In the dead of night, Ryan Fox led his distraught female classmate, Elena Smith, who had just failed the SAT exam, to a bar to drown their sorrows in alcohol.

Midway through their drinking session, Ryan suddenly called me to fetch milk for Elena, who was drunk.

I refused.

His anger flared, and with a sharp click, he hung up.

Little did I know, he would resort to coaxing my younger sister, Mia, into venturing alone to the convenience store for the milk.

The streets were dark and eerie, shadows lurking in every corner.

In a dark alley, a stray dog pounced.

It mauled Mia, leaving her lifeless on the cold pavement.

By the time I found her and rushed her to the hospital, it was too late.

Her final words were a whisper in the night, "Don't cry, Madeline. Tell Ryan I bought the milk."

Tears streamed down my face when I dialed Ryan's number over and over, but each call went unanswered.

Racing to the bar, I saw Ryan onstage, holding Elena close. Their bodies moved sensually to the music.

Enraged, I confronted him with my voice trembling with anger, "Ryan, do you know Mia was bitten by a dog while buying milk for Elena?"

Being interrupted, Ryan responded callously, "Why did the dog bite her and not someone else? She must have provoked it!"

My heart sank.

The words "Mia is dead" stuck in my throat, too heavy to utter.

Instead, I managed to say, "Ryan, let's break up."

With tears in her eyes, Elena pleaded, "Madeline, don't be angry. After tonight, I'll return Ryan to you."

Ryan gently wiped her tears. "Madeline, as you wish. Let's break up. Don't make things difficult for her."

Exhausted, I returned to the hospital, cradling Mia's frail body, now devoid of life. "Mia, I'll take you home," I whispered.

Her tiny form was so light in my arms.

The tears welled up again, blurring my vision.

At home, the house was draped in sorrow. Mia lay in a coffin, and I knelt, keeping vigil.

For two days, Ryan was silent, not a message or call to be seen.

On the third day, he appeared at my door.

"Madeline, where's the notebook I left here? Elena needs it, so please return it to me first."

He leaned against the doorframe and indifferently glanced at me.

Traces of Elena's lipstick was still on his collar.

I knelt motionless, the weight of grief heavy upon me.

When I first knew Ryan, his grades were abysmal, while I was among the top students.

To attend the same university as me, he often sought my help with his studies, often staying until midnight.

I once asked why he worked so hard.

He replied, "With my current grades, I'd only get into a third-tier university. The one I dream of is Skyford University. Madeline, the thought of traveling thousands of miles to see you after college is unbearable."

His words moved me, so I found myself dedicating mere hours of each day to revisiting the lessons imparted by my teachers. In a bid to carve out more time for him, I even relinquished the evening study sessions at school and my cherished habit of visiting the library. All for the sake of nurturing his understanding and filling the gaps in his knowledge with the hours I had set aside.

The notebook he spoke of was undoubtedly his, yet its pages were brimming with the annotations I had penned while guiding him through the exercises.

Seeing my silence, Ryan strode into the room.

His eyes scanned the somber scene. His brows furrowed as he looked at me, dressed in white, my eyes red from crying.

"Madeline, Elena was upset, so I just spent some time with her. It would've been fine if you hadn't bought the milk, but must you make such a tragedy of it? She was drunk, and I couldn't leave. You refused, so I had to ask your sister to buy milk. Who are you trying to provoke by making such a fuss over something so trivial?"

His words implied that my meticulous preparation of the mourning hall was a mere petty act of defiance.

His lack of remorse filled me with a seething hatred.

I fixed him with a piercing stare. "Ryan, my sister is but eight years old. How could you find it within yourself to deceive her into venturing out alone at night to fetch milk for Elena? Where were you when she was mauled by a dog? How can you dismiss this as a mere trifle? Would Elena have perished if she hadn't had that milk?"

After ending the call at that time, I went to shower.

By the time I came out of the shower, it was too late because Mia had already left.

I had forgotten that Ryan had Mia's phone number, and I never imagined he could be so heartless as to call her and ask her to buy milk for Elena.

Mia had always been obedient.

She did as she was told by Ryan and me, never questioning or arguing.

Reflecting on how Mia must have felt in her final moments, knowing she couldn't hand the milk to Ryan, pierced my heart with unbearable pain.

My sudden outburst of emotion momentarily took Ryan aback.

Then, he spoke with a dismissive tone, "Madeline, is your sister alright? Don't worry, I'll visit her at the hospital when I have time. Stop making a scene. Clean up this place quickly; it's creepy."

With that, he stepped over the coffin and entered the room to search for his notebook.

Had he looked a few more times, he would have realized the coffin was not empty. Mia lay within.

As Ryan emerged from the room clutching his notebook, his voice was hopeful, "Madeline, let's go together when we fill out the college application forms in a few days."

I regarded him with a cold detachment. "Ryan, that night, I made it clear. I want to end our relationship, and you agreed. Your choice of university is no longer my concern. Now, get out of my house immediately."

Ryan turned sullen, yet he suppressed his impatience and gently comforted me. "I was only kidding that day. How could I truly want to part with you? Look! I bought this especially for you. Do you like it?"

From his pocket, he produced a small box, which he opened to reveal a necklace, delicate and exquisitely crafted.

Yet, I knew its worth since I had seen it in a store.

It cost a mere hundred dollars.

It was discarded in a corner, and its style was hopelessly outdated.

Elena had a blemish on her face, but Ryan had subsisted on plain bread for two months, saving to splurge on expensive skincare products for her.

She had flaunted her new products on social media, captioning it, [You are my blatant partiality and my well-known selfishness.]

The image of those skincare products was accompanied by a cute emoji and a thumbs-up from Ryan.

His penny-pinching finally made sense, yet it stung to realize I had been so naive. I had worried about his financial struggles and even shared my own hard-earned savings with him.

Seeing Elena's post, I felt like a fool.

In contrast to the love he showered on Elena, his affection for me seemed cheap and tawdry.

The fissures in our relationship were laid bare that day.

Taking the necklace, I tossed it into the trash when he stared at me with expectations.

His eyes were immediately blazing with fury. "Madeline! I've gone to great lengths to appease you! What more could you possibly want?"

Without so much as a glance, I replied, "I want to break up with you. I want you out of my sight."

With a thunderous slam, Ryan departed. "Madeline, you are utterly unreasonable!"

The last time I had seen Ryan so enraged was when he had defended me from a drunken assailant.

Now, as he stormed out, I closed the door with a heavy finality.

It no longer mattered.

I had no intention of comforting him.

On the bustling streets, Ryan and I crossed paths.

I was closing up my street stall when Mia vanished.

Panic-stricken, I scoured the streets, and my voice became hoarse from calling her name. But Mia still didn't show up.

Finally, I went to the police station.

At the police station, just as dusk fell, Ryan appeared with Mia in tow, meeting my frantic search.

He handed her to me, cautioning, "There are many people on the street. Be careful next time."

I embraced Mia tightly, tears and scoldings mingling.

Ryan frowned. "Why are you so harsh? It's not the child's fault."

Mia felt guilty and whispered, "Sir, don't blame my sister. She works so hard, setting up the stall daily. If not for the stall, we wouldn't have money to live.

"Madeline, I'm sorry. I just wanted to buy you some hot dogs. I heard your stomach growling with hunger. I promise I won't wander off again. Don't be angry."

Wiping away my tears, I murmured, "I'm not angry. I was just so afraid I'd never see you again."

Ryan frowned and inquired, "Where are your family members?"

Mia shook her head. "Sir, I only have my sister."

My parents had perished in a car accident during my high school years.

Apart from the monthly government compensation, I had taken Mia to the streets after school, selling something to sustain us barely.

I didn't want to reveal my dire circumstances to a stranger despite his aid in finding Mia.

I thanked Ryan for his help and led Mia home.

The next day at school, I encountered Ryan again.

Both of us were surprised to realize we attended the same high school.

Known as the school bully, Ryan had persistently sought my tutoring upon learning of my academic prowess.

In gratitude for his earlier assistance, I agreed to help him.

During holidays, he even assisted at my stall, tending to Mia.

One evening, as I returned from the stall, Mia stammered, "Madeline, I noticed the way Ryan looks at you is different."

I asked, "How is it different?"

"Just like when the sandwich seller next door looks at his wife. Madeline, are you going to marry him in the future?"

Mia's eyes twinkled with mischief. After that, she went to bed.

Mia's playful banter only served to annoy me.

Deep down, I couldn't ignore the subtle changes in Ryan's demeanor.

But at that point, my focus was solely on studying and earning money to support Mia; romance was a distant thought.

I began to distance myself from Ryan, even relocating our street stall to a different area.

One day after school, Ryan intercepted me.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked.

His eyes were filled with sadness and confusion.

I offered a vague excuse, hoping to dismiss him.

However, as I was returning home from the stall with Mia one evening, a drunken man accosted me.

He began to undress, looming over me.

Mia attempted to intervene, only to be kicked to the ground.

In my terror, Ryan showed up like a Superman.

His fury was palpable as he punched the drunk, sending him fleeing.

After ensuring the drunk wouldn't return, Ryan righted the stall, cradling a sobbing Mia in one arm. "Come on, I'll take you home," he said.

The moonlight cast a long shadow over us both.

My heart raced, and something deeper stirred within me.

That night marked the first time he had ever set foot in my home.

After gently putting Mia to sleep, he turned to me with an earnest expression. "Madeline, I like you. I also understand why you've been avoiding me. Don't worry. I won't push you into sex until you're ready. It's too much for you to make a living alone. I feel for you, and I want to be here to protect you."

After a moment's contemplation, I responded, "Then you have to study hard and get into college. Only then will I consider being your girlfriend."

His eyes brightened immediately. "Okay, it's a deal."

A moment later, he lowered his head, slightly embarrassed. "But my grades are poor, so you'll have to help me with my studies."

I agreed.

Though the journey was arduous, we found moments of sweetness within it.

His academic performance gradually improved, and even his teachers took notice and praised his progress.

Ryan was becoming increasingly familiar with me.

We made a pact to apply for the Skyford University together.

Mia was overjoyed, remarking, "Finally, Madeline found someone she could lean on."

However, in the second semester of our senior year, a transfer student named Elena Smith joined Ryan's class.

She became his deskmate.

Elena was delicate, and even a loud word from Ryan would make her eyes well up with tears.

Ryan often complained to me, "God must have sent Elena to torture me, seeing how well I was doing."

I would sometimes tease him, "It's because you always look so fierce; who wouldn't be afraid of you?"

Gradually, Ryan stopped complaining.

Whenever he mentioned her, a smile would always play at the corners of his mouth. "Elena is so adorably silly. How can there be such a girl?"

My heart began to sink.

I asked, "Ryan, are you in love with her?"

He ruffled my hair playfully. "How could that be? She's just my deskmate."

Yet, Ryan continued to fight for her, even carrying her to the hospital in the rain when she fell ill.

On my birthday, he left me to watch Elena's artistic performance.

No matter the time or circumstance, Ryan would rush to Elena's side for the slightest issue.

I endured this repeatedly, but when I saw him saving up to buy skincare products for Elena, I finally snapped.

I confronted him, tearing into my gentle facade with harsh words.

We parted ways bitterly.

The little affection I had left for Ryan turned to ash with Mia's death.

I murmured, "Ryan, I no longer cared for you."

Unexpectedly, the next day, he returned to my house.

This time, he arrived with Elena and several of his close friends in tow.

They arrived in a large group as if ready for a fight.

Ryan surveyed my room with a sullen expression.

"Madeline, why haven't you cleaned up the house yet? Are you really going to argue with me?"

I pulled him outside without hesitation. "What exactly do you want?"

Ryan inquired calmly, "Where's Mia?"

It was then that he remembered Mia.

I pointed to the coffin in the room and hoarsely said, "Mia is in there."

Ryan's eyes filled with a chilling disbelief. "Madeline, stop lying to me and call your sister out!"

I retorted angrily, "Ryan, what are you implying?"

He continued to shake me and shouted, "Don't you know what this means? Elena's file bag is missing! You took your sister to steal it, and you even beat her! That file concerns her future! You must want to ruin her, don't you?"