Chapter 1

"Welcome home, Chloe, homeowner."

Chloe was wearing my slippers, standing inside the house Julian and I were supposed to get married in. She tilted her head and giggled at the digital lock.

"Oops! Why does it call me the homeowner?"

"Julian, did you program it wrong?"

Julian’s voice was smooth and gentle. "I just used your voice profile to test it out. We’ll add your sister’s later."

*Add mine later.*

Those two words dropped casually, like a needle driving straight into my heart.

For this house, from inspecting floor plans to running around hardware stores, picking tiles, and supervising contractors, I’d taken time off work over a dozen times.

To save a bit of money, I took two-hour bus rides in the dead of winter to check out suburban model homes.

Yet standing here today, the person welcomed "home" by the door lock wasn't me.

It was Chloe.

I was just the outsider responsible for footing the bills and making compromises.

And I was exhausted—so exhausted that I didn't even want this house anymore.

The photographer poked his head out from the living room with his camera.

"Chloe, one more time. Make it natural as you walk in. Maybe rest your hand casually on Julian’s arm."

I froze.

Chloe smiled and stepped back outside.

The door opened again.

Wearing my slippers, she took my fiancé’s arm and walked into my marital home.

The smart lock chimed again: "Welcome home, Chloe, homeowner."

The photographer clicked the shutter, satisfied.

"That’s the shot. Feels totally like home."

Standing to the side, I suddenly didn't know what to do with my hands.

Chloe waved at me. "Eve, don't block the camera! Grab that throw pillow for me, would you?"

Her tone was so effortless.

So natural—as if running her errands, giving up my spot, and cleaning up her messes had been my sworn duty my entire life.

When we took family photos as kids, she’d whine that I blocked her next to Mom.

Mom would pull me aside and say, "You're the older sister. Let Chloe stand in the center."

When she forgot her homework in school, I lied to cover for her.

When she broke my trophy, Mom told me to comfort her: "Chloe didn't mean to. She's already scared."

Then I met Julian.

I thought I finally found someone who would put me in the center.

But the first time Julian met Chloe, he smiled and said, "Your sister is so much livelier than you."

From then on, whenever the three of us ate out, he handed her the menu first.

When we traveled, he asked her if she was tired first.

When she looked for a job, he cared more than I did, personally having his assistant polish her resume.

I threw a fit once.

Julian was fixing Chloe’s laptop at the time. Hearing my complaints, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Eve, she's your sister. You've spoiled her since childhood. Isn't treating her well just another way of loving you?"

The photographer called out again, "Eve, step toward the kitchen, please. Don't let your shadow get in the frame."

I handed the pillow to Chloe.

She took it, hugged it to her chest, and sat down on the light grey couch I had spent weeks picking out.

Julian leaned over beside her, adjusting the cushion behind her back.

The photographer fired off a dozen shots.

In the photos, they looked like newlyweds moving into their dream home.

And I looked like a temporary delivery girl.

Yet in just seven days, Julian and I were supposed to sign our marriage license.

In two weeks, we were supposed to host a housewarming party to introduce our new place to friends and family.

I had watched this place turn from bare drywall into a home, nail by nail.

I had even measured the exact inches beside the washer to fit my laundry basket.

Oblivious to my silence, Chloe excitedly swung open the master bedroom door.

"Eve, I love this room with the bay window! The sunlight is incredible!"

I walked over and saw her already curled up on the window seat, wrapped in my plush throw blanket.

I had bought that blanket for myself.

I had pictured it so many times: coming home from work, curling up by the window with a book while Julian finished up work in the living room and soup simmered quietly on the stove.

Ordinary, peaceful, safe.

The kind of home I had always longed for.

Chloe looked up at Julian. "Julian, can I stay in this room for a while? My lease just ended, and I haven't found a good place yet."

I thought Julian would look at me.

Even just a glance.

Instead, he just smiled. "As long as your sister doesn't mind."

Chloe turned to me right away. "Eve, you won't mind, right? You and Julian will be in the master bedroom anyway, so this room is just sitting empty."

My throat tightened. "I was planning to make that my study."

The smile on Chloe's face faded slightly.

"A study?"

Clutching the blanket, she lowered her voice. "But I really don't have anywhere to stay right now. Come on, Eve, I’m not a stranger. It's just for a little while."

Julian finally looked at me, his brows knitted.

"Eve, you can set up a study anytime. Chloe finding a place to live is urgent."