing, Yates's reply was exceptionally cold.

"It's just a game. Don't take it seriously. My heart has always belonged to Cora."

In that moment, a knife twisted in my gut. The pain was so sharp I nearly blacked out.

The voices in the chat log continued to chatter, but all the strength had drained from my body.

I stumbled back to my car, tears streaming down my face, blurring my vision.

When he first came back from college, I had gone with my brother to pick him up. I was surprised to find his looks and personality were an uncanny match for my type. But I’d always kept a careful distance, seeing him only as Emmett's best friend's little brother.

One day, a crazed fan stalked me, and in a blind panic, I called him.

He rushed over, beat the guy to a pulp, and then held me in his arms while I trembled.

"Aveline, don't be afraid. I'm here."

That night, he told me how he felt.

I avoided him for two weeks after that, until he cornered me at my doorstep.

When I looked into his eyes, shimmering on the verge of tears, I couldn't bring myself to say no.

Our secret life continued for three intimate years.

I’d always assumed he refused to go public because he was afraid my brother would kill him for dating his little sister.

I never imagined he had pursued me from the very beginning all for the girl he truly loved.

Swallowing the jagged pain in my throat, I called my parents.

"Dad, Mom, you were right. I'm coming home to Havenport."

These three years had been a beautiful lie, and now, it was time to wake up.

I was finally, truly done with Yates.

"Aveline, we’re so glad you've come to your senses! When are you coming back? Your dad and I will get everything ready for you."

I rubbed my eyes, which were red and swollen from crying.

"About a week. I need to wrap things up at my studio here."

My parents happily hung up.

Back at my apartment, I packed my essentials into a suitcase, deciding to toss everything else.

I would box up everything that belonged to Yates and send it back.

At midnight, I was drifting in a light sleep when a familiar pair of hands pinned my wrists above my head.

"Aveline, you didn't even come to my party!"

I opened my eyes to his handsome, all-too-familiar face.

My heart didn't flutter. I shoved him away forcefully, instinctively pulling my nightgown tighter around me.

"I wasn't feeling well. I had an allergic reaction to peanuts."

Yates pulled me onto his lap, his hand sliding up under the hem of my nightgown.

I was deeply uncomfortable and pressed down on his wandering hand, but it was useless.

"No, I'm tired."

"But Aveline, why am I always so insatiable with you? I just want you tonight…"

His flirtatious whispers were lost as he pressed urgent kisses against my neck.

A single question burned in my mind. For three years, every time he was with me, was he thinking of her? Was he picturing Cora?

"If that's the case, will you stay the night?"

He stilled, looking at me with an uneasy expression.

"But I have a board meeting early tomorrow morning. Aveline, you wouldn't want me to be exhausted, would you?"

Really?

Or was it because he had to be ready to run the second his precious Cora called?

My heart sank. I pushed him off me and curled back under the covers.

"Then you should leave."

I squeezed my eyes shut, holding back the tears that burned behind them.

Yates leaned down, wrapping his arms around me.

"Aveline, are you angry? Tonight I…"

He was interrupted by a delicate, classical ringtone—a custom ringtone I’d never heard him use for anyone else.

He immediately grabbed his phone and strode out of my room.

"Yes, okay. Don't panic, I'll be right there."

I heard the soft, comforting tone he used for whoever was crying on the other end of the line.

"Aveline, Cora is having a sudden anxiety attack. I have to go now. Take care of yourself."

I waited until I heard the apartment door slam shut. Then the dam broke, and sobs wracked my body.

A custom ringtone. On call, 24/7. It wasn't that he was thoughtless. It was that every single one of his thoughts was reserved for her.

In a daze, I cried myself to sleep.

When I woke up, I found it hard to breathe, my allergic reaction having worsened unexpectedly.

I tried to make my way downstairs but stumbled, tumbling down the stairs and severely spraining my ankle.

"Aveline! What happened? Come on, I'll take you to the ER!"

When Yates let himself in with his key, he found me in a miserable heap on the floor. Alarm widened his eyes as he scooped me into his arms and rushed me to his car.

I endured the radiating pain, tears of agony streaming down my face.

"It hurts."

"Hang in there, we'll be at the hospital soon!"

Yates comforted me softly, but just then, Cora's exclusive ringtone rang again.

A choked sob came through the phone. "Yates, I just need someone with me…"

"What? Stay right there, don't move. I'm coming right now!"

Yates panicked, but after glancing at my form in the back seat, he pursed his lips and parked the car in front of a community clinic.

"Aveline, you go in and get checked out. The doctor will help you. Cora's situation is urgent."

With that, he roughly helped me, breathless and with a throbbing ankle, out of the car, then sped off without a second glance.

Fortunately, a kind nurse was passing by. Seeing I was about to collapse, she rushed me into the emergency room.

The doctor treated my injuries immediately. The process of setting my ankle was excruciating. I bit down hard on my lower lip, refusing to make a sound.

Noticing my pale face, the nurse gently suggested, "Miss Prescott, you'll have a hard time getting around on that ankle. Why don't you call your family or your boyfriend to come get you?"

I shook my head.

"I'm alone."

"Aveline, what are you doing here?"

After my treatment, I found Yates waiting. He looked at me in surprise, his gaze flickering guiltily to my heavily bandaged ankle before darting away.

"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry just now. She's settled now. Let me stay with you!"

He crouched in front of me, gently cradling my injured ankle.

I shook my head.

"Don't bother. Go take care of your priority."

Yates was about to say something else when Cora Vaughn appeared in the doorway of the treatment room.

"Yates, what are you doing here?"

Yates immediately shot to his feet, moving to her side and speaking in a gentle voice.

"Cora, why did you come here by yourself?"

Cora gazed up at him, her expression a mask of vulnerability.

"I didn't see you, so I got scared. Oh, is this your friend?"

I looked up at Yates, waiting.

He severed the ties between us without a moment's hesitation.

"No, she's my friend Emmett's sister. You've met her."

I felt something inside my chest splinter into a million pieces.

He had cast aside our three years together without a second thought, all to protect this secret from his childhood sweetheart.

Yates didn't dare to meet my eyes, but his gaze darted nervously toward me as if I might detonate. He took Cora's hand, intending to leave.

"Cora, you've just calmed down. I'll take you home."

A bitter taste filled my mouth, but I forced my voice to be steady.

"Yes, I'm Aveline Prescott. My brother Emmett and Yates's brother, Ronan, are best friends."

Cora's smile grew brighter, and she gave Yates a coquettish look.

"Yates worries about me too much. I just got back from Europe and don't have many friends here. Aveline, if you don't mind, you could come to my welcome party."

As I was about to refuse, Cora tugged on Yates's arm, whining.

"Yates, I want Aveline to come!"

"Okay, she'll come."

Without asking for my opinion, Yates made the decision for me.

I looked at them, a hollow smile on my face.

To satisfy the girl he loved, he had already forgotten my injured ankle.

"I don't think I'll go."

Cora pouted.

"Yates, does Aveline hate me?"

Yates frowned, then turned and pulled me roughly to my feet.

"Aveline, don't be a spoilsport."

I choked, the words dying in my throat.