You and Ethan grew up together.

Since childhood, the two of you had been inseparable. You were always together, so much so that your friends constantly joked that you would probably end up together one day.

Little did they know, you had actually been in love with Ethan since childhood.

As the years passed, your feelings only grew deeper.

Ethan was cold and distant with everyone else, but with you, he was different. To him, you were his little princess the one person he could never bring himself to treat coldly.

So, when the two of you got into college, you finally decided it was time to confess your feelings.

You were terrified that you might lose him to someone else. Ethan had grown increasingly handsome over the years, and you knew other girls were beginning to notice him.

But before you could make your move, your mother, Cassandra Clare dropped the biggest bomb of your life.

She was getting married to Ethan's wealthy, single father, Andrew Blackwood.

Your heart sank.

You knew how much Ethan hated the thought of his father ever remarrying after the tragic death of his mother, Marinette Blackwood. A wonderful woman with tragic end. You knew how deeply that loss had affected him, and you were terrified of what your mother's marriage would mean for the two of you.

Then the wedding happened.

And suddenly, Ethan wasn't just your childhood best friend anymore.

He was your stepbrother.

Worse, he became a complete stranger.

Ethan grew cold and distant toward you, just as he was with everyone else. He hated having your mother around, as though her presence was a constant reminder of the worst memory of his life.

And you understood that better than anyone.

But Ethan began seeing you differently too and not in the way you had always hoped.

He accused you and your mother of using him and his father's wealth for your own personal gain.

His words hurt more than you could ever admit.

You were heartbroken, confused, and terrified of losing him completely.

Because despite everything that had changed, you still loved him.

And what Ethan didn't know was that he had once felt the same way about you.

Before grief, resentment, and circumstances turned everything between you into something neither of you recognized anymore.

Ethan had never once sat down to eat with you and your mother since you moved into his home.

But tonight was different.

You entered the dining room and froze when you saw him standing there, tall and composed, with a beautiful girl beside him.

Your eyes immediately went to her.

Ethan looked at you for a moment before speaking.

"This is Isabel, my girlfriend."

You choked on your food the moment the words left his mouth.