Chapter 1

My boyfriend-obsessed best friend turned into a "stay-at-home girlfriend" the second she started dating my half-brother, Austin.

When I invited her out for cupcakes, she pushed the plate away with a frown. "Too much artificial sugar. It’s not healthy, and Austin doesn't let me eat stuff like this."

When I asked her to go to a bar with me, she wrinkled her nose. "Only sketchy people go to places like that. Austin would be furious."

I figured, whatever. As long as she was happy.

Until the day I saw Austin with his arm wrapped around another girl, walking into a hotel.

I hesitated for a long time before finally sending the pictures to Hailey.

That night, Austin kicked my door open in a blind rage.

Hailey was crying, shrinking into his chest.

"That girl is literally his cousin! Why would you lie to me? Are you just trying to ruin us?" she sobbed.

Austin pointed a finger right in my face and spat, "You ungrateful bitch! As of today, you are dead to me!"

"Sounds good to me." I looked at my kicked-in door lock and called building security immediately.

"Someone just broke into my apartment. I need you up here right now."

The moment I hung up, I saw the rage on Austin's face turn into pure shock.

He let go of Hailey, looking like he couldn’t believe his ears. "Chloe, are you insane? I'm your brother!"

"The guy who just broke into my place is named Austin. What does he have to do with my brother?"

I leaned against the hallway wall, looking at the shattered lock of my door, and sneered, "Didn't you just say I was dead to you?"

Hailey poked her head out from his chest, tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling. "Chloe, how could you call security? He’s your own brother! You’re family. Can’t you guys just talk this out?"

Family.

She wasn't singing that tune when Austin was kicking my door down two hours ago.

Two hours ago, I was still staring at my phone, debating whether to send her those photos.

In the pictures, Austin had his arm wrapped tightly around a girl in a tight slip dress.

She was practically hanging off him as they walked into the lobby of a boutique hotel. Their body language made it blindingly obvious what kind of relationship they had.

Hailey and I had been best friends for four years. We were college roommates, pulled all-nighters together for finals, and got caught sneaking back into the dorms past curfew.

When I had a high fever, she carried me to the campus clinic. When she got her heart broken, I sat on the rooftop with her all night, sharing a pack of seltzers.

But Austin was my half-brother.

My dad had him with another woman before marrying my mom. Austin was already three when they tied the knot.

My mom didn't find out until two years into the marriage, and by then, she was already pregnant with me.

She didn't make a scene. She didn't fight. She just silently gave birth to me.

When I was ten, she passed away from cancer.

On her deathbed, she held my hand, her voice barely a whisper:

"Chloe, I’ve left this condo to you. It's fully paid off. No matter what happens in the future, you will always have a place of your own."

She knew the Miller family was a toxic mess. She couldn't protect me forever, so she did everything she could to leave me a safe haven.

I moved into this condo right after graduation.

I have a stable job and an independent life. My relationship with the rest of the Miller family is as cold as leftover tea.

Austin and I were never close. We only saw each other during the holidays, and our conversations rarely went beyond one-word texts.

Until Hailey started dating him.

Last month, Hailey called me, practically screaming with excitement. "Chloe! Guess who I'm dating!"

Hearing her ecstatic voice, I had a terrible gut feeling. "Please don't tell me it's someone I know."

"Austin! Your brother! We met at a party. He is so sweet, so attentive. And he told me he’s never met anyone as special as me!"

My brain went completely numb.

Austin? Sweet and attentive?

The guy went through girlfriends faster than I changed my phone wallpaper. Every single one was "the love of his life," and none of them lasted more than three months.

His definition of "special" was basically like collecting stamps—he just needed one of every type.

"Hailey, listen to me," I tried to warn her gently. "Austin is not a good guy. He has a massive track record, and he’s never been loyal."

Hailey just laughed on the other end of the line.

"Chloe, are you sure you don't just have some sibling issues?

I think he’s amazing. Plus, that was the past. People change."

"Besides, he told me I’m the first girl he’s ever wanted to be serious with."

The first girl he wanted to be serious with.

Austin had used that exact line on at least a dozen girls. He didn't even bother to change the wording.

But Hailey was already head over heels. No matter what I said, she had a hundred excuses ready.

In the end, I could only sigh. "If you're happy, that's all that matters."

"Chloe, we're going to be family now! This is so crazy!"

Her voice was as bubbly as champagne.

I just tightened my lips and didn't reply.

Family? Austin and I were never family.

Over the next few weeks, Hailey became a completely different person.