I held my engagement invitation and went to find Nora, my friend of ten years. I pushed open her apartment door, and my eyes landed on the TV. On the screen, a video was playing of her and my fiancé, Dante, tangled together. My blood ran cold. Nora looked at me and smiled. “For the past three years, every time he said he was on a business trip, he was actually here with me.” I clutched the invitation in my hand and suddenly felt that everything I had given these past years was ridiculous. She picked up a pregnancy report from the table and waved it. “Two months. If you still want the wedding, you can be a free nanny for my baby.” The fingerprint lock beeped, and Dante walked in carrying chicken soup. Our eyes met, and his smile froze. I folded the invitation and slipped it into my pocket. From that moment on, there was no Nora and no Dante in my life. … “What were you doing here?” Dante changed out of his shoes and casually set the soup on the entry cabinet. His gaze swept over the report in Nora’s hand, then landed on my face. After a brief pause, he loosened his tie and sat beside Nora. “Since you’ve seen it, there’s no need to hide it anymore.” He looked at me. “The report is real. She’s pregnant with my child, almost two months.” The invitation in my pocket crumpled little by little in my grip. “So?” My voice was barely there. Dante frowned, clearly unhappy. “What kind of attitude was that? I hadn’t even blamed you for coming here uninvited.” He picked up a glass of water and took a sip, sounding completely justified. “You had two miscarriages. The doctor said your body was too weak now, it would be hard to get pregnant again.” “The Marchetti family needed an heir. Nora was willing to have the baby. She was helping us.” “When the child was born, it would call you Mom. You got a child for free. What was there to be upset about?” Ten years. I stayed by his side as he rose from an ignored son to the head of the family. I took bullets for him. I even lost two unborn children for him. And now he told me that cheating on me with my friend was for my own good. Nora leaned against his shoulder and gently touched her flat belly. “Aurora, I was an orphan. I always treated you like my own sister.” “In the future, the three of us would live together. My child would be your child.” She lifted her chin, her eyes full of triumph. “Didn’t you always want a family? Now it was complete.” Dante stroked her hair. “See how understanding Nora is. Not like you, always with that long face.” He pulled a document from his briefcase and tossed it onto the coffee table. “This was a supplementary agreement. I had a lawyer draft it.” “The wedding next month would go on as planned. You would still be Mrs. Marchetti.” “But to everyone else, Nora was my cousin. She would move into our home to rest during her pregnancy.” I stared at the document and didn’t reach for it. “Nora would live in our home as your cousin?” “Right.” Dante nodded. “I wasn’t comfortable with her living alone.” “What about after the baby was born?” I curled my lips slightly. “We would say it was your child. Nora was still young. She couldn’t be tied down by a baby.” Dante took out a pen and held it out to me. “I would give you an extra ten thousand dollars every month, just to take care of Nora and the baby.” “Aurora, don’t be greedy. I gave you the best life money could buy. What were you not satisfied with?” He looked into my eyes, sincere in a way that felt terrifying. He truly believed he had done nothing wrong. In his eyes, I was nothing more than someone without her own income, someone who couldn’t leave him. As long as he gave me a little, I should be grateful. Nora picked up the pen and pressed it into my hand. “Sign it, Aurora. If you didn’t, these ten years of your youth meant nothing.” “You didn’t even have a job. Without Dante, how would you live?” The pen dug into my fingers. I watched them echo each other, and suddenly this whole scene felt ridiculous. Ten years of youth, in exchange for an agreement that turned me into a free nanny for his mistress. I put the pen back on the table. “I didn’t sign.” Dante’s face darkened. “Aurora, don’t push your luck. I always felt guilty about the two children you lost.” “Take this child as compensation. What else were you making a fuss about?” He stood and looked down at me. “I gave you one last chance. Sign it.” I stood, took the invitation from my pocket, and threw it into the trash. “I would think about it.” I turned and walked toward the door. Behind me, Dante sat back down and handed the chicken soup to Nora. “I knew you would come around. Tomorrow, go pick a diamond ring.” “Nora liked pink diamonds. Pick one for her too.”
That night, I went back to the home I shared with Dante. I entered the password, and the lock gave an error beep. I froze, then entered it again. “Incorrect password.” The mechanical female voice echoed through the hallway. I stood outside the door, looking at the place I had walked in and out of for five years, and suddenly it felt completely unfamiliar. Two hours later, the elevator doors opened. Dante walked out, supporting Nora. When he saw me standing at the door, he frowned. “Why aren’t you going in? What are you doing out here?” I looked at him.“The password doesn’t work.” Dante slapped his forehead.“Nora said the old numbers weren’t lucky, not good for the baby, so I changed it.” He walked up and entered Nora’s birthday. The door opened. I followed them inside. My slippers were gone from the entryway. In their place was a pair of anti-slip maternity slippers. “Your slippers were too hard. I was afraid Nora might slip, so I had the maid throw them out,”Dante said casually, helping Nora toward the master bedroom. I walked to the bedroom door and froze completely. All my skincare products had been swept into the trash on the vanity. The closet doors were wide open, half of my clothes gone, replaced with Nora’s maternity wear. “Dante, what is this supposed to mean?” I pointed at the empty closet. Dante was pouring water for Nora and didn’t even look back. “Nora is pregnant. She can’t stand your perfume.” “I had the maid move your things to the guest room. You sleep there for the next few months.” Nora leaned against the headboard, touching her belly as she sighed. “Aurora, you’re not mad at me, are you? The doctor said my pregnancy is unstable. I need rest.” “The master bedroom has better light. It’s good for the baby. You’ve always been so good to me, you’ll give it to me, right?” I looked at her fake face and felt no urge to argue. The next morning, I sat at the dining table, drinking coffee. Dante walked out of the bedroom with his phone in hand. Right in front of me, he turned on speaker. “Hello, Viktor.” “Change the bride’s name on the welcome sign. Replace it with Nora.” My hand holding the spoon froze. There was a pause on the other end. “Boss, then Miss Aurora…” Dante pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing at me. “Aurora? She’ll be the bridesmaid.” He hung up and took a sip of his coffee. “Nora said she’s dreamed of wearing a wedding dress since she was a child. She’s pregnant now, her emotions can’t be affected.” “We’ve been together this long anyway. The wedding is just a formality. Let her have the bride’s place. Think of it as fulfilling her dream.” His tone was calm, like he was talking about something trivial. Nora walked out of the bedroom wearing my pajamas and wrapped her arms around Dante’s neck.“Dante, you’re so good to me.” She turned to look at me, smiling innocently.“Aurora, will you be my bridesmaid? I want you to witness my happiness with your own eyes.” Dante tapped the table, urging me.“Nora is talking to you. Don’t be so petty. It’s just a wedding dress.” I lowered my head and looked at the coffee in my cup. Ten years of devotion couldn’t compare to a single sentence from her. Even the place of the bride was taken from me. I put down the cup and took a napkin to wipe my lips.“Okay.” Dante smiled in satisfaction.“That’s more like it. A family should live in harmony.”
“Tonight is the gathering of the five families. Dress simple. Don’t steal Nora’s spotlight.” On the sofa was the cheap old dress he had thrown at me. Behind him stood Nora, dressed in a custom maternity gown, wearing my pink diamond necklace. “Dante, do I look good in this?”Nora lifted her skirt and spun around. Dante walked over and wrapped an arm around her waist. “You look beautiful. You’ll be the most stunning woman there tonight.” He turned to me, frowning slightly. “What are you standing there for? Go change. Don’t waste time.” I picked up the gray dress and walked into the guest room. When I came out, Dante had already left with Nora. I could only take a taxi to the hotel by myself. I pushed open the banquet hall doors and saw Dante holding a glass of wine, chatting and laughing with several family heads. Nora clung to his arm, soft and dependent. I walked over, about to stand behind Dante. “Mr. Marchetti, who is this?” One of the family heads pointed at Nora. Dante raised his glass, smiling brightly. “Let me introduce you. This is my fiancée, Nora.” Flattering voices rose around them. “Miss Nora is truly stunning. A perfect match for Mr. Marchetti.” Another family head recognized me.“Wait, then who is the lady behind?” The hall fell silent for a moment. Every gaze on me carried curiosity and mockery. Dante paused, not even turning his head.“Her? She’s my sister.” Ten years by his side, and I had become his sister. He did not even bother to give me a decent explanation. With one sentence, he erased everything about me. I stood in the corner, watching Nora receive everyone’s blessings. Midway through the banquet, Nora walked toward me with a glass of red wine.“Oh!” She suddenly slipped, and half the glass spilled onto my gray dress. The red liquid dripped down the fabric, leaving me a mess. “Aurora, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Nora covered her mouth, pretending to panic. Dante rushed over, shoved me aside, and pulled Nora into his arms. “Are you okay? Did you hurt your stomach?” He turned and glared at me, his voice sharp. “Why were you standing so close? You know she’s pregnant, and you still got near her!” “Go to the restroom and deal with that. Stop embarrassing yourself here.” I said nothing and turned toward the restroom. After the banquet, we waited for the driver in the parking lot. Nora suddenly cried out. “Ouch, Dante. I twisted my ankle. It hurts.” Without hesitation, Dante crouched down. “Get on. I’ll carry you.” Nora climbed onto his back, her arms wrapped around his neck. Over his shoulder, she looked at me walking behind them. Her lips moved silently. “You spent ten years with him, and it’s still not worth my three months.” I stopped, staring at their overlapping shadows. Dante turned back, impatience clear on his face.“Aurora, can you walk faster? The car keys are in your bag. Stop dragging your feet.” I stood there and didn’t move.“Give them to me!” His voice rose. I unzipped my bag, took out the keys, and threw them onto the ground with a sharp clatter. Dante froze. I didn’t look at him. I turned and walked to the roadside, stopping a taxi. When I got home, I opened my phone. There were more than three thousand photos in my gallery, all of them from my past with Dante. I selected them and deleted them, one by one, until nothing was left. I erased his number from my contacts as well. The last message popped up. It was from Dante. “Remember to try on the bridesmaid dress tomorrow. Nora wants pink.” I didn’t reply. In the corner of the living room, three packed suitcases stood quietly against the wall.
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