Chapter 6

“It’s not your fault,” Elara said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Cassia frowned, clearly not satisfied with that answer. “But something’s bothering you, isn’t it?”

Elara bit her lip, struggling to find the words. She had spent so long trying to hide her feelings, trying to keep up the facade of being fine. But now, faced with Cassia’s genuine concern, she found it impossible to keep pretending.

“It’s just… it’s hard,” Elara admitted, her voice trembling. “I was so happy when I first came here. I thought I had finally found a place where I belonged. But now, with you here, I feel like I don’t matter as much anymore.”

Cassia’s eyes widened in shock, and she reached out to take Elara’s hand. “Oh, Elara, that’s not true at all! You do matter. You’re part of this family, just like I am.”

Elara shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “But you’re their real family, Cassia. You’re their niece, their blood. I’m just… I’m just someone they took in because they felt sorry for me.”

Cassia squeezed Elara’s hand, her expression filled with sympathy. “Elara, you’re not just someone they took in. They love you. I can see it in the way they look at you, the way they talk about you. You’re not a burden to them—you’re a blessing.”

Elara looked up at Cassia, her vision blurred by tears. She wanted to believe her, wanted to believe that she was truly loved and valued. But the doubt that had taken root in her heart was hard to shake.

“Why do you care so much?” Elara asked, her voice tinged with bitterness. “You have everything. You’re beautiful, you’re smart, you’re everything they could ever want in a daughter. Why does it matter to you if I’m upset?”

Cassia’s expression softened, and she let go of Elara’s hand, leaning back in her chair. “Because you’re my sister,” she said simply.

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with meaning. Elara stared at Cassia, her heart pounding in her chest. Sister. It was a word she had never expected to hear, a word that carried so much weight.

“You’re my sister,” Cassia repeated, her voice gentle. “Maybe not by blood, but in every other way that matters. And I don’t want to lose you.”

Elara felt a tear slip down her cheek, and this time she didn’t bother to wipe it away. She had spent so long feeling alone, so long believing that she was unwanted. But here was Cassia, the girl she had envied and resented, offering her something she had never thought possible—a connection, a bond that went beyond blood.

“Cassia…” Elara began, her voice breaking.

Cassia smiled, her eyes filled with warmth. “We can be sisters, Elara. Real sisters. But only if you want to.”

Elara hesitated, her emotions warring within her. She had spent so long building walls around herself, walls to protect her from the pain of rejection. But now, faced with Cassia’s sincerity, those walls began to crumble.

“I want to,” Elara whispered, her voice trembling. “But I’m scared.”

Cassia reached out and took Elara’s hand again, holding it tightly. “I’m scared too,” she admitted. “But I think we can figure it out together.”

Elara looked into Cassia’s eyes, searching for any hint of deception, any sign that this was all just another dream waiting to be shattered. But all she saw was honesty, a genuine desire to connect.

Slowly, Elara nodded, her heart swelling with a mixture of fear and hope. “Okay,” she said softly. “Let’s try.”

Cassia’s smile widened, and she gave Elara’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll take it one step at a time,” she said. “And I promise, no matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you.”

Elara felt a weight lift from her chest, a burden she hadn’t even realized she was carrying. For the first time in weeks, she felt a flicker of hope—a hope that maybe, just maybe, she could find her place in this family, that she could find her way out of the shadows and into the light.

And as she sat there, holding Cassia’s hand, Elara dared to believe that this glimpse of hope might finally be the start of something real, something lasting. It wouldn’t be easy—she knew that. But for the first time, she felt like she wasn’t alone, like she had someone to share the journey with.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the library in a warm, golden glow, Elara and Cassia sat together, talking quietly about everything and nothing. And in that moment, surrounded by the scent of old books and the promise of a new beginning, Elara felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

She felt at home.

Elara had always been good at pretending. At the orphanage, she had pretended not to notice the looks of pity from the staff, the whispered conversations about her quiet demeanor, or the way the other children sometimes avoided her because she was different—too quiet, too thoughtful, too odd. But now, in the grand Hawthorne mansion, surrounded by luxury and comfort, Elara found herself pretending more than ever before. She had to pretend to be happy, pretend to be grateful, and, most of all, pretend that Cassia was the sister she had always wanted.

On the surface, Cassia was everything Elara could have wished for in a sister. She was charming, beautiful, and always seemed to know the right thing to say. In public, Cassia was the perfect sibling, the kind of sister who draped an arm around Elara’s shoulders and spoke about her with a fondness that made others smile. She would gush about how lucky she was to have a sister like Elara, how much she adored her, and how she couldn’t imagine life without her. Her words were laced with sweetness, delivered with a smile that could light up a room.

To anyone looking in from the outside, it seemed like Elara and Cassia were as close as two sisters could be. They were often seen together, laughing and chatting, their bond apparently unbreakable. Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne, too, seemed to believe in this perfect sibling relationship, their faces lighting up with pride whenever they saw their daughters together.

But behind closed doors, when the prying eyes of the world were no longer on them, Cassia was different. The warmth and affection that she displayed so freely in public evaporated, replaced by a cold, almost hostile demeanor. It was as if a switch had been flipped, transforming Cassia from the loving sister into a different person entirely.

Elara had noticed the change in Cassia’s behavior almost immediately after their conversation in the library. At first, she had convinced herself that she was imagining things, that the tension she felt between them was just her own insecurity. But as the days passed, it became impossible to ignore.

It started with small things—little moments that seemed insignificant on their own but, when strung together, painted a much darker picture. Cassia would smile at Elara during dinner, her eyes twinkling with sisterly affection, but later, in the privacy of their shared spaces, her expression would harden, her tone turning sharp and cutting.

“Don’t touch that,” Cassia would snap if Elara so much as glanced at one of her belongings. “That’s mine.”

The words stung more than Elara would have liked to admit. She had always been careful not to intrude on Cassia’s space, not to take anything that wasn’t hers, but the warnings were relentless, each one delivered with an edge that made Elara feel like she was trespassing simply by existing.

Elara tried to make herself smaller, less noticeable. She avoided Cassia’s room entirely, kept her things neatly organized in her own space, and did her best to stay out of her sister’s way. But no matter how hard she tried, it was never enough.

One evening, after a particularly tense day, Elara found herself standing in front of Cassia’s door, her heart pounding in her chest. She had only come to ask a simple question—whether Cassia wanted to join her for a walk in the garden—but the thought of knocking on the door filled her with dread. She hesitated, her hand hovering in the air, unsure of what to do.

Before she could make a decision, the door swung open, and Cassia stood before her, a look of mild irritation on her face.

“What do you want?” Cassia asked, her tone flat.

Elara swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way her stomach twisted with anxiety. “I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Cassia’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Elara thought she might actually agree. But then Cassia sighed, a sound that seemed to convey a world of impatience.

“I’m busy,” Cassia said curtly. “Go by yourself.”

Elara nodded quickly, backing away from the door. “Okay. Sorry to bother you.”

Cassia didn’t respond. She simply closed the door, leaving Elara standing in the hallway, feeling like she had done something wrong without knowing what it was.

Elara walked away, her heart heavy with a familiar sense of rejection. She had always been an outsider, always felt like she didn’t belong. But this was different. This was personal, a deliberate effort on Cassia’s part to keep her at a distance, to make her feel unwelcome in her own home.