Two

Sylvia stepped into the familiar lobby of her father’s house. She entered and saw her stepmother and stepsister in the living room. Sylvia looked around, wondering where her father was.

Victoria and Emily gazed up from the couch, their eyebrows furrowed in exaggerated worry. ''Oh, Sylvia, dear, what happened?' Victoria asked, her voice sugary sweet, her eyes gleaming with a calculating intensity. Emily nodded in agreement, her eyes sparkling with malice.

Sylvia already knew that they didn’t like her and were just pretending whenever her father was around, and they acted and treated her very well whenever her father was around too.

“Oh, my bad. I forgot that you were left by your supposed husband on the altar inside the hall.”

Victoria's voice was a masterclass in insincere empathy, her words dripping with honeyed concern as she cooed, 'Sylvia, darling, you must be heartbroken!' But Sylvia heard the faintest hint of a smirk beneath the surface, a telltale sign that Victoria was secretly delighted by her misery.

Sylvia forced out a bright smile, but her eyes betrayed her hurt and anger. “Where is my father?”

But they were obviously not done dealing with her yet.

Emily her step sister snickered, her ears perked up in amusement.

Emily's voice dripped with sarcasm, her words a taunting whisper: 'What happened, Sylvia? Didn't Nicole want to marry you as his wife ?' her eyes glinting with malice.

She was jealous of the fact that Nicole chose Sylvia when Emily was more beautiful than her. What does he even like about her? It made Emily wonder.

But after seeing how the wedding went, She was more than happy to see Sylvia's ass getting dumped by Nicole.

She has never been so happy as she was in her entire life.

Sylvia's lips curled into a triumphant smile, her voice a sweet purr. “You wish to be in my shoes? You wished Nicole chose you instead'; her eyes sparkling with satisfaction.

“You- “ Emily felt ashamed because her thoughts were revealed.

James's face turned red, his voice a thunderclap, 'Enough!' his fist slamming down on the table like a judge's gavel.

James's face turned red, his veins bulging like twisted ropes as he yelled, his voice echoing off the walls. His fists clenched, shaking with rage, as he walked over Sylvia, his eyes blazing with fury.

Emily immediately kept quiet. Victoria also stood so she could watch the drama that was about to unfold.

"Dad,” Sylvia said with an aggrieved look.

James' gaze bore into Sylvia, his eyes flashing with disgust. James's eyes narrowed, his voice a cold breeze. "You are a disappointment,” his gaze pierced Sylvia like a sharp knife.

This made Sylvia's heart sink.

James's face fell, his eyes clouding over like a stormy sky as he looked at Sylvia. He shook his head, his voice low and disapproving. “You had one job, Sylvia. One chance to secure our family's future. And you blew it. You want the family to be a laughing stock so bad. I’m sure this will make you happy after all.”

Sylvia's lips curled into a brittle smile, but her eyes flashed with anger and hurt, betraying her true emotions. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought back tears.

“I.. I “ Sylvia stammered.

James's voice cracked like a whip.

"Go to your room; you are grounded," he said, his eyes flashing with authority.

Sylvia's voice trembled like a leaf.

“Father, no.” her eyes welling up with tears.

Victoria's smile was a thin, cruel line, her eyes glinting with a triumphant light as she watched Sylvia's distress. Her voice was a sugary purr, dripping with false concern, as she cooed, “Oh, Sylvia, dear, you're so upset. Let me help you through this difficult time.” Victoria tried to grab her, but Sylvia avoided her like she was plagued.

Sylvia's feet felt heavy as she walked away from the living room, the weight of her father's words settling in her chest like a stone.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought back tears. The sound of her father's stern and unforgiving voice echoed in her mind, making her feel small and powerless. She stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her, the sound reverberating through the hallway like a scream.

Sylvia walked into her room and walked towards the bed. She sat down on the edges of the bed.

The maid's soft voice interrupted the silence, her eyes filled with concern. 'Miss, do you need water?"

Sylvia's lips curled into a brittle smile, 'I'm fine'; her eyes betrayed her true emotions.

The maid nodded. She doesn't know what else to say to console Sylvia because the humiliation was really too much.

Sylvia's phone suddenly rang. This made Sylvia snap out of her daze. She looked at the maid and asked, “What is that?” She asked her.

“It is your phone, Miss; should I bring it?” She asked.

Sylvia frowned and wanted to say no when the phone rang again.

“I think it is a text message,” her maid said again.

Sylvia's hand shot out, her fingers grasping the phone like a vice. “Let me see it!"

The maid immediately walked towards her with the phone in her hand. She gave the phone to Sylvia.

Sylvia unlocked the phone. She did not see a missed call, so she guessed that it was a text message. Sylvia opened the text message app, and she saw two new messages from an unsaved number.

Sylvia frowned and opened it.

The first message was a picture of Nicole and Tendy in an intimate hug.

This made Sylvia's heartbreak. She felt like her heart was stabbed by something, and it was bleeding.

Sylvia scrolled down and saw the second message. The message blazed on the screen, its words a venomous hiss: 'You really think he will marry you and let you be his wife ? In your dreams!!"

Sylvia's eyes froze on the screen, her mind numb as she read the words over and over, willing them to change. Her breath came in short gasps, her chest constricting like a vise as she felt the ground beneath her crumble.

Sylvia's lips curled downward. It seems she was really being delusional about the whole thing. Nicole never said he wanted to marry her because he fell in love with her; she was the one imagining all these things alone.

Sylvia really thought she would have Nicole all to herself now. Even though she knew that he never loved her, she thought he would grow to love her after they got married.

Sylvia's eyes dropped back to the screen, and she saw a third message waiting for her. “Meet me at the oak tree; come alone.” It was from Nicole.

This made her heart start beating fast.