4

Richard nodded approvingly.

"That's more like it. You two are sisters, after all.

"After graduation, you'll stay and work as the family's doctor, taking care of Sophie's health."

I lowered my eyes and murmured my agreement before heading upstairs.

Ethan followed me into my room.

He wore a satisfied smile.

"Honestly, up until today, I was still on the fence about whether to call off our engagement."

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

"You've got a temper. You're petty. You can't even take a little joke from your sister.

"But after what you said today, it looks like you've finally learned how to behave. We'll go ahead with the wedding."

I looked up at him, unable to hide my disbelief.

"So you were never planning to marry me?"

He didn't nod or shake his head. He just smiled.

"I wasn't about to marry someone bitter and jealous."

He turned and walked away. His footsteps faded down the hallway.

I stood alone in the empty room, and a laugh escaped me.

The entire relationship had been one-sided from the beginning.

On the day of the wedding, Sophie wore an elaborate bridal gown, its train spread across the floor and its veil studded with tiny diamonds.

She handed me a plain dress, nothing more.

Sophie smiled, sweet and innocent.

"I'm doing this for your own good, Iris. Ethan's parents like women who keep things simple.

"If you dress too extravagantly, it'll leave a bad impression."

Then she reminded me that the wedding schedule was packed and told me to eat breakfast before heading out.

I glanced at the bread and milk set out on the table.

I picked them up and gave them a sniff.

Everything had been laced with far too much laxative.

The faint medicinal odor was buried under the warm milk, too subtle for most people to notice.

But I was a medical student.

I let out a humorless laugh.

Even a single bite would have been enough.

I'd have been doubled over in a bathroom long before I reached the venue.

I didn't alert anyone. I left the house in casual clothes, same as any other day.

Then, without looking back, I stepped into the car bearing the Besa family crest.

At that moment, Sophie and Ethan were at the wedding venue, posing for photos.

Camera flashes popped like fireworks.

Guests raised their glasses, congratulating the happy couple.

Not one person in my family pointed out that Sophie was not the bride.

Every seat was filled; all the most powerful families were represented.

To give Sophie the audience she wanted, the three of them had even invited all my college classmates.

But the ceremony was about to begin, and I still hadn't appeared.

Ethan grew anxious and leaned toward Sophie.

"Where is she? What if she's too angry to show up?"

Sophie kept smiling.

"Probably just made a few extra bathroom stops on the way.

"Relax. She'll come."

She flashed Ethan a mischievous grin.

"She'd never do anything to upset Mom and Dad.

"Her mother died when she was five. Once I came along, she never got enough love from Mom and Dad.

"That's why she keeps trying to please us. No matter how hard I mess with her, she doesn't dare say a word."

She paused, her smile deepening.

"If she was going to fight back, she would've done it a long time ago. Why wait until today?"

But the officiant had been waiting at the front for a long time, and the car bringing the bride still had not arrived.

Richard called, his brow furrowed, and his expression darkened with every answer.

The car was still parked at the house. It had never picked me up.

He scowled and muttered, "This is absurd!"

Then he sent his men to search the entire venue, but I was nowhere to be found.

Ethan called me over and over, but my phone was already off.

He stood at the side of the stage clutching his phone, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.

That was when he overheard one of my college friends, staring at the invitation in confusion.

"Didn't Iris say she was going abroad for work after graduation? She never mentioned a wedding."

Ethan barely had time to process what her words meant.

The giant screen behind the stage lit up and began playing a video.

A satisfied smile tugged at Sophie's mouth.

Even if I wasn't there, the video alone would be enough to humiliate me in front of everyone.

But three seconds later, the color drained from her face.