Chapter 6

There was a time when she and Jack were deeply in love.

He had held her close and whispered, "Jess, no matter what happens, I will marry you. You'll be the most beautiful bride in the world.

"Jess, what kind of wedding would you like? I'll let you decide.

"Jess, I'll take care of all the housework. And if you're afraid of the pain and don't want to have children, we don't have to. I don't want you to suffer."

The warmth of those words still echoed in her ears.

But now, all of that had collapsed into a single, cold sentence—"The wedding will proceed as planned the day after tomorrow, but the bride will be Abby instead."

How absurd.

It felt as though a massive truck had run over her body, crushing her bones, her lungs, her heart—grinding everything into dust. But after a fleeting moment of suffocating pain, she forced herself to smile.

"Alright, I agree… The bride will be Abby. And on that day, I'll prepare a special gift for the both of you."

Jack hadn't expected her to agree so easily. His face lit up with relief, but somewhere deep inside, an inexplicable unease took root. A vague feeling that something important was slipping away.

But he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he praised her. "I knew you'd be the most understanding, Jess. I have to go now—there's still so much to prepare for the wedding."

She watched him leave.

Her grip on her phone tightened. She wanted to cry. But instead, she tilted her head back and swallowed the tears.

Just then, Abby stepped out of the bedroom. Their parents weren't around, and with no one to witness, her face twisted into its usual arrogance.

Jessica casually tapped the recording button on her phone. This "gift" needed more material, after all.

"So? How do you feel?" Abby smirked. "I'll be the bride in two days. You know, I was only joking this morning when I told Jack that I wanted to be his bride. I just wanted to see how much he cared about me. But guess what? He actually agreed."

She tossed her hair back, savoring the moment. "Of course, it's just a wedding. We won't even register the marriage. But if I wanted to… do you really think he'd refuse me if I asked him to make it official?"

Jessica let out a quiet laugh. "Abby, how is it that you can be a mistress and still act so righteous about it?"

"Mistress?" Abby scoffed. "You two aren't even legally married yet. No wedding, no certificate. And even if you were married, as your older sister, wouldn't it be natural for my dear brother-in-law to take care of me? After all, my health is so fragile."

She paused dramatically, then covered her mouth in mock surprise.

"Oh, wait. I'm not the one who's sick. You are—the one with terminal stomach cancer. You don't have much time left, do you? So why keep clinging to Jack? Just let him go."

She took a step closer. "Actually, Jess, you never should have been born in the first place. Because of you, our family had to split everything—money, attention, affection. You were the extra one. The unnecessary one. Ever since you were born, I've wanted to strangle you."

Each word dripped with venom.

Sometimes, Jessica couldn't help but envy other little sisters. The ones who were cherished, spoiled by their families, and protected by their older siblings.

She had wanted to be a princess too.

A sharp, twisting pain spread through her stomach. She clutched it instinctively.

"What's wrong? Gonna start coughing up blood now?" Abby sneered. "How pitiful. Maybe you should just kill yourself and get it over with."

Jessica wanted to hold on, wanted to make it to the bathroom before anyone saw. But this time, she couldn't.

The taste of blood filled her mouth, thick and overwhelming. Blood surged up her throat, seeping into her nose, her lungs, until she couldn't contain it anymore. It gushed out, spilling onto the floor.

And just at that moment, their parents stepped out of their room.

Jessica lifted her gaze to meet their stunned expressions.

She smiled bitterly.

So much for keeping it a secret.