Chapter 2: The Wedding Parade

On the wedding day, crowds jammed the gates of the Franklin house. The Fosters paraded their wealth like peacocks, their motorcade of Cadillacs stretching down the block, white-gloved drivers glinting in the morning sun.

From my window upstairs, I watched neighbors peeking from behind lace curtains, catching every minute of the spectacle.

"Sis."

Tanya swept into my room, veil tossed back, her hairpins and jewels sparkling, the pearls on her gown blinding in the light.

"Wow, sis, not even a hint of bling? Guess not everyone gets the princess treatment," she drawled, running her crimson-tipped nails along the plain lace of my dress.

I let her preen and gloat. This was her only day of real luck, and I wasn’t about to spoil it.

I kept my eyes level, letting her words slide off me like rain on a tin roof. Her nails trailed over my dress, but I almost smiled—let her have this moment.

"Once we leave this house, we won’t see each other much." She grabbed my hand, her proud expression oddly vulnerable. "Sis, you better live well."

I slipped my hand from hers. "You too."

She thought I was jealous, so she hid her smile behind a beaded fan and strutted out, her heels clicking like a victory drumbeat. I watched her go, feeling nothing but relief.

For a second, I almost wished we could be sisters, not rivals. But that hope burned out fast.

On a whim, I called after her.

"Tanya, do you really want the Foster family that badly?"

She stopped, glanced over her shoulder, then laughed—a low, dangerous sound.

"What, you want to switch places with me? Good days can’t all belong to you, can they?"

I gripped my fan, watching her back disappear down the hall.

Blinded by greed last time, she’d do anything for a taste of the good life. If I tried to stop her now, she’d probably stab me in the heart again.

Let her have the Fosters. Let her see what it’s like to live a fate worse than death.

I lifted my chin and stepped into my own future—a different path, this time.

Outside, the sticky Georgia air buzzed with cicadas, the scent of magnolias heavy on the breeze. I squared my shoulders and walked out, letting the past slip away.