Chapter 4

Allie Bridges POV:

The engagement party was a blur of forced smiles, clinking glasses, and the suffocating scent of expensive perfume. I sat at the grand dining table, picking at my food, every bite tasting like ash. My father, seated at the head, regaled August with tales of his business acumen, while showering Caroline with compliments about her beauty and grace.

"Caroline, my dear, you're truly a vision," he boomed, raising his glass. "And August, you've chosen wisely. A woman of such delicate sensibility."

His words, meant to praise Caroline, felt like a deliberate slap to my face. He never missed an opportunity to subtly, or not so subtly, remind me of my supposed failures. My existence at the table was a silent accusation, a dark cloud in their otherwise perfect celebration.

I couldn't endure it. The forced civility, the blatant favoritism, the sheer hypocrisy of it all. Without a word, I pushed back my chair, scraping it loudly against the polished floor, and walked out. I could feel their eyes on my back, but I didn't care.

I retreated to my old bedroom, a sanctuary that now felt like a prison. The room was just as I had left it years ago, untouched, a museum of my childhood. I sank onto the window seat, staring out at the manicured gardens, a silent tear tracing a path down my cheek.

A soft knock came at the door, then Caroline poked her head in, her smile still unnervingly sweet. "Allie, dear? Are you alright? You left the party so suddenly."

My stomach clenched. Her feigned concern was a thin veil over a predatory gleam in her eyes. "I'm fine, Caroline," I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "Just a little overwhelmed by all the... happiness."

She glided into the room, her movements fluid and graceful, like a snake. "Oh, Allie, don't be like that. We're family. You should be happy for us. For me and August." She sat beside me, too close, her perfume cloying. "He's truly wonderful, isn't he? We were always meant to be."

My jaw tightened. "Meant to be? You left him, Caroline. He was too 'cold' for you, remember? Too 'emotionally distant.' Funny how he learned to change, isn't it? Took him three years of practice."

Her sweet smile faltered, a flicker of genuine anger crossing her face before it was swiftly replaced by a pout. "Allie, don't be bitter. Just because you couldn't keep him doesn't mean you have to be so cruel."

"Keep him?" I scoffed, a humorless laugh escaping my lips. "I didn't 'keep' him, Caroline. I loved him. You just took him back after he spent three years molding himself into your perfect little lapdog."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're just jealous. Always have been. My mother always said you envied me."

"Envied you?" I stood up, my fists clenched. "Envied the girl whose mother broke up my parents' marriage? Envied the girl who stole my father's affection? Envied the girl who now steals my lover? You're a parasite, Caroline. You always have been, feeding off other people's lives!"

Her composure shattered. Her eyes blazed, and she lunged at me, her hand striking my cheek. The force of the blow snapped my head back.

My mind went blank with shock, then red with fury. I shoved her back, hard. She stumbled, falling against the vanity table. A glass perfume bottle toppled, crashing to the floor.

Caroline let out a shrill scream, clutching her arm. "Oh, my God! My arm! You pushed me, Allie! You pushed me!"

Before I could even register what was happening, August burst through the door, my father and stepmother right behind him. August's eyes immediately went to Caroline, who was now sobbing dramatically, holding her arm, a tiny cut appearing on her wrist where the glass had shattered.

"Caroline? What happened?" August rushed to her side, his face etched with concern.

"Allie... she pushed me! She's always hated me!" Caroline wailed, burying her face in August's chest.

"Allie! What have you done?!" My stepmother shrieked, rushing to Caroline's other side, cradling her. "My poor baby! She's so delicate!"

My father, his face purple with rage, didn't even ask. He raised his hand, and a sharp, stinging pain erupted on my cheek. He slapped me. Hard.

"You ungrateful, malicious child!" he roared, his eyes blazing with a hatred that chilled me to the bone. "How dare you lay a hand on Caroline! After everything she's done for you!"

I stumbled back, my hand pressed to my burning cheek, tears of shock and indignation blurring my vision. My father had never hit me before. Not like this. The raw injustice of it, the absolute blind favoritism, left me numb. This wasn't just a family; it was a conspiracy against me.

August, cradling Caroline, looked up at me, his eyes colder than I had ever seen them. "Allie, what is wrong with you? What kind of monster attacks her own sister?"

My stepmother wailed, "She's always been jealous of Caroline, August! Ever since they were little! Caroline's always been so kind, so sweet, but Allie just resented her!"

"It's true, August," Caroline whimpered, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I think... I think she's always been resentful of my... my health issues, too."

August's brow furrowed. "Health issues? What are you talking about, Caroline?"

My stepmother quickly interjected, her voice trembling with false concern. "Oh, August, we didn't want to burden you. But Caroline... she's been so brave. She was recently diagnosed with a very rare form of aplastic anemia. It's... it's quite serious. Her body isn' t producing enough blood cells. That's why she' s so fragile."

Aplastic anemia? My stepsister, the picture of health and vitality, was faking a life-threatening illness. The sheer audacity of the lie stole my breath. This was a new low, even for her.

Caroline, seeing August's concern deepen, suddenly gasped, her eyes rolling back in her head. She went limp in his arms.

"Caroline!" August cried out, his voice filled with genuine panic. He lifted her easily, her light form cradled against his chest. "She's fainted! We need to get her to the hospital!"

He stormed out of the room, Caroline's unconscious form in his arms, his face a mask of terror. My father and stepmother followed, yelling for the car, for the driver. They left me standing there, slapped, accused, utterly alone.

"You! Get in the car!" My father's voice, sharp and cold, sliced through the hallway. He was talking to me. "We need to go to the hospital. And you're coming."

I stared blankly at him. Why? Why would he want me there?

"They'll need to run tests!" my stepmother hissed, her eyes gleaming with a disturbing calculation. "And they'll need blood! Who knows, Allie, maybe you'll be useful after all!"

A chill ran down my spine. Useful. Useful for exactly what? I felt like a lamb being led to the slaughter, completely powerless, caught in a web of their making. The insidious implication of her words sent a wave of dread through me.

At the hospital, the chaos continued. Doctors and nurses swarmed around Caroline. August paced frantically in the waiting room, his face pale with worry. My father and stepmother sat beside him, offering hushed words of comfort, shooting me angry glances whenever they thought August wasn't looking.

After what felt like an eternity, a doctor emerged. "She needs a blood transfusion immediately. Her blood count is critically low. We need to find a match quickly."

My stepmother gasped dramatically. "Oh, doctor! We're her family! Please, test us!"

The doctor nodded, "We're testing Mr. Armstrong and Mrs. Pate now. In the meantime, is there anyone else closely related? A sibling, perhaps?"

All eyes turned to me. A cold, hard knot formed in my stomach. I knew where this was going.

August's head snapped up, his eyes locking onto mine. They were devoid of any lingering tenderness, replaced by a desperate, almost feral intensity. "Allie. You're her sister. You're a match, aren't you?" His voice was low, dangerous.

I stared at him, unable to speak, a terrifying realization dawning on me. He wasn't asking. He was demanding. And for the first time, I felt not just heartbreak, but pure, unadulterated fear. My life felt like it was no longer my own, but a commodity to be exploited, even by the man I had once loved.