Third Wheel

Staring at her reflection one last time in the mirror, she smiled with satisfaction. Hazel Jones had been searching for the perfect wedding dress for ages—something that would complement her fair skin and long black hair.

"It's so beautiful," her younger sister, Nady, exclaimed excitedly. The shop assistant finally sighed in relief.

"We want two," Nady added, leaving Hazel confused.

"Why?" Hazel couldn't help but ask.

"For me," came Nady's response.

"Sorry, Miss, but this is a limited collection, and it's the last piece we have," the shop assistant apologized. Nady was about to lash out at her when Hazel intervened.

"Please go make the payment," Hazel said, handing her card to the lady, who happily walked away. Hazel threw a sharp look at Nady before heading to the dressing room to slip out of the wedding gown. Nady stomped her foot angrily.

"Stop giving me that judgy look. Is it a crime if I want to look as beautiful as you?" Nady retorted.

"We are not the same, Nady," Hazel snorted before walking out, now dressed in her simple blue gown. The ringtone of her phone echoed as she handed the wedding gown to Nady and retrieved her phone. It was a call from her boss, so she mouthed to Nady, "Be careful with the gown," before leaving.

Nady scoffed. "Be careful, my ass," she muttered under her breath as she walked to the dressing room to try on the gown.

---

Hazel finished her phone call and tried contacting her fiancé, Max Wilson, but it went straight to voicemail.

"Come on, you said you’d join me at the shop. Where are you?" she muttered to herself.

When she returned, Nady was nowhere to be found. Hazel’s eyes quickly scanned the area, and she stumbled across a covered section. She blushed, assuming the couple inside needed privacy. She was about to leave when a familiar voice drifted out from behind the curtain.

"Admit it, the gown looks prettier on me than on my sister," Nady said.

"Of course it does," a hoarse voice replied, and Hazel froze in place.

"It's irritating whenever I think that I'm going to be a sister-in-law to my own man. Can't you just tell them it's me you love?" Nady pouted.

Max sighed. "How many times do I need to tell you? My dad wants me to marry Hazel instead. It's all for my inheritance," he explained, and Hazel's eyes widened in utter shock. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

Her legs went numb, and her body felt weak, so she leaned against the wall next to her, unable to process what she was hearing.

"But you'll divorce her immediately after you get your inheritance, right?" Nady asked.

Max nodded before responding. "What if your sister refuses to divorce me?"

A creepy smile crept across Nady's lips. "Then we’ll find a better way—something quicker and easier."

As if their thoughts were in sync, Max seemed to understand her perfectly. "Let’s do her a favor and make her death less painful then."

They both burst into laughter, and Hazel stumbled backward, knocking over a chair. The loud sound alerted Nady, who quickly pulled the curtain open.

They were both shocked to find Hazel standing there, her complexion pale and her expression stricken.

"Hazel, we..." Nady stuttered, unable to find the perfect excuse for why she was in the dressing room with Max.

"Uhm, he came looking for you," Nady blurted, clearly flustered, hoping Hazel hadn't overheard their conversation.

Hazel stood there, watching her sister struggle to explain, while Max remained frozen, his surprise evident.

"Wow," Hazel muttered in disbelief, her palms becoming clammy.

"How could you?!" she finally burst out, tears streaming down her face. Before her stood the man she had loved with all her heart, and next to him was her sister—the person she trusted most—and they had betrayed her in the worst way possible.

Max shook his head in denial and took a step closer to her. "Don't get the wrong idea, okay?"

Hazel shoved him angrily. "The wrong idea? Is killing me just a 'wrong idea' now?" she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hazel clutched her chest tightly. She was hurt—not just because Max had cheated on her, or because he'd mentioned killing her, but because it was her sister who had betrayed her.

Of all the girls, why did it have to be Nady? Hazel had always been the perfect elder sister, always putting Nady's needs before her own. How could she?

Hazel couldn't stand there any longer. She stormed out of the shop and hailed a cab, which dropped her in front of the mansion. She rushed inside, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Mother!"

"Father!"

She kept calling as her parents hurried to the balcony upstairs and stared down at her.

"What happened? Do you have to announce your return by trying to bring the house down with your voice?" her mother scolded as they descended the stairs.

At that moment, Nady and Max walked in, holding the wedding dress they couldn’t leave behind.

"Mom!" Nady dropped the dress and rushed to her mother, whose gaze softened instantly.

"What happened, baby? Did your sister bully you?" her mother asked while scanning Nady’s body for any signs of distress. Nady shook her head, her eyes glistening with fake tears.

"I love Max, Mother," she blurted out, and Hazel was stunned, unable to believe what she had just heard.

"Which Max?" her father interjected.

Nady raised her hand and pointed at Max.

"Good news!" her mother exclaimed joyfully, her eyes lighting up with delight. She couldn’t believe her younger daughter had finally fallen in love.

"Good news?" Hazel echoed, needing clarification. Surely she hadn’t heard her mother correctly.

"Yes! Do you know how hard it is to find love these days?" her mother chuckled before turning to Max.

"Do you also love Nady?"

Max didn’t hesitate to say yes. Her mother clapped her hands happily. "If you both love each other so much, then there’s no need to complicate things."

Nady nodded and walked over to her mother. "Exactly! I don’t get why Hazel is making a mountain out of this."

"The wedding is in three days; it’s not too late to change the bride," her mother said, breaking Hazel’s heart into a thousand pieces. If Hazel hadn’t done a DNA test herself, she would never have believed this woman was her mother.

Her mother walked over to her. "Nady is younger than you. You're supposed to understand her. Do you really want to force yourself on a man who doesn’t love you? Don’t be a third wheel."

"What? I’m the third wheel in their relationship?" Hazel asked, utterly incredulous. Was she the one who had gone after her sister’s man?

She was speechless, too drained even to cry. She turned to her father, who remained silent, offering no support.

Fine. If this was what they all wanted, she would give in. After all, she was used to giving up her happiness for Nady. One more time wouldn’t kill her.

She walked over to the wedding dress, picked it up, approached Nady, and flung it at her.

"You wanted the wedding dress, right? It’s all yours. Go fuck with whomever you want."