My Two Sweethearts Loved Wrong—Once I Left, They Begged Me Back

Their words still left a dull ache in my chest.

An orphan? They had actually believed Damon’s polished story about adopting me.

But Mira was my half-sister—my father’s daughter too—only a year younger than me.

The tension in the room had stretched to its breaking point. After everyone had laughed at me to their heart’s content, Damon finally hurried over, acting like some peacemaker.

“Oh, come on, Owen, there’s no need for this.” He warmly took Owen’s and Nolan’s hands, trying to smooth things over. “Mira has always been such a good girl. I was planning to celebrate her at this year’s birthday party too.”

“Liana, stop being so willful. No matter what, Mira is still your sister.”

His tone was earnest, but every word painted me as nothing more than a selfish, spoiled rich girl.

His performance made me sick. I swept my gaze over the crowd, suddenly finding myself both ridiculous and pathetic.

Using all my strength, I yanked my hand free.

“Fine. Since all of you want it so badly, then let this birthday party be for Mira.”

If the party was for Mira, then maybe she would not have to keep drinking herself sick just to please everyone else...

I let out a bitter little laugh and walked toward the door without looking back.

“Liana Shaw! Don’t you want your gift?”

Nolan hurried in front of me. After hesitating for a moment, he pulled a gift box from behind his back.

Inside was an expensive jewelry necklace.

I was caught off guard. I had assumed they were just brushing me off, never expecting that they had actually prepared a gift for me.

I pressed my lips together, about to say something, when Mira walked over.

“Liana, hurry and take it,” she said with a grin. “The two of them were busy making a handmade gift for me, so I picked out this necklace for you. It wasn’t cheap either. But I guess this is more your style, right? Unlike me—I only like silly childish things, so they spent so much time making my gift.”

The warmth that had just softened my face faded little by little at her words.

I stopped her before she could put the necklace around my neck and said coolly, “No thanks.”

Inside, I laughed at my own stupidity.

So it was just some thoughtless gift after all, and I had foolishly believed for a moment that they had chosen it especially for me.

They were too busy trying to make Mira happy to spare a second thought for me.

“I don’t like wearing necklaces. If you like it, keep it.”

I walked out the front door, never noticing the two men behind me staring hard at my retreating back.

Since Damon had not arranged a driver for me, I walked home alone through the night.

When I passed the square, I saw three children huddled together setting off sparklers.

The only girl stood protected between the other two, her eyes shining as she stared at the bright sparks. Beside her, the boys held the sparklers up and looked at her with indulgent smiles.

I stopped to watch, and I smiled too.

But as I smiled, tears began to spill down my face, impossible to stop.

I remembered when my grades had slipped as a child, and the Shaw family had mocked me behind my back, looking down on me. Owen had patiently sat with me over and over again, helping me study.

I remembered hiding away at school and crying in secret after being bullied because no one was there to stand up for me. Nolan had been the one to step in and teach those people a lesson. Even when he came back covered in bruises, he still told me he was fine.

Back then, everyone around us said Owen and Nolan were my knights.

But what about now?

For Mira, they had chosen Damon’s side.

They had chosen the side that stood completely against me.

Lowering my head, I wiped away my tears, my heart aching so badly I could barely breathe.

I could not understand how, knowing everything I had gone through all these years, they could so easily make peace with Damon.

Or had everything in the past been a lie?