"Star," Briony called softly.


    "Briony!"


    Ste snatched up a pillow and barreled over, brandishing it like a weapon. "If I don''t knock some sense into you today, I''ll take yourst name—!"


    Briony: "..."


    James: "..."


    What everyone expected to be a tender reunion between sisters took an abrupt turn, thanks to Ste''s unpredictable ways.


    Briony didn''t even try to dodge. She simply took the full brunt of Ste''s "pillow strike."


    "Briony, are you out of your mind? I lose my memory and you just let me run wild?! I was chasing after some guy like a lovesick idiot, and you didn''t smack me back to reality-you just left! You let that pretentious bastard, Cedric rke, take advantage of me! And then, like an idiot, I went and had a kid with him! Sis, you know I''m a die-hard bachelorette!"


    "For crying out loud! Now I''m not only married, I''ve got a kid, and worst of all, I''ve be... the thing I fear most—a housewife! Aaargh, Briony, I don''t care! You didn''t stop me, so this is all your fault!"


    Briony: "..."


    James strolled over and wrestled the pillow from Ste''s hands. "Alright, enough already. With the way you were swooning back then, if Bryn had tried to talk sense into you, you probably would''ve scratched her face off."


    Ste: "..."


    She picked at her nails, sulking. “No way! Sure, I''m a sucker for a pretty face, but Cedric rke was Stewart''s friend. He was on Stewart''s side-I''d never betray my best friend for a guy, no matter how hot he was!"


    "You fell for him at first sight," James reminded her. "Even your dad couldn''t talk you out of it. What chance did Bryn have?"


    "My dad''s never been able to control me, that''s nothing new!" Ste shot back. "But I always listen to Bryn!"


    “Oh yeah?” James retorted, twisting the knife. “Listening to Bryn didn''t stop you from forgetting all about her, did it?"


    Ste: "..."


    "James, shut up." Briony shot him a re.


    "Whatever, I''ll stay out of it." James raised his hands in surrender.


    The truth was, it wasn''t that Briony abandoned Ste back then-Scarlett Joyner had decided Briony was a bad influence and forbade her from seeing Ste.


    James always thought Scarlett''s decision was unfair, but she was Ste''s mother -what could he really say?


    Now, with Ste''s memory finally restored, she''d rushed to find Briony.


    Listening to Ste rant, it was


    obvious she still didn''t know about


    Scarlett''s behind-the-scenes


    interference.


    And Briony clearly had no intention of letting her find out.


    James, being one of the few who knew the whole story, could only sigh and keep quiet.


    "So what am I supposed to do now?” Ste groaned, raking her fingers through her hair in distress. "Every time I see Cedric rke, I just want to crawl under the floor! I don''t even like him! Why do I still remember those four years, even after getting my real memories back?


    "You don''t like Cedric rke?" James shot her a look. "Then how exactly do you exin Aster? Did she just appear out of thin air?"


    Ste: "..."


    Briony stepped forward and pulled Ste, bristling with emotion, into her arms.


    "Star, wee back."


    Ste froze for a moment, her eyes


    welling with tears. She hugged


    Briony tightly. "Bryn, I''m so sorry. I


    forgot you. When you needed me most, Dwasn''t there. I''m the world''s worst friend-totally boy-crazy andpletely useless!"


    "Don''t say that." Briony gently stroked her back. "If anything, I dragged you into this mess. Star, never apologize to me. You''re not at fault. You''re wonderful."


    Ste couldn''t hold it together any longer. She clung to Briony and broke into loud, helpless sobs.


    "Four years, Bryn... Four whole years..." she wailed. "Wasn''t it hard for you, being alone all that time?"


    "Hey!" James bellowed from across the room. "Ste, what am I—a ghost?"


    Ste wiped her eyes, shooting him a sidelong nce. "You could never rece me, so don''t even dream about swooping in. Bryn and I have a bond you''ll never match, little brother."


    James went red in the face, sputtering, "...I should''ve just let you cry your eyes out!"