Miriam Howard and I were caught in the inferno together.

Matthew and Carson dashed in, but their focus was solely on Miriam.

“Kiara, you're a Hunt; you've got plenty of people looking out for you, endless ways to escape danger. But Miriam's different—she only has us!”

I yelled for help, yet they didn't hesitate to rescue Miriam, leaving me behind.

With great effort, I found a tiny vent and barely made it out.

Once discharged from the hospital, I returned home, still bandaged and scorched, only to find my clothes strewn across the floor.

“Miriam's been having nightmares ever since, so we gave her your bedroom for comfort. You get it, right?”

Stunned, I glanced at my still-bleeding wounds and silently took out my phone to make a call.

“You promised to love me forever and keep me safe for life. Does that promise still stand?”

==============================

“Wait for me to come back.”

After hanging up, I started gathering up the clothes scattered around.

Watching Matthew and Carson fussing over Miriam, I turned away, expressionless.

I was halfway to the door when someone gripped my shoulder tightly.

“Kiara, I didn’t mean to take your room. Please don’t be upset, okay?”

Miriam's eyes shimmered with tears, her voice pleading. Yet her fingers pressed deliberately into my wound.

As her nails dug deeper, I winced in pain and shook her hand off.

With a slight motion, she theatrically crumpled to the ground.

“Kiara Hunt! How long are you going to be so selfish? I haven't even blamed you for the injury Miriam suffered because of you.”

Matthew, hearing the commotion, hurried over, glaring at me as if I’d done something unthinkable.

The moment Carson saw Miriam fall, he raised a hand toward me.

I defiantly tilted my head back, meeting his eyes, searching for the familiarity that once was.

But his eyes burned with anger, softening only as he turned to help Miriam up, showing her a tenderness he'd never shown me.

“Kiara, please don’t be mad. I’m really sorry. I’ll pack up and leave right away!”

Miriam sobbed endlessly, struggling to pull away from Carson's side.

Carson held her even tighter, his expression growing colder when he looked back at me.

“This is Miriam's spot now. Who are you to think you can send her away?”

I stood there, dumbfounded, staring at him in disbelief.

Who am I?

After twenty years together, do I truly matter less than someone they've known for just a few weeks?

“Stop living in a fantasy. Miriam hurt her leg. Aren’t you the best at treating injuries? Take a look at it—consider it making up for your mistake.”

Matthew’s eyes never left Miriam.

With a wry smile, I looked at my bloodied hands and, for once, refused him.

“With these hands?”

Matthew and Carson glanced at me, a flicker of doubt in their eyes, quickly replaced by disdain.

“What’s the big idea? This isn’t the time for your games!”

I laughed bitterly to myself. To them, the gashes on my face and the blood on my hands were just trivial antics.

They couldn’t see through the real act, but they had already convicted me.

Without delay, I dragged my suitcase back to the Hunt estate.

Matthew, Carson, since you've chosen Miriam, I'll treat these past twenty years like nothing but a dream.

I won't naively trust your promises to protect me ever again.

The vast mansion stands empty, with only me inside. The silence is so profound it's almost eerie, interrupted only by the sound of my own breath echoing through the rooms. I bandage my wounds quietly and crawl into the cold bed. Outside, thunder crashes and lightning flashes, and I instinctively curl into a ball.

In a haze, my mind drifts back to the year of my parents' car accident. It was another stormy day with thunder and lightning, just like this one. The two most important people in my life, my beloved mom and dad, were gone forever. From that moment on, my world became as dark as a night without stars.

My uncle, who was living abroad, wanted to take me with him. But Matthew and Carson intervened, preventing him. They bought the villa next to my family’s home and brought me there, promising my uncle time and again that they would take good care of me. And they truly did.

These two were once rebellious heirs, but they changed entirely for my sake. I was shy, so we didn't hire any housekeepers. Matthew threw himself into the kitchen, determined to become a skilled cook just to ensure I had delicious meals. Carson, who had no interest in fashion design, took up studying it so he could craft beautiful Victorian-style dresses for me by hand.

Whenever it rained heavily, they would make makeshift beds in my room, quietly staying beside me. They would tell me bedtime stories and crack jokes until I fell asleep, tiptoeing out only once I was sound asleep.

"Kiara, no matter what, we will always protect you," they promised when I turned eighteen. At that time, I naively believed this promise would hold true forever. However, I was wrong. Everything changed when Miriam came into the picture.

Miriam was a struggling student sponsored by the Sullivan family, taken in after her parents passed away. Initially, Matthew and Carson found her annoying and assured me, "Don’t worry, Kiara, we'll always be there for you. She’ll be gone soon!"

But gradually, I noticed that my things began to include versions for Miriam. Conversations with Matthew and Carson increasingly revolved around her. I couldn't accept this shift and had cried and argued with them, hoping they'd return to their senses.

I never thought they would come to cherish Miriam even more, becoming irritated by my objections. "You're just spoiled. Miriam would never act like this," their scolding cut into my heart like sharp knives. At that moment, it felt as though my heart had been thrown into a freezing abyss, cold and unforgiving.

Youthful promises, like bubbles, easily burst upon a touch. How could I still believe in them so easily? Yet, I clung to a glimmer of hope. After spending over twenty years together, how could our connection be so easily displaced?

Quietly, I hoped in my heart that they were just momentarily confused and would eventually come back to me. But when Miriam and I were trapped in a raging fire, that last shred of hope was utterly extinguished.

The fire was fierce, smoke billowing thickly. I struggled within the inferno, the searing pain nearly causing me to pass out. Yet, Matthew and Carson rushed to Miriam without a moment's hesitation.

I lay on the scorching ground, surrounded by the relentless flames. The pain of my burns was nothing compared to the despair I felt inside. I watched helplessly as they carried Miriam away, their silhouettes stark and unwavering against the fire’s glow.

At that moment, it felt as if a merciless hand tore cruelly at my heart, shredding it into countless bleeding pieces. I finally let go, completely and utterly.

Matthew and Carson had truly forgotten their promises. Their eyes now held only Miriam. They had fallen for her, and the place that once belonged to me was now hers.

They could so easily discard over two decades of friendship, letting go without any second thoughts. Given that, I might as well try to let go too.

The sky was beginning to brighten, and thunder boomed outside my window. I jolted awake from a nightmare, my pajamas damp with cold sweat, my body shaking uncontrollably. Instinctively, I reached for my phone on the pillow beside me. As soon as I unlocked it, Miriam Howard's latest Facebook post jolted me back to reality.

That's when it hit me—I had been abandoned by them.

"Matthew and Carson promised to stay with me on every stormy night. I feel so blessed!" read the post, accompanied by a picture of a room I knew all too well—pink walls, delicate decor, even the two quilts on the floor were painfully familiar.

Countless stormy nights, I'd slept soundly in that very room. Whenever thunder crashed, Matthew and Carson would rush to cover my ears, whispering softly until I drifted back to sleep. But now, the same scene, the same gestures, were meant for someone else.

I clutched the blanket tightly, trying to cocoon myself further. Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking the silence.

"Get over here, it's urgent!" On the other end, Carson, usually so calm, sounded strangely frantic.

I frowned and quickly hung up, doubting their so-called urgent matter involved anyone other than Miriam. Yet I underestimated their persistence; the phone kept ringing endlessly.

Next came a loud bang as Matthew kicked open the door, standing there fuming with anger.

"What tantrum are you throwing now? Get back with me, Miriam won’t eat unless she has your beef stew."

That stew was something my mom had taught me to make, step by step. Over the years, I'd only ever made it for Matthew and Carson. They knew how important it was to me, yet here they were, asking me to make it for Miriam.

"Why should I make the stew? It's not Mom and Dad's anniversary," I said, fighting back tears, my eyes growing red with suppressed emotion.

Matthew hesitated for a moment, then his gaze turned impatient. He grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door. "Stop being so stubborn! Miriam wants it, so you have to make it!"

He was strong, and I couldn't break free, so I was dragged all the way to the Sullivan house.

Inside, I was met with a sight that cut deep. Carson was gently coaxing Miriam to eat, his eyes filled with the kind of affection I once knew so well. The table was laid with various dishes, all beautifully presented. Even on my birthday, Carson had never prepared so much.

Now, they were in a frenzy just because Miriam claimed she couldn't eat.

"Kiara, I'm sorry for bothering you. Ever since that day, I've been too anxious to eat, and staying in the hospital didn’t help. When Matthew mentioned you could make beef stew, I just thought it must be delicious," Miriam said, rubbing her eyes with feigned innocence, her wide eyes accusing me of being petty.

I stared at her coldly. "If you're sick, see a doctor. Stew can't fix that."

No sooner had I spoken than Miriam's tears fell like a broken string of pearls. Carson's face tightened with concern. He hurried to wipe her tears and pulled her close, gently patting her back and murmuring comfort.

Matthew's face was a mask of rage. He grabbed a coffee cup and hurled it at me. I didn’t even have time to dodge before I felt a sharp pain in my calf. Warm liquid trickled down, and when I looked, blood was pooling on the floor. I stared blankly at the shattered coffee cup—a replica of my efforts, meant as a birthday gift for Matthew.

I remembered his expression when he first received the cup. He had held it as if it were a treasure, promising to cherish it forever. Yet now, that very cup had been used to chastise me, broken in pieces at my feet.

Matthew noticed the familiar cup but merely paused before looking away indifferently.

Then, out of nowhere, a black Maine Coon named Shadow leapt. Its luminous green eyes glinted ominously. My heart raced, and I instinctively wanted to escape. But Shadow lunged at me, clawing and biting.

“No, Shadow! Kiara isn't a bad person!” Miriam shrieked in mock fear.

I couldn't evade it; Shadow's bite tore into my arm, its claws embedded deep in my skin. I struggled to shake it off, but the cat was relentless.

Agonizing pain seared my arm, wave after wave, threatening to overwhelm me. Carson and Matthew rushed to Miriam's side, covering her eyes protectively.

Old scars on my arm reopened, and blood poured forth. Since a feral cat clawed me when I was ten, I had feared aggressive animals. Matthew and Carson were well aware, which is why we never had pets around us for years.

Finally, it was Riggs, the chauffeur, who stepped in. He rushed over and, with effort, managed to pry the Maine Coon away.

“Miss, may I bandage that for you?” Riggs asked, his voice heavy with concern as he glanced at my injured arm.

I surveyed the absurd scene before me, a wave of desolation washing over. I shook my head slowly.

“No, I’ll go to the hospital myself.”

I stood, the pain from my arm radiating through my entire body with each movement. The hallway, once adorned with portraits capturing my childhood, was now filled with pictures of Miriam.

In the garden, where Matthew had built a swing for me, there was now only a flowerbed filled with roses. We had shared so many joyful moments on that swing, but it had become a rose bed—a plant I was allergic to.

I clutched my nose and mouth instinctively, trying to protect myself from the pollen. As soon as I stepped out the door, hives broke out over my skin, itching and crawling like ants.

A bitter smile touched my lips as I looked at the rash-covered skin. Dizziness clouded my mind, and the world around me blurred into a haze.

As I collapsed, I vaguely saw Matthew and Carson's car drive past.

“It’s Kiara…”

“Don't worry about her; you are what matters most!”