Chapter 1

My old gym bag sat on the floor.

I threw a few shirts in.

This was it. I was leaving.

No more Texas. No more Miller family. No more Chloe.

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

They had all chosen Liam.

My adoptive mother, my three stepsisters – Savannah, Brooke, Skylar – they were Liam's family now.

And Chloe, my Chloe, she was Liam's girl.

The thought was a dull ache in my chest, one I'd lived with for months.

It started when Liam Walker, my biological half-brother I never knew, showed up.

He arrived right after our shared father, a man I barely remembered, died.

Liam, with his sad stories and easy tears.

He charmed them all.

Stole them all.

The door creaked open.

Liam stood there, a smug little smile on his face.

Chloe's favorite blue scarf was wrapped around his neck.

She'd knitted that for me, years ago.

"Ethan," he said, his voice smooth like oil. "Packing for a little trip?"

My jaw tightened.

"Something like that."

He leaned against the doorframe, all casual.

"Heard Coach Henderson is holding that showcase game next week. Your last chance, right?"

I didn't answer. Just kept folding a pair of jeans.

This game, a small-time showcase for scouts from lesser colleges, was my only remaining hope after the big universities pulled their scholarships.

After the "accident." After my shoulder and knee were ruined.

"Thing is, Ethan," Liam continued, "my leg's been feeling a lot better. And Coach Henderson said I've got real talent."

He was looking at my old football trophies on the shelf.

The ones my sisters used to polish.

"Chloe thinks I deserve a shot. The girls too. They said you're probably not up to it. Physically, or, you know, mentally."

My hands stopped.

I looked at him.

The architect of my misery, standing there wearing my ex-fiancée's scarf, asking for my last dream.

"No," I said. My voice was quiet, but hard.

Liam's smile faltered for a second.

Then he pushed himself off the doorframe and walked towards me.

"Come on, Ethan. Be reasonable. You're injured. Everyone knows it."

He reached for the football I kept on my desk, the one from the championship game.

"This town needs a hero. And right now, that's me."

I stood up. "Get out of my room, Liam."

He tossed the ball in the air, caught it.

"Or what?" he sneered.

He took another step, too close.

I didn't move.

Suddenly, he stumbled, his ankle twisting dramatically.

He yelped, dropping the ball, and fell against my desk, knocking over a lamp.

"Ethan! What the hell!" he cried out, clutching his ankle.

The door burst open.

Chloe rushed in, followed by Savannah, Brooke, and Skylar.

"Liam! Are you okay?" Chloe shrieked, kneeling beside him.

She glared at me. "What did you do to him, Ethan?"

Savannah, always the practical one, was already examining Liam's ankle. "He's hurt, Ethan! How could you?"

Brooke, her eyes wide with sympathy for Liam, helped him sit up. "Ethan, he just wanted to talk!"

Skylar, who I once saved from drowning, the reason for the scar on my arm they used to praise, just stared at me with accusation.

"We heard the crash," Savannah said, her voice cold. "You pushed him, didn't you?"

I looked at their faces, once so full of love for me.

Now, only judgment.

"He's lying," I said, my voice flat.

"Lying?" Chloe stood up, her face flushed with anger. "We saw you, Ethan! You're just jealous because he's better than you!"

My heart felt like a stone.

Savannah helped Liam to his feet, him leaning heavily on her.

"Ethan," she said, her tone final. "You're not playing in that game."

"It's decided," Brooke added softly, looking at Liam with concern.

Skylar nodded. "Liam needs this chance. You had yours."

The ultimate betrayal.

My last chance. Given to him.

By them.