Step 3: Be A Goddess

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The air crackled with a forced merriment as the party went on, a symphony of clinking glasses and polite chatter that did little to mask the undercurrent of veiled gossip and veiled judgments.  Caroline stood amidst the throng, a picture of perfect composure, yet a storm brewed within her. 

"Congrats on your upcoming wedding!" Dianne, a middle-aged woman with a face that was perpetually plastered in a wide grin, grabbed Caroline's hands and squeezed them as if they were delicate teacups. "It's just so exciting! Oh, my, you look absolutely radiant, darling!" She gushed, her voice a high-pitched squeal that cut through the orchestra's gentle melody. 

Caroline could feel a knot of tension tightening in her stomach. Dianne was the type who treated every social event like a theatrical performance, a woman who seemed to believe her own over-the-top pronouncements. "Thank you, Mrs. Smith," Caroline responded with a carefully practiced smile, a practiced smile that held a hint of distant politeness, a smile that could be easily interpreted as a polite barrier.

Her fiance, Castiel, stood beside her, his expression a mask of effortless charm as he usually politely engaged in conversation with a string of guests.

"It's nice to finally be able to attend your wedding," Dianne declared, tilting her glass of red wine with a flourish. "Seeing as the first one wasn't available to the public to attend. I believe your ex-wife is okay with this wedding?"

Caroline's smile faltered, her heart skipping a beat like a record skipping on a scratched vinyl.  The audacity of this woman.  To even bring up Katherine.  To casually sprinkle this venom into the carefully crafted facade of their happiness. 

She forced a sip of her champagne, her eyes darting away, seeking a distraction, a refuge from the unwanted scrutiny.

"She is," Castiel responded, his tone unwavering, his smile unwavering, a practiced performance. 

A performance that Caroline knew was nothing more than a carefully constructed lie. 

"Good on her, if it were me… I'd never let such a wedding happen," Dianne chuckled, her eyes sparkling with a hint of amusement, a hint of malice.  Caroline could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, a burning wave of humiliation.  

"That Katherine is a beauty, isn't she? I know you think so too, seeing as you're marrying someone who looks just like her…" 

Dianne's words, casual, yet laced with veiled accusations, pierced through Caroline's composure,  a barb that hit a raw nerve.  

Castiel quickly stepped in, his voice taking on a sharper edge, "Mrs. Smith, are… are you insinuating that I married Caroline just to replace Katherine?" 

Dianne blinked in surprise, her boisterous demeanor faltering for a moment.  "Oh, no, no, no, of course not! I'd never even think of such a thing!  Although… everyone else seems to think so."

Caroline glared at the woman, her rage simmering just beneath the surface.  The air crackled with unspoken tensions. "I am not a replacement, Mrs. Smith. Now, if you'll excuse me."

With a swift, determined stride, Caroline turned and walked away, leaving Dianne to stand there, her face a mixture of confusion and amusement.  

Caroline didn't need to hear the whispers, the veiled glances, the judgemental stares.  She knew what they were thinking.  Katherine, her twin sister, had been a socialite, a darling of the press, a woman who had captivated the city with her charm and beauty.  Caroline, by comparison, had always been in her sister’s shadow, the quieter, more reserved twin.  

Yet, here she was, about to marry Castiel, the man Katherine had once been married to.  

The gossip had been unavoidable, the whispers had been unrelenting.  But the audacity of Dianne's blunt declaration, the careless way she had tossed out the accusation like a discarded napkin, was a new low. 

As Caroline navigated through the crowd, her anger simmering like a pot on a high flame, she could feel a familiar sensation, a tightness in her chest, a familiar pang of jealousy. 

Katherine.

The thought of her sister brought a wave of resentment, a bitter cocktail of anger and longing.  Katherine had always been the useless one, the one who seemed to effortlessly glide through life without a care for anything.  

Caroline, on the other hand, had always been the one who played it safe, the one who followed the rules, the one who tried to live up to her parents' expectations. Had to be extremely perfect to hide the stench of poverty, despite Katherine's lack of effort to be anyone special...she had been the one to marry a billionaire and Caroline was forced to be the maid of honor to a wedding that should have been hers.

Yet, in the end, it was Katherine who had shattered the illusion of a perfect life with her depression, who had walked away from Castiel, leaving him wounded and bewildered and searching for someone to filled the hole in his heart.

Caroline had been quick to do so.

Suddenly, a voice cut through her thoughts, pulling her out of the maelstrom of her own emotions.  

"Where are you running off to in such a hurry?" 

The voice was smooth, a melody of honeyed tones that sent a shiver down Caroline's spine.  She paused, her heart pounding against her ribs.  

Turning, she found herself face to face with Katherine, her twin sister, a vision of elegance in a sleek black gown that clung to her like a second skin.  

Katherine's eyes, the same striking blue as Caroline's, held a hint of amusement, a hint of mischief.  

"Mrs. Smith struck a nerve, didn't she? I wouldn't get offended.  She tends to speak carelessly after a few drinks," Katherine said, her voice a soft whisper, a secret shared between sisters.

Caroline could feel her anger dissipate, replaced by a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. So she was that close to over hear everything?

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked, her voice barely a whisper.  

Katherine sauntered towards her, her smile unwavering, her movements fluid, graceful.  She took a sip of her champagne, her lips curling into a playful smirk.  

"Just wanted to see my darling sister, the bride-to-be…" Katherine trailed off, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur.  "To my ex-husband."

The words hung in the air, a silent accusation, a reminder of the tangled web of their lives. 

Caroline stared at her sister, a mixture of emotions swirling within her.  

Was Katherine truly here to offer congratulations? Or was this a calculated move, a way to disrupt the carefully orchestrated facade of their lives? 

Katherine, with her mesmerizing beauty and enigmatic charm, had always been the one who had the power to unravel Caroline's carefully constructed life with her imperfections.

Caroline wished for the millionth time that Katherine would just disappear.