Chapter 8
817words
Even so, I could still see how worn out and weary she was. No amount of makeup could possibly hide that.
Mom was the first to point it out. "Erin looks really tired. Why don't we wrap things up here and let her get some rest?"
Aunt Abigail instantly exploded. "You're only saying that because you're jealous that Erin has an island!" she shrieked. "Well, your darling Cassandra will never be so lucky as to feel 'tired'!"
Their argument ballooned into epic proportions that they nearly came to blows. And yet, by the end of the night, they still managed to happily rifle through the souvenirs and snacks together. Frankly, I was amazed by how resilient their bond was.
Just as I was watching the show, Erin slithered up behind me and hissed, "Cassandra, why do I get the feeling that you're very pleased with yourself right now? Did you know?"
I looked at her in surprise and asked, "Am I supposed to know anything? I didn't even want to come here in the first place. You know full well that everyone's laughing at me for losing out on an island."
Erin glared at me before walking away.
I stared at her retreating figure. It was only when I noticed her unnatural gait as she turned the corner that I withdrew my gaze.
It seemed that all my chips were in place. I just couldn't help but wonder whether Erin would prefer if I spread the news?
She didn't reappear for the rest of the day. Aunt Abigail had an odd look on her face as she explained that Erin wasn't feeling well.
Dinner finally ended once everyone got their share of souvenirs.
As we left, Mom kept muttering, "Did Erin get sick because she went away for too long? She's been looking off the entire time today. Abigail really needs to tone it down. Her daughter just got back from vacation. Would it really kill her to stop bragging for once?"
I shot her a look and commented, "That's how you know you two are sisters. Aren't you the same? You brag every chance you get. I, too, want to know—would it kill you to stop bragging?"
Before she could explode on me, I hopped into a cab and left her in the dust.
…
Erin returned to the island about a month later.
When she returned, she didn't even bother showing her face this time around. Apparently, she was so exhausted after the trip that she'd gotten sick.
Mom wasted no time spreading the news. Soon, our relatives started to wonder whether the island was cursed.
A few troublemakers even started saying that Erin was suffering because she'd stolen my happiness.
I merely laughed it off. If that were true, then her suffering was at least 12 years too late.
Aunt Abigail later called me, saying that Erin wanted to see me. I was busy with work, so I declined.
By the time I was available to visit her, Erin, who'd recovered from her ordeal, abducted me.
No, I wasn't exaggerating. She really did abduct me.
She impersonated Dean and texted Mom, saying that he still thought I was the better choice and wanted to start over. Mom immediately sent my new address to her. Even worse, she even told Erin all of the passwords I'd used in the past.
That night, Erin showed up with two burly men. I was then dragged into a car in my pajamas.
She looked even worse than the last time I'd seen her. There were dark bags under her sunken eyes. When I took a closer look, I even saw wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
"Did you know?" she asked me again.
I gave her the same answer. "What am I supposed to know?"
She let out a hollow laugh. "I thought I'd won. I never imagined that you'd turn the tables. You knew what kind of person Dean was. Yet, you still dated him for six months just to bait me."
She continued, "Cassandra, you really put in a lot of effort into this, didn't you? I probably wouldn't have been as motivated to win him over if I'd found out about your new boyfriend when you'd only dated him for a few days.
"However, you deliberately kept him under wraps for months. I only found out about him when you guys were about to get married. So, I fell for your trap because I was too impulsive. You'd planned everything down to a T, didn't you?
"You even factored in how your mother would brag about your rich boyfriend in the group chat. Cassandra, do you really hate me that much?"
