3

Chapter 3

Emma Whitcomb

CONGRATULATIONS, MS WHITCOMB. YOU'RE THREE MONTHS GONE

My grip tightened on the pregnancy test result, hands trembling, and tears blurring my vision.

I had just left the hospital in a cab.

While Daniel is out there, planning his ‘fake’ wedding with my sister, here I am, carrying his seed inside me.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, tears dropping from my eyes as the city blurred past the cab.

Maybe I would've rushed to tell him this good news if this happened back then, but not anymore. He belongs to another woman now.

The car made a loud screeching sound, halting abruptly. The driver's voice followed, “We're here, Ms,”

I looked out through the window. He was already parked in front of the Whitcomb mansion… the house that has become a graveyard to me.

With the weight of everything pressing down on my chest, I stepped out of the car and headed into the house.

“Mom, are you sure this is beautiful? Daniel picked it himself,” El’s voice echoed in the living room with a light chuckle before I stepped inside.

She was standing before mom, twirling around in a white off-shoulder wedding gown… and Daniel stood there, beaming with smiles, his eyes all over her.

My heart dropped inside my stomach the moment I recognised the familiar dress.

It was the dress I'd always admired. I showed it to Daniel that I wanted to wear it for our wedding.

His smile slipped off his face like a mask the moment our eyes met, but it wasn't long before he wore it again. This time… strained.

His eyes flickered with something for a split second… hesitation? Guilt? I wasn't sure. Because it was gone the next second as he turned to El. He didn't say a word to me.

I felt a sting in my chest, my fingers tightened on my handbag, breath catching in my throat as my gaze shifted back to the dress, lingering on it.

Daniel didn't only betray me, but made her wear the wedding dress that I've always admired?

“Emma… you're here…” El smiled, meeting my gaze as I looked up at her face.

“You've been staring…“ she glanced down at her dress, “the dress must really be gorgeous, hmm?”

“Daniel picked it himself…” she laughed softly, “I almost didn't trust him at first, but he showed me the sample of the dress you've chosen before…” she paused and gasped.

“Oh, my God! Did I say that out loud?”

I scoffed, turning to Daniel, but before another second passed, Eleanor stepped in between us, shielding Daniel from whatever danger that wasn't even coming for him.

“Please don't take it out on Daniel. He told me you wanted to wear that dress to your wedding… I just couldn't find something else…”

“If you need to blame anyone, it's my fault,”

I scoffed. Clinging hard to the perfect girl’s persona? Boring.

I didn't say anything. I just turned and headed to my room, and thankfully, none of them called me back.

Back in my room, I sat on the edge of my bed, eyes glued to the pregnancy test result, a small smile forming on my lips.

The thought of being a mom soon erased every sadness in me.

A knock on the door disrupted me, and I quickly folded the paper, tossing it under my pillow.

At first I thought it was Daniel, but El walked in… alone.

She was still wearing the dress.

Her eyes swept around, settling on my floor-length mirror, and without a word, she walked over to stand before it, checking herself out.

“Did you really find this dress pretty?” She wasn't smiling this time. She wasn't even looking at me.

“I always knew you lacked fashion, but I didn't expect you'd actually find something this ugly to be beautiful,” she glanced back at me over her shoulder, rolling her eyes backwards.

It became clearer to me. She didn't pick the dress because she loved it… She picked it because Daniel mentioned that I liked it.

I scoffed. Pathetic.

For years, I didn't talk back whenever she bullied me. I sucked up everything because I wanted to be the good girl. Because I was being considerate like mom always said, but I was done with that bullshit.

I stood, crossing my arms in front of me while facing her, a smirk pulling at my lips, “do you so much desperately want to be me that you would go for anything you know I like?”

Her face drained of colours for half a second, then she scoffed, “what?”

“First, it was Daniel… And now the wedding dress?”

She blinked, her mouth opened, but no words came out.

I closed the distance between us, a smirk pulling at my lips, “tell me you have inferiority complex without actually wording it,”

Her jaw dropped, face burning with anger.

I stepped closer, and she stepped back, “does this make you feel compensated for those years?”

“Does it make you forget the pain and anger? Or maybe it helps you feel superior to me?” I paused, smiled, and leaned in, “well, if it does, I think I should do you the favor and let you continue to live in your world,”

Her jaw tightened, and without warning, her hand swung across my face, smacking it hard.

“How dare…”

SLAPS!

Her hand flew to hold her burning cheek, her eyes widened.

She definitely wasn't expecting that. Even when she hit me in the past, I'd never reacted. But I'm done taking shit from her.

She stared for a moment, as if trying to process what just happened… then she suddenly screamed.

One… two… three… four… and on the fifth seconds, dad and Daniel rushed into the room.

Just what I expected.

“El… are you okay?” Mom asked worriedly as they both rushed to her side.

She just cried.

“What did you do to her?” Daniel turned to snap at me, his eyes burning with rage, like I just beat his most favourite person in the world.

Oh… maybe she was.

I didn't say a word.

“I am talking to you, Emma!”

“Well, why don't you ask her what she did instead?”

He glanced at El, and before he could say another word, she stepped forward.

“I understand that you're mad that Daniel and I are getting married… and even about the dress… but how could you attack me when I was only trying to apologize to you?” El cried.

Daniel turned to me, his eyes flickering with doubt and hesitation before he asked, “Is this true?”

I scoffed. I didn't say anything. Not that any of them would believe me even if I did.

“You vile witch! How dare you do this to your sister?!” Mom faced me, her voice sharp, eyes filled with disgust and anger.

“You want to kill her over a man?”

I stared silently, my stomach twisting with anger and pain. Only one question echoed in my mind at that moment… Does she ever consider me her daughter?

‘If she ever did, she'd not have changed totally as soon as Eleanor came back’

I answered my own question.

I can't stay here any longer.

I need to plan my exit.

I need to start a new life with just my baby alone. There's no way in hell I'm staying with Daniel after everything… never!