Chapter 1

I used to believe family was the one line no one would ever cross.

That belief shattered the day I caught my boyfriend cheating and had nowhere else to go, so I moved into my younger brother’s place.

Instead of support, his girlfriend slapped me across the face and threw me out of the house.

She called me “pathetic,” said I deserved to be dumped, and claimed she was the real woman of the house.

And my own brother stood beside her—silent, choosing her over me.

That was the moment I simply made one decision——

kicked them both out of my house.

My brother Dylan Stone is seven years younger than me and currently in college. Six months ago, he asked if he could borrow my two-bedroom apartment in Chapel Hill because his roommate snores and keeps him up at night.

Since the place was sitting empty, I gave him two spare keys and told him to stay in the guest room and not to enter my room. He eagerly agreed.

A couple of days ago, I discovered that my ex-boyfriend cheated on me. After the breakup, he kept showing up outside my office building and my apartment complex every day.

To get some peace, I handed over my work to my assistant and decided to stay at my brother’s place for a while.

On Thursday afternoon at 4 PM, Dylan should still be in class, so I didn’t tell him and just dragged my suitcase over.

But to my surprise, I found that no matter how hard I tried, my key wouldn’t unlock the door.

Could Dylan have changed the locks without telling me?

Just as I was about to pull out my phone to ask Dylan what was going on, the door suddenly clicked open.

Standing there was a girl with perfect makeup, wearing a cute, fuzzy pink bunny onesie.

That onesie looked familiar; it seemed like something I had bought as a spare.

But right now, I didn’t have time to figure out why this girl was wearing what looked like my pajamas. What I really needed to know was why she was in my home!

As I frowned at her, she looked me up and down with an expression that was anything but friendly.

“Hi…” I tried to ask what was going on, but she interrupted me.

“Are you serious?! You’re here trying to break into my house? Do you think I won’t call the cops and have you arrested?”

???

I stood there, confused and taken aback.

Just as I pulled off my scarf to show my face and understand what was happening, I felt a sharp sting on my left cheek.

At the same moment, the door slammed shut, sending a breeze across my burning face.

I was seething with anger as I took out my phone. My gut told me this was all Dylan's doing.

[Me: Dylan, what did you do with my house?!]

[Dylan: Sis? What’s wrong?]

[Me: I just got slapped by a woman in my pajamas who’s in my house.]

[Dylan: Why did you show up so suddenly?]

[Me: You better explain this to me quickly.]

Dylan seemed surprised and panicked, taking a few minutes to respond.

[Dylan: Sis, there’s probably a misunderstanding. I had my girlfriend open the door for you. I’ll explain when I get back from class; don’t be mad.]

Don’t be mad?

How am I supposed to not be mad after being slapped and locked out of my own house?

Wait… girlfriend?

Dylan is dating someone?

And they’re living together?

In my house?!