Chapter 004

"I need answers. I don't have time to play dress up. This will have to do." I said, examining my overly short dress in the standing mirror.

I rushed out of my apartment and took a taxi to the venue of the wedding. I remembered it because that's where Raphael and I planned to have our future wedding.

I couldn't believe he would stoop as low as using our planned venue and then having the audacity to invite me on the same day I got informed.

The taxi parked at the roadside in front of the gates of the venue and I got off after paying.

As I stood before the imposing gates of the wedding venue, a sense of trepidation gripped me.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever awaited me beyond those gates. If Raphael thought he could manipulate me into submission, he had another thing coming.

I squared my shoulders, summoning every ounce of courage within me, and stepped into the surroundings of the wedding venue.

I scanned the faces of the guests, searching for any sign of Sarah but I couldn't find her. However, I spotted Raphael standing at the altar and decided I would confront him about Sarah after the wedding. I can't call the police since I have no proof he did anything.

"Sarah!" I breathed, "What's going on here?!"

"Jenna! What is the meaning of this? Why are you dressed like that to your own sister's wedding?" Dad questioned, angrily.

All eyes turned to me who was standing like a rejected offering at a corner as I stared at my stepsister in absolute shock. 

The same stepsister I rushed here for, fearing that something bad might have happened, stood before me dressed to slay in a wedding dress and my ex-boyfriend who broke up with me with a wedding invite stood at the altar waiting for our father to walk her down the aisle.

"Jenna, I'm so glad you made it." Sarah beamed with a heavenly smile, "I know you're happy for me but this aspect of the wedding shouldn't be interrupted."

My jaw dropped when Sarah said that to me. She knew I and Raphael were dating. She knew I had intentions to be his wife and she dared to stand in front of me, smiling in a wedding dress?!

"What's wrong with that lady? This is a wedding and she's dressed like she's going for a wayward party." a guest commented.

"She's definitely wayward. You are what you wear and she's proving that saying right by disrupting a wedding." another said.

"Who is she?"

"Didn't the bride's father just say that's the sister?"

"Did the bride invite her?"

"What an embarrassment."

"What sort of a dress is that?"

"She might as well be standing naked."

"How vulgar."

The insults kept coming and they didn't even care that I could hear them.

"Jenna," Sarah began, her voice trembling with emotion, "I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

Sarah came close to where I was standing, leaned forward to my ear and whispered, "Is that what you expected to hear?" she scoffed, "You're too used to getting everything you want. Just thought I should cut you down to size."

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I held them back, refusing to let Sarah and Raphael see my pain.

As Sarah backed away, I wanted to say something back but I couldn't. The shock was too much for me to bear and I ran out of the building.

As I burst out of the building, the cool evening air hit me like a wave, offering a brief respite from the suffocating tension inside. My mind raced with a whirlwind of emotions. Betrayal, anger, hurt, and confusion all tangled together in a chaotic mess.

I hailed a passing taxi, my hands trembling as I fumbled for the door handle. Sliding into the backseat, I leaned my head against the cool glass window, closing my eyes in an attempt to block out the overwhelming reality of the situation.

Where had it all gone wrong? I replayed the memories in my mind, searching for clues, for signs that I had missed along the way. But the answers eluded me, slipping through my fingers like grains of sand.

As soon as I got home, I locked the door and burst out crying. Finally, I could let it all out. Now that there was no one around and no one watching, I could let my pain show.

I took Sarah as my real sister, I loved Raphael with all my heart. Even my dad let this happen, knowing that Raphael was my man. What else is left for me? I have no one. Nothing to hang on to.

My tears flowed for as long as they could until sleep took over. I woke up to reality once more, with the previous day wasted. I never knew I could sleep through an entire day like that.

My phone beeped right next to me and when I checked, I was shocked to find two missed calls from my dad and twenty from my mom. Well, Stepmom.

I read the text from my stepmom which just came in, ordering me to come to the house.

I got up and took a bath, changed into a decent dress and walked home since it was only three blocks away.

I walked in without knocking and didn't even bother to greet my parents. 

My stepmother's voice cut through the tense atmosphere, her words sharp and accusatory. "Jenna, we need to talk. Your behaviour yesterday was completely unacceptable. You embarrassed yourself and our family in front of everyone."

I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my composure as her words pierced through me like knives. "I didn't choose to be put in that situation," I replied, my voice trembling with suppressed emotion. "Sarah knew what she was doing. She orchestrated the whole thing to humiliate me." I added, recalling her bet.

My stepmother's expression softened, but only slightly. "Regardless of what Sarah did, you should have handled yourself with more dignity. You're a part of this family, Jenna, and you need to act like it."

There she goes, pretending to be nice.

Anger boiled within me, threatening to spill over, but I held it back, refusing to give my stepmother the satisfaction of seeing me break. "I am part of this family," I said firmly, meeting her gaze head-on. "But that doesn't mean I have to tolerate being treated like a doormat. I won't apologize for standing up for myself."

There was a tense silence as my words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken resentment. My stepmother's eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched in frustration. "You're being unreasonable, Jenna," she finally said, her voice tinged with exasperation. 

"Enough of all this." Dad finally spoke up, "Jenna, you were called here for a reason." he paused.

"You are getting married to Sarah's ex-fiancé," Dad added.

Shock coursed through me like a bolt of lightning, "What?!"