One whole year had passed since that night under the stars — the night when David and Lily had shared their first kiss and the truth of their feelings.
In that time, their love had blossomed quietly behind closed doors. They smiled in public like nothing had changed, sat apart at family dinners, avoided each other's names in conversations. But when the world wasn't looking, they stole moments — secret glances, soft whispers in the hallway, quiet meetings on the balcony where their story had begun.
They didn't want the world to know. Not yet.
Especially not Lily's mother and stepfather, who had become overly protective after the heartbreak Xavier had caused.
But now, a new chapter was about to open — one they never expected.
It was a sunny afternoon when the announcement came.
"Your stepsister is coming home," her mother said excitedly. "With her fiancé. Their wedding will be here in a few weeks."
Lily barely reacted. She didn't care much about the mysterious stepsister who had never shown interest in meeting her. And she wasn't curious either. David looked at her with a small shrug — even he had never met her in person.
"They'll be staying here for a while," her stepfather added. "So I hope everyone gets along."
Lily didn't say anything.
But the next day changed everything.
She was walking down the stairs, dressed casually in a light sundress, when the doors opened. She looked up — and froze.
Two people entered.
The girl was tall, confident, with sharp eyes and a cruel smile.
Beside her stood a face Lily never wanted to see again.
Xavier.
Lily's heart sank into her stomach. Her vision blurred for a moment.
"No," she whispered under her breath. "It can't be."
But it was.
And then, as if fate was mocking her, the girl stepped forward and wrapped her hand possessively around Xavier's arm.
"Hi, everyone," she said with a smirk. "I'm Noah. And this is my fiancé."
She looked directly at Lily.
"Xavier."
David came running down the stairs when he heard the voices — only to stop beside Lily, confused by the stiff silence and her pale face.
Noah turned to him. "Oh, and you must be David. I've heard so much about you."
Lily could barely breathe.
Noah. The girl who used to flirt shamelessly with Xavier, the one who once mocked Lily behind her back, calling her "too naive for a guy like him."
And now… she was her stepsister?
And Xavier… her future brother-in-law?
The room spun around Lily. The pain she had buried for a year clawed its way back up.
David placed a hand on her back. "Are you okay?"
She nodded — but her lips trembled.
This wasn't just awkward.
This was war.
Her past had returned. And it was now living in the same house.