Emily's POV

" I'm so sorry, if I knew you did not remember I would have not said anything at least till you left the hospital " Tasha said, her eyes holding remorse but i shrugged it off.

" It's fine. Can I...can I see the post again?" I asked her.

She looked at me unsurely for a minute, as though contemplating if she could fulfill my request, but eventually, she handed me over her phone and the smiling face of the  couples attacked me, the two people who were supposed to be the closest to me, doing this to me three months before my formal marriage with my fiance of five years.

I could see my parents at the back ground too, shining their perfect teeth as they looked so proud of their daughter, after all I was just the adopted one.

I knew I was adopted from the moment I opened my eyes and that was because I was already nine when they adopted me.

They were the best parents I could ever wish for. The way they pampered and cared for me like their own.

I was fourteen when I found out of their own daughter that went missing a few years before they adopted me. I could see the pain in their eyes Everytime someone called to say they had an information but it just led to another dead end.

And when she finally showed up, one day, with the health worker who claimed to have raised her up until she was a fit member of society, their joy knew no bounds.

When the results of the DNA test came back positive, I was sure they could have burst from excitement.

My mum could never get tired of comparing her with themselves. Just how black her hair was, just like theirs.

But mine was a rich chestnut colour.

I did not mind anyways. I was working, I had my whole life in front of me with a fiance that could go to the moon and back for me, I had it all planned out.

So when she started stealing my spotlight with my parents, going on dinners that I was not included on, attending family functions with them forgetting about me, I did not feel all that bad.

After all this was her time to enjoy her parent's love.

She could take everything I had with my parents and I would not care. But she took my man.

My callous fiance that could not find the balls to tell me that he was now engaged to my sister and I had to find out about it through a blog post.

My fiance that took my life and my dreams and shattered with in one go.

I did not realize fresh tears were already sliding down my face until Tasha pulled out a white napkin, carefully dabbing my face with it.

" You shouldn't let them see you so down like this. I hated that girl from the moment I saw her. With her fake smiles and her graceful demeanor. I know you don't feel like it now but you would always be the star of the show, no matter how hard she tries" Tasha said.

My heart strings tugged as I sighed, nodding my head rapidly. It was comforting to know that I still had people who cared about me.

Even if my family didn't.

As I closed my eyes to go to bed that night, I could not help but reminiscence on how I had my met my fiance.

It was a cliche meeting, one that was picture perfect for books.

It has been at my favourite coffee spot.

" I would like to ordered an iced macchiato and also an Americano " he had said in front of me that day.

I was not paying any attention to what he did,, mostly because I had a major test coming up and I could already feel the heat of my failure dawning on me.

But then, he prodded me softly, handing me the cup.

I had stared at him in surprise.

" Can I help you?" I remember asking vividly.

To answer my question, he had flashed me a million dollar watt smile that still had the effect it had on me four years ago.

" I have been coming to this cafe for a long time and I just thought to give you a little something as we have been bumping into each other for quite a good number of times now" he said.

I did not remember ever bumping into him.

I could tell from the label of the drink that he held up towards me that it was the exact same one I always ordered.

" Well today I was going to buy drinks for my friends as well" I said giving an awkward laugh as his mouth shaped into an O, letting me step past him to place my order.

It was an awkward meeting, we felt awkward but it was nice. He had collected my number as I left the cafe and the rest was history.

The checking out part of the hospital was the most relieving. It felt as though I was leaving the guilt I had in my chest, leaving the pain of being repsonsible for the death of someone behind.

Tasha dropped me off at our house and I could not be more grateful. I knew I would not be staying here, not with him hanging around with my sister.

The house was silent when I walked in, and as I went to get my clothes, a pack of condoms fell out of his drawer, shocking me.

We had never had sex even though we had been together for a long time.

But here he was, with condoms.

Just then, as though he was waiting for me to make my little discovery, I heard the door open and he came in.

" Emily, what are you doing here? I had you were involved in an accident and honestly I have just been so busy, I was going to come today" he said but I knew it was all lies.

" Who are these for?" I asked him and watched him pale as I held up the pack of condoms.

Emily's POV

He seemed to stutter to find the right word, seemed to be waiting for a miracle that could free him out of the trap he had walked right into.

" It's for a friend, I was just helping him hold it" he finally managed to wheez out.

I shook my head again his pathetic attempt to lie.

" Liar! You think I don't see it? You think I don't see the blog posts? You are getting married to Karen? You are getting married to my own sister!" I yelled at him and he seemed to relax, as though he knew it was not worth lying about anyways.

" I did not want you to find out this way, we were going to talk about it with you over dinner tonight. I already talked to your parents and..." He was beginning to say but I did not want to hear it.

" You talked to my parents and what? They allowed you to do the little switch between their daughters? Do you even think I'm a joke to you!" I yelled at him.

The tears were beginning to prick my eyes now and I felt like a weakling, trying to hold them from dropping onto my sunken face.

I could not let him see just how much he had broken me.

" It's not a big deal. I know a made the wrong choice with you ever since I saw Karen. She is the one I love and I don't want to let go of  her. " He said.

My eyes were stinging, my heart pounding fast as I walked towards him, and with  a swift motion, I hit him across the face, listening to the sound reverberate through the walls of the room.

He stared at me as though he was shocked I had actually hit him.

Then he placed his hands around my neck, choking me as his eyes blazed with anger.

" Never ever in your pathetic life riase your hands at me again, or I swear to the Lord that you won't live to tell the story" he said, letting go of my neck forcefully as my feet sank to the floor, dragging me along with them.

The door banged loudly and with that, he was gone. Just like that.

This was a new side of him that I was just discovering. This side of him that I never knew existed.

I had sat there, on the cold floor, And I willed all the tears to come out, to try and stop the ache that I felt in my heart.

When I got the call to attend the party that evening, it was the last thing I wanted to do.

It was a call from my parents, something about coming for our grandfather's memorial.

I contemplated calling in sick. I knew Karen and Louis would be there, and my parents too, it was the last thing I wanted.

But I put on a brave face, pulling out my most flattering gown as I stared at myself in the mirror.

I looked like I had gone through a lot, my eyes sunken in and my hair thin from the number of times I had yanked at them earlier that afternoon.

Nothing a little bit of make up could not fix. When I was done with my make up, I was satisfied. I did not look like the snivelling mess I was a few hours ago.

I looked like a woman who was ready to take the world at its feet and that was exactly what I wanted.

" I honestly don't even understand why you are thinking of this, you don't have to go to those bastards party. All they would do is make you feel less" Tasha whined as she drove to the party but I smiled.

" That is why I'm taking you along, so you can remind me that they are all beneath me. Including the little perfect daughter of theirs" I said.

The set up was beautiful. A part of me wanted to ask why I did not have an idea what they were planning until now.

It was as though they did not even need my help planning it, and just decided to invite me to shoo away the negative questions that people might ask.

I took in a deep breath as I looked at the steady flow of people from the event center.

" You can do this girl. If you ever feel the need to leave, at any time at all, you just have to say the word and I would get us both out of there. I would be exploring the dinner setting just in case you need me" she said and with that, she was gone.

I knew her love for food always came before me.

I walked on, looking around as people stared at me, some pointing their fingers and giggling.

I guess the news of the marriage was no secret to most of them now.

" Why would you come wearing that? Are you trying to outshine poor Karen?" I heard a voice asked and I turned around to see my mother.

I tried to search her eyes, to see if I could find some hint of remorse for what she made me go through, to see if I could even get a bit of the motherly look I got from her when I was younger.

" But she is not supposed to be shining. It's our dead grandfather's memorial" I said.

She seemed to scowl.

"You know she is our biological child, and she has more need to look immaculate more than you. And that gown is so revealing. Go change right this instant. You should find some old clothes from my closet and put on. I did not raise you to be so open with your body" she said.

I scoffed inwardly. I spotted Karen a few moments ago. She was putting on a backless dress that left nothing to the imagination. I found it irritating that she thought she could school me when her own precious daughter was dressed like an online slut.

" I won't be taking it off mum. You should go check on the kitchen staff" I said, ignoring the slight twinge of guilt that pricked my heart.

I would never talk so rudely to her. But she deserved it. Not after all her ruthless attitude towards me the moment she got back the daughter that she loved.

Her face turned a bright shade of pink as she stared at me.

" Don't you dare talk to me like that" she said, gritting her teeth.

I refused to meet her gaze as I tried to walk away.

I could hear her audible gasp as I walked into the party, my legs shaking from the encounter I just had with her.

" I did not think you would come" Louis said, looking me dead in the eye.

" Why? Because you decided to get married to my slut of a sister? They are still my family, and I don't care what you or any of them says" I said to him and I could see his jaw ticking. He was angry.

" You would not refer to her like that. I would not take that from you. I wanted to ask you this amicably, but after what happened today I have seen that you are a temperamental woman and I'm so glad that I did not proceed with this journey with you" he said.

I wanted to tell him that I was glad too, that I was glad that I had seen beyond his kind smiles and face and that he had shown his true colours before we tied the knot.

" What do you want?" I said instead, a bored expression on my face.

" I want my ring back. " He said and I looked at him shocked.

The ring he had engaged me with was a simple but yet expensive one. I remembered blushing so violently as I kissed him over and over, thanking him for what he got, happy to take another step with him in life.

He wanted it back. To give it to my sister.

" I threw it out"I said simply.

I enjoyed the look of pure anger that crossed  his features as he stared at me.

" You wouldn't dare" he said.

" Oh but I did. I threw it out the moment I found out about your engagement to my sister. I did not know I was supposed to keep it so you could put it on another girl's finger with the same lies and promises you told me. It just felt repulsive to think about" I said to him.

He looked at me with the fury still clear in his eyes.

" You are going to regret doing that" he said and strod off, leaving me with my heart thumping as I remembered the ring I had put on the table top. I made a mental note to take it and flush it down the toilet for good.

The air was closing up on me and I could already feel my breathing being restricted.

The judge eyes of the crowd as they whispered. Perhaps it's because she is so shabby in comparison to her sister.

Maybe it's because he did not want to be stuck with a woman that is second choice with her parents.

I could hear all their thoughts clearly as my legs wobbled, leading me to the table where I knew Tasha was supposed to be, but she was not there.

I wanted to leave now, to take a walk and get the air out of my system, but I stood frozen to the spot, even as she walked back to look at me.

" Where have you been?" I asked her.

She seemed shocked as she looked at me.

" Are you okay? You are breathing so hard and I'm beginning to think that you won't make it through the rest of the night at this pace" she said to me, putting her hand on my forehead as if to check if I was burning up.

" He wants his ring back. That two faced idiot wants to put the same ring he put on my finger, on my sister's" I said.

She scowled as she looked at me, picking up a cupcake.

" Then screw him. He is an idiot if he thinks he would be getting that ring back. You should turn it into spikes and stick it into his clothes.

Maybe add hair loss powder to his shampoo. I keep telling you how to get your revenge but you never seem to do any" she said, sighing as though she would have done worse should she be in my situation.

" I understand your concerns but I think I'm just better off flushing it down the toilet" I said to her and she shrugged.

" You have always decided to take the easy way out anyways. Should we leave now? If you want we can go and then you can call this shitty gathering a night " she said.

I looked at all of them, watching them giggle and play as they danced, happy like a family, celebrating, forgetting that I was one of them

I met the stare of Karen a few times and it was nasty. She seemed to happy that she had everything I had.

My life, my family, my parents, and now my fiance.

I could not let her win again. Not three times in a row.

" I won't be going" I said with determination.

" But you look like you are about to pass out" she said to me but I shook my head rapidly.

" I would just take a walk in the garden" I said, turning around to leave before she could protest.

I would stay here for as long as I could.

I would show them that it was not easy to break me.