Chapter 1

"But why?" I asked, having to force those words out of me.

If Austin Ramos and Elsa Frost fancied one another, why did Austin want to be with me and marry me? Not only that, but why did he choose to come clean right now and put me in such a difficult position?

Austin actually breathed a sigh of relief when he saw me on tenterhooks. "It's not Elsa's fault. I was the one who asked her for it in the first place. She kept it from you because she was terrified of losing you, or worse, that you'd despise her.

"However, I'm done living a life like this. I want our family of three to be able to live together openly, not live in a way where all we're doing is to accommodate you."

He sounded so righteous, his eyes brimming with nothing but guilt toward my younger sister, Elsa. Yet, just yesterday, he was weeping with joy because we were getting our marriage registered.

After a brief silence, he continued, "Serene, you wouldn't want your younger sister and your niece to have to live such secretive lives forever, right?

"Don't worry. We are still family, and I will still treat you well in the future."

When I heard all that, I shook with fury.

"Austin, you are a bastard!" I leapt to my feet and grabbed my purse, slamming it right on his face. "Do you even have a heart? How could you utter such disgusting things?"

Everyone was stunned. They exchanged glances with one another, too afraid to say a word.

Elsa, who had been silent the entire time, grabbed my hand immediately once she noticed that I was swinging my purse at Austin a second time.

"Rennie, just put the blame on me if you must!" she exclaimed, her tone desperate and submissive.

"That one time three years ago was really the only time anything ever happened. Nothing ever happened between him and me again after that! As you know, I haven't been in the best of health since I was a kid.

"I only kept the child because the doctor advised against an abortion. I really never had the intention to split you both up!"

I looked down at her. The tears brimming in her eyes made her appear extremely pitiful. I would have believed her if I hadn't actually noticed the fresh hickey on her neck.

While I reached out and touched it, I questioned in a sarcastic voice, "Are you still trying to deceive me even at this point, Elsa?"

All color drained from her face instantly.

I couldn't comprehend why she, of all people, was the one who betrayed me. We lost both our parents when we were kids. So, we were everything to each other.

When I told her I was seeing someone, her very first reaction was to add him as a friend on social media and dig up everything she could on him.

"What's so great about him? How dare he try to take my elder sister away from me?"

I took her phone from her, utterly amused when I scrolled through her messages of criticism toward Austin.

After that, whenever I wanted to go on dates with Austin, she would pepper him with endless warnings, worried I'd be taken advantage of. Whenever the three of us went out together, she always forced Austin and me to distance ourselves from one another.

"Don't you dare come close to Rennie so long as I'm here!"

I laughed at her for always being so jealous, simply assuming that she was reluctant to let me go.

Yesterday, she even ordered a gold necklace for me, saying that she wanted to plan the most spectacular wedding for me now that I had found my happy ending.

I thought I was the happiest person in the whole world, blessed with a husband and a sister who loved me above all else.

But reality came crashing down on me.