4

Seven days before the wedding, I went to the new apartment to pick up some documents.

The smart lock kept rejecting my code.

After the third attempt, Vivian opened the door from inside.

She was wearing my pajamas, holding a glass of water.

"What are you doing here, sis?"

The entryway was lined with her shoes. An easel stood in the living room. Her clothes hung drying on the balcony.

This didn't look like my future home. It looked like Vivian's.

"Why are you living here?"

"My lease expired. Mom told me to move in for now."

"Who approved this?"

A noise came from the kitchen.

Julian walked out carrying a bowl of oatmeal, wearing the apron I'd bought.

"I did."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You've been on edge lately. I didn't want you overthinking things."

A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I stared into Julian's eyes.

"How long is she staying?"

"Until she finds a place."

Vivian added quietly, "Mom said I could stay here even after the wedding."

"The gallery is close by. I'll just use the second bedroom. I won't be in the way."

I walked into the second bedroom.

The curtains I'd picked out had been swapped for pink ones. The space I'd reserved for a bookshelf was taken up by a row of easels.

There was a photo on the nightstand.

In it, Julian and Vivian stood on either side of Mom.

On the back, someone had written: Our little family of three. Happy housewarming!

It was Mom's handwriting.

I stared at the photo.

"Who's the family of three?"

Vivian's face went white. She reached out to snatch it.

The glass she'd been holding slipped and shattered. A shard sliced across the back of my hand, and blood beaded up instantly.

Julian's first instinct was to pull Vivian behind him.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"What are you doing with her photo?"

I held up my bleeding hand.

"Julian. I'm the one who's hurt."

Panic flickered across his face. He turned to grab the first-aid kit, only to find the antiseptic spray was empty.

"Vivian used the last of it a few days ago when she got a cut. I'll go buy more."

"Don't bother."

I pressed a tissue to the wound and picked up the photo again.

"The down payment on this apartment was eight hundred thousand dollars. I put in two hundred seventy thousand. Renovations cost a hundred thousand. I covered seventy.

"Now, without my knowledge or consent, you've let Vivian move in, redecorate, and change the door code.

"Do you all just assume I'll never leave?"

Julian frowned.

"Nobody's pushing you out. Vivian is here temporarily. Why do you have to keep score like this?"

"What if I want her out today?"

Vivian's tears fell immediately.

"I'll go. You've never liked me, sis. I don't want to be a burden on everyone."

She turned to pack her things.

Julian stood in the doorway, his eyes full of disappointment.

"Happy now?"

His phone rang almost immediately.

Mom berated me for not tolerating my own sister. Dad said the apartment was sitting empty anyway, and letting Vivian stay a while wouldn't wear down the walls.

Even friends texted, telling me not to make a scene this close to the wedding.

Everyone spoke up for Vivian.

Not a single person asked if my hand hurt.

I went to the master bedroom to get my documents. On the nightstand lay a notebook of wedding vows.

Julian had only written half.

The first line read:

"I want to thank Vivian for teaching me how to take care of a girl."

The paper trembled slightly in my hand.

Even the words he planned to say to me at our wedding began with her.

I set the vows back where I'd found them.

"Julian, you're right."

"I shouldn't keep score."

He thought I'd come around. His expression softened.

"I was wrong about this too. After the wedding, I'll make it right."

"That won't be necessary."

I slipped off the ring and placed it on the console table by the door.

"My lawyer will contact you about my share of the apartment and renovation costs. I'll cover my part of the wedding cancellation fees."

His face drained of color.

"What are you saying?"

"It means I'm done being the bride."