After some time, Alayna Dickerson heard the roar of a car engine outside. She looked out the window and saw that Jarrett Sheppard had driven away with Kisha Prince. She calmly looked away from the window, curled up on her bed, and hugged herself tightly.

The next morning, her phone rang, breaking the silence in her room. The screen displayed 'Mom'. Alayna hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Mom…"

She had barely spoken when her mother, Patricia's, angry voice came through the phone. "Jarrett and I were traveling for a month, and you cause a scandal like this. Your brother is getting married, and you're still trying to climb into his bed! Alayna Dickerson, do you have no shame? Get out of there! Don't live with your brother anymore!"

A wave of immense sorrow washed over Alayna. When she was little, her family had gone bankrupt. Her parents divorced. Her father went to California, and her mother remarried into the Sheppard family, bringing her along.

Her mother always said she was a burden. She said that because of Alayna, she couldn't have another child with Mr. Sheppard. Over the years, her mother had rarely shown any care for her. The only two times she had actively 'cared' were to blame her.

Once, when she confessed to Jarrett, her mother had called and screamed at her, calling her shameless.

Today, her mother was accusing her of climbing into Jarrett's bed, saying she had no shame.

"Mom, you didn't even ask what happened. You're just certain I was the one who initiated it?" Alayna asked, her voice trembling.

The phone was silent for a moment. Then her mother's disgusted voice came again. "We're both women. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking! If you affect my standing in the Sheppard family, you can go find your dad!"

After saying that, her mother hung up.

The black screen of the phone reflected Alayna's lost and haggard face. She bit her lip hard, refusing to let the tears fall.

Looking at the word 'Mom' on her phone's contact list, she thought silently, Mom, don't worry. This daughter you dislike will completely leave the Sheppard family, and you, in just 4 days.

For the next few days, Jarrett didn't come home. Alayna was busy with her own preparations for going abroad and didn't pay any attention to where he and Kisha had gone.

Until 11:59 PM on August 24th. One minute before Jarrett's birthday.

Alayna opened her social media and clicked on the only contact she had pinned. But after staring at the screen for a long time, she closed the chat. This was the first time in ten years she hadn't wished him a happy birthday.

At 8:00 AM the next morning, a flight reminder popped up on her phone.

[Ms. Alayna Dickerson, your flight will depart in 14 hours. Please arrive at the airport two hours in advance to complete check-in.]

She calculated the time. She had only 12 hours left before she had to leave.

She found herself opening her social media again. She saw a new post from Kisha Prince.

[The sunrise by the sea is beautiful. Looking forward to the sunset and you this evening.]

The post included a photo of her and Jarrett holding hands at a place called Rose Coast.

Alayna's eyelashes fluttered. Her heart was calmer than she had expected.

At that moment, Kisha sent her a direct message.

[Your brother wants to spend his birthday alone with me this year. I hope you won't disturb us.]

Below the text was a 10-second video. In the video, Jarrett was wearing a bathrobe, lying on a large, couple's-themed waterbed in a hotel room. Kisha was lying beside him, her shoulder exposed from under the blanket, covered in ambiguous red marks.

Alayna didn't need to think to know what kind of passionate night they had just had.

She just twitched her lips, quietly exited the social media app, and then began to reconfirm and clear out all of her belongings in the house.

4 hours left.

Alayna took the entire sketchpad from her drawer and tore her drawings of Jarrett into tiny pieces, one by one. The shredded paper went into the trash can, and the memories in her mind were cleared out, bit by bit.

3 hours left.

She threw out all her remaining personal items in the house, leaving no trace that she had ever lived there.

2 hours left.

She took the harmonica Jarrett had given her from her bedside table and placed it on the living room coffee table. She put it on top of the drawing she had made of Jarrett and Kisha. It would be her last wedding gift to him, from his sister.

When she was eight, Jarrett had been a light in her life. But from now on, she would be her own light.

Because she was a sunflower, no longer someone's rose.

1 hour left.

She left a small message in the bottom right corner of the sketch.

[Jarrett, happy birthday. Let's part ways here. We have no further connection.]

[I wish you all the best in a future without me.]

Birds and fish travel different paths. Mountains and rivers will not meet again.

After that, Alayna picked up her phone. She deleted Jarrett and Kisha Prince as friends and deactivated her social media account. Then she did a full factory reset on her phone, erasing everything.

The whole process was done without a single moment of hesitation.

Having done all that, Alayna took one last look at the home she had lived in for ten years.

Then she turned and headed straight for the airport.

The plane roared into the sky.

The plane cut through the clouds, and Alayna Dickerson looked down at the shrinking city below. She felt a sense of release. She closed her eyes and slept for the entire flight.

When she woke up, the plane was landing in California. The sun was bright, the air was warm. It felt like a new world.

She walked through the arrivals gate and saw him immediately. Her father, Samuel Dickerson, was standing there, holding a sign with her name on it. He looked older, with more gray in his hair, but he smiled warmly when he saw her.

"Alayna," he said, pulling her into a hug.

"Dad," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. She let herself cry for just a moment, a single tear rolling down her cheek before she pulled back and wiped it away. She was composed again.

"You look good, Dad. Successful," she said, noticing his expensive watch and well-tailored suit.

He laughed. "Business has been good. I'm just glad you're finally here."

They walked out to his car, a sleek black sedan. As he drove, he glanced at her. "So, is this a permanent move? Or just for college?"

"Permanent," Alayna said firmly. "I'm not going back."

He nodded, a look of approval on his face. "Good. The company is growing. I need someone I can trust. You can focus on your music studies, but I want you to start learning the ropes. This will all be yours one day."

"Okay, Dad," she said, feeling a sense of security she hadn't felt in a long time.

"So," he started, a little hesitantly, "did you and Jarrett... did you two have a fight?"

Alayna turned to look out the window at the palm trees flying by. "We didn't fight. We just... grew apart. It's better this way." She wanted to close that chapter of her life completely.

Samuel seemed to sense her reluctance to talk about it. He saw the change in her, the way she held herself. He decided not to push. "Alright. A new start, then."

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Jarrett Sheppard sat in a sterile boardroom. He couldn't focus on the presentation. An unsettling feeling had been gnawing at him all day.

It was his birthday, and he hadn't heard from Alayna.

Not a text. Not a call. Nothing.

For ten years, without fail, she had been the first person to wish him a happy birthday, usually with a handmade card or a thoughtful, personal gift.

He remembered the time she had baked him a cake that was slightly burnt, but he had eaten every bite because of the proud smile on her face. He remembered the year she had composed a song for him on her harmonica, the melody sweet and clumsy.

Her silence was louder than any argument they could have had.

That night, back at the Blue Sea Apartments, he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, his mind replaying their last few interactions. Her quietness. The way she looked at him.

He picked up his phone. Kisha had sent him a message an hour ago.

[Thinking of you. Can't wait for our life together.]

He ignored it. He scrolled through his contacts, his thumb hovering over Alayna's name.

He checked his messages again. Nothing.

He tried to convince himself it was a good thing. She was finally growing up, moving on, not clinging to him anymore. This is what he wanted, wasn't it? For her to be independent.

But despite telling himself that, a hollow, empty feeling spread through his chest. It felt like a piece of him was missing.

The next evening, Jarrett Sheppard and Kisha Prince sat at a Michelin-starred restaurant. The table was covered in rose petals, and a bottle of expensive champagne sat in an ice bucket. It was meant to be a belated birthday celebration.

But the atmosphere was tense.

"You look tired," Kisha commented, taking a sip of her champagne. "You barely slept last night."

Jarrett didn't respond. He was staring at his phone, which sat face down on the table. He kept picking it up, checking the screen, then putting it back down.

Kisha sighed, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Why don't you just call her?"

Jarrett looked up, his expression annoyed. "Call who?"

"Alayna, of course. It's been over a day. She hasn't wished you a happy birthday. I can see it's bothering you."

"It's not bothering me," he said defensively. "She's an adult. It's time she stopped depending on me for everything. I haven't interfered with her life at all lately."

Kisha raised an eyebrow. "You haven't, but I have. I've been sending her messages for you, remember? Pictures of us. Reminders that you're with me now." She let out a small, bitter laugh. "Honestly, it's getting a little tiring."

Jarrett's jaw tightened. "Did she reply?"

"No," Kisha said flatly. "Not a single word. She just leaves them on 'read'."

The information sent a sharp pain through Jarrett's head. He felt a sudden dizziness, a confusion that he couldn't shake. Why did her silence hurt so much?

"You know," Kisha said, her voice softening as she leaned forward, "Alayna is a very proud person. When she decides on something, she sticks to it. If you've hurt her, she won't come back easily. Maybe you should be the one to reach out."

"I know her better than you do," Jarrett snapped, his pride stung. "She's stubborn. She needs to face a bit of harsh reality to understand her place."

He believed that if he continued to show his life with Kisha, Alayna would eventually give up her foolish crush and come back to being his compliant little sister.

Kisha just looked at him, a knowing, almost pitying look in her eyes. She changed the subject.

"So, what about our wedding? The planner needs final decisions on the venue."

"We'll proceed as planned," Jarrett said, his voice firm. He stood up abruptly. "I have to go."

He left the restaurant without another word, leaving Kisha alone at the table surrounded by rose petals.