#3

Chapter 3

**Cynthia's POV**

The dinner was a performance, and I was like the supporting actress in the play who hadn’t practiced my lines.

Mr. Brown and his wife sat across from Ethan and me, their questions flowing like wine …personal, probing, the kind of questions people ask when they're deciding if you're the "right kind" of family to do business with.

How did we balance work and family? How did we keep the marriage strong? What was our philosophy on raising children?

All those questions hurt because well, none of them seem to have a positive response but I answered carefully, trying to paint a picture of domestic harmony I didn't actually feel.

Ethan offered occasional comments, mostly letting me carry the conversation. It was what I always did.

Then Anna walked in.

She appeared in the dining room doorway like she'd been summoned by some cosmic force, wearing a dress that made mine look like something from a decade ago. Emerald silk that clung to every curve. Hair artfully styled.

Makeup perfect in that effortless way that probably took an hour to achieve.

My eyes flicked to her stomach, catching the faint curve of a baby bump, so subtle no one would notice unless they knew — as I did, from the hospital hallway, from her breathless

“I’m pregnant!” to Ethan. The sight of it now, here, in my home, was a punch to the gut, my headache flaring like a warning siren.

This bitch has the nerve to come in here uninvited after getting pregnant for my husband. Hasn’t she done enough?

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry I'm late!" Her voice was bright, apologetic, drawing every eye in the room. "Traffic was absolutely insane. You guys started without me? Ethan didn't mention I was coming?"

I felt Ethan shift beside me, his discomfort is basically because it was awkward that he hadn't mentioned it. Which meant either he'd forgotten to mention her, or Anna had invited herself.

“Anna,” he said, his voice tight but polite, “good to see you. Join us.”

"Better late than ever" Mr. Brown said, gesturing to the empty chair. “And you are?”

“Anna… Anna Walker” she smiled seductively as she settled gracefully into the seat beside Ethan, and I watched the dynamic shift in real time.

"So you're family with the Walkers?" Mr. Brown's wife turned to Anna with interest.

"Sister," Anna corrected gently. "Adopted sister, technically, but family all the same. Our parents took us in after… well, you might’ve heard about it. The kidnapping case, twenty years ago? One of the nation’s biggest."

The way she said “us” made it sound like we were equals, like we shared the same scars, the same story. But I’d always been the afterthought, the girl tacked onto her narrative. My fingers tightened around my fork, the metal biting into my palm as Mrs. Brown leaned forward, intrigued.

"How wonderful," Mrs. Brown said. "And you all get along so well?"

"Oh, absolutely." Anna smiled at me, and it was perfect.

Warm and sisterly. Everything a supporting character should offer the lead.

"Cynthia is such a devoted mother and wife. We all admire her so much."

The compliment stung more than an insult would have. Because it was a lie wrapped in the language of affection. It was Anna positioning herself as someone who admired me from above, looking down with benevolent generosity.

"Tell me, how do you manage all the household responsibilities?" Mrs. Brown asked me. "It must be quite a lot having a child, a husband with a demanding career, managing staff..."

I opened my mouth, grasping for an answer that wouldn’t betray how hollow I felt. “It’s… challenging, but I…”

"Cynthia is remarkable at organization," Anna said smoothly, leaning forward slightly. "She has this system for family meal planning that's actually quite impressive. I guess it is because she is a stay-at-home mom, so she has all the time to make amazing dishes” She took a bite of the Beef Wellington I’d spent hours preparing, her eyes meeting mine. “Yummy.”

The words were a slap, painting me as both competent and pathetic, a housewife with nothing better to do.

Anna dominated every question that followed. When Mrs. Brown asked about motherhood, Anna spun tales of “helping” Ethan with Amber, as if I weren’t his mother. When the conversation turned to managing a household, she mentioned systems she’d suggested, improvements she’d made, each word erasing me a little more. By the time dessert was served, I felt like a ghost at my own table, my presence reduced to a shadow beside her radiance.

As soon as Mr. Brown and his wife made to leave, I fled to the master bedroom, the only place in this house that still felt like mine. I splashed water on my face, trying to cool the heat of humiliation, the headache throbbing in time with my pulse. I gripped the sink, willing the nausea to pass, when the door creaked open behind me.

I walked back into the bedroom and found Anna reclining on my matrimonial bed like she belonged there, her dress fanned out against the white duvet. My stomach churned, the violation of her presence in this sacred space igniting a fury I didn’t know I had left.

“Anna, what are you doing?” My voice trembled with shock and anger.

She tilted her head, her smile lazy, unapologetic. “Since when is it a crime to come in here? Ethan doesn’t mind.” She stretched, her fingers brushing the pillows where I slept.

My hands clenched, the headache spiking as I fought to keep my voice steady. “What do you want, Anna?”

She stood up, surveying the room, ran a finger along my dresser, pausing to adjust a perfume bottle that didn’t need adjusting. “Relax. I’m not here to fight. I just came to remind you of your place in this house,”

I inhaled sharply, my throat tightening. “Why are you doing this? Haven’t you done enough?”

Anna smirked, her tone dripping with pity. “Oh, come on. You’re miserable here, everyone can see it. I’m just doing you a favor by telling you what everyone already knows. Ethan’s heart…” she stepped closer, her voice dropping…“was never yours to begin with.”

Her words pierced deeper than I wanted to admit. I opened my mouth to respond, but she suddenly stiffened, her gaze darting past me toward the staircase.

I heard footsteps approaching the bedroom, and in an instant, Anna’s expression changed, fear flashing across her face like a practiced performance. She stumbled backward, collapsing to the carpet with a soft cry.

“Anna!” I exclaimed, startled.

She pressed a trembling hand to her cheek, eyes wide and glassy. “I won’t do it again,” she whimpered, her voice breaking just loud enough to carry down the hallway. “I won’t talk to Mrs. Brown anymore, please don’t hit me…”

I froze, realization dawning a second too late.

Ethan appeared in the doorway, his face a storm of confusion and fury. “What the hell is going on here?”

Anna flinched, curling in on herself like a wounded bird. “It was my fault,” she whispered shakily. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Please don’t be angry at her…”

My mouth fell open. “Anna... what are you doing? This is not what happened!” I stepped forward, panic flooding my chest. “She came in here…she started this!”

Ethan’s expression hardened, disbelief etched deep into his features. “Cynthia, what is wrong with you?”

“She’s lying!” I said, my voice breaking. “I didn’t touch her. She…”

“Enough!” Ethan’s voice cracked like a whip. “Do you want to cause another scene? We still have guests downstairs. Do you ever stop embarrassing this family?”

The words stung sharper than a slap. I felt the tears rise, but I swallowed them down.

Anna looked up at him with perfect fragility. “It’s okay, Ethan,” she whispered. “It was just a misunderstanding. She didn’t mean it.”

She’d turned the whole situation on its head, painting me as the aggressor.

Ethan turned to me, eyes cold. “Apologize to her.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Apologize.”

My pride screamed no, but the humiliation of another confrontation in front of the guests waiting downstairs pinned me in place. “Ethan, I didn’t…”

“Now, Cynthia.”

I could feel Anna’s gaze on me, smug, triumphant, and waiting for the kill.

My voice came out hollow, barely audible. “I’m sorry,” I said.

Anna’s lips curved faintly, the act complete. “It’s alright,” she murmured, lowering her eyes. “I forgive you.”

Ethan exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “Good. I don’t want to hear about this again.” He helped Anna to her feet, his arm instinctively steadying her as he led her out of the room.

I stood there, numb and wondering if this is how I am going to continue living my life.

This is Anna's old trick—once, twice, countless times. She frames me, and he believes her. Once again, I feel utterly alone, but never as intensely as I do now.