Chapter 3

I sat in my office, and my thoughts drifted far away.

Back in elementary school, every winter and summer break, Vivian would run wild and lose her mind having fun. By the time school started, she wouldn't have touched a single page of her homework.

Afraid the teacher would scold her, she would try to pass off my completed homework as her own. My parents even came up with a "reasonable" explanation—I had good grades, so the teachers wouldn't get mad at me, even if I didn't turn in homework.

However, Vivian was different. If she didn't hand in her homework, the teachers would definitely call her out and scold her in front of the whole class.

To protect her pride, my work could be taken away without a second thought. Since then, every school break, I became smart and just did two sets of homework.

In high school, Vivian started dating. She went all out pursuing the school heartthrob, got into fights, and cozied up to every teacher. She had poor grades, but she was outgoing and cheerful, so she had tons of friends.

Since we were kids, someone was always there to clean up her messes. However, I had to live carefully. I had to watch my every step and weigh my every decision.

In college, she met Adrian at an outdoor music festival. They performed at a small bar together and formed a temporary band. In those two months, while I was bouncing from one part-time job to another just to scrape together my tuition, they were up on stage, burning through their youth like it would last forever.

I used to think that after graduation, I would save up some money and escape my family for good.

Then, that fateful night happened. Vivian stayed out late and stumbled home in heavy makeup, a crop top that showed her waist, and tiny shorts. She'd had way too much to drink.

She started feeling sick the moment she walked through the door. Mom and Dad panicked and rushed her to the hospital in the middle of the night. When the test results came back, we found out she was pregnant.

In those days, the whole house felt terrifyingly quiet. Mom and Dad were completely thrown off by the news and ran around like headless chickens. I was busy using my break to work part-time jobs and save for my tuition. The only one who seemed relaxed was Vivian. She didn't even seem to sense that a new life was growing inside her.

As she was pregnant, Mom and Dad made her stay home and rest so the baby could grow properly, feeding her nothing but supplements and fresh fruit every day. She lounged around at home all day.

Meanwhile, our family sat down with the Suttons to discuss the marriage. The plan was to do a paternity test after the baby was born and, once everything was confirmed, hold the wedding.

Everything was settled nicely on paper. With no other choice, the Sutton family had to accept the marriage. If this scandal went public, their reputation would be ruined, and it would even affect their company's stock.

The night before the wedding, I took a four-hour train ride to get home. However, the next day, when the bridal convoy arrived to pick the bride up, Vivian was gone.

All that was left at home were Rowan, still wrapped in his baby blanket, and the Suttons, who all wore dark, stormy expressions.

Adrian's expression was cold and bitter. Mom and Dad stood there, awkward and frantic. Then, their eyes slowly drifted toward me.

Mom suddenly looked like she'd grabbed onto a lifeline. "We still have another daughter! She's never even dated anyone!"

Dad immediately chimed in. "That's right! Noelle, hurry! With your sister gone, you're the only one who can step in now!"

I stood there frozen. My mind was blank from the shock. Before I could react, Mom and Dad had already grabbed one of my arms each and started dragging me into the dressing room to change into the wedding gown.

I struggled with all my might, feeling a deep, icy cold spread through me. Anger and disbelief crashed over me in waves. For the first 20 years of my life, I'd lived in Vivian's shadow. Now, they wanted me to sacrifice the rest of my life for her, too.

Hurt and disbelief filled me, and my nose burned with the urge to cry.

That was the first time I had a complete meltdown. I yanked my hands free and shouted at Mom and Dad. "Why? Why should I pay for her recklessness? It's always been like this since we were kids!"

A sour look crept onto Dad's face at my words, and he slapped me hard across the face. "She's your sister!"