Chapter 2
682 Words
My mother took her hand, looking at her with pure affection, and said, "Jenna. When your father passed away, he entrusted you to my care. Not to mention a bracelet, even this engagement to the Chase family—if you want it, she'll have to step aside."
Jenna's eyes reddened, and she leaned into my mother's arms. "Mrs. Hayes, you're not my birth mother, but you treat me better than one..."
"Silly Jenna," my mother replied. "In my heart, you're dearer than my own daughter."
The two of them embraced while I knelt at the door, watching.
As soon as I stepped out of the house, my best friend Mia Cooper came running over, fuming. "What gives? The bracelet is yours, and this engagement was yours to begin with. You've been kneeling there for ages without a single word of protest?"
She got more worked up and continued, "You suffered enough living under someone else's roof as a child. Now that you finally have a chance to get ahead, why are you letting someone snatch it away?"
I pinched her cheek. "Mia, toughen up. I haven't cried yet."
She rubbed her eyes. "Then what are you thinking? The Chase family is so well-off. Once you marry in, you'll never have to live under anyone's thumb..."
I paused for a moment, looking up at the sky. Winter in Millwood was always like this, gray and gloomy. "Forget it. You just can't bank on other people."
Mia knew my stubborn streak. She had been rolling up her sleeves, ready to fight my battles for me.
It wasn't until the weekend, when I stayed holed up at home, that she realized I really wasn't going to fight for it this time.
In my previous life, my mother had also chosen the weekend to send Jenna to meet Joseph.
She locked me in my room, forbidding me to leave, especially making sure no one saw my face.
I hated her favoritism, so I dragged Mia to sneak out to an exhibition, and we went wild playing in the interactive installations.
I walked out of the exhibition hall, cradling an armful of designer toys I'd won from a raffle, staggering down the corridor.
A hand suddenly pushed aside the limited edition pieces in my arms, and a pair of smiling eyes met mine out of nowhere. He asked, "You're the Hayes family's second daughter? Your parents wanted us to meet. I've been watching you for a while, but you never noticed."
Second daughter? Apart from my brother, Ethan Hayes, whom I hadn't seen in years, I was the Hayes family's only daughter.
Outsiders weren't blind. No matter how much love she got, a child from another family wasn't born into this one; nobody considered Jenna a real Hayes daughter.
That night, I was overjoyed, thinking my mother talked tough but had a soft heart and had secretly set me up with someone too.
It turned out to be a mix-up.
When Joseph showed up with gifts, my mother's face went dark.
Jenna's eyes reddened, and she said, "If my sister likes him, just let her have him. Why pretend to be me?"
The moment I heard that, I clenched my fists.
One tear and everything went her way.
But once it was in my hands, no way was I giving it back.
Joseph actually took my side. "I think Nina is just fine," he said.
My mother exploded, saying I was unruly and had no manners, that I'd been snatching Jenna's things since I was little, and rattled off a list of my crimes. She said the Chase family should marry someone like Jenna. Joseph frowned and said nothing.
On the wedding day, my mother didn't come. Jenna handled everything from start to finish.
She wore her hair in an exquisite updo, with a camellia brooch pinned to her dress, and spoke softly and gently, "My sister has such good fortune—she still has her parents, and her husband is good too. Unlike me. If my parents were still alive, maybe I'd be this lucky too."
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