chapter 2
By the time I was headed downstairs with my bags, I ran into Emily, hobbling through the door.
Her clothes were ripped, as if someone had yanked them apart. Bruises covered her arms and legs.
But her face was practically glowing.
"Mom, Dad," she said proudly, "Barton wore me out. But I think it's done. We're good now."
I could tell by her smirk that she had no idea what really happened after she got knocked out. She thought she'd had some kind of steamy, hot lovemaking session with Barton.
Well, I couldn't wait to see the grin being wiped from her face when the truth came crashing down.
-
Emily glanced at me with that same smug look, then noticed the suitcase in my hand. Her lips curled into a cold little smile.
"Are you leaving?" she asked, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "My wedding's pretty much set. But you're not getting any younger, and there's still no ring on your finger. I don't want you spending the rest of your life alone."
Her eyes lit up suddenly, and she clapped her hands together. "How about this? I'll introduce you to someone!"
"No, thanks," I said flatly.
Her eyes filled with fake tears instantly. She turned to our parents, whining as if she'd been wronged.
"Even though Mr. Edmund and I have done the deed, I hope we'll organize a grand wedding, so people won't look down on me.
"I found Cecilia a match. The guy's willing to give us 200 thousand dollars as a wedding gift!"
The moment my mother heard that number, her eyes lit up. But when she saw I wasn't excited, she slapped me across the face hard, then she jabbed a finger in my face.
"Since when do you get to talk back in this house?" she snapped.
"This marriage is perfect for you! As your parents, we get to decide. You'll meet him, marry him, and bring that money home so your sister's wedding doesn't look shabby!"
I laughed, but there was no humor in it, just pure anger bubbling up. I couldn't believe they were forcing me to marry a stranger for this.
I snapped, "She wants to marry richwhat's that got to do with me?
"Do you even know who the guy is? It's Mr. Meyer, a 60-year-old man! If you're that desperate for the money, why don't you divorce Dad and marry him yourself? Oh, waityou don't want to? Then don't shove me into hell just because you're too scared to go!"
My father's face turned red, and before I knew it, he slapped me twice. My cheek burned like fire.
"Cecilia! How dare you talk to us like that!" he roared.
"What's so bad about Mr. Meyer? He's a small business owner! You'd be living in comfort. Do you actually think we'd hurt you?
"You're the one who couldn't catch a rich man. And now you've got the nerve to argue with your mother? Look at yourself! You're worthless. You don't bring a damn thing to this family.
"This house isn't a charity. If you don't want Mr. Meyer, fine. Go find some other man willing to give away 200 grand for you. Otherwise, shut up and do as you're told."
My cheek was swollen, stinging with every breath. I stared at my parents, baffled by how shamelessly biased and selfish they were.
Even though I'd already lost hope in this family long ago, I still wanted an explanation.
"Why?" My voice cracked, heavy with pain. "Why is Emily the chosen one, and I'm just the one you want to sell off? We're identical twins. I'm your daughter, too. Why do you hate me so much that you'd marry me off to a 60-year-old man just so you could organize a grand wedding for her?"
My voice shook, but I forced the words out. "If you only wanted one child, if you only ever wanted her then why keep me at all? Why didn't you get rid of me back then?"
They didn't even flinch. They showed no regret or shame. They just looked at me with cold eyes and said
"The tarot reader back then was right. You bring us bad luck! You're nothing like your sister who is sweet and obedient. She came into this world to bring good luck to our family."
So all the pain I'd gone through over the years all because of a few empty sentences from some tarot reader.
I couldn't help but laugh. Whatever scraps of hope and love I still held for this family were shattered completely.
Fine. I'd take today's humiliation as paying them back for raising me.
"I'm not marrying that old man. If you need money, figure it out yourselves. Since you've never liked me, I'll leave. I don't care about your stupid marry-rich dreams."
I grabbed my suitcase and turned to go.
Emily's cold voice stopped me.
"You don't wanna get married? Fine. But if you move out, you'd better not be wandering around too much. And make sure your phone's on 24/7. If I call, you have to pick up within three seconds.
"I'm about to become Mrs. Edmund. He'll propose to me and marry me soon. But I don't know much about how to take care of him. When he asks, you'll have to feed me the answers. Got it?"
I turned my head and looked at her. Emily tossed her hair back and pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of the bruises on her skin.
To her, they weren't shameful but her golden ticket into high society.
My parents were all smiles, fussing over her proudly, as if she were already some rich man's wife.
They chimed in, "Do your best to help Emily. Once she marries Mr. Edmund, maybe she'll help you, too. She can introduce you to a driver or a bodyguard who works for wealthy families. That's the only way you'll find someone."
I almost laughed. They had no idea what really happened that night. They had no clue what it meant to cross Barton.
The Edmunds weren't just old moneythey were powerful and untouchable. Anyone who tried to scheme against them would get destroyed, not rewarded.
The only smart thing to do was to cut ties and walk away.
"We're not that close, so don't bother trying to set me up with someone. You live your lives, and I'll live mine."
-
Emily and I had switched places completely.
For the next few days, everything stayed quiet. There was not a single word about the most wanted rich heir of Jezelton being tricked.
Then came the day Barton had to go for a checkup, and Emily told me to wait near the hospital in case she needed me.
I went. Not just because she told me to, but because I wanted to see how he was doing.
That night, he'd knocked Emily out. He'd been furious at her throwing herself at him.
Even though I had accidentally run into him and ended up helping with his condition, he should've been plotting his revenge against her. But instead, he did nothing.
I hid behind my sunglasses and mask, watching them carefully.
What I saw made no sense.
They were laughing together, looking into each other's eyes like something out of a movie. To anyone else, they looked like the perfect couple, completely in love.
I couldn't wrap my head around it. What was Barton planning? Why wasn't he furious with her? Why was he suddenly acting so close to her?
I stood there for so long, lost in my thoughts, that I didn't even notice when they walked in my direction.
When they passed me, Barton paused for just a second. My heart jumped into my throat.
Did he recognize me?
But then he kept walking, as if nothing had happened.
I let out a shaky breath, relieved but at the same time, a little disappointed.
That night, he had ripped off my mask. I'd switched the lights off right away, but I still didn't know if he'd seen my face.