Chapter 4

I felt nothing as I imagined Kelsey on the roof. I knew she wouldn't jump. She loved herself far too much for that. It was all a show, a well-rehearsed act of manipulation.

I finished my shift, collected my pay, and went back to my small, rented room above the cafe. Two days. Just two more days until my flight.

I spent the next day in a daze, walking through the city, a stranger in my own hometown. I avoided the places Don and I used to go, the parks, the museums, the little restaurants. They were tainted memories now.

That evening, I got a text from Joline. "Family meeting. Mom says you have to be here. It's about the engagement."

I knew what was coming. I went back to the mansion, my heart a cold, hard stone in my chest.

They were all there, gathered in the formal living room. My parents, Joline, Don, and Kelsey, who was wrapped in a cashmere blanket, looking pale and interesting.

My mother smiled at me, a rare and unsettling sight. "Annamarie, dear. We have some wonderful news."

"Kelsey's health is so fragile," my father began, picking up the narrative. "The doctor said any emotional distress could be... fatal. And her one true wish, the only thing that will give her the will to live, is to be engaged to Don."

I looked at Don. He wouldn't meet my eyes. He just stared at the floor, his jaw clenched.

"So, we've decided," my mother continued, her voice syrupy sweet, "that you will give your engagement to Kelsey. It's for the best, you see. A small sacrifice for your sister's life."

I turned to Don. "Is this what you want?" I asked, my voice surprisingly steady.

He finally looked up, his eyes full of a misery that almost mirrored my own. "Her psychologist said it would stabilize her. It's just a temporary measure, Annamarie. To calm her down."

"So, you're going to marry her?" I pressed.

"No! Of course not. It's just a pretense," he said, his voice desperate.

A pretense. My entire stolen life had been for a pretense.

I looked at their expectant faces, waiting for me to break down, to cry, to protest. Instead, I smiled.

"Alright," I said calmly.

The room went silent. They stared at me, shocked.

Kelsey, however, was not satisfied. She threw off her blanket. "It's not enough! I want her to bless us! I want her to get on her knees and wish us happiness!" She grabbed a nearby letter opener from the desk, pressing the tip against her wrist. "If she doesn't, I'll do it! I'll die right here!"

My sister Joline, her face pale, rushed to my side. "Annamarie, just do it! Please! For the family! Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

I looked at Joline, at my parents, at the man I once loved. How many times had they asked me to sacrifice for Kelsey? My scholarship, my freedom, my future. Now, my dignity.

I looked at Kelsey, at the letter opener held so dramatically against her skin.

"Fine," I said, my voice ringing with a strange clarity. "I'll do it. But on one condition."

All eyes were on me.

"I want her to get on her knees and thank me," I said, my voice as cold as ice. "Thank me for the seven years I spent in prison for her. Thank me for the life she stole."