I walked out of the meeting with my father, feeling the weight of our conversation still lingering in the air. My heart pounded, but it wasn't out of fear. No, it was the kind of pounding that came with the clarity of purpose, of finally standing up for myself after all these years.
But just as I turned to leave the room, a voice stopped me in my tracks.
"Wait, Emily," my father's voice called, softer now. I paused but didn't turn around. I was done with him. Done with his lies and his empty apologies.
But then, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching, followed by a rustling of paper. I felt something cold and heavy being placed into my hand. I looked down at it, unable to mask the confusion on my face. It was an envelope.
I looked back at my father, who stood a few paces behind me, his face unreadable.
"What is this?" I asked, my voice tight, the words like daggers in my throat.
"Open it," he said, his voice strained. There was something unsettling in the way he spoke, but I couldn't place it.
With a sense of trepidation building in the pit of my stomach, I ripped open the envelope, pulling out a single card inside. As I read the words, my blood ran cold.
It was a wedding invitation.
But not just any wedding invitation.
It was the wedding of my sister. And the groom—my ex-boyfriend, Aghav Black, the man who had once promised to love me, the man who had torn my heart apart in my past life. The very same Aghav Black who had become my sister's lover. The man who had never been mine to keep.
I stared at the invitation in disbelief, my mind racing. How could this be happening? How could they both be getting married?
I felt the room spin, the walls closing in around me. The weight of the invitation in my hands felt like an anchor, dragging me into the depths of the past I had tried so hard to leave behind.
"Father, what is this?" I demanded, my voice shaking now. I could barely keep it steady as the words spilled out.
My father's expression was unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, something I couldn't place—regret? Satisfaction? It was hard to tell.
"You need to attend," he said, his tone more forceful now. "You need to witness it. It's your place in this family, after all. You're still part of it."
"Part of it?" I repeated, my voice dangerously low. "You think I'm going to just sit there and watch them? Watch my sister steal everything from me again? My love, my future, everything?"
My father didn't flinch. "It's your sister's turn now, Emily. You had your chance. Don't make this harder than it has to be."
His words hit me like a slap across the face. "My chance?" I whispered, more to myself than to him. "My chance was stolen from me. All for the sake of your precious family, your perfect reputation."
The sting of betrayal surged through me again, just as it had all those years ago. I clenched my fists, the wedding invitation crumpling in my grasp.
"You think this will break me?" I asked, my voice quiet but dangerous. "You think I'll just bow down to your manipulations and let them win?"
My father didn't respond, but his eyes hardened, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of fear in his gaze.
"Emily, don't make this worse. Go to the wedding. Show your face. It's expected of you."
I shook my head, the anger in me rising to the surface. "I'm done. I'm done with all of you. I will not be part of this charade. Not anymore."
With that, I turned and walked out of the room, leaving my father standing in the dimly lit space, still holding onto his hope that I would fall back into place, that I would play the role he had always intended for me.
---
As I walked down the hallway, the invitation still clutched tightly in my hand, my mind was racing. I couldn't let this happen. I couldn't let my sister win, not again. She had already taken everything from me once. I wasn't going to let her do it again.
The past life, the betrayal, Aghav—everything was rushing back, crashing over me like a tidal wave. My hands were trembling, my chest tightening with the rawness of it all. But I couldn't let myself fall apart now.
I had come so far. I had survived worse than this. And now, it was time to take control.
The wedding was soon. I had time. Time to plan. Time to show them all who I had become.
I didn't need their approval. I didn't need their love.
But I would make them regret ever thinking they could break me.
---
Would you like to explore Emily's actions leading up to the wedding, or her confrontation with her sister and Aghav?