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All Chapters of Done Being the Spare: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Wanda, cheap accessories like these would never suit Abigail," Xavier Shepherd said with a weary sigh.I stared at him. "Then, why would they suit me?"He paused, then gave me a helpless smile."When you two were kids, everyone used to say you were her shadow. The pink diamond is too flashy for you. Black suits you better. It doesn't demand attention."Abigail Young's shadow.That was what everyone had called me for ten years.My sister and I were twins, but I could never measure up to her.At school, she was always at the top of her class. I would stay up late and study until my eyes burned, but I could never rise above average."You're twins. How did you end up being so stupid?" Mom asked. "Forget it. It's enough that one child in this family is smart."I was always trailing after Abigail, carrying her bag and peeling apples for her.I'd told Xavier countless times that I hated that nickname. He would always apologize and say he wouldn't call me that again, but whenever Ab

Chapter 2

Julie was in disbelief.In her eyes, I had always been the good daughter. I was the obedient one—the one who never complained or fought back.Running away from my wedding was the last thing anyone would've expected from me.But if I stopped being obedient, would anyone still love me?Growing up, Abigail had always been in the spotlight. Everyone was drawn to her.I tried desperately to reach her. The only way I could get Xavier or my parents to notice me was by doing exactly what I was told.But I didn't want to be obedient anymore.…The next day, Xavier took me to see the house we were going to renovate for our wedding.I headed toward the passenger seat, but he held me back. "Silly girl. That's Abigail's seat."Abigail appeared at that moment. Xavier opened the passenger door for her."Abigail's thinking about buying a house too. She's coming with us to take a look."I silently sat in the back. "Sure."Our house was a small detached villa. Abigail's eyes lit up the mome

Chapter 3

When we returned to my parents' house for dinner that night, I realized it was Abigail's and my birthday.Xavier had picked out our cake. "Since you two share a birthday, we only need one cake. It makes things easy."The cake was beautiful, but there were big chunks of mango visible in the filling.Abigail loved mango, but I was allergic to it. No one seemed to think that was a problem, however.Xavier was busy lighting the candles and putting a birthday hat on Abigail."Abigail gets to make a wish first."I stared at the mango cake, then at the birthday hat on her head. Then, my gaze landed on Xavier's gentle smile."You used to make sure there were two of everything. Why is there only one cake now?" I asked. "Why am I always the one who goes second?"The living room went quiet.Xavier frowned. "We've always done it this way. Why are you acting up today?"Mom glared at me too. "Abigail's the older sister. Besides, she's better than you in every way. Obviously, she should go

Chapter 4

The living room fell silent for a moment.Then, I heard Xavier say, "You won't be alone."There was a knock on my door.Xavier stood at the doorway."Wanda, Abigail's award ceremony is something she'll only experience once in her lifetime. It really matters to her," he began cautiously. "Why don't we move our wedding to the evening?"I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How many weddings did a person even get in their lifetime?"Who holds a wedding at night? Only second marriages are held at night," the housekeeper muttered.Mom immediately scolded her, "That's nonsense! You're young. Don't believe in pointless superstitions."Xavier looked at me with a firm expression. "Are you okay with that, Wanda? I know how understanding you are."I met his gaze.Suddenly, memories of when I was younger hit me.Back then, I had finally won an award in a drawing competition and was excited for my parents to come watch me receive it. But they said Abigail's speech competition was more

Chapter 5

Xavier rounded the venue. After searching every corner of the hall, he walked to the dressing room and pushed open the door.It was empty.He called my number. The line rang three times before the call was declined.He tried again. This time, the phone was off.His expression faltered. His confusion was replaced by emptiness. It was a look he had never shown before.Mom and Dad had arrived at some point, too. The moment Mom entered the hall, she started looking for me. "Where's Wanda? Why isn't she here yet?"Dad frowned. His voice turned cold. "That girl has never been sharp. Of all times, she has to mess things up now.""Exactly. It's one thing for her to be slow, but it's another thing entirely when she can't even take her own wedding seriously. Just wait until she gets here. I'll make sure she hears about it," Mom said.Xavier said nothing. He turned and headed toward the exit."I'm going to check the hotel."…The hotel room where I was supposed to get ready was on the

Chapter 6

The mornings in South City were filled with the scent of wet earth.I set up a pottery wheel in Julie's yard.The clay slowly took shape in my hands.Julie was boiling water inside. She poked her head out to peek at me. "You've only been here a few days, and you're already better at throwing clay than I am."I kept my head down. The corner of my lips lifted slightly.Pottery was strange.One had to position their hands in exactly the right position. The pressure had to be steady. It couldn't be too tight or too loose.The clay spun on the wheel. One small mistake, and the whole thing would collapse.I liked having that sense of control. People weren't like that.I had always been good at art, but I forced myself to study and pursue things I wasn't good at.The pottery I made started getting praise."It's beautiful. Can I order one?"A local home decor blogger bought one of my bowls by chance and posted a photo of it online. The comments exploded, and orders started pouring

Chapter 7

Xavier stood at the front of the group. He looked thinner than I remembered.His gaze fell on the flowers in my hands. Then, they shifted to Kevin. Finally, they settled on me.My parents stood behind him. Mom's face was tight with anger. Meanwhile, Dad frowned in silence.The air suddenly felt thick with tension.Mom was the first to speak. "You walked out on your own wedding, Wanda! Do you have any idea how embarrassing this has been for Xavier? For all of us?""Who is that?" Xavier growled.I didn't answer.Mom answered for me, "You have someone else, don't you? No wonder you left without a second thought. You've always had poor judgment, but I never thought you'd sink this low."I just stood there with the flowers still in my hands.Kevin glanced at me, then at the group of people."I'll take Aaron to the back," he said calmly. "Just let me know if you need me."Xavier never took his eyes off me."Wanda, come home with me. We'll talk about it at home. You disappeared wi

Chapter 8

My hands froze. I looked up at Abigail. "What do you mean?""It's about Xavier," she replied casually, leaning against the doorframe. "On your wedding day, I told him how I felt at the hotel. I told him that I regretted rejecting him and that I wanted to get back together."She looked straight at me. "But he turned me down."I froze."Then, he spent a whole month looking for you. He searched everywhere you might have gone before finally finding this place."She straightened up and slipped her hands into her pockets. I had never seen that look on her face before."You've finally beaten me at something. Are you happy now?"The clay slowly came to a stop on the wheel. I pressed the pedal again and watched it start spinning. "There's nothing to be happy about."Abigail tilted her head. "Why?"I looked down at the clay in my hands."For more than 20 years, I was always his second choice. Am I supposed to be happy that he finally chose me for once?" I asked quietly.Abigail said

Chapter 9

"Then, what was I to you?" I spat at Xavier."What did my feelings mean to you? Was I just a backup? Was I just a substitute who looked like Abigail? Was I just an excuse to stay by her side?"His face paled. "I thought I would never fall for you either, but I didn't know—""You said you thought you would never like me, but you never once asked if I wanted to be treated this way," I said, cutting in. "You never thought about how it felt for the girl you've always put second."He opened his mouth, but nothing came out."Go away, Xavier. I'm serious. I want to be in a relationship where I get to be someone's first choice."Xavier stood where he was for a long time. He stood there long enough that Aaron looked up at him.In the end, he turned and left.His shoulders were slightly hunched. He wasn't as confident as he used to be.After he left, the yard fell silent.Kevin had sat down on the steps by the door. The sunlight rested on him.I walked over and sat beside him."Did y

Chapter 10

A year later, Kevin and I had a small wedding in South City.It was simple. I didn't even invite my parents.I didn't know if they knew about it, and I didn't care.An hour before the ceremony, my phone buzzed. It was a message from an unknown number. There was no name attached, and it contained only two sentences. "I heard you're getting married today. I hope you're happy."I didn't reply.…At that exact moment, Xavier was sitting alone in his empty apartment.The glow from his phone screen lit up his face. The message was marked as read.He stared at the answered message for a long time. Then, he let out a quiet laugh. His eyes were red.I had once lived in this apartment. An old hoodie I had left behind was still hanging in the closet. Xavier never threw it away.He didn't even know what he was hoping for. Maybe he was waiting for me to come back and get my things. Or maybe he was waiting for himself to accept that I wasn't coming back.He learned about my wedding from

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