Chapter 1

"Aunt Becca, I've thought it over. I'll leave the Blair family and move abroad to live with you." Rebecca Rhodes brimmed with joy and exclaimed excitedly over the phone, "That's great, Callie! I'll get started on your visa right away. It'll take about a month. "In the meantime, you should spend time with your friends. Once you settle in Zephyria, it'll be hard to see them again. Take the chance to say your goodbyes. "And especially with your Uncle Spencer. He's raised you since you were a child. So, make sure you express your gratitude and thank him properly." Callie Rhodes murmured a soft response. After ending the phone call, she left the balcony and returned to the living room. Instinctively, she looked toward a framed photo on the table. The sunset in the photo cast a warm glow over the faces of 17-year-old Spencer Blair and seven-year-old Callie. Spencer stood by the swingset, his smile wide as he pushed Callie on the swing. Her dress fluttered in the breeze and brushed against the tulips in the garden. Even though so many years had passed, Callie remembered how happy she'd been that day. However, time had changed everything. She and Spencer could never go back to the way things were. A flicker of sadness crossed Callie's eyes as she looked away and recalled the distant past. The Rhodes and Blair families had been close for generations. Spencer was ten years older than Callie, and she'd always called him Uncle Spencer. When Callie was seven, her parents, Grant Rhodes and Lenna Murray, had died in a tragic plane crash, and Spencer had brought her to live with the Blairs. Perhaps out of pity for her being orphaned so young, Spencer had always kept her close and cared for her. He'd read her bedtime stories every night, had never missed a day picking her up from school be it rain or shine, and bought her anything that caught her eye. Just like that, he had raised the tiny girl he'd taken in into a graceful young woman. It was because of Spencer's tender care that Callie had clung to him from a young age. When she had reached her teenage years, it had felt only natural for her to fall deeply and hopelessly in love with the man who had always been by her side. When Callie turned 17, Spencer had thrown her a grand birthday party, just like he did every year. He had drunk too much during the party, and she had helped him to the couch to rest. With the man she liked right in front of her, Callie couldn't resist leaning down and kissing him. Then, Spencer's eyes had flown open, and he had shoved her to the other side of the couch. Callie hadn't understood at first. She had thought it was a sign, a chance to confess her feelings. Yet, to Spencer, her words had been utterly outrageous. "Callie! Do you realize I'm your uncle?" he had bellowed in fury. "I know, but we're not even related by blood," she had argued. Spencer's expression had hardened at her stubbornness. "I'm ten years older than you! You're only 17, Callie. You don't know the difference between love and family. You don't even understand what it's like to have feelings for someone!" Callie had always listened to him, but she was unyielding on this matter. "So, you're only rejecting me because I'm too young? That's fine. I'll grow up one day, and I'll prove to you that I know what love is!" She couldn't even remember how the argument had ended. But after that day, on every one of her birthdays, she had confessed her feelings to Spencer. And every year, he had rejected her. Still, Callie had never considered giving up. Her 21st birthday was only a month away. But this year, she didn't plan to confess. A month ago, Spencer had introduced her to his girlfriend, Talulah Mackie. The pain in Callie's heart was unbearable, but she had forced herself to hold back her tears and asked him if he was just trying to use his girlfriend to make her give up on pursuing him. Spencer had merely glanced at her and had said indifferently, "Don't flatter yourself. I'm getting older. Having a girlfriend is perfectly normal." His dismissive look had shattered her. Callie had cried the whole night, her mind a whirlwind of everything that had happened over the years. When morning came, she had received a message from her aunt who was living abroad. Rebecca had said, "Callie, do you want to come live with me? I wanted to take you with me after your parent's accident, but my career was unstable, and I had postpartum depression. "I couldn't handle it all at once, so I had to put it off. But now that you're older, staying with the Blair family is no longer convenient. I'm doing better now. Would you like to come and reunite with me?" Callie hadn't replied. She still didn't want to leave Spencer. She wanted to try one more time. Nevertheless, in the past two weeks, it seemed like Spencer had been going out of his way to show off, constantly bringing Talulah around Callie. They would hold hands, hug, and kiss—doing everything that only couples would do. Just last night, he had let Talulah stay over and brought her to his room. Callie had sat downstairs until three in the morning, watching as the light in his room finally went out and listening to the faint sounds of intimacy. She had pressed her hand over her mouth while tears streamed silently down her face, soaking the couch. At that moment, she had finally decided to give up on loving Spencer.