Chapter One

Ella’s gaze turned vacant as she endured her sister Ava’s ceaseless chatter about her upcoming wedding and the countless details. It revolved around how the wedding would be unforgettable and set the standard for others to imitate. How Ava would be a trendsetter? 

Ella was attempting to ignore her twin completely. Ava enjoyed the sound of her voice. It wasn’t required for Ella to speak! Just hear how fantastic her sister was. Ella smirked to herself. It’s not something Ava would allow her to forget.

Currently, she was sitting at their parent’s kitchen table, aiding their mum in preparing the vegetables for dinner. Instead of helping, Ava simply stood there, engrossed in a one sided conversation with her captive audience. Unfortunately!

Ava’s presence at dinner tonight came as a surprise to her. Despite being a planned supper, the family aimed to gather weekly for a meal. Ava rarely turned up. She may live under their parents’ roof. Since she had moved back to Ashwell. Ava frequently made alternative arrangements.

Now because she was here! Ella had to hear all about the wedding of the year, and everyone who was someone would be there. Whoop de Duda! It was the event of the year that she would prefer to avoid.

Just to clarify, she wasn’t a member of the wedding party. Did she really need to be informed about every tiny detail? Not being asked to be part of the wedding party didn’t bother her.

What a terrifying thought! Ava, fortunately, hadn’t even brought it up. It may seem strange to some. Unlike what she had heard about most twins. Ava and Ella had never been close. 

For Ava, being the centre of attention is and will always be a necessity to her. Since birth, she has been able to out-scream Ella with greater volume and duration. It wasn’t something she could recall, just a single remark her father had made in the past. Ava shared nothing with Ella. Ava didn’t share and didn’t even think of it as an option.

Whenever growing up Ella had something to tell her parents, whether it was news or an achievement, Ava would always spoil it. Ava needed to stand in their parents’ limelight alone. It would have been better for Ava to be an only child rather than a twin. 

Ava held strong resentment towards being a twin. Growing up, she was a complete bitch to deal with. She consistently shifts blame onto others, particularly Ella, instead of owning up to her mistakes or inappropriate behaviour. She will lie if it means concealing her actions that may cause trouble.

Even their parents thought Ava could do no wrong. They shouldn’t be held responsible for their belief. Ava, both an Oscar-winning actress and a skilled liar, played her role flawlessly. Her ability to manipulate made them believe everything she told them. 

Even Ava stealing Ella’s fiancé was her fault, not Ava’s. So in 8 weeks Ella was attending the wedding of her ex fiancé Stephen and her twin sister Ava.

Ella couldn’t say in the end the turn of events surprised her, really! Ava has always been this way, even during her high school years. In the event that a boy showed an interest in Ella, Ava would employ her charms.

Ava would then end the relationship, fully aware that Ella would have no involvement with the boy anymore. Ella had genuinely thought that Stephen stood out from the rest.

Ava had been living in London and travelling across Europe for her modelling career, neglecting to come home or keep in touch.

Ella believed it was safe once Stephen Blackwater returned home and started showing interest in her. Ava wasn’t living in the village and wouldn’t care, right? She had bigger fish to fry.

Ella laughed quietly to herself. She should have known better. This was fate and the fates sucked! 

Ava’s inability to get along with others led to her burning bridges in the modelling industry, which soon left her unemployed. Ava had returned home to Ashwell, Hertfordshire, a town 45 miles from London.

The first thing Ava had done was make a beeline for Stephen. The ease with which Ava had enchanted him had caused Ella pain. A wedding ring wouldn’t have stopped Ava, so she really dodged a bullet because if they had been married, Ava’s actions would have caused her much more upset.  

With a subtle tilt of her head, Ella peered at Ava through her lashes, studying her. Comparing them, no one would guess the Conner sisters were indeed identical twins. When boys started showing interest in both of them, she deliberately played down her looks.

It hadn’t been because of the boys’ interest, more for the peace it gave Ella at home and school, if the boys just didn’t notice her next to her sister and didn’t pay her any attention. Life was less challenging for Ella. 

Ella had gone as far as putting a colour spray into her hair to make it look dull and darker than Ava’s. If she desired to go back to her natural golden blonde shade in public, all she had to do was rinse it away. Dyeing her hair was the one thing she couldn’t do. Ella consistently wore her hair in a bun at the back of her head.

When she released it, which only happened when she was alone at home, not even with her family around, it cascaded down to her waist in a curly mass. Ava had mostly natural hair, but she added highlights and a feathered shoulder-length cut. It wasn’t as curly as Ella’s. 

Despite being identical twins, they had a couple of distinctions. They came from the same egg. Nevertheless, Ella appreciated and celebrated those differences. With her long and slender frame, Ava stood an inch taller than Ella, making her the perfect height for catwalks in Europe.

Ella’s bottom lip was fuller than Ava’s. Ella had always hated her mouth. Men seemed to stare at it, making her uncomfortable, but only if they saw past her disguise. Her glasses dominate the majority of her face.

Ella weighed a few extra kilos compared to Ava. She didn’t see why she should deny herself the pleasure of enjoying her food. She was still slender, just not supermodel slender.

If Ella wanted a cookie, then she would eat a damn cookie. Screw the calorie counting. Ella’s cup size increased to 30D because of the additional weight, whereas Ava’s smaller weight made her two sizes smaller. 

Their eyes were a striking shade of blue, reminiscent of cornflowers. Ella began wearing non-prescription glasses to create distance from Ava, concealing her eyes behind unattractive black frames.

Ava opted for a full face of makeup, while Ella only wore lip gloss. To be honest, she doubted that most people still remembered them as identical twins. If someone saw how she was hiding, they would assume she was a coward. She wasn’t. It simplified her life and that of those around her. 

Ella planned to end all of this and move forward once Ava tied the knot. With Ava married, she was free to be herself. No longer worried about how Ava would become jealous of the attention given to anyone but herself. Ava will be the focus of one of the wealthiest men in the area. 

Jenny and Wayne Conners, Ella’s parents, had had a conversation with Ella about the extra attention they gave Ava years ago. School came naturally to Ella, but her sister found it difficult. Ella had felt an urge to call out bullshit! Ava possessed great intelligence.

If she had prioritised her studies instead of focusing on popularity, parties, and boys. She had the potential to enhance her performance. But in typical Ava fashion, it was all about living in the moment. If Ava wasn’t intelligent, she wouldn’t have been such a skilled manipulator. Splendid memories were a necessity for liars.

Ava demanded, “What are you daydreaming about?”

Startled by Ava asking her a question. After refocusing her eyes, Ella observed their mum was no longer in the kitchen. Jenny’s voice reached her ears. Mum and dad were having a conversation in the lounge room. 

Ella looked at her sister, shrugging. “Just planning tomorrow’s tasks for the kids at school. Nothing major.”

Ella, at twenty-three, didn’t have a modelling career like her sister, not like she would ever want that life. Then again, Ava was no longer getting modelling opportunities, despite her previous experience in the field. If the media report is accurate, Ava had a reputation for causing trouble.

  

Ella’s job was ordinary, but enjoyable. One she had passionate feelings for. As a matter of fact, she was a teacher’s assistant at the local primary school, focusing on children with reading challenges. Ella found it fulfilling to assist children in grasping letter formation and enhancing their literacy abilities. 

Ava glanced at her nails, clearly uninterested in anything Ella did. If there was anyone who perfectly embodied the role of a wicked stepsister in a fairytale, it would be Ava, even though she was Ella’s actual sister. She embodied the fairytale effortlessly with her nature.

Ella didn’t have any ill will towards Ava; she simply wanted to move on with her life and not be bothered by Ava’s petty behaviour and jealousies. It was just so exhausting.

“Well, I hope you will not have that long face at my wedding. All I can say is thank god! You are not part of the wedding party.” Ava hissed. “Who would want your long face in their wedding photos?” 

Ella opted for silence instead of speaking up. What was the point? If she fired back, Ava only got meaner and nastier with every comment. 

Over time, Ella discovered that the most effective approach to dealing with her twin was to remain emotionless and speak minimally. 

“Mmm.” Ella said finally. Her facial expression was completely neutral.

“It’s unfortunate I have to have Stephen’s fat little sister in my wedding party as it is. I can only hope she will fall and break a leg or something before the wedding, then she would have to drop out. She could really lose some weight.” Ella stopped what she was doing and just stared at her bitchy twin.

Tate, Stephen’s sister, was a lovely girl of eighteen. She wasn’t fat at all; she had a beautiful hourglass figure most women would die for. Ella considered her one of the most lovely women she knew. Tate was beautiful both inside and out, with her kind heart, sharing nature, and chestnut straight hair styled into a bob around her heart-shaped face.

The standout feature of Tate was undeniably her eyes. It felt as if you were staring into the eyes of a tiger. Totally amazing. 

This was how Ava operated, running people down. She was certain that Tate was more than capable of looking after herself. Just in case the next time she saw her, Ella would check in with her. Ask how she was getting on with Ava.

Ella hadn’t really spoken to her since Stephen had left Ella for her sister. Feeling upset and embarrassed, explaining to Tate that she hadn’t loved her brother would be too difficult. Hard for Tate to hear.

Stephen’s widowed mother held a strong animosity towards Ava and was deeply unhappy about the upcoming marriage. More than once, Mary Blackwater had voiced her dislike for her son’s chosen bride. Ava was so unbearable that even Stephen’s married older brother Andrew couldn’t tolerate her. 

She mentally shrugged and decided it wasn’t her problem. Ella wasn’t marrying into the Blackwater family after all. Her next meeting with Tate remains uncertain unless she decides to attend the annual Blackwater manor ball. She could then spend some time with Tate.

Being a wallflower, Ella hadn’t been before. Even while Ava hadn’t lived in town, she still had not attended. She would have gone if she were still engaged to Stephen. Attendance was mandatory, as well as a means to please his family. 

As if reading her mind, Ava stated, “Really glad you’re not going to Blackwater ball as well, Ella. You really can be a wet blanket. Based on your actions, you would think I am guilty of something. Let’s face it Ella, Men simply find me more appealing than you. It’s not my fault they drop you like a hot potato when I’m around.” She added nastily.

Ella looked at her sister, wondering what she had ever done to be given such a horrible relation. She sighed, aware that she couldn’t escape by staying silent.

“Ava, you are more than welcome to Stephen, you’re right! He wasn’t for me.” Ella said simply. 

Ava disregarded Ella’s comment and kept talking. “It’s just a shame really that Andrew is happily married to that shrew Cheryl. He will inherit the majority share of Blackwater estate and businesses when the old girl dies.”  

With wide eyes, Ella gazed at her sister. It was evident to her that Ava didn’t have genuine feelings for Stephen. She only saw him as a source of financial security, a meal ticket. Now her modelling career was over.

Ella was unaware of the depths her sister would stoop to achieve her goals. Had she already tried? Is that the reason why nobody in the Blackwater family, except for Stephen, had anything positive to say about Ava? Was it because she made advances towards Andrew? Is it really possible for her to be that foolish? 

What Ava said got her really mad. Ava’s marriage couldn’t come soon enough. Once married, Ella would emerge from her cocoon and be true to herself. Strip away her disguise.