"You think you don't owe Charles?

"You owe him your life!"

Charles's mom, Margaret Harris, came at me with her cane, her eyes sharp as daggers.

Before I knew it, her hand cracked across my face.

"If he hadn't been rushing home for your silly birthday party, I wouldn't have lost my son!"

My cheek stung, and my ears rang.

However, that slap did not matter.

What got me was what she had said.

What did she mean Charles had rushed home for my birthday?

I touched my cheek, looking at Emily.

She was wide-eyed, clinging to Charles's arm, hiding behind him like he was some kind of shield.

Charles was all about keeping Emily safe.

Right then, it clicked.

Three years back, Emily was ready to dump Jeffrey because he was off sealing deals abroad instead of celebrating her birthday. She even made that big plan to camp out at the beach with a bunch of guy friends for a whole three-day weekend.

After that, Emily blasted the news all over her socials.

Jeffrey snagged the quickest flight home, and Charles tagged along.

I knew it, Charles knew it, and Emily knew it.

However, somehow, they had pinned the whole mess on me from the get-go.

"Mom, Alicia didn't mean anything by it. If she wanted to bail, she would've done so three years ago.

"She's family. We shouldn't be pointing fingers. We must have each other's backs, and that's what counts."

Charles tried to cool things down.

However, Margaret was still shooting daggers my way.

"She and Charles had only signed the papers. They never had a real wedding. That means she's not truly part of the family, or so everyone says.

"She's nothing but bad luck!

The cruel words echoed in my ears.

I flashed Margaret a bright, defiant smile. "So, I'm bad luck? I don't belong in the Wallace family, right? Fine, I'll leave."

Margaret clutched her chest all of a sudden, pretending to be short of breath.

Charles glared at me, his grip on my hand tight.

"Alicia, Mom's just upset. You're not going to hold it against her, are you?"

Emily stood by Margaret, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Alicia. You can't get mad at Mom like that."

I let go of my hand, showing the angry red marks from where he had grabbed me.

"What am I supposed to do, then? Just stand here and take the insults, wait for her to hit me again?

"Both of you know the truth. Why don't we get it all out in the open now!?"

"Alicia!" Charles yelled, his voice sharp.

I turned to him, my eyes red and watery. He looked back at me, his face flickering with what seemed like genuine care.

For a moment, I was filled with a desperate hope. 'Could Charles have a good reason for all this?'

"Alicia, you know how frail Mom is. Why stir things up? Just apologize, and let's not talk about leaving anymore."

Any warmth I felt in my heart evaporated in an instant.

Was my memory that bad? Could I really have believed a liar would change his ways?

"Apologize?"

I nodded slowly, my voice steady as I said, "Yeah, your mom should apologize to me."

Charles was gone, taken by a plane crash.

I had stayed behind in the Wallace family home to care for his aging mother, Margaret.

However, Margaret had never liked me, not from the moment I stepped through their door.

After Charles passed away, Margaret found even more reasons to chew me out.

It was the 21st century, for crying out loud, but there I was, expected to rise at the crack of dawn every day to help her get ready for the day. Mealtime meant I stood by, ready to serve her, and if I ever slipped up, off to church I went to confess my sins. That was my life for three long years.

Emily, on the other hand, got all the love with just a few kind words.

I did not hold a grudge. I just wanted to show the same love to Charles's family that I had for him. However, I had stumbled upon the truth, and it had hit me like a ton of bricks. I could have been stuck in that thankless cycle forever.

I took a long, hard look at everything Margaret had done, then turned to Charles with a calm, earnest gaze. "For three years, your mom's treated me worse than a slave. Doesn't she owe me an apology?"

Silence hung in the air. Charles opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, Emily's voice pierced the tension. "Mom, Mom, what's wrong?"

Margaret's eyes shut, and she slumped into Emily's arms. Charles's concern shifted instantly from our spat to his mother's health, scooping her up to rush to the hospital.

Before they left, he shot me a fierce look. "I treat you like a sister-in-law out of respect for my brother, but you can't talk to my mom like that. She's still your elder. You better hope she's okay, or you'll have me to answer to!"

I could not help but want to give Charles a round of applause right then. What a performance! He had not lost his touch for drama.

"Maybe your mom should take a few acting lessons from you," I said with an icy laugh, turning on my heel to pack my bags. I did not catch the shock on his face as I walked away. I did not have much to pack, anyway.

Two hours had flown by, and I was zipping up my suitcase when a knock at the door startled me. I swung it open to find Charles, clutching something in his hands.

"Alicia, we've just come back from the hospital. Mom's going to be okay," he said, relief washing over his face. "I also wanted to say I'm sorry."

He hesitated before continuing, saying, "About what happened three years ago... Emily realizes she's messed up. She was immature, scared and too shy to deal with my mom's temper. Can you...maybe not tell her?"

While talking, Charles set a bottle of perfume on my table.

"I remember my brother mentioning you like perfumes. This one's from Emily's collection. She wants you to have it as a peace offering. She's hoping you won't stay mad at her."

I glanced down at the perfume, recognizing the code on it instantly. It was the same one I had subtly hinted at wanting on social media, the one I had seen in Charles's car right before our anniversary. I had thought it was for me, but all I got was a scarf that seemed like an afterthought. He had given the perfume to Emily instead.

I picked up the cold bottle, feeling it chill my already frosty heart. Even though I knew Charles did not care for me, seeing him go to those lengths for Emily still hurt.

I handed the perfume back to him. "I lost my taste for perfume three years ago," I said, my voice steady. "I'll keep your secret, but you owe me the truth about one thing."

Charles looked puzzled, a frown creasing his forehead. "What's that?"

I met his eyes, holding his gaze firmly. "The plane crash, three years back. Is there something you're not telling me?"