The fine china rattled as my stepmother slammed her teacup down onto the saucer.
”It really is a shame about Stella,” Mrs.
Knox said, her voice carrying across the dining room.
“If her mother hadn’t died so young, maybe someone would have taught her how to act like a lady.
Look at her.
Twenty-six years old, a total wreck, unable to walk two feet without bringing chaos into a room.” I kept my eyes fixed on my plate, my fingers tightening around my fork.
”Though honestly,” she continued with a dismissive wave of her hand, “I doubt it would have made a difference.
She was born useless anyway.
Not a single drop of our family’s Peacemaker gift in her veins.
Pure dead weight.” She turned toward my stepsister, her expression instantly softening into a smile.
”Now look at my Kristen,” she cooed.
“The nation’s perfect daughter, about to marry Holland Burke, the nation’s perfect son.
Isn’t that just a match made in heaven?
A picture-perfect dream.
The kind of life you could only dream about, Stella, since no man in Raven City would ever want you.” My chair screeched against the floor as I stood up.
Heat rose into my face.
I turned to walk away, but my shoulder clipped a maid stepping into the dining room with a tray of fresh dessert.
Glass shattered.
Sweet cream and berries spilled across the polished floor, splashing over the maid’s white apron and my own shoes.
”Case in point,” my stepmother scoffed, covering her mouth with a delicate hand.
Kristen sprang up from her seat, her silk gown rustling.
“Oh dear!
Let me help you clean that up, Sarah.
Don’t worry about it at all!” Kyle, my fifteen-year-old stepbrother, quietly got up to grab extra napkins.
My father sat at the head of the table, cutting his steak in complete silence, not even bothering to look up.
I turned and bolted up the stairs, locking my bedroom door before sinking onto the carpet.
I cried until my chest burned, staring at the ceiling as the night dragged on.
Just a regular dinner where I was reminded that being the eldest daughter meant nothing, especially when I couldn’t even live up to the Knox family’s standards.
I was clumsy, accident-prone, and apparently incapable of touching anything without eventually breaking it.
The family called Kristen their Peacemaker.
Me?
I was the girl everyone blamed when something went wrong.
I couldn’t inherit the Knox family’s Peacemaker gift, and apparently, I couldn’t be trusted around anything either.
I’d even stopped trying to learn how to drive because, frankly, it was safer for everyone on the road.
My stepmother called me useless and clumsy so often that I had eventually stopped arguing.
And because of that, my younger stepsister was named the Heiress while I was the fake heiress who could have been.
I stood up and climbed into my bed without changing my clothes or cleaning up.
Sleep came easily.
♡´･ᴗ･`♡ At five in the morning, the harsh knocking started.
”Get up, Stella,” my stepmother’s voice called through the wood.
“Since you can’t contribute anything else, you can make yourself useful with the event prep.” Three hours later, I was hauling heavy crates of ice and extra silverware into the kitchen of the Grand Raven Hotel.
While Kristen sat in a private suite surrounded by makeup artists, I wiped down countertops and organized pastry trays.
As the oldest daughter of the Knox family, I wore a faded dress and carried a dish towel.
Beside me, two catering workers were gossiping near the industrial ovens.
At first, I zoned out, determined to get through the godforsaken day as quickly as possible, until the conversation caught my attention.
“Did you see that music video last night?” one asked, sliding a tray of tarts onto a rack.
“The one where the girl got all the way to the altar, and then her ex ran in?” ”Yeah!” the other girl giggled.
“She dropped her flowers, grabbed his hand, and ran right out the front doors in front of all the guests!
Her family looked like they were going to faint!
That was such a good concept.
She was only marrying the new man because her parents forced her, but then her ex came in to save the day.” “Right?!
That was so romantic.
At least he came before they said their vows.” I stopped wiping the counter.
The kitchen noise faded around me as certain words caught in my mind and started forming an idea of their own.
A ruined wedding.
A destroyed reputation.
My stepmother’s words from last night echoed in my ears.
Useless.
A wreck.
Nobody wants her.
The plan formed in my head, and before I could talk myself out of it, I had already washed my hands, dried them on my apron, and tossed the towel into the laundry bin.
“Where are you going?” a staff manager called out.
”To check on the bride,” I said softly.
I walked up the grand staircase to the bridal suite.
Outside the door, my stepmother was barking orders at two florists carrying white roses.
”Stella,” she snapped, barely looking at me.
“Take the veil inside.
Everyone else is stepping out to take their places in the chapel.
Make sure Kristen is fully dressed, then bring her out to the corridor.” ”Yes, Stepmother,” I said.
I took the long white veil from her hands, opened the double doors, and stepped into the room.
Kristen stood near the full-length mirror, wearing only her light inner dress.
Her hair was styled in intricate curls, and she looked like a picture from a magazine.
“Oh, Stella!” Kristen smiled, turning around.
“Did Mom send you in with the veil?
Can you help me hook the back of my dress?” ”Sure,” I said, stepping closer to help her.
“Actually, I dropped my earring near the storage closet in the corner.
Can you help me look for it real quick?
It was Mom’s old silver one.” “Of course!” Kristen said immediately, walking over to the small storage room connected to the suite.
She leaned inside, peering at the carpet.
“Where did you drop—” I shoved her hard in the back.
Kristen stumbled forward into the dark closet, gasping as she hit a stack of linen boxes.
Before she could turn around, I grabbed a bundle of thick satin curtain ties from the side table, wrapped them around her wrists, and pulled them tight.
”Stella?!” she asked, “What are you doing?!
Let me go!” I pulled a rolled lace napkin from my pocket and stuffed it into her mouth, tying a sash around her jaw to keep it in place.
She thrashed against the floor, her wide eyes filled with shock.
”You’re the perfect daughter,” I whispered, stepping back into the dressing room.
“So stay right there and be a perfect sister for me, okay?
Good girl.” I pulled the door shut.
I turned the key in the antique brass lock.
CRUNCH.
A harsh metallic snap echoed inside the door mechanism.
The handle went completely loose in my hand, spinning freely.
I frowned and gave the knob another wiggle.
Of course.
Even the stupid lock had to fall apart when I touched it.
”Cheap venue hardware,” I muttered under my breath.
I turned toward the mannequin holding the main wedding dress.
It was a massive, glittering gown covered in thousands of hand-sewn pearls—the ultimate symbol of the Knox family’s wealth and prestige.
I unzipped my faded cotton dress and let it drop to the floor.
I stepped into the wedding gown, pulling the heavy zipper up my back.
It fit tightly, but it zipped.
I picked up the long lace veil, secured it over my hair, and pulled the thick mesh down over my face.
I didn’t need the theatrics of styled hair and makeup.
I already looked presentable.
I walked over to the tall mirror.
My reflection was completely obscured beneath the layers of white lace and pearl trim.
Nobody could see my face.
I squeezed my hands into fists, watching the lace tremble slightly.
“You wanted a picture-perfect wedding for your precious, gifted heiress,” I whispered to the empty room, a small smirk spreading across my lips.
“Let’s see how much you love her when I ruin the dream.” I picked up the bridal bouquet from the vanity table, opened the suite doors, and stepped out into the quiet hallway.
Down at the end of the corridor, the double doors leading into the main chapel were wide open.
I could hear the organ music echoing through the grand hall, accompanied by the low chatter of elite guests waiting for the show to start.
I took a deep breath and began walking down the red carpet toward the altar.
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♡♡ —UC.