Chapter 4

As Emily gave a tearful interview about the power of forgiveness, I slipped away from the crowd. No one noticed me leave. Their star was Emily, the graceful victim. I was just the villain who had served her purpose.

I walked out of the hospital's main entrance and into the pre-dawn chill. The city was still quiet. I just kept walking, with no destination in mind.

My entire life had been a competition with Emily, one that I was never allowed to win. When we were children, if I got a better grade on a test, my parents would say the teacher must have made a mistake. If I won a race, they'd say Emily let me win because she was kind.

They painted her as a saint and me as the bitter, jealous twin. They created the narrative, and they forced me to live in it.

I remembered the car accident at eighteen, the moment the system latched onto my desperate soul. It promised me a way out, a way to earn their love. For ten years, I followed its tasks, debasing myself, sacrificing my dignity, my dreams, my very identity, for a few worthless points that meant nothing.

I had tried to build a life for myself. I started my own small design studio. It was successful, but my parents told everyone I was struggling and that David was supporting me. They were ashamed of me for not being content as a housewife.

Emily, on the other hand, worked for our father's prestigious firm. She stole my designs, won awards with my work, and my parents celebrated her as a genius.

I fought them for years. I screamed, I cried, I presented evidence. It never mattered. They always chose her. They always would.

Tonight, I had finally admitted defeat. The game was over. I had lost.

"Olivia."

David's voice cut through my thoughts. He had pulled his car up beside me.

"Get in," he said. It wasn't a request.

I got into the passenger seat without a word. The silence in the car was heavy.

"You did the right thing back there," he said, his eyes on the road. "It was messy, but you fixed it. My father-in-law was pleased."

He said it like a manager praising an employee for handling a difficult client.

I wondered if he would feel any of this tomorrow. After the surgery. After I was gone. Would a single tear fall for the wife he never loved? Or would he just be relieved? Free to finally be with the woman he, and everyone else, clearly preferred.

We pulled up to a side entrance of the hospital.

"We'll go in this way," he said. "Avoid any leftover reporters."

As I got out of the car, a group of young people cornered me. They were holding signs with Emily's face on them.

"There she is!" one of them shouted. "The jealous sister!"

They surrounded me, their faces twisted in anger. They were Emily's fans, her online defenders.

"You're a monster!" a girl screamed, shoving me. "How could you do that to your own sister?"

An egg hit my shoulder, dripping yolk down my hospital gown. Another splattered against my hair. They were closing in, shouting, pushing. I stumbled backwards, my heart pounding with a sudden, primal fear.

Suddenly, David was there. He pushed his way through the small mob, shielding me with his body.

"Get back!" he yelled. "Leave her alone! Security!"

He wrapped an arm around me and pushed me toward the door, his body taking the brunt of another thrown object. He got me inside and slammed the door shut on their angry shouts.

He leaned against the door, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking at me. There was a smudge of dirt on his cheek.

I looked at him, at the flicker of what might have been genuine concern in his eyes.

But I knew better. It was just an act.

"You're just protecting the merchandise, David," I said, my voice flat. "Got to make sure the organ donor gets to the operating table in one piece."

The flicker of concern in his eyes died, replaced by a familiar flash of irritation.

"Don't be ridiculous, Olivia," he said, straightening his jacket. "Let's go. You need to get cleaned up before your surgery."

He turned and walked down the hall, expecting me to follow.

And I did. There was nothing else left to do.