Chapter 1

"Aunt Rosalind, I've made up my mind. I think it's time for me to leave the Irving family and go abroad to live with you." On the other end of the phone, Rosalind Solheim's voice was full of joy. She replied eagerly, "I'm glad to hear that, Adonis. I'll start applying for your visa right away. It will probably take about a month. In the meantime, make sure to spend more time with your friends and classmates. Once you come to Naevaland and settle down, it'll be hard for you all to see each other again. Take this time to say your goodbyes." Then, she added, "You should have a good talk with Meredith about this. She raised you since you were little. You must always be grateful that she brought you up all these years. Make sure to thank her properly." Adonis Solheim murmured faintly in agreement. After hanging up, he returned to the living room from the balcony. He instinctively glanced at the framed photo placed on the table. In the picture, the evening sky was ablaze with colors, casting a warm glow on the faces of the two people in it. The 22-year-old Meredith Irving was sitting on a swing, smiling brightly. Behind her stood the 17-year-old Adonis pushing the swing gently. The hem of Meredith's dress fluttered in the wind, brushing against the tulips in the garden. Many years had passed since then. Even so, Adonis still remembered how happy he had been the day the photo was taken. Unfortunately, everything changed with time. He and Meredith could never return to how things once used to be. As Adonis thought of this, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes. He looked away, his gaze drifting into the distance, searching for something far away and long gone. The Solheim and Irving families had been close to each other for generations. Meredith was five years older than Adonis. Both families went through with the arranged engagement that they'd agreed on when their children were still young. And that was how Meredith became Adonis' sister-in-law. When Adonis was 15 years old, his father, mother, and older brother all perished in a tragic plane crash. Victor Solheim, Jacqueline Dodson, and Alistair Solheim didn't survive that air disaster. After Adonis became an orphan, Meredith brought him in and raised her as part of the Irving family. Perhaps Meredith felt deeply sorry for Adonis due to his devastating loss. She took meticulous care of him and personally saw everything related to him. Rain or shine, she picked him up from school every day. Whenever she stumbled upon something new and interesting, she bought it for Adonis without fail. Because of her attentiveness and how well she cared for Adonis, he gradually clung to her. When Adonis reached the age when one naturally would develop youthful infatuation and affection for another person, he fell hopelessly in love with the woman who had accompanied him through his adolescence. On the day Adonis turned 17, Meredith threw him a huge birthday party as usual. He got drunk during the joyous celebration, and she helped him back to his room to rest. Upon seeing that the person he loved was right before him, Adonis couldn't resist leaning down and kissing Meredith. In the next moment, she opened her eyes and pushed him to the other end of the couch. Adonis didn't understand why she reacted that way but thought it was a heaven-sent opportunity. So, he took the chance to confess his feelings. But in Meredith's eyes, everything he had said was utterly outrageous and immoral. She found it ridiculous and was furious. "Adonis! Do you realize that I am your sister-in-law?" "I know that. I'm a Solheim, and you're from the Irving family. We're not related by blood in the first place." Meredith's expression darkened when Adonis stood his ground stubbornly. "I'm five years older than you! You're only 17 years old. You can't even tell the difference between familial and romantic love at this age. You don't understand what loving someone means!" Adonis had always listened to Meredith. But on this matter, he was exceptionally obstinate. "Are you rejecting me because you think I'm too young? That's okay. I'll grow up one day. I'll prove to you that I know what love is and that I can tell the difference." Adonis couldn't remember how that argument ended. But ever since that day, he confessed to Meredith every year on his birthday. Meredith rejected him every time, but he never thought of giving up. A month from then, he would be turning 21. However, he had no plans to confess his feelings again this year. Meredith had brought her boyfriend home and introduced him to Adonis a month ago. Adonis had felt a wave of sorrow crash over him but still forced himself to ask through his tears if she was trying to use her boyfriend to make him give up. Meredith gave him a faint glance, her voice as cold as ice as she said, "Don't flatter yourself. Your brother has been gone for six years. I'm at an age where it's normal to date and have a boyfriend." The calmness in her eyes deeply hurt Adonis. He cried all night, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts as he replayed everything that had happened over the years. At dawn, he received a message from Rosalind, who was abroad in a faraway country. She wrote, "Adonis, do you want to come live with me overseas? "I wanted to take you with me after the tragic accident happened. But at that time, my career was unstable, and I was dealing with postpartum depression. Therefore, I didn't think I could take good care of you. "Now that you're grown up, staying with the Irving family is inconvenient. I'm in a good place now. Would you like to come over and reunite with me?" Adonis didn't respond to her message. He didn't want to leave Meredith and planned to try harder to win her heart. But in the past two weeks, it felt like she was deliberately flaunting her relationship. Her boyfriend, Nicholas Kerr, would show up wherever she was. They held hands, hugged, kissed, and did all the intimate things couples do. She let Nicholas stay over the previous night and even took him back to her room. Adonis sat downstairs until 3:00 am, only to see the lights in her room go out and hear faint, amorous sounds from inside. He put a hand over his mouth to stifle himself as tears fell silently, soaking into the couch. At that moment, he decided to give up. He made up his mind that he would give up loving Meredith.