Chapter 3: The Secret My Family Buried
The attachment was only three pages.
Three pages that destroyed thirty years of memories.
I read the first line again.
Then again.
*Sienna was always meant to have the life Juliet received.*
My fingers went numb.
“What is this?””
My father didn’t answer.
He looked ashamed.
“Dad.””
He sat across from me.
“Your mother wrote that after she found out about the engagement.””
I stared at the screen.
The words blurred.
“She wanted Sienna to marry Graham?””
“No.””
He swallowed.
“She wanted Sienna to have everything you had.””
That sentence made no sense.
Sienna had always been the favorite.
Everyone knew it.
She was louder, more confident, more charming.
But I never thought my mother saw me as someone who had taken something from her.
I drove to my parents’ house that night.
I didn’t wait for an invitation.
My mother opened the door.
She looked exhausted.
“Juliet.””
“Why?””
Her face fell.
“Please come inside.””
“No.””
The porch light flickered above us.
“Why did you try to replace my wedding?””
She looked down.
“I didn’t replace it.””
“You created another one.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
For once, she had no immediate answer.
Finally she whispered, “When we adopted Sienna, I promised myself she would never feel unwanted.””
I stared at her.
“She was my sister.””
“Yes.””
“And I loved her.””
“I know.””
“Then why did you act like loving her meant taking from me?””
My mother wiped her face.
“Because you always had everything.””
I felt a strange calm come over me.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Just understanding.
She truly believed it.
“You mean because I worked hard?””
She shook her head.
“No. Because things came naturally to you.””
I almost smiled.
Naturally.
The years of studying.
The scholarships.
The nights working two jobs after college.
The hundreds of hours on my wedding gown.
Apparently, all of that had looked easy from the outside.
My mother stepped closer.
“Sienna struggled.””
“So you gave her my fiancé?””
“No.””
Her response was immediate.
“I didn’t give her Graham.””
“Then why was she with him?””
Silence.
I watched her face.
And I knew.
“You knew.””
She looked away.
“You knew they were together.””
“I thought it would end.””
“When?””
She started crying.
“When he chose you.””
I felt sick.
“He was never choosing me.””
She had no answer.
I walked back to my car.
“Juliet, please.””
I stopped.
My mother’s voice cracked.
“There’s something else.””
I turned.
She held a small envelope.
“I found this after Graham left.””
I didn’t take it.
“What is it?””
She looked terrified.
“It’s from Sienna.””
I slowly reached for the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten note.
Only four sentences.
But they changed everything.
*I’m sorry. I tried to make him love me the way he loves Juliet.*
*But he told me the wedding was only happening because of the image.*
*He said Juliet was the safe choice.*
*He said he was waiting for the right moment to leave.*
I read the last line twice.
My fiancé hadn’t been stolen.
He had been planning to abandon me.
I looked at my mother.
“Where is Sienna now?””
She hesitated.
“Juliet…”
“Where?””
“She went to the waterfront venue.””
My blood ran cold.
“Why?””
My mother whispered:
“Because the wedding rehearsal is tomorrow.””
I looked at the date.
Tomorrow.
The wedding I thought was mine.
The wedding they had planned without me.
And then my phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
One photo.
One sentence.
The photo showed Graham standing at the altar of my venue.
Holding a wedding ring.
May you like
The message said:
*You need to see who he’s really marrying.*
