Chapter 3

Sabrina's face changed. Embarrassed, she took my hand again, her eyes filling. "Avery, are you angry with me?

"When I tried it on for you yesterday, I thought it would fit you...

"I was afraid someone might sew a needle into the lining to hurt you. That's why I tried it first. If anything happened to you, what would we do? I only did it for your own good."

I'd heard enough of it. I stopped answering.

The moment she cried, Julian stepped in again. "Enough, Avery. Try to be reasonable.

"Sabrina is doing this for you. Change back and stop holding up what matters."

I swallowed the knot in my chest and laughed coldly. "You want her to attend my engagement in my place?

"Have all of you forgotten that I'm the one getting engaged today?"

I was leaving soon, and I couldn't hold the words down any longer.

Once they were out, the tightness in my chest eased considerably.

"You expect to walk out there dressed like that? What will the family think when they see you?"

Julian raised his voice at me.

Sabrina's hand jerked and she pulled at him. "Don't. It's my fault. I didn't take Avery's measurements properly beforehand, and now she can't wear it."

The more she said, the more wronged she sounded, until she was crying again. "But I did it for her. I never wanted to hold up your engagement."

"This has nothing to do with you. Don't blame yourself." Julian comforted her.

Standing between them, I somehow became the unreasonable one.

The ceremony was about to start. When my parents saw that we hadn't come out, they hurried backstage too.

"What's going on?"

"Why hasn't it started yet?"

The moment they took in the scene, their faces turned ugly.

There was no way I could walk out in a gown that wouldn't stay on my body.

My father snapped immediately, "What is wrong with you? If it didn't fit, why didn't you have it altered? You spent all yesterday afternoon on a fitting."

My mother added, "Forget it. Take it off and let Sabrina stand in for you again."

That look of disappointment was nothing new to me.

Years ago, on my birthday, Sabrina fought to taste my cake for me and ended up in the hospital with an allergic reaction. My parents held her and wept.

Then they laid the whole thing at my feet.

They scolded me for being thoughtless and insisted all over again that Sabrina walk ahead of me and test everything first.

I never needed her to test anything for me.

Afterward, I overheard my father talking to Marco Ferraro, his underboss, in the study. He sighed. "Avery may be my own blood, but she doesn't have Sabrina's judgment.

"She doesn't think things through the way Sabrina does. She isn't suited to inherit the family.

"If only Sabrina had been born mine."

Marco said, "She's been in this family for years. You can treat her as your own."

My heart had gone cold the day I heard that. I had no interest in arguing today either. Without a word, I went in and took the gown off.

I only had to get through today, and then I'd be gone for good.

The moment Sabrina had the gown back on, she let out a breath. "Finally. I can breathe again."

"Good. Let's go." Julian gave her a look.

The two of them walked out of the dressing room.

I stayed in the corner, forgotten there.

Even so, they entered late and kept the guests waiting.

On my way out I saw my parents standing in the hall, their faces like thunder. I didn't linger. I left through the back and went straight home to pack.

Sabrina couldn't wait to tell me about it afterward. "It's a good thing I went to the engagement for you. Toasting everyone in those heels was exhausting.

"I had to drink so much, and the family elders are impossible to handle."