Chapter 5

After Suzanne's wedding was over, the house finally settled back into silence.

That night, Mom and Dad came home from the wedding so exhausted they were practically gasping for breath.

But the moment they opened the door and saw the mess inside, they were absolutely furious.

A bridal jacket had been carelessly tossed over the arm of the couch, and the floor was covered in scattered petals and leftover decorations.

And I, the one who was "obviously" supposed to clean it all up, was nowhere to be found.

Dad frowned, looking around. "What's gotten into Danielle? I haven't seen her all day."

"We didn't raise her, so it's no surprise she never truly became one of our own. She wouldn't even lift a finger to help with something as big as a wedding."

Grumbling, Mom pulled out her phone and dialed my number. At that exact moment, I was sitting in the airport departure lounge.

As soon as the call connected, an angry tirade came from the other end. "Danielle, where the hell have you been? You couldn't even be bothered to help clean up. You're so much more trouble than Suzanne."

I took a deep breath, keeping my voice steady. "I'm going to—"

But before I could even finish my sentence, Mom cut me off impatiently, "Alright, enough. Spare me the excuses. Don't bother coming home just yet.

"Do us a favor and make a trip to Naroport. Suzanne has always wanted a massive piece of coral as decoration for her room. Bring one back for her in time for the reception in three days."

I refused without giving it a second thought. "I'm not going to Naroport, nor am I attending the reception. I'm leaving, and I'm not coming back."

The line went silent for a moment, then Mom blew up. "I knew it! You were just pretending to be the bigger person when you gave up the engagement!

"You still hold a grudge against Suzanne, don't you? And now you think you can threaten us by running away? Let me make this perfectly clear. We're not giving in to you!"

Mom furiously hung up on me. "That brat is so petty. If she hates us treating Suzanne well, then we'll just spoil Suzanne twice as hard. For the reception in three days, we'll invite twice as many people and give Suzanne the most extravagant party possible!"

They immediately started inviting more guests and ordered the wedding planners to bring in extra staff.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The reception kicked off with booming drums and a grand fanfare.

All 80 tables were packed with guests. Everyone sat there eagerly waiting for the newlyweds to make their entrance. But despite all the fanfare, not a single person stepped onto the red carpet.

The embarrassment on my parents' faces slowly gave way to a dark flush of anger. They immediately called Suzanne. "Suzanne, where are you and your husband? The reception started an hour ago. Why aren't you here?"

Suzanne, on the other hand, sounded completely unbothered. "I'm at the reception."

"You are? Then where are you? We don't see you!"

Suzanne answered with a little laugh, "Obviously, I'm at the reception held by my real parents."

Mom and Dad froze, clearly not expecting her to say that so matter-of-factly. "You!"

"Enough. I'm busy. I have guests to entertain."

Suzanne couldn't be bothered with them. She didn't even give them time to react before hanging up.

She turned back to the guests behind her and raised her glass with a glowing smile, acting nothing like the cold, distant woman she'd been on the phone moments earlier.

As for the man standing next to her, he looked absolutely livid.

He fixed his eyes on the woman beside him, who was looking far too pleased with herself. And his gaze revealed just how deeply displeased, and even disgusted, he was. Suzanne, however, was completely oblivious to it all.