After my family went bankrupt, my mother’s best friend took me in, bringing me to the Sterling residence. That’s how I ended up entangled with the two Sterling brothers for twenty years. Their relentless pursuit and undeniable favoritism made everyone green with envy. But when I wanted to settle down and start a family, they both turned me down. My older brother, Sterling, said, “My career comes first; I have no time for marriage.” My younger brother, Lance, quipped, “I’m still young, I want to have fun for a few more years. Besides, fleeting romances aren't meant to be taken seriously.” The very next day, at my birthday party, they both proposed to the housekeeper's daughter. To cheer her up, they even forced me, despite my stomach condition, to down a high-proof liquor. As I was rushed to the hospital with a stomach hemorrhage, they simultaneously covered her eyes, mocking my dramatics. My heart shattered beyond repair. The day I was discharged, I dialed my mother’s number. “I’ll marry Tim Maxwell.” 1. Stepping out of the hospital, my body hadn’t yet adjusted to the biting autumn chill. My older brother, Sterling, called. His tone was sharp, laced with accusation. “Willow, where have you run off to? Do you think running away will absolve you of responsibility? Get back here and apologize to Melanie Ross.” Lance’s voice chimed in from the background. “It’s all your fault for faking illness and upsetting Melanie. She’s delicate, and you’ve made her lose her appetite these past few days!” I looked at my reflection in the glass. Gaunt and frail, as if a gust of wind could sweep me away. I’d always had a sensitive stomach and a weak constitution. In the past, those two brothers had fussed over me endlessly. I remembered one night, I fell ill in the middle of the night, and Sterling carried me up twenty flights of stairs. Lance scoured the entire city to buy my favorite yam cake to cheer me up. After that, they meticulously monitored my every meal and drink, always hands-on. Sadly, once Melanie appeared, all those memories were tossed aside. I silently hung up the phone and dialed my mother’s number. “Mom, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll marry Tim Maxwell.” My mother paused. “Willow, this is your life. Are you absolutely sure?” When Dad passed, and our family business collapsed, Mom sent me to Havenport, bravely propping up our struggling family on her own. She spent twenty years building connections with the Maxwell family, securing a chance for our family to rise again. But more than our family’s prosperity, she cared about my happiness. Even when Mrs. Maxwell instantly took a liking to me as a potential daughter-in-law, she still left the choice to me. I used to believe in finding true love, torn between the Sterling brothers. Now, I understood I was nothing more than a passing amusement for them. It was time to leave gracefully. I opened my phone to book a flight, only to see Melanie’s latest social media post: “True love needs no grand gestures. Only pathetic old women cling to desperate attempts to climb the social ladder.” She brazenly flaunted two different diamond rings on her hand. She was lying in my room, wearing the couture suit and crystal shoes the Sterling brothers had custom-made for my birthday six months ago. I quietly blocked Melanie. “Mom, I’m serious. I want to have my own child soon.” During my hospital stay, the doctor told me the incident had severely weakened my body. If I didn’t get pregnant and have a child while I was still young, I might never have one of my own. I couldn’t afford to wait any longer. “Alright, darling, I respect your decision.” “Mrs. Maxwell had your horoscopes read. Next Sunday is an auspicious day for registering your marriage. As long as you come back, I’ll handle everything.” My mother must have understood. She only added before hanging up, “Remember to say goodbye to Mrs. Sterling.” I looked up at the grey, overcast sky. The doctor said recovery would take about a week. I’d use this week to say goodbye to everything. 2. I hailed a taxi back to the villa. The moment I stepped through the door, a sudden splash of cold water drenched me to the bone. “Willow, I’m so sorry! I was watering the flowers and didn’t see you.” Melanie stood with the hose, only putting it down once I was soaked through. I struggled to open my eyes. My cherished lily of the valley, which I’d nurtured for years, had been completely dug up. In its place, vibrant roses bloomed in vast swathes. The cold wind bit, and my recently operated body immediately felt awful. I swayed, nearly collapsing. But Sterling and Lance exchanged a glance, their expressions mirroring disdain. They seemed to be mocking me for putting on an act the moment I returned. “Willow, I thought you were truly that stubborn, that you’d never come back.” Lance scoffed, “Her mom doesn't even want her; where else would she go?” My heart clenched painfully. I suddenly remembered the day I first arrived at the Sterling home. Lance, holding my hand, tried every trick to cheer me up. He even said, “Willow, don’t be scared. This is your home now.” Sterling, on his own initiative, cleaned out the largest, best room in the old mansion for me. Later, the three of us moved to this villa for work. Sterling remembered my preferences and meticulously decorated the master bedroom. He announced to everyone that, now and always, I was the irreplaceable mistress of this villa. Until that day, when Melanie came to the villa, ostensibly to help Mrs. Ross. Every day, besides clinging to the brothers, she would “accidentally” break my belongings. At first, I sympathized with her hard life and didn’t make a fuss. But she grew bolder, deliberately smashing my father’s keepsake right in front of me. My patience snapped. I stepped forward to confront her, only to be pushed away by Sterling. He frowned, “Melanie’s life is hard enough. Why do you, a pampered princess, have to pick on a naive young girl?” Lance added, “Melanie is even younger than I am. Can’t you, at your age, be a little more accommodating?” I clutched the broken jade pendant, feeling lost and helpless for the first time. After that, everything changed. I was no longer the most important person in the brothers’ hearts. The housekeeper’s daughter gradually replaced me, becoming the new mistress of this villa, pushing me out. Since that was the case, there was nothing for me to cling to. I just wanted to pack my things and leave quickly. Walking inside, I saw all my belongings haphazardly piled in the hallway. Sterling, with Melanie’s arm around him, looked down at me. “Willow, know your place. You’re just a parasite leeching off the Sterling family, you have no right to look down on Melanie, and certainly no right to throw a princess tantrum at her!” “From now on, you’ll move to the maid’s room. Company matters will also be handled by Melanie. I’ll transfer you to logistics for odd jobs until you understand what it means to be a decent person.” Lance tore up the teddy bear my mother had given me to make Melanie happy. “Willow, if you ever upset Melanie with your tantrums again, I won’t go easy on you.” Willow, Willow dear. A single word difference, yet a world apart. The old me would have been heartbroken and sleepless after hearing such words. But now I was leaving, and I had no time to bother with them. I just said flatly, “You’re both right.” “I’ll move out as soon as possible.” “And you don't need to trouble yourself, Mr. Sterling, to transfer me to another department. I quit.” Sterling sneered. “You’re truly determined to cling to the Sterling family, to be a useless freeloader.” “Fine, for Mom’s sake, I won’t hold it against you this time.” “Just remember your place from now on.” I walked past Sterling, softly saying, “There won’t be a ‘from now on.’” This place certainly held many beautiful memories for me. But ultimately, this wasn’t my home. 3. I thought packing my luggage would take a long time. But looking closely, there wasn’t much left. My clothes were almost all chosen by Sterling. Back then, he used to say, “Our Willow is the most beautiful princess, of course, she has to dress beautifully every day.” Now, those clothes were soaked in dirty water, giving off an unpleasant stench. And I, from his princess, had become a parasite with a princess complex. Moving the clothes aside, I saw photos scattered across the floor. Lance used to love taking pictures of me, saying he wanted to capture all my different looks. Every time we took a group photo, these two brothers would compete to be closer to me. Now, in our group photos, my face was crossed out with a red marker. I couldn’t bear to look further. I simply threw everything into the trash. Sterling and Melanie came downstairs just as I was doing this. A flicker of shock crossed his eyes. After all, I had always treasured these things. But then, he let out a cold laugh. “You’re certainly wasteful with Sterling family money.” Sterling once showered me with expensive gifts to make me happy. Now that Melanie was by his side, everything I did was wrong. I had lost the right to be willful, and the desire to argue. I simply said, earnestly, “I’ll pay it back.” “The Sterling family isn’t short on a bit of money. Just remember, don’t ever make trouble for Melanie again!” Melanie tugged at Sterling’s sleeve, pouting. “Sterling dear, don’t waste time on unnecessary people. I still want to go to our secret stargazing spot. Let’s go.” I froze, stopping in my tracks. The ‘secret spot’ Melanie spoke of was something Sterling had created for me when I first came to the Sterling household. Mrs. Sterling was often busy with work back then, so she entrusted the responsibility of caring for me to Sterling, who was six years my senior. Sterling gave me almost everything good in the world. He said I was his muse. So, he personally designed a patch of eternal, shimmering stars for me. That day, beneath the starry sky, he looked at me with deep affection. “Willow, remember, this is your sky, and it’s a symbol of my love, just for you.” We spent twenty years, little by little, perfecting that starry sky, building a dreamy secret hideaway. From then on, my heart leaned towards Sterling. But every time I was close to making a choice, Lance would pop up, throwing a fit, and the decision would be indefinitely postponed. As for now… They had their new ‘red rose’ and had long forgotten me, their ‘fading moon.’ But it didn’t matter. I took a deep breath and walked away. I didn’t want either of them anymore. 4. Melanie suddenly grabbed my wrist. Her long, manicured nail left a scratch on my arm. “Willow, why won’t you let me finish? Do you despise me?” I winced in pain and yanked my hand away from Melanie. She stumbled backward, collapsing. “Sterling dear, save me!” Sterling cried out in alarm, scooping Melanie into his arms. Before I could even react, he slapped me across the face. Lance, alerted by the commotion, rushed over and bellowed at me. “Willow, why are you always making trouble for Melanie?” “Don’t you forget, if the Sterling family hadn't taken you in, you, a lonely orphan, would probably be scavenging for scraps somewhere! Not only are you ungrateful, but you’re also biting the hand that fed you!” A ringing echoed in my ears. This was the first time I had ever been hit. My entire world seemed to shatter in that instant. Sterling looked at me, stunned, as if he realized the impropriety of his actions. “Are you okay? I…” “I’m fine. I don’t blame you.” I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth. I didn’t blame him; I considered that slap payment for his past kindness. From now on, all debts were settled, all scores even. But Lance wouldn’t let it go, blocking my path. “Don’t leave yet. Apologize to Melanie!” His fierce gaze was a stark contrast to the boy who used to cling to me, calling me “big sister Willow.” I knew his methods. Once, in school, a boy harassed me. Lance secretly dealt with him, and Sterling cleaned up the mess. The two brothers worked in perfect sync, forcing the boy’s entire family to flee Havenport. I never imagined then that one day, they would turn those ruthless tactics on me. I glanced at the triumphant Melanie, collecting my scattered thoughts. “I will never apologize. I’ve done nothing wrong.” I had nothing to fear. Even without their intervention, I would be leaving anyway. 5. Lance was still fuming. Sterling, feeling a pang of guilt, restrained him, lowering his voice slightly. “Forget it, I was impulsive just now. Don’t take it to heart. I’ll bring you your favorite chestnut cake when I get back.” “But you have to promise me one thing: don’t ever bother Melanie again.” A slap, followed by a piece of chestnut cake. But he forgot. I had a stomach condition and couldn’t eat chestnut cake. Back then, Sterling changed countless chefs, never satisfied, until he stayed up late researching and personally creating medicinal meal plans for me. Lance, too, tirelessly ensured I stuck to the regimen. Now, they had both forgotten. A gust of wind swept by, and a chill spread from my heart, enveloping my entire body. I shivered, remembering I hadn’t changed out of my wet clothes yet; I was probably developing a fever. Just as I felt my worst, Lance strode past me, deliberately bumping into me. “Still faking it.” I couldn’t stand any longer and fell directly into a puddle. Sterling looked back, a flicker of indecision in his eyes. But in the end, he and Lance, one on each side, shielded Melanie and walked away. After struggling for a long time, I painstakingly crawled out and called an ambulance for myself. The doctor, seeing my miserable state, berated me. “Just discharged, and you’ve already done this to yourself? Don’t you know what condition your body is in? I think you’re asking for trouble!” I dared not speak much, obediently staying in the hospital for a few days for observation. Only after my fever completely broke was I discharged. So much time had been lost; I had to speed up my plans. I went back to the company to handle my resignation, intending to say goodbye to the colleagues I was close to. But I learned they had all been fired by Melanie. The remaining staff treated me like a plague. I was left waiting at the company entrance for half a day before being informed that Sterling had gone on a business trip with Melanie. The three of them had gone to the beach I loved most as a child and to places I’d always wanted to visit but never had the chance. I forced a bitter smile and tossed my resignation letter aside. I had been wrestling with how to explain my departure, only to realize no one cared about my existence anyway. Now, I just needed to say goodbye to Mrs. Sterling. Then I could leave, truly unburdened.
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