When the Memory Fades

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!"