Standing in the shadows, Renee watched the happy couple with a sneer twisting her lips.
She turned to leave, but as they say, blood is thicker than water.
"Ren!"
Rosaline's voice stopped her.
Renee halted, then slowly turned around.
There she was—the one person she desperately wished would disappear from her life.
She did not wish death upon her sister. But she did not wish her happiness either.
How had she managed to become this hateful again?
Something kept reminding her that Rosaline was the only person who had ever truly looked past her flaws. The only person in their family who had supported her without conditions.
So what exactly was she angry about?
Was it losing her sister to a man who did not love her?
Or losing the man she had tried so desperately to forget to her seemingly mediocre sister?
They were questions she could not answer.
All she knew was that she hated seeing them together.
Their happiness irritated her.
Her sister's luck irritated her even more.
Why couldn't she just stay miserable with Toby?
"Happy bachelorette," Rosaline said, snapping her back to reality with a smile.
Renee flinched.
There it was again.
That smile Rosaline always wore as though she were the bigger person.
"Thanks. One would think it was your party."
"Oh..." Rosaline's smile faltered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to feel that way."
"Girl, how'd you feel about getting married tomorrow?" Zoe cut in, apparently oblivious to the tension between them.
Renee looked at Rosaline.
Rosaline's expression changed.
"That's actually what I came to announce."
She took a breath.
"There won't be a wedding tomorrow."
Kenneth closed his eyes in disappointment.
Noah's facial muscles tightened. It was as though he had just stepped on a bomb in a minefield.
He practically ran toward her.
"What do you mean?" he asked shakily.
"I meant it exactly how it sounded."
"Why?"
"It's all pointless now."
Truthfully, it was pointless to her.
Noah was supposed to be her trophy. He was supposed to be her endgame ...the one thing she could hold over Rosaline's head. The one thing Rosaline would look at and wish she had.
But all of that was over now.
She loved Noah.
She just didn't love him enough to spend the rest of her life with him.
At least, not anymore.
Once upon a time, she had been willing to marry him, even if it meant forcing herself to stay, as long as Rosaline remained miserable, alone, and bitter.
As long as Rosaline could never have the one thing Renee had.
Love.
But now Rosaline had Shaan.
And somehow, that changed everything.
Because it wasn't just about Noah anymore.
It had never really been about Noah.
Renee had spent years believing that Keisha was the glorified child of the family. The favorite. The one everyone adored.
But she had been wrong.
She could see it now in all the little things she had once dismissed.
In the way their father always seemed to want to be around Rosaline.
In the way their grandmother always bought her the best gifts.
In the way their uncles would rather have their children playing with Rosaline than with any of the other cousins.
It had always been Rosaline.
Rosaline, with her effortless warmth.
Rosaline, whom everyone forgave.
Rosaline, whom everyone loved.
And Renee hated her for it.
Perhaps that was why seeing her happy with Shaan felt unbearable.
Because for once, Renee had nothing left to hold over her....Noah was no longer a victory and Rosaline had already won.
She had been happy being the good sister.
The funny one.
The loving one who could laugh at her own problems and still show up for her broken baby sister.
She wanted to be the sister who had everything.
So what was she supposed to do with a sister who suddenly had more than she did?
"You don't have to do this..." Rosaline said, desperation and concern spilling from every word. "If it's because of me, I won't attend the wedding. I'm going to leave tonight."
Renee scoffed.
"Get off your high horse, Rosasmall."
The nickname stung, but before Rosaline could respond, Richard's voice cut through the air.
"Do you think the world revolves around you, Renee?"
His voice sounded almost foreign to them.
Richard was usually the last person to involve himself in any sibling squabble. As the youngest, he had mastered the art of excusing himself from their chaos.
Renee turned toward him, visibly irritated.
"What?"
"Why do you always have to ruin good things for yourself and everyone around you?"
"One more word from you and you're getting it."
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'd like to see you try."
Renee stepped closer.
Then she raised her hand.
"Do you know how hard it was for me to be the younger brother of the slut that everyone in the sports department had slept with?"
The environment went dead silent. No bird dared to chirp.
"Because of you, Uncle Dede wouldn't let his kids spend summers with us. You slept with his maid's husband—the man was freaking old!"
His voice rose with every word.
"Do you know how hard Mom and Dad tried to cover for you when you were going through therapy?"
Renee's face drained of color.
"What...?"
Her voice cracked.
"You all knew?"
No one answered.
They looked away.
"You don't exactly have the most tight-lipped besties," Rudy muttered.
He intended to say it loudly....and everyone heard him.
Renee stared at them, betrayal flashing across her face.
"You're all... all liars and rats."
Her voice trembled.
"And I will—God, I never want to set my eyes on any of you again."
She turned to leave...Rosaline reached for her hand.
"Please, Renee, yo—"
Renee violently yanked her arm free.
Then she shoved her.
Rosaline stumbled backward, but Shaan was already behind her. His arms caught her before she could hit the ground.
Shaan steadied her, his face tightening with alarm.
"Leave me alone!" Renee shrieked.
In a burst of anger, she grabbed her phone from her pocket and hurled it toward Rosaline.
Nobody had time to react.
The phone struck Rosaline directly in the stomach.
Her body jerked.
For a moment, she felt nothing.
Then the pain came.
It radiated through her body, sharp and nauseating, shooting from her abdomen all the way to her head.
She gasped.
Shaan immediately tightened his hold around her.
"Rosaline....can you hear me?"
Rosaline couldn't answer.
Something warm trickled down her leg.
Her heart stopped.
Slowly, trembling, she lifted the hem of her skirt.
She prayed.
Please.
Please, God.
Let it be anything but what she thought it was.
It wasn't.
It was worse.
Bright red blood streamed down her leg.
Rosaline's breath caught.
The room erupted into chaos.
She barely registered the frantic voices around her.
Someone screamed.
Someone cursed.
Shaan shouted her name.
Renee's voice broke through the noise, frantic with horror.
"Rosaline, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"
Then came another voice, cold and furious.
"If anything happens to her or our baby, Renee, I swear to God—"
Rosaline heard the threat.
Then everything went black.