His Private Toy

I should have been used to this feeling by now.

The feeling of being second best. The one who always had to sacrifice. The one who was expected to step aside.

But nothing could have prepared me for this!

I stared at my phone, my fingers trembling as I re-read the text. The video Anna had sent was ingrained deeply into my mind. She was in a red lacy, seductive lingerie, sprawled across a hotel bed. And on top of her, was my boyfriend. He was inside her thrusting in and out while she moaned out in pleasure. I couldn’t even watch it until the end. I felt so damn disgusted that my sister could do this to me with my… 

My Boyfriend.

Then, just as quickly as she had sent it, the message disappeared.

A new text popped up.

Oops? 

I blinked, my vision blurring. My throat tightened as I tried to breathe past the burning rage swelling in my chest. My own sister and my boyfriend.

The betrayal was so sharp and deep, that it physically hurt. It felt like a thousand needles pricking my body at the same time. 

I had spent my entire life losing to Anna. And I never complained. She was my little sister, and that's what older sisters did, right?

I clutched my phone tighter, my nails digging into my palm. My whole life, I had been conditioned to think it was normal that Anna always got what she wanted. That it was okay for her to be the favorite. That I should just accept it.

And even though I couldn’t understand why they loved her more than me. I didn’t question them and swallowed it all. But not this time… I refused to do that again. I didn’t spend any more time thinking. 

I booked an Uber immediately. The drive to the hotel felt like a blur, my body kept vibrating with barely contained fury.

By the time I stepped into the hotel lobby, my hands were shaking.

Anna had even sent the room number “mistakenly”.

I let out a bitter laugh. Of course she did. She lived for this.

I took the elevator up, my pulse racing in my ears. My hands balled into fists as I reached room 508. Without hesitation, I grabbed the handle and pushed it.

The door swung open easily.  It wasn't locked.

I stepped inside, my breath heavy with anger. "Anna, you piece of…"

The words died in my throat, when I saw a dead body on the floor. Blood. There was so much blood.

My mind was still struggling to process the scene in front of me when the door that was barely closed burst open again. There was shouting and heavy footsteps. The sound of police officers storming in.

I turned, still disoriented when I saw them.

Anna and Liam.

They stood behind some police officers, Anna clutching Liam's arm like a scared little girl. Her eyes widened in exaggerated shock, her lips trembling as she pointed a shaky finger at me.

And then, in the most dramatic voice I'd ever heard, she gasped.

Her voice cracked as if she were in shock.

I felt my blood run cold.

Liam didn't say a word, but his jaw clenched, his eyes darting toward mine. He looked guilty. 

I snapped out of my daze.

But the officers weren't listening.

One grabbed my arm roughly, twisting it behind my back. Cold metal snapped around my wrists.

"No, wait! You don't understand! I really just got here!" I struggled, panic setting in. "I don’t even know this person! I was set up!"

They didn't care.

Before I could fully process what was happening, I was dragged out of the room, my legs barely keeping up with their pace. 

The moment we stepped out of the hotel, chaos erupted.

Dozens of microphones were shoved toward me, voices overlapping in a chaotic mess.

I gasped as I was blinded by the camera flashes, my face heating with anger and humiliation.

No one cared nor did anyone listen.

I was thrown into jail. The cold, damp walls of the jail cell felt like they were closing in on me. My breathing, my chest felt tight like I was suffocating.

The officers had told me that my fingerprints were found on the dead man's body. And the surveillance cameras were destroyed.

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it.

He was a well-known businessman, someone very influential in the entertainment industry. I buried my face in my hands, trying to keep myself from breaking down completely. 

Then I heard footsteps. I looked up, my heart leaping with desperate hope when I saw my mother.

She stood outside the cell, her expensive coat wrapped tightly around her, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Mum!" I scrambled to the bars, my hands gripping them tightly. Tears blurred my vision. "Mum, pleasee, you have to believe me! I didn't do it! I swear, I swear on my life!"