Standing on the third-floor balcony, she could see the courtyard bursting with flowers, alive with spring’s vibrance.
But her heart ached.
She had grown up with Irwin and Ava, the three of them as close as siblings.
Sue had always been blunt, often offending people. Ava, with her sweet words, would smooth things over. And when things got really bad, Irwin would step in to clean up their messes.
She didn’t know when things changed.
At some point, Ava started competing with her over everything.
And Sue had tolerated it all—maybe because Ava was just that dazzling, that talented.
If their roles were reversed, maybe she would have been jealous too.
But then Ava had brazenly gone after Sue’s then-fiancé.
Then Ava had conspired with Irwin, leading to Sue’s mom’s tragic death.
It took Sue until then to realize—whatever bond they once had was long gone.
She thought of her mom’s helpless, worried face on the operating table.
Silent tears slid down her cheeks.
The love she once had for Irwin was now buried beneath an ocean of hatred.
Suddenly, a woman’s sweet, breathy moans drifted from a room at the end of the hallway, making Sue’s scalp tingle.