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Always Second to My Sister, until Today
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On the day of my pre-wedding photoshoot, the photographer compliments me, saying I look just like my sister, Jenna Shaw, when I smile. My fiance, Clifton Cooper, immediately asks Jenna to change into a white wedding dress as well, saying she might as well take a few photos for keepsakes. When selecting the photos, the whole family gathers around Jenna's set of pictures and praises them. My mother, Victoria Winn, says Jenna is naturally suited to wearing a wedding dress. My father, Reginald Shaw, says she looks more radiant and poised than me, the bride-to-be. Clifton stares at the screen for a long time, then points to the one where Jenna glances back over her shoulder. "Jenna looks great in this one. Let's put this one at the wedding welcome area." Only when I ask him where my photos will go does he finally seem to remember my existence. "Since you and Jenna look so much alike, the guests won't be able to tell the difference. Besides, Jenna isn't getting married, so it isn't easy for her to get a chance to wear a wedding dress." A laugh suddenly escapes me. Ever since we were little, it's never been easy for Jenna, so I'm supposed to give in to her. Not only do I have to give her whatever she wants, but I'm not allowed to have anything she doesn't have either. Even my wedding has to be about making her dream come true. I pull the only photo of Clifton and me together from the album. In the photo, I stand beside Clifton, smiling with all my might. But looking at it now, all I feel is that I'm looking at a stranger. It turns out spring is never late. It's just that I've been standing in someone else's shadow, waiting for it. Well, this time, I don't want to wait anymore.
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Always Second to My Sister, until Today Chapter 9
I looked down at the ring, and tears suddenly fell.Tyler lifted his gaze to look at me. "With me, you don't have to give in to anyone. You are my first and only priority."I placed my hand in his.As he slipped the ring onto my ring finger, the faint sound of something dropping came from outside the gate.Clifton stood in the shadows. The art book had fallen from his hand onto the stone slabs, now covered in muddy water.…One year later, Tyler and I held our wedding on the lawn outside the bookstore. All around us hung the postcards I had painted.Tyler, in a light-colored suit, bowed his head to adjust my veil."Mrs. Tanner, are you nervous?"I shook my head. "No. I'm a little hungry, though."He smiled and pressed a piece of candy into my palm. "Something to tide you over. After the ceremony, I'll take you out for tacos."My phone buzzed just then.An unknown number had sent a photo.Clifton sat in a wheelchair, his pant legs hanging empty. He was so thin he looked lik
Always Second to My Sister, until Today Chapter 8
I looked at Clifton and suddenly felt like he was a stranger.In the past, he had always been so certain that I would give in, that I would wait, and that I would come back on my own after every time he froze me out.Now, he stood in my yard, where even his attempt to demand answers seemed laughable."Clifton, what right do you have to ask me that?"His lips were pale. "Heidi, I just can't accept that you've moved on so quickly."I nodded. "Of course you can't. You swapped my wedding photo for Jenna's, gave away my invitations for her to squander, and even expected me to watch you walk her down the aisle first at my own wedding."Clifton's shoulders stiffened.I continued, "You didn't love either of us. What you loved was me standing at your back while Jenna rested against your chest, because it made you feel important."Tyler paused while clearing the bowls and cutlery, but he didn't interrupt."That's not how it was," Clifton argued.I looked at him. "Then, how was it? You
Always Second to My Sister, until Today Chapter 7
Mom tried to break free from Tyler's grasp but to no avail."I'm Heidi's mother—it's only natural for me to discipline my own daughter," she said, her face flushed.Tyler let go of her and stepped halfway in front of me, shielding me behind him."Heidi's a grown woman, not your property."Clifton stared at his hand, his face turning cold. "This is a family matter, Mr. Tanner. You have no right to interfere."Tyler looked at him. "As long as she's unwilling to go back, you don't get to call this a family matter."I stepped out from behind Tyler.I had actually thought seeing them again would make me tremble, ache, and break down in tears. But looking at the three of them, I only felt how unfamiliar they'd become.I said to Mom, "When I came first in my exams in elementary school, you told me not to tell Jenna because you were afraid it would upset her. In middle school, you swapped out my birthday cake for the sugar-free kind she could eat."When I wanted to apply to art school
Always Second to My Sister, until Today Chapter 6
When I took the calico cat from the man, her claws caught on my cuff.The man lowered his eyes and freed me, his movements steady. "She's called Fluffball. She's shy around strangers, but she loves drawing paper."I looked down. Fluffball had already jumped onto my box of sketches and was dozing off.The man handed me a name card—Old Times Bookstore, Tyler Tanner."There's a restoration bench for old books next door. If you're short on tools, you can come borrow some," Tyler said.I nodded. "Thanks."…After I settled in Mannorworth, I began working on a picture book called "Waiting for Spring".On the first page, I painted a little girl standing in a very long shadow. In her hands was a magnolia wood paintbrush. She waited and waited until the paper was covered in dust.After Ms. Hardy read the first draft, all she said was, "Don't rush to heal. First, get the pain exactly right."I sat in the yard revising my drawings, Fluffball sprawled out under the easel like always.
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