Chapter 2 The truth

Tabitha didn't know why her hands, which controlled the steering wheel of the car as she drove, suddenly made a U-turn.

Something inside her just felt incomplete.

Tabitha took a moment away from her tearful state and was now driving back home.

She felt like she needed to speak her mind.

Tabitha felt she needed Bianca and Donald to understand that it wasn't okay for both of them to treat her so cruelly by betraying her.

As she drove, Tabitha pondered various things and began to realize some truths about her fiancé.

Taking a moment to revisit her past memories, Tabitha noticed how irritated Donald appeared whenever she was being affectionate or clingy.

She recalled how he distanced himself from her whenever she made plans for them to spend time together, often claiming to be busy with work.

Tabitha wasn't a relationship expert, but now, with a clearer mind, she realized that no one should be too busy for something or someone they genuinely cared about.

It dawned on her that Donald likely didn't consider her an important part of his life.

Tabitha also surmised that the reason he avoided her calls was probably because he was never truly in love with her.

All the signs were there for her to notice. She wondered if she had overlooked them or perhaps chose to ignore them subconsciously.

But the question that troubled her was why Donald was going through with the marriage if he knew he didn't love her.

Tears welled up in Tabitha's eyes once more. She wanted to pull over and cry, but she pushed herself to continue driving.

"No! I've allowed both of them to take advantage of me. I shouldn't..." Tabitha's voice trailed off as her heart ached, making breathing difficult.

"Why does it hurt so much?"

In agony, Tabitha drove back to her house.

She stepped out of the car and saw that the small party for Bianca's birthday had already begun.

Tabitha hesitated for a moment before getting back into the car. She turned around and drove to buy a small cake, then returned.

As she stared at her family's home, the pain she felt turned to anger.

Tabitha had always been a kind-hearted woman, quick to forgive, and willing to sacrifice for her family's happiness and comfort. She had always gone to great lengths to make her family happy.

In reality, now she saw that she had been incredibly naive.

She had mistaken the affection she received from her family for pure love, but it had become clear that she had been blind to their true feelings.

As she reflected on her past experiences with Donald, her thoughts also turned to her family.

Yet, despite these revelations, Tabitha still couldn't fully acknowledge it.

Tabitha entered the building and proceeded directly to the lobby where the small party was taking place.

She stood there for a moment, the painful image of her fiancé and sister together flashing through her mind as she heard her sister's voice call her name.

Tabitha hesitated but eventually turned to face Bianca, forcing a smile.

"Sister, I've been calling you. Where have you been?" Bianca inquired.

"I've been crying," Tabitha replied, her voice quivering.

"I saw a lady whose sister and fiancé were having an affair behind the lady's back, and it made me so sad that I took some time to cry for her. How sad," Tabitha explained.

The expressions on Bianca's face were clear.

The expression on Bianca's face revealed shock, confusion, and curiosity.

Then, Donald, the cause of Tabitha's heartache, joined the sisters.

"Wow!" Tabitha exclaimed, her tone laced with sarcasm.

"Isn't it a bit much for me to cry because of another woman's problem?" Tabitha asked as she approached Bianca.

"But unfortunately, it's not another woman. I am the one who got betrayed. Happy birthday, sister!" Tabitha presented the small cake and playfully pressed it onto Bianca's face.

Tabitha laughed, though her laughter was filled with more pain than amusement.

"I don't think that's enough," she continued, lifting her hand and giving Bianca's face a slap.

"How could you?!" she asked, practically shouting in a mix of anger and hurt.

"Would you stop it, Tabitha!"

To Tabitha's surprise, her fiancé scolded her and went to help Bianca.

Tabitha felt the urge to hit something heavy on Donald's head.

"How could you, Donald?!"

Tabitha's action had caught the guests' attention.

The lobby was filled with people of high status, most of whom were Bianca's friends. Some of these friends knew Tabitha.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones, the sisters' parents, weren't present at this moment, so they were unable to defend their favorite daughter, Bianca, as they often did.

"How could you do this to me, Donald? I thought we were real. I thought you loved me deeply, but..."

Donald turned to face Tabitha. He couldn't hold back any longer.

"Bianca has everything you don't have, Tabitha. She's beautiful, she has the best behavior, she isn't as clingy as you, she isn't so vulnerable, she doesn't make life uncomfortable for me. She's the real daughter of the Jones family! She has everything I want in a woman, and you... how could I tell you that I don't feel any bit of love for you when you are always acting pathetic?! I felt so sorry for you, and I couldn't tell you that I don't love you. Finally, you found out yourself!"

Tabitha was shocked by everything Donald blurted out.

She was stunned to hear that Donald never loved her, and tears welled up in her eyes. However, this didn't stop Tabitha from hitting Donald's face.

"Why?" She cried.

"Was it wrong to be me?" Tabitha's face suddenly darkened when she recalled a particular statement Donald had just made.

"What do you mean by Bianca being the real daughter?" Tabitha asked.

"Mother and father never told you," Bianca walked in after receiving treatment from her friends who helped her wipe her face.

"You aren't their real child. You are just the daughter of our mother's step-sister who died after giving birth to you. Mother and father, being so kind, adopted you and gave you a good life but you always asked for more. You were never grateful and couldn't stay in the place you belong. No one considers you as family. We are just being kind to you!"

Tabitha was utterly stunned.

She couldn't even let any words out.

"So this is why mother and father always took Bianca's side," Tabitha thought.

Back in school, when Bianca bullies children, she'd end up making it seem like Tabitha was at fault. Tabitha would get punished for things she didn't do. Tabitha barely celebrated her birthday the way Bianca did. Bianca always had an opportunity to move forward with her career, but it wasn't the same for Tabitha.

"Why didn't I notice this all along?" Tabitha asked the question, but to herself.

With their parents, Bianca had everything she wanted, but Tabitha had to struggle for hers.

"You were just too naive and too good for yourself, Tabitha. I have your man now, so what else do you have left? You are just a nobody and will always be a nobody!" Bianca showed her true colors to Tabitha and felt good about it.

Tabitha turned to look at Bianca.

"How foolish of you," she stated.

"If a man can betray a woman after being committed to her, what's the guarantee that he wouldn't do the same to another woman?" Tabitha asked, causing Bianca's eyebrows to crease.

"I don't want a man like Donald. He's too childish, and I'll gladly give him to you. As for the part of me being a nobody, I'll prefer to be a nobody than to be the sister who had a secret affair with the man her sister planned to marry. Enjoy him; I don't care."

Tabitha said to them and left the scene with a broken heart.