Part 1I Forgot Them All

Everything changed after my parents adopted Fiona Matthews.

My parents, my brother, my fiancé—even my own family—they all took her side.

And I went from being the beloved princess of the Summers family to someone everyone despised.

All my struggles were just to get a little more love, but it was all in vain.

When I finally decided to give up everything, I suddenly developed a condition—selective amnesia.

This condition made me forget the painful people and events in my life.

At Fiona and my fiancé's engagement party, I forgot my fiancé.

On the day I spent my birthday alone, I forgot the brother who once promised to protect me forever.

On the day my parents threatened to disown me for Fiona's sake, I forgot my parents.

In the end, I left New York with nothing holding me back.

And they all regretted it.

"Aurora, aren't you done throwing your tantrum yet?" Preston's disgusted voice drifted up from downstairs.

I stood on the staircase, looking down from above.

My parents, Julian and Preston surrounded Fiona as they sat together. The way they looked at me was cold and full of contempt.

It was as if the steps beneath my feet had created a harsh divide, splitting us into two completely different worlds.

In their world, Fiona was the cherished princess everyone adored, while I was the vicious villain who bullied her—every move I made met with their impatience and wariness.

But in my world, it was like an endless rain was falling. I ran frantically in all directions, but I couldn't find a single shelter where I could rest.

It didn't used to be like this.

I forced myself to maintain an indifferent expression, though my eyes betrayed my confusion.

Before Fiona came to our house, I was the one who was pampered and spoiled, the princess raised in the palm of my parents' hands.

Though my parents were always busy and frequently traveling, every time Dad came home, he would catch me as I ran into his arms, lift me high in the air, his voice full of indulgent affection: "Did our Aurora miss Daddy?"

If I loudly replied, "Yes!" Dad would laugh heartily and rub his stubbled cheek against mine.

The gifts my parents brought back for me each time could literally bury me.

Even when my parents weren't home, I never lacked for anything.

Because I had the best brother in the world, and the gentlest childhood friend.

When my parents were away, Julian and Preston kept me company. Even though they were boys and Julian was five years older than me, they never minded that I was a delicate girl. They patiently played childish games with me.

I grew up under their adoration until I turned seventeen—until my parents brought home a girl my age named Fiona Matthews.

Everything changed.

Fiona was the daughter of my mother's college roommate, Lauren Matthews. They had been close friends in their youth and stayed in touch even after both got married. But Lauren's family circumstances were modest, and she didn't want to take advantage of our family, so they mostly communicated online.

Until that year, when Fiona's parents died in a car accident.

My mother felt terrible for Fiona, who had lost her parents while her relatives passed her around like a hot potato. So my mother adopted Fiona.

My mother told me: "Aurora, Fiona has been through so much. Be understanding with her."

That understanding cost me everything.