Chapter 2

Beneath the church dome, the last bit of light vanished, swallowing me whole.

Midnight struck. Still no Andrew.

I knew how this ended—just like the last eighty-seven times. Wrecked and forgotten.

My phone lit up. Cindy had posted again.

Nine perfectly curated pics, oozing fake vulnerability.

Mom and Dad feeding her peeled grapes like royalty.

Andrew beside her, tucking her hair back with that soft smile.

And then the kicker—a "family portrait." All of them huddled around fragile little Cindy, grinning like they'd won something.

Caption: [The pain is unbearable, but being wrapped in love really can defeat all darkness. Thank you, Mom and Dad. Thank you, my Mr. Todd. Your love pulls me out of the abyss every time.]

The comments were all the same, like they'd rehearsed it.

Dad: [Sweet girl, get well soon. I'll always protect you.]

Mom: [Don't be afraid, Cindy. With me here, you'll always be our precious little one.]

Andrew: [Focus on getting better. Everything will be okay.]

Then came a text from Mom—cold, bossy.

[Go leave a comment for Cindy. She's refusing to take her meds because she thinks you're mad at her.]

Yeah, that was Cindy talking. Her little power play, rubbing it in.

And still—something in me cracked.

Funny, isn't it?

I'm the real daughter. The actual fiancée.

But every time it's me vs. Cindy, they don't even flinch—they pick her. Every. Single. Time.

The first wedding got scrapped because it was Cindy's birthday.

She threw a fit at the venue, sobbing about how she didn't want to spend her birthday heartbroken. Andrew folded instantly.

My parents yanked down our photos and snapped at me.

"Vivian, you already have Andrew. Why provoke Cindy? How could you be so heartless?"

Second time? Cindy had a dream—said once we were married, Andrew would stop caring about her. She stormed the Todd estate in the middle of the night and clung to him like a lifeline.

He let her crash on the bed we picked out. My parents dragged me out.

"Don't disturb her. Can't you see how scared she is? What's wrong with you?"

Third time? The cat Andrew gave her went missing. She got hit by a car looking for it and freaked out.

My parents locked me out for 24 hours.

"You knew how much that cat meant. Why didn't you close the door?"

And now? This time it's because she wasn't invited. Said she felt left out. Cue the meltdown.

Each excuse more ridiculous than the last.

Yet every time—Andrew caved, my parents defended her, and I got left behind.

I yelled. I fought. I begged.

Didn't matter.

Same ending every time—be understanding, step back, sacrifice a little more.

Haven't eighty-seven canceled weddings made the point?

Staring at that empty church, something in me just... let go.

Ten years back with the Vallance family, and nothing I did ever measured up. No matter how hard I tried, Cindy was always the golden girl. Thoughtful. Fragile. Perfect.

Me? I was the selfish one. The liar. The troublemaker.

Screw it. Maybe the real mistake was expecting anything different.

I tapped out the comment Mom wanted: [Wishing you a speedy recovery.]

Seconds later, Mom hit me with a smiley. [Vivian, you're my precious girl too.]

Hilarious, right? Her love only shows up when I roll over for Cindy.

But now I couldn't stop wondering—if they ever found out their sweet little angel was faking it all... the lies, the pity parties, even staging a kidnapping—

And if I vanished for good...

Would they finally regret it?

I wiped the blood off my lip and called my business partner, Kent.

"I'm taking the Haviana market project."

He sounded stunned. "Seriously? That's ten years overseas. You just got married—well, weren't you? Does your husband even know? What about your parents? You always said staying close to them was everything."

I glanced around the empty church and let out a sharp laugh.

"There was no wedding. No husband. And my parents? They've got Cindy. That's all they need."

Silence. Then Kent sighed.

"Alright. Pack your bags. You leave tomorrow."