Chapter 5

In the middle of the night, I woke up suffocating.

I reached up and touched my face—it was covered in wet, sticky blood.

I stumbled into the bathroom to wash it off.

As I walked back to my room, I heard Ethan's voice coming from Vivian’s bedroom.

His words froze me in my tracks.

"Vivian, to be honest... you were the one I liked first."

My heart squeezed violently.

I held my breath, standing frozen outside the door.

Vivian’s voice was shaky, filled with tears.

"Then why did you end up with Valerie?"

Ethan sighed.

"I tried to find you after we first met, but I got nothing for a whole year."

"Then Valerie showed up."

"I thought... even if she was just a substitute, as long as I could see this face every day, it would be enough."

His words were like physical needles, piercing straight through my eardrums.

The pain spread to every nerve in my body.

Vivian's voice trembled.

"But what about Valerie?"

"You’ve been with her for four years. How does this end?"

Ethan was silent for a long time.

"I’ll make it up to her."

"We were together for four years, and I did love her. I’ll give her a lump sum of money, buy her a condo, and help her secure a good job. I’ll make sure she lives comfortably."

He sounded so reasonable, so incredibly generous.

As if his compensation was more than enough.

The relationship I cherished more than my own life was nothing but a massive misunderstanding from start to finish.

I thought I had finally found someone who chose me. But in the end, he was just a stolen shadow of my sister.

Four years of love, devotion, and companionship.

In his mind, I was just someone holding a fake ticket, sitting in a seat that never belonged to me.

I dragged myself back to my room, curling my body into a tight ball of agony.

I bit my lip so hard it bled, forcing the throat-tearing sobs back down.

I didn't sleep at all that night.

The next morning, Vivian pushed my door open.

Seeing my ghost-white face, she gasped.

"Oh my god, what’s wrong with you? You look awful."

I shook my head, forcing a weak smile.

"Nothing. Just insomnia."

Mom glanced at me, her brow furrowing with irritation.

"What drama are you pulling now?"

"Today is the day your sister tries on wedding dresses. Don't you dare ruin it."

Vivian smiled and threw herself into Ethan’s arms, affectionately rubbing her cheek against his chest.

After pouring their hearts out last night, the intimacy between them was undeniable.

At the bridal boutique, rows of white gowns looked like a beautiful, cruel dream.

Vivian picked a mermaid gown and twirled in front of the mirror.

I stared at her, my heart aching with envy.

Ethan suddenly turned to look at me.

"Do you want to try one on too?"

I froze, then shook my head, looking away.

Vivian walked over with a laugh, smoothly drawing his attention back to her.

The store clerk kept gushing.

"You two look absolutely perfect together. What a stunning couple!"

Looking at their matching silhouettes, a sharp, suffocating tickle rose in my throat.

I bent over, coughing violently.

I covered my mouth, feeling my palm grow wet and warm.

I stumbled toward the restroom.

Mom glanced in my direction, her voice cold and annoyed.

"Just ignore her. She’s just trying to get attention again."

I collapsed against the bathroom stall door, too weak to even stand.

With trembling hands, I dumped all my pain medication out.

I shoved them into my mouth, swallowing them dry.

But the pain came crashing in like a tidal wave anyway, drowning me.

I fell to the floor, curling into a ball.

Blood and half-dissolved pills spilled from the corner of my mouth.

As my consciousness began to slip away, I suddenly wanted to call out for Mom.

I wanted to ask her if she had ever loved me, even just a little, in this lifetime.

She must have loved me, right?

How could a mother not love her own daughter?

But my voice was too weak. No one could hear me.

With the last ounce of my strength, I dialed Mom’s number.

It rang twice before she declined the call.

A text message from Mom popped up on my screen:

"Valerie, can you stop being so dramatic for once?"

"Your sister is trying on her wedding dress. Stop causing trouble."

I stared at the words for a long, long time.

Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes.

I let out my very last breath and softly closed my eyes.

...

I don't know how much time passed before a boutique clerk opened the door.

The moment she saw my pale, stiff face, she screamed.

"Help! Someone help! There’s a dead body in here!"

Mom and Ethan rushed over at the sound of the scream.

Mom pushed through the crowd, and her eyes fell on my cold, blue-tinged body.

She froze, all the color draining from her face in an instant.

"Valerie? Valerie!"