Chapter 2

Steering Vivian away from the chaos, Sienna stopped at a quiet corner and gently dabbed at the lingering tears on her cheeks. Vivian was not so short, but next to Sienna with those heels on, she looked as fragile as a porcelain doll.

“Don’t cry, Vivian,” Sienna said softly. “Tell me what happened. Tell me everything.”

Vivian’s shoulders shook with silent sobs. She didn’t want to cry, but the injustice of it all was overwhelming. Everyone had told her Sienna was dead–gone for ten years, a full decade of silence. But she never believed it. There were so many things she wanted to ask her.

Seeing Vivian so upset, Sienna decided to take her somewhere quiet to eat and talk. She took her to a cozy diner and ordered steaks for both of them. As the hot food arrived, Vivian’s storm of emotions began to calm.

“Sienna… where were you these years?” she wiped her face clean and finally asked the question that had been haunting her for years, “They all said you were dead…”

Vivian had never believed it–nor had the other sisters. Not the official story about the plane crash. But after ten years without a single word, even the strongest hope begins to fade.

A wave of guilt washed over Sienna. “I thought I was dead, too,” she admitted. “By some miracle, I survived. A kind couple found me, adopted me.”

Watching Vivian’s expression closely, she slowly continued, “But I had amnesia. For ten years, I didn’t know who I was. Then, three days ago, everything came rushing back. The moment it did, I booked a flight home to find you.”

Amnesia. That single word wiped away a decade of resentment. All the anger Vivian had held onto–for being abandoned, for being left alone–seemed to vanish into thin air.

“It’s our fault. We should’ve found you sooner…” Vivian’s voice cracked as she looked across the table at Sienna, scared she might disappear like a ghost.

“Enough of that,” Sienna said gently but firmly. “Now, tell me about that Mason.”

“He’s my ex. But we’re over now,” Vivian said, a little too quickly. She couldn’t bear for Sienna to know the whole, humiliating story. “Speaking of that, how about staying with me tonight?”

Sienna didn’t push. If Vivian wouldn’t tell her, she’d find out on her own. And anyone who had hurt her family would learn the true meaning of regret.

After they finished eating and talked a bit more, they left the diner. When they arrived at the address Vivian had given, Sienna stopped in her tracks. The building was a rundown walk-up in a rough part of town.

“Vivian, this is where you live?” she asked, disbelief clear in her voice.

Their family home was a sprawling villa at No. 1 Southlake. Why was Vivian living here? Was this some misguided attempt at independence? Sienna felt a knot of confusion tighten in her chest.

Vivian couldn’t meet her eyes. She had been thrown out of her home seven years ago. How could she possibly explain that?

“It’s not so bad. Come on, let’s go up!” she said, leading Sienna upstairs.

Sienna followed silently, swallowing her questions. Just as Vivian reached for the door, a portly, greasy-looking man stepped forward, blocking their way.

“Vivian! Late on the rent again, I see,” he boomed. “You’re six months behind! With utilities, you owe me two thousand bucks! And now you’re bringing guests? Pay up!”

Vivian froze, her face a mixture of panic and shame as she glanced between the landlord and Sienna. She prayed he would just shut up.

“I’ve been patient with you, you know, ‘cause you’re a pretty little thing,” the landlord continued. “But you’re pushing your luck! A girl who looks like you can’t scrape together two grand? What a waste.”

His eyes roamed over Vivian with a possessive leer that sent a chill down Sienna’s spine. It was clear he expected payment of a different kind, not money.

Just as Vivian opened her mouth to protest, Sienna stepped forward. She pulled a thick wad of cash from her purse and slammed it into the man’s chest.

“Here’s the rent,” she said, her voice dripping with ice. “Now get out of my sight before I do something we’ll both regret.”

“Hey! Who do you think you are?” the landlord sputtered, stunned by the cash. But before he could say more, Sienna had pulled Vivian inside and bolted the door.

“Sienna, I…” Vivian stared at the floor, unable to look at the sister she’d always worshipped.

Sienna said nothing. She calmly set down her luggage, cracked open a window to let in the cool night air, and switched on the light.

The room was tiny, the furniture old, the walls peeling. But it was tidy and had a certain warmth to it. It was obviously a home, one Vivian had lived in for a long, long time.

She then turned to Vivian, studying her expression carefully for a moment. Her face was still sweet and round, her big, bright eyes just as striking as when she was little. Her long, straight hair fell like a curtain as she hung her head in shame.

In the end, Sienna simply opened her suitcase and asked, “Do you want to shower first, or should I?”

“Huh?” Vivian’s mind went blank.

She’d been desperately trying to come up with a believable lie, a story to explain everything. But that simple, everyday question caught her completely off guard. She’d expected accusations. Demands. Not this.

She blinked, watching as Sienna picked up a silk pajama set and walked toward her. Then, without thinking, she squeezed her eyes shut.

She must be mad. She’s going to hit me, Vivian thought. And honestly… I deserve it. I’m so useless.

She began to replay everything in her mind. After Sienna left, nothing stayed–she couldn’t even go home. Their mother’s belongings had all been taken over by that woman, and their father had changed too, twisted into someone unrecognizable.

It felt like she couldn’t protect anything. Not even the Bartholomew Bear Sienna had loved so much—she hadn’t managed to save that either. Her younger sisters had scattered, pulled in different directions, and she… she had failed them all.

But the slap never came. Instead, a gentle hand began to stroke her hair. Vivian’s eyes shot open. Sienna was looking down at her, a soft smile on her face that seemed to warm the entire room, chasing away the shadows in Vivian’s heart.

“You need a minute? I’ll go first, then,” Sienna said softly, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Vivian stood there, dazed, a slow, brilliant smile blooming across her face. She stared at the closed bathroom door, her heart filling with a feeling she hadn’t known in ten years–hope.

A few minutes later, Sienna stepped out, wrapped in a cloud of steam and the soft scent of body lotion. Her skin glowed, and a silky, moon-white nightgown draped effortlessly over her graceful frame. Curls spilled over her shoulders, damp and tousled. She looked like she’d walked straight out of a dream.

Drying her hair with a towel, she caught Vivian staring, wide-eyed. Sienna let out a soft laugh and reached over to give her cheek a gentle, teasing pinch. “Your turn, Vivian.”

Vivian blushed deep red, wishing she could sink right through the floor. She watched as Sienna sat down on the edge of the bed, and somehow, the drab little apartment seemed to change. The peeling walls, the dim light…it all faded into the background.

In that moment, the whole room felt like it had been made just to frame her. Sienna didn’t belong in a place like this. She made it look like a palace.

Vivian’s heart hammered in her chest. Sienna was even more beautiful than she remembered.

She really admired her–those curves, that graceful figure, the way she carried herself. Even as a girl, Vivian couldn’t help but be a little jealous. She wondered if, all these years alone, any slimy men had tried to take advantage of her.

Just thinking about it made her blood boil, and her cheeks would puff up in frustration–like now, fresh out of the shower, looking like a little pufferfish.