Ch-4: Dear sister!

Miley's POV:

Two pairs of footsteps, then one stopped at the doorway.

“Daddy, why don't you come in?”

Emily's voice felt like needles stabbing my ears… for the last eight years, she had always called him Mr. Godfrey in front of the whole world, pretending to be reserved and shy.

But now that the mask was off, she was calling him daddy like she had always been his beloved daughter.

“I really don't want to come inside this room, and honestly, you shouldn't either. Let's go, I don't want to stay here any longer– I can't stand the sight of her. That face… it resembles her mother so much that I'm disgusted by it!”

My heart was going to burst with pain. How can one person take all this betrayal within one day?

He was the last person I had left, my own father… no! He wasn’t my father anymore, like I wasn't his daughter.

My dad was dead too, and this cold, indifferent voice belonged to my mother's executioner!

"Emily, just listen to me honey. She isn't going anywhere in this condition, and there is much more important stuff to do. You should focus on dealing with Archie. After all, we're going to announce your engagement soon.”

"Don’t worry, daddy. I'll deal with everything else later, I just want to spend some time with my dear sister first.”

“She hasn't even woken up yet!”

"Daddy please…? You can go ahead, and I'll join you in ten minutes."

"Fine, just ten minutes. Okay?”

I heard his footsteps fade away before Emily called out in a chirpy voice.

"Miley!"

Nobody… nobody in this world– apart from me– would believe that this girl was capable of pointing a gun to my head.

“Why aren't you waking up? I'm ready to answer all your questions… but you have to open your eyes first, dear sister!”

After a few seconds of silence, she clicked her tongue in disappointment.

“Tsk, okay fine! Then I'll tell you anyway, consider it my mercy on you. Because I'm sure you're dying to know why I despise you so much."

Her icy cold fingers tapped my face, like a snake slithering over my skin. But I forced myself to stay still, suppressing the urge to recoil from her touch.

“But don't you already know? Just think about it carefully, and you'll get all your answers! We share the same father, and yet, only one of us got to be the perfect little princess. Everything about you is too perfect, too polished– even that stupid smile of yours!

Oh, I feel like scratching your face everytime you give me that smile… like you're too good for this world! Of course, you are the angel who gets everything handed to her, while I am discarded as the illegitimate daughter?”

"Blame your hypocrite father!!"

I wanted to scream, "Him and your homewrecker mother are responsible for bringing you into this world, as their dirty little secret– don't put your misery on me."

But I forced the words down. If she wanted to talk, I would let her.

Let me hear what this murderer had to say in her defence.

Emily’s voice was becoming more bitter as she went on.

"When I was little, the kids in our neighbourhood laughed at me, saying I didn't even have a father. But I fought with them, showing my new dresses as proof that I had a father who loved me a lot! He was just busy, that's why he didn't come home every night, like the other kids’ dads.

But then, I found out the truth. He wasn’t busy, he was busy WITH YOU."

Her fingers pinched my cheeks, her thumb and forefinger squeezing and forcing my lips into a helpless pucker. The overpowering floral scent of her perfume made my stomach churn.

"I watched him hold your hand, take you to the amusement park for trips, and greet your friends sweetly. He always brought me the same expensive dresses like yours, but he couldn't give me his attention… he couldn't give me his name, his presence in my life. There was a complete family and a colorful world for you… but for me? What about me! Do you think that’s fair, Miley?"

Her grip became tighter, her sharp nails digging into my skin before she roughly tossed my face aside.

"But it doesn’t matter now!"

She said smugly, stepping back.

"My mother always told me, fairness isn’t given in this world. It’s taken, and that's exactly what I have done. I have taken all the colours in your world, and filled them into mine.

You have nothing left now, and nobody by your side!

Not even your so-called friends… they all left you, one by one… because they knew I would be more useful. I can give them favors, money, gifts, whatever they want… then why would anyone choose you over me?"

This manipulative bitch…

"And Archie! That jackass was the easiest one to manipulate. Honestly, men will do anything in the hope of getting laid!”

I didn't know whether to laugh or scream.

"On the day my mother and I stepped into your house, I knew that the world I had dreamed of was finally mine. And your perfect life, Miley? It’s over.”

I barely got the time to bring my breathing to normal before I felt her warm breaths on my left cheek.

“I thought about killing you first, getting rid of you once and for all. But… I think I’ve changed my mind now. Death is too good for you, and marrying you off to that old man is just the beginning of your suffering!”

I wanted to open my eyes, get up and slap her– that might knock some sense into her head.

But no, people like her could never tolerate seeing their own faces in the mirror.

She was chewing out every word, gritting her teeth.

“From now on, you will suffer the same way I did– you will be humiliated and abused, and you'll have no choice but to endure it. I will make sure you curse yourself for staying alive, when you had the option to die!”

Her phone rang. And instantly, her voice changed.

"Oh darling!" She cooed, "I have such terrible news. Miley didn’t make it. The doctors tried their best, but…”

"What did you say? Are you sure you want to see her body? It's bloated and disfigured… she is hardly even recognizable like this. Trust me, that's not how you want to remember her.”

“How sweet that you still care about her. But really, darling, it’s time to move on…”

Her voice faded as she walked away, and the tears I had been holding back for so long, finally slipped.

When I confronted Emily on the deck, I wanted to argue with her, to explain exactly how and why she was wrong.

But now, I was tired.

Emily wasn’t just a monster, she was the Devil herself.

And I was done arguing with the devil, because the Devil doesn’t listen. The Devil doesn’t care.

The Devil only wants to see you burn.

So, I'll let her have her victory for now.

But this wasn't the end. Even if I had to crawl out of this bed, I was going to drag the devil down to hell with me.