Chapter 3

"Ava? What are you doing here?" Scarlett' s voice was like honey laced with poison. She reached me first, Mark and Liam a few steps behind.

The woman I' d bumped into was still staring. "She' s your twin? You two look so much alike!"

Scarlett' s smile tightened. "We're not identical." She turned back to me, her eyes flashing with anger. "I thought you were supposed to be at home resting."

Her words were a public reprimand, painting me as disobedient and reckless. Murmurs rippled through the small crowd that had gathered.

"She looks so pale," someone whispered.

"Scarlett is a saint for taking care of her son while she' s sick," another added.

Liam let go of Scarlett's hand and ran to her, hiding behind her legs. He peeked out at me, his face full of accusation.

"Why are you here, Mom? You're going to ruin everything."

The words hit me harder than a physical blow. Ruin everything. Ruin their perfect new family.

"Liam, that's not a nice thing to say," I said, my voice trembling.

Scarlett put a protective arm around him. "Don't you dare scold him, Ava. He's been through enough. He told me how you yell at him all the time. How you get angry when he just wants to play."

"What? That's not true!" I looked at Mark for support, but he was staring at me with cold disappointment.

"Ava, maybe this isn't the time or place," he said, his voice low and firm.

"She pushed me last week!" Liam suddenly shouted, pointing at me. "She was mad that I spilled juice, and she shoved me against the wall!"

The crowd gasped. Scarlett knelt, hugging Liam tightly. "Oh, you poor baby. It's okay. Mommy's here now."

She looked up at the crowd, her eyes filled with crocodile tears. "I'm so sorry you all have to see this. My sister... she hasn't been well. The pressure has been too much for her."

Then my own parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, appeared, drawn by the commotion. They had always favored Scarlett, the successful actress, over me, the quiet designer. My mother rushed to Scarlett's side, ignoring me completely.

"Scarlett, darling, what's wrong?" she asked, glaring at me as if I were a stranger.

"Mom, Ava is upsetting Liam," Scarlett sobbed. "She's not stable."

My father stepped forward. His face was a thundercloud. "Ava, you should be ashamed of yourself. Coming here and making a scene. Look at what you're doing to your sister's reputation! And to your own son!"

He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh. "You're coming with us. Now."

He tried to drag me away, but I wrenched my arm free. The faces around me were a blur of judgment and pity. I was the crazy one. The abusive one. The villain in their perfectly scripted drama.

I couldn't take it anymore. I turned and ran, pushing through the crowd of gawking parents. I didn't stop until I reached the parking lot, my lungs burning.

"Ava, wait!"

It was Mark. He caught up to me at my car.

"I'm so sorry about that," he said, breathing heavily. "Liam is just confused. And Scarlett is just trying to protect him."

The apology was so fake, so insulting, it made me want to scream.

"Get away from me," I said, my voice dangerously low.

"Ava, don't be like this. We're a family. We'll get through this."

"We are not a family," I spat, yanking my car door open. I got in and slammed it shut, locking it before he could try to stop me. I drove away without a backward glance.

When I got home, the house felt like a tomb. I went straight to the shower and scrubbed my skin, trying to wash away their touch, their lies, their very existence.

I wasn't home for more than an hour before the front door burst open. It was my parents.

"How dare you!" my mother shrieked, her face contorted with rage. She marched up to me and slapped me hard across the face. The sting was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

"You embarrassed us! You embarrassed Scarlett!" my father yelled, his voice booming in the quiet house. "She has a reputation to maintain! Do you have any idea the damage you've done?"

"She's the one lying!" I shouted back, holding my cheek. "She and Mark are having an affair! They're using me!"

My mother slapped me again. "Lies! Scarlett would never do that. You're just jealous. You've always been jealous of your sister's success, her beauty, her life!"

I stumbled back, my mind reeling. I remembered every birthday where Scarlett got the bigger gift. Every school play where they only had eyes for her. Every achievement of mine that was met with indifference while hers were celebrated for weeks.

"If you don't go and publicly apologize to Scarlett and fix this mess," my father threatened, pointing a finger in my face, "we will tell everyone the truth. That you're a mentally unstable, abusive mother who is unfit to care for her own child. We will make sure you lose everything."

I just stared at them, the last bit of love I had for them dying a quiet, final death.

They left, slamming the door behind them. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed. It was a video from Scarlett. I opened it. She was in a luxury car, smiling into the camera. Mark was driving, his hand on her leg.

"Heard you had a rough day, sis," she purred. "Just remember your place. You're nothing. And soon, everyone will know it."

The video ended. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I just sat there in the silent house, a cold, hard resolve settling in my bones. They thought they had won. They thought they had broken me.

They were wrong. This was just the beginning.