The Sullivan brothers had always treated me like I was their whole world.

That changed the day I was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor.

The pain soon grew unbearable, and I was told I might lose my memories if I opted for surgery.

I reached out to the brothers.

I did not want to forget them, and I needed their help.

However, when the call connected, the only thing I heard was an icy, sharp voice.

"Summer, it's Yvonne's birthday today. Can you not ruin it for once?"

I blacked out from the pain. When I woke up in the hospital, there was a message from Yvonne on my phone.

"Summer, the boys gave me these lucky charms for protection."

Attached was a photo of three silver pendants, each engraved with the brothers' initials.

I knew those pendants well. I had spent seven hours in the freezing rain just to get them blessed.

That was the moment I gave up. I went abroad alone for the surgery, and with it, all my memories of the brothers faded away.

I completely forgot about them until one day, three strangers knocked on my door, begging like madmen for my forgiveness.

When I got back from the hospital, the first thing I did was call my aunt. She lived far away in another country.

"Aunt, I've made up my mind. I'm coming to see you. Can you help me find a hospital that specializes in brain surgery? I need an operation."

The moment Aunt heard I was going to have surgery, her voice thickened with worry, and she hurried to ask what had happened.

I tried to laugh it off, even though I felt weak. "It's no big deal, just a little tumor in my brain."

"Just a little tumor? Summer, that's serious! Do the Sullivan brothers know about this?"

The thought of them made my heart hurt so much that I started to cry.

"Never mind, Aunt. They don't need to know."

There was silence on the line for a bit before Aunt let out a sigh. "Okay, I've got your plane ticket for two weeks from now. Come quickly and let me take care of you."

I could not stop crying. Aunt was the only person who really cared about me now.

After I hung up, a cheerful voice came from the door. "Come quickly for what? Summer, what are you up to?"

Yvonne Douglas strolled in, jingling three silver charms in her hand.

I blinked back my tears and asked her calmly, "What's it to you? What are you doing here in my house?"

She put on a hurt expression. "Summer, didn't Ethan tell you? I'm not feeling well, so I'm going to stay here for a few days."

Yvonne got up close to my face and stared into my eyes like she was challenging me, her sad expression gone. "How long do you think it'll be before I take your place?"

I always pushed people away when they invaded my personal space.

Yvonne acted like I had pushed her super hard. She stumbled back and hit her head on the wardrobe. Suddenly, there was blood everywhere. She yelled, "Summer, I just wanted to see if you were okay! You don't have to like me, but you don't have to push me either!"

Her sad scream made the three brothers rush up from downstairs.

Ethan Sullivan, the oldest of the trio, was the first in the room. "Yvonne, are you okay? Where does it hurt? I'll get a doctor to come right now!"

Nelson, the middle one, was right behind him. "We should get you a psychologist too, so you can work through your trauma with a professional.”

Jasper, the youngest, was mad at me. "Summer, I can't believe you'd do this. Yvonne just wanted to tell you about all her fun plans for her birthday, and you hit her! Why are you being so mean?"

I felt so alone watching the brothers take Yvonne's side.

I kept thinking about what Yvonne had said.

She had wondered how long it would take to replace me, but she already had.

I was too upset to speak or defend myself.

Yvonne tried to stand up while repeatedly apologizing to me. "I'm so sorry, Summer. I didn't know the brothers celebrating my birthday would upset you so much. It's all my fault. I'll leave this house if you want, but please don't be mad at me anymore, and don't upset the brothers."

Then, she started to crawl out of the room.

The Sullivan brothers' expressions were a mix of disgust and shock, and their eyes blazed with anger as they looked at me.

I shivered and tried to speak, but their sharp glares filled me with a cold loneliness. I knew that no matter what I said, they would not believe me.

…

It was almost midnight, but the large villa was alive with activity.

The best medical team in the city was inside, all of them meticulously checking on Yvonne's condition, while the Sullivan brothers stood by her, tense and worried.

I was nearby, my head hurting so much that it felt like it was being split in two. A sharp pain swirled around my brain, making it hard to stand.

Biting back the pain, I walked up to a renowned neurologist. "Doctor, my head... It hurts."

"Summer, can't you see what's happening? These doctors are here for Yvonne. Don't make things harder for them!

"We had to call all these experts out here in the middle of the night because of the mess you made!" Ethan said, his voice full of blame. When I did not move, he grabbed my arm, pushed me into my room, and locked the door firmly.

The pain was so bad I could hardly walk. I crawled to my nightstand, grabbed a handful of painkillers, chewed them up, and swallowed them down. The bitterness filled my mouth and my heart.

After my parents died in a car crash, my grandparents and I moved to this city and became neighbors with the Sullivan brothers.

They were a few years older than me and took me under their wing, always looking out for me.

After my grandparents grew old and passed away, they stepped up to look after me.

I was nineteen at the time. They combined and remodeled our two houses into one big home, and things were perfect.

We were a tight-knit group of four, the closest I could imagine, until Yvonne showed up and changed everything.

It was just like any other day when Yvonne collapsed at our front door. She was so skinny and looked so sad that I could not help but bring her inside.

From the moment the Sullivan brothers saw her, they forgot all about me. Day after day, they showered her with love and attention.

It was as though she had appeared out of thin air just to steal the brothers' hearts.

After taking some pain medication, I tried to get up and go to bed, but the door suddenly flew open with a loud bang.

Nelson and Jasper stormed in, furious, and threw a bunch of papers at me.

I was still in shock when they yelled at me.

"How could you be so jealous that you hurt Yvonne when we weren't around?

"You've bullied Yvonne into a depression! Summer, I never knew you were so mean!"

Once Nelson and Jasper finished yelling, they quickly hurried back to Yvonne.

I grabbed the medical report, my hands shaking as I read it.

It said Yvonne had been abused for a long time and was malnourished, depressed, and had delusions that people were out to get her.

I read it and ran out the door, desperate to clear my name.

The doctors had just left the house when I saw the three brothers huddled around Yvonne in the living room.

Ethan was carefully peeling an apple for her while Nelson gently held her shoulders, whispering kind words to soothe her.

Jasper caught sight of me. His voice was hateful. "Why are you here? Are you checking if we're gone so you can pick on Yvonne again?"

Tears welled up in Yvonne's eyes as she looked at me. "Summer, I'm really sorry."

The brothers were quick to comfort her, dabbing at her tears with tissues.

Seeing how much they cared for her, I did not feel like arguing anymore.

I went back to my room in silence, took down the drawing of the four of us that the brothers had made, and cut it up. Then, I found a lighter and watched as the picture turned to ash.

Years of feelings disappeared with the flames.

…

I lay in bed, put in my earplugs, and blocked out the happy noise from outside. I soon drifted off into a deep sleep. It was the first time in a long while that I did not dream about the brothers.

When morning came, I got up early and began to pack. My closet was full of dresses Ethan had made just for me. He always said I was the princess of the family and should wear something pretty every day.

Nelson had given me tickets to concerts and flights all around the world. He always joked that I could not forget about him and others while I was away.

Jasper had taken care of everything for me. He wanted me to depend on them forever.

However, they had left me no choice now. I had to cram all those things into the trash can downstairs, throwing away all the memories—both the good and the bad.

As I shoved the last dress into the bin, Ethan's voice shook the air. "Summer, why are you tossing out the clothes I made for you?"

I spun around to see the three brothers lined up behind me, their eyes wide and worried.

Nelson dashed to the trash, not caring about the mess, and started digging. He found the gifts from him and Jasper that I had thrown out.

Their eyes were red as they asked, "Summer, you loved those things, didn't you? Why are you getting rid of them?"

I did not know what to say. My eyes darted around until they landed on the shirt Ethan was holding. I whispered, "I thought it was time for you to give me some new clothes and gifts. The old things were just taking up space, so I tossed some."

I walked over to Nelson and pointed at the blouse he was holding. "Is that a new blouse for me?" I asked quietly.

Nelson got all flustered and hid the blouse behind his back.

I let my eyes drop, pretending to be let down. "Oh, so it's not for me."

The brothers looked at me, their faces revealing a flicker of pain. They did not ask any more about why I was throwing things away.

Nelson let out a sigh. "Summer, Yvonne didn't have any clothes to wear at our place, so Ethan made some for her. Don't be jealous again."