PROLOGUE

Mystic Falls, 2010

Fate was incredibly cruel to those with big hearts, I decided as I sat across from Elena Gilbert in the Salvatore Boarding House. A book sat open on my lap but I was not reading it. Instead, I subtly snuck glances at Elena, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the woman who broke my heart.

I backed further into the armchair as I continued to watch her. My heart panged painfully as her lips tilted upwards in a wide and breathtaking smile. She was so physically beautiful and, unlike Katherine, she also had a beautiful soul. She constantly worried about those she loved and my stupid heart was desperate to become one of those people.

It was too bad that my twin brother had gotten to her first.

I felt my stomach turn as I watched Elena and Stefan fawn over each other for the tenth time this week. Rolling my eyes at their incessant need to showcase their love, I promptly stood up, letting the book fall to the floor. Taking their eyes off each other, the couple looked over at me curiously.

"Are you alright, Evelyn?" Elena asked as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. A pleasant shiver ran down my spine when she addressed me and I sent her a wide smile.

"Everything is great, Elena!" I lied, "I'm going to go get something to drink. Do either of you want anything?"

"Nothing for me, thanks." Stefan smiled as he sat back on the sofa and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Could you grab me some water? I'm completely parched!" Elena requested.

"Of course!" I said, keeping my false smile in place until my back was turned.

I had been in Mystic Falls for nearly three months and every single day was exhausting. In the two decades that I had not seen my siblings, I completely forgot how draining they could be. In the past three months, I have witnessed more drama than in my entire life.

Walking into the kitchen, I grabbed two glasses and began to fill them. As I worked, my ears strained to pick up the conversation in the living room.

"Your sister is so sweet, Stefan." Elena gushed quietly, "I can't believe that she is related to you and Damon."

My brother let out a grunt and said, "Evie has always been too kind for her own good."

"I feel rather bad for her. She seems so lonely!" Elena whispered and I felt my jaw clench at her words. "All she does is sit in the house and read!"

"She likes reading!" Stefan replied.

"Yes but she literally does nothing else!" Elena said, "Maybe we should set her up on a date? I'm sure that Caroline could find some hunky guy to pair her up with!"

I clutched the glass of water so tight that it almost shattered. I took a deep breath in and tried not to let her words affect me. Listening to two people discuss my life like they actually knew me was hard to stomach.

"As far as I am aware, Evelyn has never been in a relationship."

"Wait! Never?" Elena whisper-hissed, "How is that even possible?"

"I guess that she has never really been interested in anybody." Stefan replied, "Damon thinks that our father put her off relationships when he tried to marry her off."

"That is so sad! What about friends, does she have any friends?"

"None that she has told me about. The last person she was close with was Katherine. Evie and Katherine were really good friends."

"That must be why Evelyn looks at me strangely sometimes!" Elena gasped.

"When Katherine was taken, Evie took it really badly and tried to rescue her with Damon and I." Stefan explained, "I think that a part of her broke when we failed."

I rolled my eyes and finally stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a glass of water and a bourbon. Stepping back into the living room, I passed Elena the glass of water before sitting back on my armchair.

"Is that from Damon's secret stash?" Stefan asked as I took a sip of the bourbon.

"It must not be very secret if you and I know about it." I quipped before taking another sip.

"Evelyn, are you going to the Founder's Day celebration tomorrow?" Elena asked.

"Nope, I was never too fond of town events."

"You should come! It will be lots of fun and Bonnie deactivated the Gilbert device so it will be completely safe!" Elena encouraged me but I adamantly shook my head.

"I was actually planning on going out of town tomorrow," I lied, however the lie began to sound like a rather good idea.

"Why?" Stefan asked with a frown.

"I find that leaving Mystic Falls every once in a while helps keep the depression at bay." I joked with a small shrug. Instead of laughing, Elena and Stefan shot me concerned looks. Rolling my eyes, I gulped down the rest of my drink and stood up. "On that note, I am going to go upstairs and pack."

I felt like a weight had lifted from my shoulders the second I left the room.

***

The next evening, I stood outside of the Salvatore Boarding House, rummaging through my handbag for my car keys. I couldn't wait to get out of my miserable hometown. I gasped in delight when I finally found my keys and unlocked the car. I piled my suitcases into the back before turning around and jolting in surprise.

"Elena!" I gasped, holding a hand over my heart, "You startled me!"

"I just wanted to see you  before you left." Elena said with a shrug, "I will miss you, Evelyn."

I smiled at her words and looked down at the ground. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks as I looked back up at Elena. She was truly beautiful in the moonlight and I longed to pull her into my arms. I wished that I could tell Elena that I would miss her too but that would be a lie. I would not miss the pain that Elena brought me every time that I looked at her.

"I hope that my brother treats you well," I told her with a soft smile, "You deserve nothing short of the best."

"He does treat me well," Elena nodded, taking a step closer to me. I held my breath when she placed a hand over my beating heart. "You deserve the best as well, Evelyn."

I stood frozen as Elena closed the gap between us and pressed her lips against mine in a chaste kiss. She pulled back and sent me a shy smile before kissing me once more. This time, I remembered to move and wrapped my arms around her, bringing her closer.

Our mouths moved together with a passion I hadn't felt since...

I pushed away from the kiss, my heart pounding with realization.

"Katherine!" I whispered in horror.

"Hello, Evelyn." Katherine smirked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Still so naïve. I assumed you would be less gullible after all these years."

Rage simmered deep within me as I narrowed my eyes at the woman I had once loved. A part of me still loved her and always would but I hated her more. I had spent over a century carefully cultivating my hatred for her and being in her presence finally tipped me over the edge.

"You have ten seconds to disappear before I crush your heart." I warned in a low voice, earning an amused chuckle.

"I don't think that I can take that threat seriously. After all, you never had a particularly violent nature."

"Don't act as if you know me, Katherine." I hissed at her.

"On the contrary, sweet Evelyn, I know you better than anyone." Katherine replied with a smirk, "I knew that you would fall for some lesser version of me. It's pathetic really, how predictable you are when it comes to matters of the heart. Elena would never love you, not when she already has your brothers fighting over her."

Before I could lunge for her, she disappeared into the night, leaving me with a broken heart once more. This time was somehow more painful than the last. Uncontrollable tears streamed down my cheeks as I cursed myself for being so foolish. My emotions had led me astray once more when it came to Elena and I knew that I could not trust them.

As I climbed into the car and drove away from Mystic Falls, I flicked the small switch in the back of my mind that had tempted me for years.

Without emotions, perhaps I would finally be happy?