The Way We Once Were

After the tragic death of my best friend, I took her younger brother in and treated him like my own. Everyone knew how much Zach Lawson meant to me, so much so that I vowed not to marry because I could not bear leaving him.

The day he turned eighteen, he got on one knee and asked me to marry him.

With tears of joy streaming down my face, I took the bouquet from him, only to realize they were made of writhing snakes.

Everyone laughed at my misfortune. It was an artfully crafted joke, at my expense. Thalia Lewis laced her arm through Zach's and grinned. "Sorry about that, Sydney. It was just an innocent prank. Zach is willing to do anything to make me smile!"

Zach gave me a look of utter disgust. "Is this what you think of me? You're my sister! How can you even think of marrying me? This is vile! Is this the reason you took me in? Have you been secretly pining for me since the start?"

My whole life had come crashing down around me. I was overcome with shock, misery, and despair, until Connor Grey showed up and asked for my hand in marriage.

"Sydney, I promise that once I'm done with this competition, the first thing I'm going to do is fly home and marry you."

I hung up the call at the exact moment my adopted brother, Zach Lawson, entered the room. When he saw me hastily putting my phone away, he furrowed his brows in annoyance. "Who were you talking to?"

I replied curtly, "Why does it concern you who I'm talking to?"

Zach, knowing that I was still mad at him, tried to change the topic. He set down the bag he had brought on the table and said, "Sydney, I know you're mad at me, but I've already apologized. I know I shouldn't have played that prank on you. It was all my fault that you fell and caused your old injury to flare up, but I swear I didn't mean to hurt you on purpose.

"Thalia thought it would be a fun little prank, and I was just trying to make her happy. I didn't think you'd be so scared of those snakes that I snuck into the bouquet. I didn't think you'd stumble and fall as a result. They weren't even poisonous!

"To be honest, I didn't expect you to say yes to my proposal either, much less in front of all those people. It was quite humiliating for me, to be frank.

"Sydney, I've always thought of you as a sister, and I've never had feelings for you in that way. It was just an accident. Please don't stay mad at me. Look, I made you some of your favorite chicken soup to make up for it."

I could not help but recall all those sweet, tender words he had said to me the night of his 'proposal'. I had not doubted the validity of his words, not even for a second. When he brought out the beautiful bouquet, I was naive enough to believe that he was actually professing his love to me.

Sydney Morrigan, what an idiot you were!

All those years before, when I first brought Zach home, he had followed me all over the house like a duckling, calling me sis. Years later, despite him calling me by the same name, it left a sour taste in my mouth.

When Zach turned 18, he promised that he would give me the world. He swore up and down that he would protect me, and that no one was allowed to hurt me under his watch.

Truth be told, I could not remember the exact moment I fell for him, but it was too late for regrets.

Zach scooped up a spoonful of chicken soup and brought it up to my lips. He crooned as if coaxing a toddler, "Come on, Sydney. Take a bite. I'll feed you."

The soup had already gone cold.

The memory still gleamed vividly in my mind. Years ago, I accidentally ingested some chicken without realizing and developed hives all over my body. It was then I found out I was allergic to chicken. This was not Zach's fault, since neither of us had known prior to that incident, but he still blamed himself all the same. He was so immersed in guilt over the incident that it took him days before he dared to look me in the eye again.

He had promised me tearfully, "I promise I'll keep a close eye on everything you eat from now on, Sydney. I will never let you anywhere near chicken again. Mark my words!"

Who would have thought years after that he would forget his promise?

Zach did not realize this. He assumed that I was refusing to eat because of my grudge and slammed the bowl down forcefully on the table. He snapped, "I got up at the crack of dawn to make this soup for you! I had to keep stirring every few minutes to keep the broth fresh, and my arms are killing me!

"I blew off my date with Thalia just to come visit you today, so can't you be more appreciative? Stop throwing a tantrum like a child! I'm trying to be nice to you, Sydney!"

I stared at him coldly. "I didn't ask you to make me soup."

Zach scoffed. "Who else would do it for you? You have no one apart from me! No one will ever look after you the way I do! You should be grateful that I'm still here after all these years when I could've left you for dead! I don't want to waste my time arguing with you! Finish the soup quickly. I need to meet Thalia after this."

I silently picked up the spoon and took a sip of Zach's chicken soup. He had added too much salt, and the broth was far too thick.

It was fine. I would not have to put up with him much longer. Once Connor returned, I would finally be rid of Zach once and for all.