I fell for my next-door neighbor, James Grayson. I even tried to seduce him in a sexy nightdress.

But he humiliated me by throwing me out in front of everyone. I was utterly embarrassed.

The next day, he told me straight up that he was getting engaged, and I should just give up.

So, I did. I let him go and said yes to someone else’s proposal.

But on my wedding day, James showed up looking like a mess and tried to stop the wedding. “Summer, I regret everything.”

But by then, my heart already belonged to my husband.

“Alright, I accept your proposal.”

An excited voice came through the phone right away. “Summer, I’m so happy you said yes! Don’t worry. I’ll treat you well, I promise—”

I cut him off. “But I have one condition.

“I want to start a company. I need funding.”

“I’ll give it to you!”

Caden Frost agreed without hesitation, but a second later, he hesitated. “What about James? Have you told him?”

“I will. Within a week.”

Just hearing James Grayson’s name messed with my head. As soon as I hung up, my hand trembled, and the glass I was holding fell to the floor and shattered, just like what we had between us. The moment when I told him I loved him, there was no going back.

Our families used to be neighbors. When I was ten, James was kidnapped by human traffickers.

My dad tried to protect him and was stabbed three times. Each wound was fatal.

James survived, but my dad lost his life.

My mom could not handle the pain. The shock made her go gray overnight, and she passed away too.

Just like that, I became an orphan.

James’s parents took me in, and he became my brother, though we were not related by blood. But later, his parents got divorced, and his mom, Monica Bennett, got custody of both of us.

“Summer, like I said, you’ll always be my daughter.”

James always looked out for me. As I grew older and hit my teenage years, I fell in love with him. So, on my 18th birthday, I bought a big bouquet of white roses and, behind Monica’s back, confessed my feelings to him.

“James, I like you. I don’t want you to be my brother. I want you to be my boyfriend.”

I looked at James, full of hope, but all I remember was the white roses falling to the ground and getting stained with dirt.

The next day, James publicly announced he had a girlfriend. He was rich and handsome, so it was easy for him to find dates. From that day on, he kept changing his girlfriends.

But I did not give up. I stubbornly wanted an answer. I confessed to him repeatedly, only to be rejected every time.

“Summer, I’ve only ever seen you as a sister.

“You’ll always be my sister.”

I did not believe him.

If he did not love me, why had not a single woman lasted more than a month by his side?

I knew I was special.

James would pull me into his arms on rainy days and wrap me in his coat. He would lean in during breakfast and lick the crumbs from the corner of my lips.

These were not things a brother would do for a sister.

So, on my 25th birthday, after downing a bottle of beer, I slipped into a sexy nightdress and opened the door to James’s room.

“I know the difference between family and romantic love. James, I love you.”

But what I opened was not James’s heart. It was Pandora’s box that pulled me into something I could never escape from.

James threw me out in front of all our friends. The next day, I heard he was getting engaged.

My heart ached. That morning, I held back my tears and stopped James at the door.

“James, I know you’re just using this engagement to scare me off. But I’m not giving up.”

I grabbed his hand and placed it over my heart. “I can feel it. You love me too. Why won’t you admit it?”

When I first moved in with James’s family, I used to cry out for my parents night after night. James was the one who held me close and comforted me.

When I was bullied at school, James was the first to notice and the one who stood up for me. He held my hand so tightly back then.

He was even the first one to get me pads when I had my first period.

I refused to believe he had no feelings for me.

But James pulled his hand away roughly and looked at me in disgust.

“Summer, you’re disgusting. Can’t you live without a man? Why are you still clinging to me?”

A tear slipped from the corner of my eye. Just as I quickly wiped it away, there was a knock at the door.

“Summer, can I come in?”

I quickly wiped my face and forced a smile uglier than my crying as I looked at Monica.

She pulled me into her arms. “You poor thing, what are you doing up here all alone? James’s fiancee just arrived. Come down and say hello, okay?”

Over the years, Monica had always been kind to me. I could not bring myself to say no to her, so I followed her downstairs.

The moment I reached the bottom stair, I saw Mila Sawyer curled up in James’s arms. I had no idea what they were talking about, but Mila was pouting in annoyance. James quickly leaned in and whispered sweetly to her until she smiled again.

A pang of sadness hit me.

James had never looked at me with eyes like that.

But at the same time, I felt relieved that I had just agreed to Caden’s proposal. At least I would not be standing in their way.

When I reached downstairs, Mila looked at me provocatively. Her arm was still wrapped around James’s neck.

“It’s been a while, Summer.”

I quietly mumbled a reply and sat on the couch farthest from them. I pulled out my phone and swiped aimlessly.

I tried my best not to listen to their flirtatious voices. It was not until the couch beside me dipped that I realized Mila had approached me. She looped her arm around mine in a friendly way and said, “Summer, I’m going to try on wedding dresses tomorrow. Come with me?”

I glanced at James, who sat across the room looking completely unfazed. Had he never told her about what happened between us?

Still, I knew better than to stir up drama, so I politely declined.

“Come on, don’t you want to witness your brother’s happiness for yourself?”

Mila deliberately emphasized the word “brother.” She stared straight at my face, like she was trying to see how I would react.

I had no choice but to agree.

To be fair, Mila was very beautiful. In the wedding dress, her waist looked even slimmer, and her chest more noticeable. She was a completely different type of woman than I was.

When the curtains opened, I saw the amazement and desire in James’s eyes.

It was the kind of attraction I had spent seven years craving but had never received.

I said I had something to do and grabbed my bag, ready to leave, but Mila grabbed my hand and would not let go.

“Summer, will you be my bridesmaid?

“I’ll pick a pink gown for you. You’ll get to witness the happiest moment of James’s life with me.”

Before I could say no, Mila dragged me straight into the dressing room.

In the middle of the struggle, I met James’s cold, indifferent eyes and instantly stopped fighting back.

He probably wanted me to attend the wedding as a bridesmaid, too.

After all, in his eyes, being loved by his “sister” was something twisted and wrong.

Then, Mila dropped the act entirely. She threw the pink dress to the floor, looked me up and down in disgust, and sneered.

“You’re disgusting. Who falls in love with the brother they grew up with?”

Those words cut deep.

Was that what James had told her about us?

“I’m sorry, Mila. I really have to go.”

I picked up my bag and was about to open the curtain when Mila grabbed me again. There was a strange glint in her eyes.

“Tell me. Between you and me, who do you think James would choose?”

I had no idea what she meant by that. After all, I never wanted to compete with her.

But the next second, she yanked me toward a huge flower vase nearby and pushed me into it.

The vase was nearly as tall as me. If it hit me, I would be stuck in a hospital bed for at least two weeks.

But Mila did not hesitate.

I heard the sharp sound of the vase breaking right next to me. The broken pieces cut me on my hand and cheek.

It hurt badly.

But Mila was under me. If I landed on her, she would hurt her back and would not be able to wear the wedding dress that had just caught James’s eye today.

Thinking of that, I clenched my teeth and grabbed Mila. In an instant, we switched positions.

I hit the floor hard. A sharp pain shot through my back.

“Summer, what are you doing? Why are you trying to hurt me?”

Hearing the commotion, James suddenly pulled the curtain open.

A small part of me was secretly hoping.

All these years, James had treated me like I was his most precious treasure. Even a tiny cut on my finger would send him into a frenzy.

But this time, James only gave me a cold glare. He turned to Mila and asked if she was okay.

Thankfully, the injuries were not that serious. Mila was fine.

Just as I was feeling a bit relieved, Mila shoved me away and threw herself into James’s arms. She cried like her heart was breaking.

James stared at me. His face was cold and dark. “Summer, explain.”

When I was 16, I had no parents, and my classmates mocked me at that sensitive age. They said I was cursed and doomed to be alone. One day, when I was hiding and crying by myself, James showed up like a hero and chased those bullies away.

He did not ask what happened. He just looked at me and said, “Summer, no matter what, it’s their fault if you’re crying. I’ll make sure they pay for it.”

His promise still echoed in my ears, but the man standing in front of me was no longer that knight in shining armor.

I pulled the ceramic shard out of my skin and tossed it aside. I stood up, one hand covering my wound.

“I’m the victim here. I don’t owe anyone an explanation.”

James stared at the cut on my arm, then lowered his eyes. His expression was unreadable.

After a few seconds of silence, Mila whimpered dramatically in pain. James did not hesitate. He picked her up in his arms and rushed her to the hospital. Alone and cut off, I stood among the broken shards while the store staff stared in uneasy silence.

In the end, I went to the hospital by myself to get my wounds treated. Thankfully, it was just surface injuries. They would heal in a few days.

“Summer, are you okay?”

As soon as I finished getting bandaged, I looked up to see Caden rushing toward me, out of breath. I was surprised. How did he know I was here?

“My friend’s an ER doctor. He told me you got hurt, so I came as fast as I could.”

A quiet warmth settled in. It eased the chill that had been sitting in my chest.

When Caden offered to help me home, I politely declined.

There were still four days left. Half of my things had already been moved out of the room. A little more time, and I could finish handling everything.

But when I opened the door, I saw Mila sitting on the couch. She had not turned on the lights. The room was lit only by the soft glow of moonlight.

“Summer, I know now that you’re not a threat to me. I’m sorry for what happened today.”

Mila stood up from the couch with a warm smile and handed me a glass of milk.

“I heard from James that you always drink a glass of milk before bed. Consider this as my apology.”

I looked at her doubtfully.

“We’re going to be a family soon. What, are you afraid I poisoned it?”

She took a small sip herself, then offered it to me again.

I took the milk and told Mila again that I would move out before the wedding.

“I know. Now, drink it before it gets cold.”

So, I drank it all in one go.

But in the middle of the night, I suddenly felt hot all over and incredibly thirsty. I went to the kitchen to get some water, only to run right into James.

For some reason, he looked especially attractive tonight. Without thinking, I reached out and touched his chest.

Just a light touch eased the burning heat in my body. I could not help but want more relief. My lips parted slightly, my eyes grew hazy, and my head felt light and foggy.

There was a voice in my head telling me to stop. I bit my lower lip hard and tried to resist, but my body moved on its own.

Smack!

James slapped me across the face before I could even react.

I snapped out of it for a second, just in time to see the disgust in his eyes.

“Summer, you’re still using tricks like these? You disgust me!”

I wanted to explain, but he did not give me a chance. He picked up his phone and called security.

“Throw her out. And make sure you record her at her worst.”

The guard hesitated, but James barked at him angrily.

Before the guard dragged me out, James grabbed my face, gave a cold, mocking smile, and said, “Summer, really? Drugging me now? You’ve really hit a new low. You make me sick.”

Before the guard dragged me out, I desperately tried to explain. I broke down in tears and said apologetically, “James, I was wrong. Please don’t throw me out. I promise I’ll leave tomorrow…”

I was only wearing a thin camisole nightdress. If I was tossed out like this, my reputation would be ruined.

But James just shot me a cruel smile. “Summer, the truth is, you won’t learn your lesson unless it hurts.”

And with that, the guard threw me out the door.

It was early autumn, and the night air was chilly. I wrapped my arms around myself to stay warm, but the guard yanked me roughly to the ground.

“Ms. Lane, Mr. Grayson wants you to learn a lesson. He doesn’t want to see you here ever again.”

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a group of shady-looking men stepped out of the shadows.

I froze. A wave of hopelessness rose from deep inside me.

I looked up and saw Mila standing at the window. She was calmly sipping milk and smiling sweetly as she watched me.

Then, James appeared beside her. For a second, hope flared in my chest.

I screamed his name, but the guard clamped a hand over my mouth. Through the window, I saw James and Mila standing at the edge of the bed, facing me.

Mila said something I could not hear. James nodded, took the glass of milk, and drank it all. Then, he pulled the curtain closed.

Just before the curtains were fully closed, I caught a glimpse of Mila’s smug, taunting face.

My heart sank into complete despair.

James, did you really hate me that much?