My sister, the eternal favorite, not only announced at my wedding that she’d already eloped with my fiancé and was pregnant with his child, but she also pressured me to have a hysterectomy. Her demand? That I promise to take care of her child for the rest of my life. My dream wedding, a love story that started in high school and was supposed to end at the altar, turned into a living nightmare in front of over two hundred guests, all thanks to my sister. She stood there in a pristine white wedding gown, clinging to Brandon, the man who should have been standing beside me, and walked straight up to me. “Stella, I’m pregnant with Brandon’s child.” “We’re already legally married. He’s your brother-in-law now.” Amber’s words hit me like a bomb, exploding in my ears. Casually, she projected their wedding certificate onto the big screen behind us, then handed me the physical copy, as if worried I wouldn’t see it clearly enough. Underneath the crimson banner, their smiles were radiant, like a picture-perfect couple deeply in love. The date on the certificate? Just yesterday. “Why?!” I choked out to Brandon, the simple question catching in my throat multiple times. Brandon furrowed his brow, a flicker of guilt in his eyes, quickly replaced by a sigh. His voice dripped with feigned sympathy, “Stella, Amber only has a year left.” “This is her last wish—to marry the man she loves and have a child before she dies…” “Stella, Amber is your sister. You’d understand, right?” But who would understand *me*? I looked at his hypocritical face and suddenly found it utterly laughable. Utterly heartbreaking. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I screamed in anguish, “I’m supposed to understand her by letting my boyfriend sleep with her and giving up my own wedding?” Growing up, my sister had always monopolized our parents’ favoritism. And what she loved most was snatching away everything that was mine. My clothes; my toys; my friends… Until I met Brandon. I thought I’d finally found a love that was solely mine. But of course, she had to take even that! “Amber, please, just get out of my wedding! Get out of my life, okay?!” “Enough! Don’t talk like that!” Brandon snapped, his eyes flashing angrily. “If it weren’t for Amber, how do you think I would’ve ended up with you?” “What do you mean?” I stared at him, stunned and disbelieving. “Stella, I’m sorry. Please, don’t fight because of me anymore.” Suddenly, Amber burst into tears. “I just worried Mom and Dad would be devastated with no hope after I’m gone, so I wanted to leave them something to hold onto. Marrying Brandon was a last resort; I didn’t want the child to be born without a mom, or a dad.” “If you can’t accept this, then I’ll just go die right now!” With that, Amber suddenly charged forward, head first towards the wall!
A collective gasp echoed through the wedding venue! Just as Amber was about to hit the wall, the host rushed forward and pulled her back. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Brandon shot me a blaming glare, then hurried to comfort her. My parents, too, rushed over, their faces full of heartache as they hugged and soothed her. Amber sobbed, “Don’t save me! Just let me die! I won’t live much longer anyway!” “It’d be better to grant Stella’s wish! If she can live happily, then dying like this would be a worthy end for me, her sister.” Her words instantly threw me back into the eye of the storm. Sure enough, Mom, after hearing that, stood up furiously and walked over, slapping me hard across the face. “I don’t have a daughter with such a wicked heart!” I clutched my stinging cheek, my eyes welling with tears. I stared silently at my mom. From the day I was born until now, she’d been like an invisible presence, lurking in the shadows. She never cared if I was sad, or if I was humiliated. But the moment Amber was involved, she’d appear without hesitation. It had always been like this, ever since I was a child. Brandon looked at me with disappointment. “Amber is your own sister, and you’re trying to force her to her death. Your heart is too cruel.” “Apologize to Amber right now, or our wedding is off, forever!” *Slap!* I swung my hand hard, slapping Brandon. “You’re disgusting!” The wedding I had dreamed of since I was a teenager finally ended in utter humiliation. After storming out, I went straight back to our apartment. When Brandon returned, I had just finished packing my belongings and was heading for the door with my suitcase. He grabbed my hand, rubbed his temples, and said impatiently, “Is this really worth all this drama, for such a small thing?” “It’s only for a year, then I’ll be back with you. Can you just stop making a scene?” I yanked my hand free. “A scene?” “Brandon, we’ve been together for so long. Did you ever truly love me? If you had just said you fell for someone else, I would have stepped aside immediately.” “But what did you do? You secretly got together with my sister, and then you humiliated me at our wedding in front of so many people!” The memory still sent shivers down my spine. “What did you take me for?” Brandon paused, then said, “Stella, I’m sorry you were wronged.” One simple “sorry you were wronged” to gloss over the deep wounds he inflicted. How pathetic. I lowered my gaze, no longer feeling any shred of love for him. “Brandon, we’re over,” I said. The moment he chose to hurt me, we were done. “Get out!” With that, I shoved him and his suitcase out the door, then quickly slammed it shut. This apartment was mine; *he* was the one who had to leave. Ignoring his knocking on the door, I went back to the living room and sank onto the couch, feeling utterly defeated. Brandon and I had been together for seven years. During my senior year of high school, he joined my class as a transfer student, a year older than me. Because he was an orphan, he was aloof and quiet, but he treated me differently. After graduation, we naturally started dating. We had our sweet moments, and our arguments too. He told me his biggest dream in life was to marry me and give me a home. When he made that promise as a young man, his face was sincere, his eyes filled with love. I genuinely believed we’d go from school sweethearts to husband and wife, but I never even knew when he and Amber started their affair! I buried my face in my hands, trying not to cry. But the sobs wracked my body. I stayed in the apartment in a daze for three days until my best friend, Chloe, rushed back from out of town. The moment she walked in, she hugged me, her eyes red with tears. She was my childhood friend, and she’d been away on a business trip, unable to make it to my wedding. “I shouldn’t have been away on that trip. I should have been with you, it’s all my fault…” she cried inconsolably. After a long while, she finally stopped, sniffling. “Stella, they humiliated you like this. We absolutely cannot let them get away with it!” “And with your sister’s manipulative nature, she definitely has more tricks up her sleeve!”
I nodded. Amber and I might be blood sisters, but she never liked me, not since we were kids. Plus, she had a terminal illness; doctors predicted she wouldn’t live past twenty-eight. Our parents felt guilty and spoiled her rotten. As a result, I’d been taken advantage of by her countless times. She wanted to plot against me even in her final moments, making me live in her shadow for the rest of my life? Dream on! And I refused to be played for a fool by her and Brandon! I wiped my tears and told Chloe my plan. She helped me find witnesses to prove my long-standing relationship with Brandon. Meanwhile, I began gathering evidence of our seven years together. I didn’t know what Amber and Brandon would do next, but I wasn’t going to sit around and wait! But I never expected Amber to be so utterly shameless!
After a few days of rest, I returned to work. Having been out for several days, my workload was enormous, leaving me swamped and unable to even grab a proper meal. When I got home that day, I saw Mom and Dad sitting on my living room couch with Amber and Brandon. That’s when I remembered Brandon still had a spare key. Seeing him, and remembering everything we shared in that apartment, made me sick to my stomach. I took a deep breath. It seemed I needed to speed up the process of selling this place. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice stiff. Mom pretended not to notice my sour expression. “Stella, you and Amber are sisters; there’s nothing you can’t get past.” “Amber has also promised that after she’s gone, we’ll hold another grand wedding for you and Brandon to make up for it.” “This time, Mom and Dad didn’t think things through.” It was rare for Mom to lower herself like this, but a chill ran through me. “So, you and Dad knew all about it that day?” Mom and Dad’s eyes flickered, looking a little guilty. I scoffed. So that’s how it was! Mom pursed her lips before saying, “Your sister and the baby needed a legitimate status. That was the best occasion.” Because Amber needed it, they chose to sacrifice me without hesitation. I closed my eyes, laughing self-deprecatingly. I always knew I wasn’t as important as Amber in their hearts. But I never imagined how utterly insignificant I was. Amber interjected at just the right moment. “Stella, don’t blame Mom and Dad. They did it all for me.” “I know you’re hurt, but I didn’t want to miss Brandon again in my lifetime. We’ve already missed our chance once.” As Amber spoke, she looked at Brandon with tender affection, and his eyes were filled with sympathy. My heart skipped a beat. I suddenly remembered Brandon had a first love before his senior year. I’d been curious and asked him about it once, but he’d always changed the subject. I never imagined his first love was my sister! No wonder he treated me uniquely. It turned out I’d been a stand-in all these years! I clenched my fists tightly. Amber, Brandon! You’ve gone too far! Perhaps my face was too pale, Brandon didn’t dare to look at me, but Amber continued, “Stella, I know you love Brandon very much.” “But I love him too, and I don’t want to share him with another woman. But what can I do, since you’re my own sister?” She then started crying, looking utterly pitiful. “If you agree to have a hysterectomy, I’m willing to let Brandon marry you after I’m gone.” Amber cried so pathetically that Brandon pulled her into his arms, like a pair of star-crossed lovers. Mom and Dad were shedding tears. “That’s right, Stella, your sister doesn’t have much time left. Just give in to her one more time. Mom knows Dad and I neglected you in the past, which made you so stubborn.” “How about this, you come home and live with Mom and Dad. Let us make it up to you properly. As for this new apartment, you can let Amber and Brandon have it for now.” “You can move back in after a year…” I looked at Amber. When no one was watching, she smugly raised an eyebrow at me. Like a victor. *Slap!* I couldn’t take it anymore. I lunged forward and slapped Amber hard across the face. Amber shrieked. Mom, Dad, and Brandon froze.
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