Chapter 1

At eighteen, fueled by alcohol, I confessed my feelings to Ethan Lynwood.

He was my guardian. He had saved me from a fire when I was twelve, and I had loved him for ten whole years.

Instead, he reacted with utter disgust. "Stella, what kind of sick thoughts are rattling around in your head?"

He quickly found a girlfriend, Chloe, just to make me give up.

Ethan asked me to design their engagement rings myself.

I didn't want to design wedding rings for the man I loved, knowing they were for another woman.

But Chloe affectionately linked her arm through mine. "Stella, please, just this once?"

Before I could even speak, Ethan's cold gaze landed on me.

"Since Chloe wants it, you draw it. The Lynwood family has provided for you for ten years. This is your responsibility."

I smiled.

The next day, while taking measurements, Chloe "accidentally" spilled scorching hot tea all over my right hand, the one I used for drawing.

I trembled with pain. Ethan pushed open the door, and Chloe threw herself into his arms, crying.

He didn't even glance at my hand. Instead, he snapped, "Stella, are you done making a scene?"

Later, I discovered that even the exclusive flower studio he had given me for my eighteenth birthday, my sanctuary, had been ordered cleared out for Chloe to arrange flowers.

Ten years of hard work, thrown out like trash. I finally understood it was time to leave.