Chapter Two

“How could you resort to such a thing, Selena?!” Mother yells first, pulling me out of the safety and seclusion of the corridor, to the center of the hall. Her outburst makes head turn and before I know it, I’ve got the attention of the entire room on me and much more, courtesy of the people who have already taken out their phones to begin filming the scene.

“Mother, I—”

I'm cut off by another slap from Melinda, one I'd been avoiding and is twice as painful that I have to bite down on my lower lip to prevent crying out. “How dare you shame our family like this?! Is this how you repay us for taking you in when you had nothing?! It's ingrates like you that discourage benevolent people like the Winthrops from taking in orphans to help them secure a brighter future! How could you do this to us?!”

She swings her hand again to hit me but is quickly held back by my foster brother, Tyler, who shoots me a death glare and a smirk that appears almost victorious as he tries to calm his mother. But just as Melinda is suppressed, Stella steps forward, her countenance a mask of anger and sorrow.

Hoping that I could get through to her unlike my foster mother, I take a step forward, grabbing her wrist. “Stel, please, listen to me. I didn’t do any of that. The pictures are fake. I would never cheat on Daniel, you know this better than anyone. Please believe me.”

Stella shakes her head, looking at me in disbelief like she doesn’t know who is standing in front of her. “I know you told me you haven’t been happy a lot with your marriage recently because Danny hasn’t been spending enough time with you but Lena, I never would have thought that you could resort to such a thing.”

“Stel, I assure you, it’s not like that. Please hear me out.” My grip on her hand tightens in desperation but she continues to speak, disregarding my pleas.

“You and I know that Danny is always busy with work because of you since he’s doing all he can to provide for you, and I advised you to get a job like me or even start a business, for which he would've readily funded you, but you said so yourself that you were contented with staying idle at home and spending his money. Why then would you betray him like this? And to think you were suspecting him cheating on you.”

Gasps echo throughout the hall, mine included, as I recoil from Stella in disbelief. Her words hurt as deeply as if she'd hit me physically, her lies causing further damage. Truthfully, I had confided in her about my unhappiness with my husband's neglect and my suspicion of his infidelity, trusting her like a true sister. Never did I imagine she’d weaponize my vulnerability against me like this. 

I had also shared my frustrations with Stella about Daniel dismissing my desire to work or even begin a business of my own so as to occupy myself, only for her to tell me that I should, instead, abide by my husband's wishes and consider myself lucky to live off his wealth—something she'd kill for. Now, my foster sister has twisted my own words and fabricated such lies, leaving me heartbroken. Tears stream down my face as I desperately try to defend myself against her betrayal.

“What are you saying, Stella?!” I yell, moving into her personal space. “You said all of that, not me! I didn't! All I did was confide in you. Was I wrong to confide in my sister about my marital problems and seek your advice on what to do?”

Drawing even closer to me, Stella shakes her head again, giving me a smirk only visible to me before wearing her sorrowful expression again, but if that brief display of malice on her face is any indication then it would mean that she had planned this. My sister had plotted my downfall and all I could do was watch it all happen with disbelief, frustration and anger coursing through my veins.

“That explains why you were hell-bent on wearing something provocative like this when you would typically dress conservatively. I’d thought that it was because you wanted to surprise your husband on his birthday today but I had no idea how wrong I was. Tell me, Lena, is the man you’re cheating on Danny with here tonight? Is that why you dressed to seduce?”

Her words spark another round of gasps through the hall, followed by murmurs but I've about had enough of her shenanigans. “Will you stop saying that, Stella?!” I shout, forcefully shoving her hand held in my grasp away. Fueled by pure rage, I start jabbing at her shoulder with my finger with every sentence I say, forcing her to take a few steps back from my consistent hit.

“You chose this dress for me, Stella. You were the one who said that it'd make me look every bit of a Berfield beside Daniel. You were the one who said that you would love to be in my shoes and to be a housewife who lavishes her husband's money! You said all that so why are you telling these lies against me, huh?” 

Stella gives me an angry look, definitely not liking this turnabout but I’m sick and tired of her trying to ruin my reputation and marriage. I also want to know the reason behind her ploy. I want answers. Therefore, striving one more time to break her, I shove her lightly on the shoulder, yelling, “Where are those pictures from? What are they? What did I do to deserve this, Stel?!” 

But I should've known that she would have a trick up her sleeve. To achieve her goals, my foster sister doesn’t hesitate to go down—quite literally. With a shout, she collapses dramatically, clutching her hand to her chest and crying out as if my hit had sent her flying. Having endured her theatrics since childhood, I know it’s all staged, but my horror deepens as everyone, including my own husband, rushes to her aid.

Daniel lifts Stella off the floor and I watch, mouth agape, as she clings to his suit jacket, sobbing into his chest like the pitiful and wronged sister. Her acts cause the murmurs around us to grow louder, every scornful word and repugnant sneer cutting into me. It’s clear no one will listen to my side of the story. Any attempt to defend myself would be futile—they’ve already chosen to believe her over me.

Unlike me, Stella has spent years in the public eye as both the legitimate Winthrop daughter and a celebrated supermodel, effortlessly earning their favor and adoration. Against her carefully crafted image, I don’t stand a chance, and she's well aware of this.

Stella confirms her victory by shooting me a smug glance, a triumphant smirk curling her lips before she returns to wailing loudly, keeping my husband and everyone else firmly under her spell. “I can’t believe you would repay me like this, Selena. If I’d known you’d treat my Danny so badly, I wouldn’t have let you have him in the first place.” 

Her statement elicits yet another round of gasps from the crowd and I would have marveled at how dramatic the people are if I wasn’t so hung up on Stella’s words.

‘My Danny?’

‘Let me have him?’

What the hell does she mean by that?

“I never would’ve given up the love of my life for you, but it’s because I love you dearly as my sister and you looked so happy with Danny. I’d thought that you would treat him as well as I would, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

“What the hell do you mean ‘love of your life’? I met Daniel before you! I introduced him to you!”

In a fit of possessive rage, I take a step forward but a harsh glare from my husband stops me in my tracks, making my heart splinter when I notice his arms tightening around her. “Don’t you even dare come close to her, you wench.”

Pain shoots through my chest, spider-webbing to my stomach but I pay no attention to it, focusing on Daniel instead. “Sweetheart, you don’t actually believe any of these, do you? You can’t possibly think that I’d cheat on you after everything we’ve shared, do you?”

He remains quiet for a second, eyes glaring down at me. “What do you think? That I’ll keep being a fool and a puppet you can string along after seeing this evidence? I can’t believe you would do such a thing to me, Selena,” he says, his voice sounding pained and my heart shatters because I can feel my husband slipping through my fingers; I can tell that his faith in me is dwindling.

I move a little closer to him, palming my stomach when another jolt of pain shoots through it but I ignore it once again. “Daniel, baby, don’t say such things. I need you to believe me, please. Especially now that I’m carrying your child.”

I see his eyes widen slightly at my words, and hope blooms within me. 

“You’re going to be a father, my love. We’re finally going to be a complete family. It was supposed to be your birthday surprise.”

Daniel stares at me for a few seconds, eyes trailing down to my stomach and I nod, giving him a pleading smile. However, his gaze abruptly shifts to Stella’s and I watch as they exchange a strange look, even though they don’t say a word to each other. 

I frown, confused but before I can comprehend anything, Daniel looks back up at me, his face now completely blank and his eyes cold. A shiver runs through me at the look in them and my hope shatters with his next words.

“How am I sure that thing is even mine? For all I know, you could just be trying to pin that bastard child on me.”

Tears begin streaming down my face in succession, but as I attempt to plead with my husband again, what escapes me are a series of coughs as pain like nothing I’ve ever experienced before overwhelms my senses.

I double over, gripping my midsection tightly as I keep coughing. The pain brings me to my knees and when I feel something pool in my mouth, I spit it out, seeing a tell-tale red staining the golden floor. 

Blood.

A choked gasp escapes my mouth as fear grips me, my body shaking violently from the force of the coughing fit that hits me once more. I look up, my gaze colliding with Daniel's. I extend my hand to him, expecting him to come to my aid despite the current situation but he only continues to stare down at me in disgust. 

“If you think your shitty acting is going to have any effect on me, then you must be delusional. If you wish to die, then be my guest.”

My body goes cold and numb at his words, and I suddenly lose all feeling, causing me to fall to the ground. Everyone takes a step back from me, their phone cameras still directed at me with flashes and shutters going off occasionally.

As the tunnel of darkness starts to close in on me, my eyes connect with those of the people I'd loved and considered my family, and the similar looks of malevolence and victory they're watching me with is the last thing I see before I succumb to the abyss and mind-numbing pain.