2

Emma Whitcomb 

Of all the things Eleanor could ask for, she wants to marry my fiancé? I didn't expect that.

My gaze shifted to Daniel… wanting to see his reaction. But he just looked away, as if already considering it.

I was still reeling when El stood and walked over to me, “sis, you're not mad at me, are you?”

“I don't mean to ask for this, but it's just that… Daniel is a good man. I've really never been lucky with men in the past…” she paused, her eyes glistening with tears.

Cunning bitch.

“I just wanted to experience what it feels like to be treated well by a man even if it's not real…”

“I want to know what it feels like to walk down the aisle… to say the vows… in all, to be married,”

I scoffed silently, my stomach twisting with anger.

Yeah, I heard that she never had a successful relationship. She wasn't lucky with men. Her last boyfriend almost killed her, but even then, my fiancé is the one she wants to use to redeem her past?

Tell me another fucking big joke.

“Sis…” she held my hands, drawing my attention to her, and as our eyes locked, a mocking smile pulled at her lips as she said, “I'm not taking Daniel forever, don't worry. It's just for a few weeks to months, and he'll come back to you,”

“Don't touch me!”

I yanked her hands off, and she staggered back, crashing to the floor.

She cried out in pain, and I scoffed. I didn't even push her.

Everyone rushed to her side, including Daniel. None of them cared about the emotional turmoil that I was in.

“Emma! What the hell do you think you're doing?!” Dad looked at me, his face burning with rage.

“How could you push your sister? She did nothing wrong,” mom shot me a dreadful glare.

I scoffed, my jaw tightening. She did nothing wrong? They saw nothing wrong in her asking for my fiancé to marry her?

“She's just making a wish, Emma. You should be nicer to El,” Daniel's voice echoed, shattering the last piece of my already broken heart.

My feet trembled beneath me, my heart pulsing in my ears, and my fingers tightened so hard, my knuckles turned white.

My eyes locked with Daniel for a moment, and without another word, I turned on my heels, heading to the staircase.

“Seriously? We've done everything for you, and you can't do this little favour for your sister?” Mom's cold voice brought me to an abrupt halt.

My fingers tightened on the rail.

“She's just asking to marry Daniel for a few weeks and not like she's taking him forever,” she continued.

“This is unfair to your sister. You've been living her life for years. If you can't do this for her, then you're really heartless,” dad added.

My chest tightened, lips trembling, and tears blurring my vision.

“I didn't ask you to adopt me! I didn't beg to be raised by you! “ I wanted to scream at their faces, but I didn't do it. 

I went to my room quietly, bursting into tears.

A few minutes later, Daniel walked in, and I quickly wiped my tears.

“Emma…” he reached to touch me, but I took a step back, shooting him a glare.

He sighed, his hands dropping to his sides, “can you stop being dramatic, Emma? This is no big deal,”

I raised a brow, letting out a scoff, “really? Dramatic? Not a big deal?”

I ran my fingers through my hair, my chest burning with anger.

“Eleanor asked you to marry her, and it's not a big deal? Do you have any idea what the fuck you're saying?”

He sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair, “you're overreacting, Emma. It's not that we're going to be married forever. It's just a wish, and it'll be unfair to her if I don't make it come true for her,”

“What about me? What about my feelings? What about everything we shared?” I wanted to scream, cry, but I just stood there, staring at him, my heart weighing heavily in my chest.

“Emma…” Daniel closed the distance between us, reaching for my hands.

I couldn't shift back. I just stared. Even if the whole world betrayed me, Daniel was the only person I never thought would do the same to me.

“Emma…” he moved his hand to my face, cupping my cheek in his palm, his eyes locked on me.

His eyes weren't the same. The love I used to see in them was no longer there. I searched but just couldn't find it. 

Maybe it had really disappeared… or perhaps it was still there but I just couldn't see it.

“Eleanor is your sister… She's been through a whole lot. You know everything… how her past relationships didn't work out…” he paused, his hands dropping to his sides as he looked away,

“If anything, you've had her life all these years. This is the least you can do for her, don't you think so?”

I huffed, biting hard into my lip.

I stole her life? 

The door opened while we were still together, and my chest burned the moment Eleanor walked in.

Our eyes locked for a moment, and just before Daniel turned to her, she smirked at me.

“Emma…” Her face softened the moment Daniel turned to her.

She closed the distance between us, standing beside Daniel.

“Did I cause a fight between you and Daniel?” She said, her voice dripping with remorse, but her eyes said otherwise.

She could fool every other person, but not me.

“It's okay, I understand how you feel…” she paused, leaning into Daniel, “You don't have to do it if Emma is not fine with it, Daniel,”

“But I just wanted to make my dream come true. I didn't want to hurt your feelings, sister,” she sniffled, a drop of tears sliding down her cheek.

I rolled my eyes.

“Come on, El… don't be like this. You don't have to feel bad about this. Emma is just inconsiderate,”

She glanced at me, a faint smile flashing through her face before she turned to Daniel again, her face full of sadness, “don't say that to Emma, please. She's just hurt. But I'll be fine. I've been fine alone all these years anyway,”

“You don't have to be like this, El. I'll make your dream come true,” Daniel said, holding her hands.

I felt a sting in my heart, but I didn't do anything. I just stared silently.

“I will marry you, El,”

I can't believe that I'm forced to watch a marriage proposal on my supposed birthday.

Eleanor smiled faintly at Daniel and then turned to me, “Daniel made this decision. You won't be mad at me, right? You really won't take it out on me, will you?”

Silence thickened between us, and before I could say anything, she closed the distance between us, eyes locked on me, a smirk pulling at her lips as she whispered, “I told you, Emma. You have no place here…”

She leaned closer… in a way that only I could hear her, “Even while I was gone for years, you have always been nothing but a temporary replacement for me,”

My fingers fisted at my sides, jaw clenching tightly.

“You were nothing but a robot designed to mirror me and make my family happy. How dare you think you could be happy here?”

My breath hitched, my body trembling with anger, but I didn't say anything.

When she finally stepped away, I managed to wear a smile like a mask… I won't let her see me sad.

“You want Daniel? You can have him, El,”

Colours drained from her face. She was probably expecting that I would fall to my face and cry to her to leave my man.

Hell no! I refuse to do that…