“Darcey, come out for dinner,” Ulysses called.

I wiped my eyes. “I’m not hungry.”

There was a pause. “Don’t stay holed up in your room all the time.”

“I’m fine. You mans eat without me.”

Another moment of silence passed. Then, his footsteps finally faded away.

I stared at my laptop screen, debating whether to tell him about this. In the past, I would go to him right away whenever I ran into trouble.

But now? I didn’t even know how I should speak to him.

As his sister? I certainly had crossed that line long ago.

As his friend? We’d grown so distant that even casual conversations felt strained.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.

[Want that video taken down? Then drop out of the competition.]

I stared at the message for a long time until I laughed.

Maybe this is the price I have to pay—losing the family that adopted me, losing the man I still secretly love, and now, losing the chance to chase my dreams.

It was late at night when I heard piano music coming from downstairs. Ginger was playing Moonlight Sonata, the piece she’s best known for. As the elegant notes filled the air, I heard Ulysses’s voice, filled with admiration.

This must be what a perfect match looks like.