Chapter 3

"Oh, you're just too sweet. These are from Chloe and Harper. Don't you want to eat them all yourself?"

Chloe ruffled Liam's hair affectionately.

Liam chuckled. "Even though Julian isn't always nice to me, I believe I can win him over with my own kindness."

Harper shot me a cold look. "People like him can never be won over."

"Look how long we've kept him around. Not only is he ungrateful, but he keeps pushing his luck, shamelessly refusing to leave and claiming he's our brother."

A bitter chill spread through my chest, and the hand holding the cake box tightened.

Since they started faking amnesia six months ago, they’d treated me like a stranger, demanding I leave the house.

But this was my home. I couldn't just leave.

So every day, I told Liam to get out and tried to tell my sisters that I was their real brother.

But even when I showed them proof and had a paternity test done,

they didn't believe me. They said I was just faking it to get their money.

They’d tried to kick me out more than once, but I stubbornly refused to go.

Back then, I didn't understand why they wouldn't believe me, even with all the evidence right in front of them.

Now, I finally understood.

I looked at Chloe and Harper, and slowly, step by step, I walked toward them.

I placed the cake box on the coffee table.

Through the clear plastic, I could see the frosting was slowly melting, making the cake unrecognizable.

"Chloe, Harper, it's my birthday today."

My voice came out bitter.

I couldn't believe my sisters, who used to be so good to me, would now treat me so poorly for an outsider.

They must have a good reason, a hidden difficulty.

I didn't want to expose them. I wanted them to tell me themselves.

"How many times have we told you? We're not your sisters!"

Chloe looked at me with disgust.

She probably forgot how much she used to adore me.

Back then, she'd take me to play on the slide every day.

She always told me, "Julian, Chloe will always be there for you."

"Yeah, what does your birthday have to do with us?"

Harper's face was equally cold.

Normally, she was a very gentle woman, and always gentle with me.

She owned her own company and once told me, "Julian, when you're older, don't worry. Harper will pave the way for you."

But now, they had both changed.

Like this ruined cake, utterly unrecognizable.