Chapter 1

Everyone knew Liam lived by two unbreakable rules.

First, his passenger seat was mine.

Second,he recoiled from any woman who dared touch him. A quirk, I'd thought. A strange, endearing flaw that didn't apply to me.

For twenty years, the rules held. I believed in our private language of love.

But today, I saw his car outside a boutique. My breath hitched.

Maeve was in my seat. She leaned over, kissed him. He didn't move away.

I froze, a chill seeping into my bones.

His aversion wasn't a condition. It was a choice.

Even more ridiculous, the woman who'd broken both his rules was the one I'd personally hired for his company.

Aria's POV

I stood frozen outside the boutique, a dull ache settling in my chest.

I opened my email and typed my reply to Professor Ford: “Yes. I accept.”

Florence it would be. I'd leave the day after graduation.

The screen went dark. I lifted my gaze to the shop window.

There she was. Maeve, my future sister-in-law, glowing in a white mermaid gown, a circle of admirers around her.

And beside her, kneeling to adjust the hem of her dress with a look of pure devotion, was Liam.

My brother, by adoption.

And the man I had loved for nearly twenty years.

Shards of memory cut through me, sharp and unbidden.

That year, my first in college, Mrs. Hayes took my hand. She watched Liam come down the stairs, a playful glint in her eye.

"You two are so close," she teased. "People might get ideas! Liam, doesn't it worry you, what they might think?"

Liam crossed the room. His hand came to rest on my head, ruffling my hair in the familiar way he'd done for years. "Let them think what they want," he said. "I don't care."

Those words had been the sole belief sustaining my nearly two-decade-long secret crush. I naively thought his indifference was because he'd already planned me into his future.

Now, they felt like a slap in the face.

The cruelest irony? I'd personally picked Maeve for this job.

Liam's assistant had just resigned, and he'd pushed a few resumes my way. "Help me pick an assistant. Find someone you like, so they don't bother you."

I was surprised and secretly thrilled. Among several impressive resumes, I immediately chose Maeve. She seemed the most gentle and harmless.

I thought it was a special privilege, proof he cared about my feelings.

Now I see I was just deluding myself.

"Aria? Is that really you!"

Maeve spotted me from inside the store, her face instantly beaming with surprise. She hurried over, gathering her gown, and spoke warmly through the glass door. "Come in, Aria! Tell me what you think of this dress. Liam says it's gorgeous, but I trust your taste more than anyone's. You have the best eye!"

Everyone in the store turned to stare at me.

I felt like I was suffocating.

I managed a stiff smile, shaking my head. "No thanks, Maeve. I'm actually busy. You two take your time."

Maeve's smile froze. Her eyes welled up, her lower lip trembling as her voice cracked. "Aria, are you still mad at me? Liam and I are truly in love, and we're getting engaged soon. I just want your blessing."

Her pitiable act successfully sparked whispers from the onlookers.

I was the unreasonable sister, ruining the bride's special moment.

I stood there, nailed to the spot, utterly lost.

Just then, Liam walked over, his tall figure casting a shadow over the glaring lights.

Maeve instantly reverted to her startled fawn act, cowering behind Liam, whimpering, "Liam, I didn't mean to. I just wanted Aria to help me pick. She still seems upset about... what happened last time."

Liam's gaze landed on me, icy and unfamiliar, devoid of any warmth.

"Aria," he began, his voice cold as ice, "How much longer are you going to keep this up?"

My heart plummeted.

Keep what up?

Liam seemed to fear he hadn't hurt me enough, so he continued, "When you won that photography award and hugged me-I know you were excited. But Maeve saw it, and it gave her the wrong idea."

He paused.

"That was just a sister's dependence and admiration for her brother, nothing else. Aria, you're not a child anymore. You need to learn to keep an appropriate distance from your brother."

My mind exploded.

Not long ago, when no one was around, he would hold me from behind, his chin resting on my head, complaining in an intimate whisper that I smelled of another man's cologne.

In a flash, he'd become the brother warning me to keep my distance.

Humiliation burned my cheeks, and my vision swam.

I bit down hard on my lip. The metallic taste of blood forced the tears back.

I couldn't cry here. I wouldn't show weakness in front of them.

I lowered my gaze, my voice barely audible. "I'm sorry. I was being childish. I'll make sure to keep my distance from now on."

I couldn't stand another second. Muttering an excuse about feeling dizzy, I spun around and fled.

Tears fell as I turned.

I wandered the streets like a ghost for what felt like an eternity, until the evening wind stung my cheeks.

Only then did I pull out my phone, my hands trembling.

The screen's light stung my eyes.

I opened the app and booked a flight to Florence for ten days from now.