C1 PROLOGUE

The beautiful Anya smiles and blushes. "Irryn, can you tell me where Zack is?"

She's from the College of Nursing. One of the top students comes from the medicine department. She has short curly hair that reaches only up to her shoulder top, is very suitable, and looks so fashionable.

She has a skinny body, just like mine, but the only thing that differentiates me from her is that I ain't as tall as she is, maybe because of our 3-year age gap. She is three years older than I am. Another thing, she isn’t as pale as I am, doesn't make her any less beautiful. She's still as beautiful as ever, and I wouldn't wonder why my stepbrother Zack adores her from head to toe and the other guys on the campus.

Anya has a light touch of makeup on her face, and it suits her so well. She looks even lovelier when her cheeks blush, and that puts an emphasis on her petty makeup. It's very unlikely to me because I don't do makeup since I am still a kid who is just starting to be a teenager. I'm just in Senior High School, so I don't feel the need to put it on.

"There." I pointed out the Fashion Designing Department

She looks at the building, and then then her eyes are back at me. "In a Fashion Designing building? What would he do there?"

I shrugged my shoulder. "I don't know, Anya."

I am in my 12th grade as a senior high schooler at St. Alonzo University, which offers both Junior and Senior High school programs to college courses; that's why even if I'm still in senior high, we get to be able to go to the college buildings.

"Can you go with me and help me find where your stepbrother is?"

I hesitated this time. Rocio Zackarius Lamont or simply Zack wouldn't want to see me that's why I always try to avoid crossing paths with him, especially when we are here at the school. He has already ruthlessly warned me not always to explore the grounds of the campus and instead just stay where I should belong—-in the classroom. I should know my place. He gets annoyed every time he sees me.

"Uhm, Anya, I can't—"

"Please, Irryn?"

"But, Anya—"

"Please?" She uses her puppy eyes to persuade me until I say yes.

I breathed deeply before finally giving up. As if I have a choice! If I knew, she wouldn’t stop until she successfully made me agree. "Fine."

"Thank you, my future sis!" She was happy and overwhelmed that she hugged me—a sisterly kind of gentle hug.

I smiled in silent sadness deep inside. I felt glad that she was joyful, but I was secretly sad because although she and my stepbrother were not yet officially in a relationship, she was already considering me her future sister.

It's so obvious how she likes and loves my stepbrother, who, I guess, has never shown her any ruthlessness or cruelty since he always shows her kindness—very opposite of the bad behavior he is showing to me every day.

We started walking to the Fashion Designing Department.

"Uhm, can't you just call or text him, Anya?" I asked in the middle of our walk.

"Well, I called him many times earlier, Ryn, but I couldn't reach him. It seems like his phone was turned off all this time. He's not also responding to my text messages, and this is why I decided to see him instead personally. The truth is, we have to talk right now because I have some important matter to tell him..."

I looked at her straightly. I couldn't contain the fear that was starting to rise in my heart. "What are you going to tell him, Anya?”

I could attest she was blushing all over again. "I am planning to make our relationship finally official from this day on."

It seemed like my world had come crashing down since I'd finally heard from her about things I'd been afraid to hear for about a long time. I was very jealous and insecure of her!

For almost half a year, Zack has been pursuing Anya, and he always has been so patient with his love for her. I’ve witnessed his adoration for her since months ago. The likeness in his eyes every time he's staring at her. And now, the time has finally come for their relationship to become an official one. They’re gonna be a couple.

Anya, excited, continued walking and I shrugged my shoulders as I followed her. I did my best to contain my tears and not fall because I didn't want her to know that I was actually affected and miserable and that within the day she may become my stepbrother’s girlfriend.

“I opened this up just to you as of the moment, Ryn, so stay quiet about it for a while, okay? Unless Zack and I have talked and agreed to make us public.”

I couldn’t do anything but just nod.

Describing Anya, she is tall. As tall as Zack’s height. It may be because of their similarities in age. They're both third years in college, but she's taking a Nursing course while he's in Engineering. They're both top students from their respective departments making almost everybody admire them. They're really match-made in heaven.

There are times I get to be so insecure with women who are already fully grown up and very beautiful because of the curves of their bodies that scream perfection. They are an almost complete package, and one of them is, of course, Anya. Why I wasn't born their age? I am so wishing I could also grow up immediately and look as wonderful as Anya!

"You know, I really like Zack, Irryn. He's very sweet and caring..." Anya dearly affirmed.

Yes, I am aware of it. I noticed Zack’s sweet actions when he was bringing Anya into our home. He'd even introduced her to our family, and he was overjoyed to be able to do so in front of our parents.

When I happen to cross paths with them here at our school, I can always tell how much he cares for her.

Those are the things that my stepbrother deprived me of. If he's so sweet to this girl, he's nasty and cruel to me. I'm not sure why, but he's never treated me like his sister since he first laid eyes on me and brought me into his life. Unlike his biological brother and sister, the two treat me as if I were their real sibling. Zack is simply strange and tough on me. Every time we meet paths, whether at home or school, he seems to feel irritated and as if I ruined his day. He's always making me feel like my existence in this world is the most critical error ever made in history.

"So, do you ship me for your brother?" Anya grinned.

I faked a smile and nodded. "Of course! You two are suitable for each other."

"Really? Thank you, my sister!"

I glanced at her when we were finally inside the building of the Fashion Designing Department.

She is not only attractive, but she is also fashionable with her daily uniform and shining black shoes combined with a branded bag on her side shoulder. Unlike my style, I'm dressed in a high school uniform, tie, black shoes, and white socks, complemented with a plain white sling bag.

"Hi, Anya!"

She has been greeted by people even in this department. She’s so well-known and appreciated by so many.

She smiled and waved like a lovely beauty queen at each one of them. "Hi."

I'm sure she's gotten some admiring glances, but I've always gotten raised eyebrows. They appear to wonder how a high schooler may roam freely around their building. I'm beginning to feel degraded and embarrassed.

"Hi, little pretty girl!"

I looked at the college boys who were grinning as they called me ‘pretty’.

"What's your name, beautiful girl?"

Anya shares comfortable laughter with these boys and it seems she could really easily get along with anyone. She appears to be on good terms even with people she doesn’t really entirely know.

"Hey, silly guys! This is my sister and her name’s Irryn."

"Whoa! Really? You actually have a sister, Anya?" They were quite amused.

"Yes! But I won't let you, guys, bug her. She's still so young! Anyway, have you seen Zack?"

One of the guys wondered, "Zack who?"

"Zack Lamont of the Engineering department! My suitor!"

"Oh, yes that Zack. We've seen him entering that room in the corner since earlier." They pointed to the last room in the corner.

She smiled at them in thankfulness."Thanks!"

No wonder why Zack is head over heels for this girl. She has not only a good face but she is also cool and friendly. A people person type.

As we get closer to the room where Zack is, I notice that my heart is beating really strangely, and I can't figure out why. A bad thing is bound to happen today. Perhaps I finally understood why I felt such dread. Given that he is already in a committed relationship, I must face the reality of letting him go.

My stepbrother is the little secret I keep in my young heart. I have romantic feelings for him. I have no idea when it began, how it happened, or why I adore him. He has always been extremely arrogant to me. He makes it clear that he despises the idea of having me as a stepsister and is perpetually angered by my presence. My betraying heart, however, can't help but solely have feelings for him. Instead of being disheartened by the depths of despair, he is showing me, and I plunged blindly into the madness of loving someone like him.

"Zack? What are you doing?!"

When I understood that Anya and I had located the room where we could see Zack, my eyes immediately went in that direction and I heard her voice grow louder. When I caught him in the act of cheating on Anya with some random chick, I couldn't believe it! They were even in the act of kissing and flirting!

Just a while ago, I was self-pitying because of the hopeless love I felt for him, and I wasn't able to notice we were already in front of the room.

Zack pushed away the girl he was with, and the two of them ceased what they were doing.

"Anya, let me explain..." He was so sorry and regretful when he spoke to her.

"Explain?" When Anya approached him, she slapped him so hard in the face that I almost shut my eyes. "What exactly are you going to explain, huh? Already you've been caught red-handed! You are obviously being unfaithful to me!"

"No." Zack denied, miserable and begging. "No, Anya, please listen to me."

"There's nothing we can possibly discuss! I can't stand you because you're a cheating beast." To dry her eyes, Anya wiped away her tears. "You've made me look like such an idiot, and for that I hate you. Because of your cruel deception, I almost believed that you loved me from the beginning."

"Anya!"

Anya ran, without even seeing that she had clobbered me in the shoulder. She was sobbing uncontrollably. While chasing after Anya, Zack didn't even see that he had bumped into me, too.

"Anya!"

I followed them.

The second floor's quietness was particularly loud. There was peace and calm in each of the empty classrooms. Zack extended his hand to Anya and took a comforting hold of her arm.

"Wait, Anya! Please!" He was starting to cry for her.

Instead of listening to him, Anya slapped him across the face again. In astonishment at what I was seeing, I covered my mouth with my palm. He stopped chasing her after that.

He was lost and frustrated, but when he finally noticed me, his face darkened. Every time he looks at me, he becomes darker than normal. I'm becoming frightened. The most terrifying aspect of him is when he becomes enraged and loses control. I noticed how his jaw tensed and his hands formed fists.

His eyes are so menacing they might easily kill me. There's so much rage in his heart right now. As soon as he comes close to me, I know I'm completely doomed!

With a heart beating so fast, I shook my head at him. "Zack..."

"This is all your fault, Irryn!" His voice was low but it was screaming danger.

I felt my legs turn to jelly. I'm so afraid of him.

I took a step back as he approached me. He took another step forward and savagely gripped my arm without mercy. I felt myself being drawn inexorably close to him.

"Wow, you really thought these out! You have accomplished your goal of separating me from Anya. How do you feel right now? Do you feel good?" He asked me the question with a nasty tone and clear animosity in his voice.

I cried and shook my head. "Zack, no. Believe me, I didn't know that—"

"Liar!" he screamed so hard that I felt it echoed throughout the whole building.

In shock, I slammed my eyes shut. The hallways are dark, and the doors to the empty classrooms are locked. There are no other people on this floor, and I don't know whether to be relieved or terrified by that fact. If he were to do something awful to me, I would have no one to turn to for help.

"I'm obviously miserable and in a great deal of pain. Are you satisfied now? Are you happy, my beloved stepsister?"

"No way, Zack. No." I shivered, pleading with him not to hurt me.

"I'm not going to let you be generally happy! I'm not going to let this opportunity pass me by! I'm not going to let you get away with ruining my life! If I'm unhappy, you should be wretched in my hands!"

He forcefully released me, but he eyed me with lust from head to toe.

I've never felt so scared in my entire life! Oh, please! "Zack—"

I was going to take a step back to flee, but he wouldn't let me. He grabbed my arm again and took me into an open and undisturbed area.

"What are going to do, Zack? Please don't hurt me!"

My sobs and pleading were in vain because he didn't hear me. He shoved me inside a secluded and gloomy comfort room. I managed to keep my hand on the sink or else I'd tumble to the floor.

When he shut the comfort room's door, I became increasingly anxious.

"What are you doing, Zack? Please, please, Zack! Stop right now!"

He pretended that he hadn't heard anything. He got so close to me that he smirked evilly. His eyes were filled with contempt.

"Zack, don't! Ah!" I shrieked even louder when one strong move, he was able to carry me and put me to sit into the sink.

"Is this what you're looking for? Making me unhappy means making you rather more miserable!"

He sucked my lips furiously. He attacked me so hard and cruelly that I couldn't breathe and I could already taste bitter blood gushing from my smashed lips. He was ripping on my lips like there was no tomorrow!

"Zack, no! Please, stop! Don't do this, please! I am begging you, Zack!" I pleaded, but he seemed deaf and couldn't hear me.

I tried to push him by punching him in his chest, but he was a hundred times stronger than I am! I'm so frail that I couldn't compete with his overwhelming strength! He is as tough as a stone heart.

I couldn't help but breathe heavily as his lips went down my neck. He was hot, and my inexperienced body was reacting to it. His hands caressed the sore spots on my body. He stroked my breasts with one hand and my legs with the other, dragging my skirt up.

"No! Stop!" I'm constantly pleading and sobbing. For the time being, these are my only options for persuading him to stop what he is doing to me!

I was crying as I stared at our reflection in the life-sized mirror. We're both dressed in our school uniforms. He is in the center of my thighs. My legs are spread and he is kissing me hard and punishingly.