Loving you is my sin

Auren pov I wore black to my father’s wedding, not because I was being dramatic, but because I wanted to make a point. I was not happy about this union. This fairytale circus was held in a rented hall with rose petals, champagne flutes, and a woman who smiled like she owned the world—and now, apparently, my last name. She annoyed me to the depths of my soul. She kissed my father like she meant it. I gagged quietly into my mimosa, glaring at them. No one noticed. That’s been the theme lately. No one notices me anymore. I sound like a little girl, I’m aware. But when your dad suddenly brings a woman out of nowhere without your consent and announces their already-planned marriage, you'll definitely be upset. My seat was in the second row. Not beside my dad, not even close. Apparently, “family seating” only applies to photogenic stepdaughters who match the color scheme. My dad barely said two words to me when he saw me in my black tulle dress. I stared up ahead until they pulled away from each other and gazed into each other’s aging faces like it was their first marriage. Claudia, his new wife, had a daughter and a son from her previous marriage. The daughter sat ahead of me with a poised smile. She looked like she belonged in a teen drama reboot. And her twin just looked… bored. Calm, quiet, too put-together for someone whose mom just married a billionaire. When his eyes flicked to me across the aisle, he looked away with indignant indifference. I pinched a chunk of my dress and tried to focus on something else. Anything else. Other than this cursed gathering. A gentle squeeze of my hand brought me back to earth in my wrecked shuttle. I turned to Jennifer Beckham, a.k.a. my best friend, who smiled reassuringly at me. She let her head fall on my shoulder as she hugged me from the side. A heavy sigh left my lips as I eased into her embrace. Oh, Dad. What the hell are you doing?" I wondered to myself as my dad grinned widely at something the woman whispered into his ear. *** “A toast to the Dillon family,” my dad cheered at dinner later that evening, raising his glass of champagne and gently clicking it against Claudia’s. She smiled wearily, muttering a soft “cheers, hun” as she moved on to the next waiting glass, which belonged to her daughter. I dropped my gaze onto my still-full plate of mac and cheese. The fact that I was sitting in front of the very meal I love most but was too preoccupied to eat said everything about how disgruntled I felt. “Auren.” I looked up to see my now stepmom raising her glass to me. I glanced between her and my dad, then back to my food. I heard my father sigh. He probably wanted to tell me off for being disrespectful, but he was holding back because he didn’t want to ruin his perfect day. I was stabbing at my plate now. “Pass me the salt, sis.” A brain-searing sound collapsed at the back of my head. I chewed on my teeth and stayed quiet. It was Claudia’s daughter. The first time I had heard her speak was no different from now—soft and clearly spoken. She must have rehearsed a lot with her mother before they got here. I wanted to snap and tell her I wasn’t her sister, but one, I didn’t know her name, and two, I felt like I might say something worse if I opened my mouth. And my father would not like that. I knew nothing about these people. None. I only knew my stepmother’s name when the priest mentioned it an irritating number of times. I had zoned out on Dad during their introductions when I came home two days ago and saw those cheeky faces in our sitting area. I knew if I sat here any longer, I’d be doing more than just stabbing my plate. I picked up my phone from where it lay on the side of the table and pushed my seat back. The screeching sound echoed through the house as I stepped away from the table. “I’m done,” I muttered, more to myself than to them, as I headed down the hallway. I could feel their eyes boring into the back of my head as I walked away. Before I was out of earshot, I heard another chair scraping. A polite, “Excuse me,” followed by footsteps behind me. I shut the door even though I knew she was coming after me. “Hey Renny, are you alright?” Jenny asked, stepping into the room with me. I slumped onto the bed and let out a loud sigh, staring up at the floral patterns on the ceiling. I nodded slowly. My eyes flicked to her briefly, and I could see the faint worry etched in her light brown eyes. She joined me on my king-sized bed and threw her arms around me, like she always does when she feels like I’m putting on my fiery red invisible hat. “No, you’re not,” she mumbled into my hair, resting gently on my head. “You want them out of your house, don’t you?” When I didn’t say anything, she heaved a resigned sigh. My mom left my dad and me when I was only a baby. It has been just the two of us ever since. What changed? We stayed silent for an uncomfortable moment before she spoke again. “I know it’s a little sudden, but your dad has been alone for… as long as I’ve known you. And that’s been what? Forever?” “Not forever, Jenny. Sixteen years, if we’re not counting the year you spent in Washington with your dad.” She laughed a little, like I had just proved her point. Jennifer and I have been best friends since kindergarten. We’ve done everything together. It’s days like this, when one of us has a messed-up day, but the other is right there—that make our friendship priceless. Though I have everything going for me as an eighteen-year-old in her final days of high school, I never actually thought there would be a sudden change in my life. When I imagined my perfect prom and life afterward, I never once thought a strange family would show up out of nowhere. “It’s just so weird, you know. The least he could have done was warn me.” Now I felt like an i***t. And a brat. Jenny remained quiet as I spoke. “How was I supposed to know? Why should I be cool about any of it? That’s bullshit.” Agitation dripped from my tone. She shifted slightly and giggled. I looked up at her. “Are you even listening?” I muttered grudgingly. She looked away from her screen and raised a brow at me. Unbelievable. I licked my teeth and moved away from her. It didn’t matter anyway. Tomorrow I’d be in school. I’d see Jeremy. Everything would be alright. I stared at the cream wall, waiting for sleep to come. “Remember that hot guy from that frat party last semester? Duke?” she started, completely disregarding my previous question. I sat up, watching her smile at whatever text she got. “He said he’ll be at the exclusive bonfire tonight. Speaking of which, we’re still on for tonight, right?” Amidst the level of disgruntlement on my chest, I felt a fresh wave of annoyance settle in the pit of my stomach. “No, we’re not on for tonight, Jennifer. What’s your problem?” I snapped, annoyance simmering. “Why are you yelling at me? Jesus Christ.” She threw her hands up with a frown, like I would bite her otherwise. I honestly would if I had the chance. She was being unreasonable right now, and it was not a good look for her. A knock on the door broke me from my trance of evil thoughts. I got off the bed and rounded the frame to the door. I pulled it open to meet tired blue eyes staring back at me. I cringed at the thought of labeling him my stepbrother. His black hair was swept off his face and looked really messy. It took me a moment to acknowledge what he held in his hand. A wrapped plate of macaroni. I scrutinized him, wrapping my arms around my chest. His jaw flexed as he pushed the plate toward me. “My mom asked me to bring this up to you.” I scoffed, looking from him to the plate and back. “Why?” I was determined to make him feel as uneasy as they made me feel in my own home. There was something about the way he looked at me that made me feel small. I didn’t know what we were competing for, but I wasn’t backing down. “Because you’ve not had anything to eat today, and you’re acting like an immature child.” I arched my brows and stared at him; my jaw dropped. What?