Pregnant & Betrayed, I Built A New Life

Chapter 3

Audrey's POV:

I tried to open my mouth, but no words came out.

Tristan stood firmly in front of Elena, shielding her from me.

Through him, I could see the others behind him.

Mom had her arms around Elena, gently patting her back.

Dad stood there with his hands on his hips, glaring at me.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

"Audrey."

Elena's weak voice drifted over.

She reached out and tugged lightly at Tristan's sleeve.

"Don't be so hard on my sister. Dad, Mom, could you two step outside for a minute? There's something I want to talk to Audrey about. Alone."

She looked at my parents with tear-filled eyes, then at Tristan.

"No way. What if she—"

Mom started to protest, but Elena cut her off, her voice suddenly firm.

"She's my sister. She wouldn't do anything to me."

Then she turned to me, her face full of sincerity.

"Right, Audrey?"

Before I could answer, she ushered Tristan and my parents out of the room.

The door closed.

For a moment, only silence remained between us.

I looked at her.

The tears that had been hanging on her lashes just seconds ago disappeared without a trace.

A smile spread across her face as she looked me up and down.

"Audrey, why did you have to barge in here? Wouldn't it be better if you just divorced him and got it over with? Why make everyone lose face? Oh, and even if you keep making a scene, it won't matter. You can't beat me anyway."

Looking at the Elena standing before me now, I felt like I was staring at a complete stranger.

I had expected her to say something like this.

And yet, my heart still clenched painfully.

She continued, the smugness on her face impossible to hide.

"Mom and Dad are so desperate for you to get divorced because they want you out of the house with nothing. They told me all the family assets are being left to me. Oh, and that house Mom and Dad bought for you? They already transferred the title to me."

She shrugged, feigning innocence.

"They insisted. What was I supposed to do?"

The curtains.

The sofa.

The dishes.

Every little thing in that home had been picked out and paid for by me, piece by piece.

And just like that, without me even knowing, the owner had changed.

I stood there, stunned.

It felt as though every drop of blood had frozen in my veins.

"I'm your sister! How could you do this to me?"

The words tore out of me like a scream.

She let out a mocking laugh.

"Exactly because you're my sister. You've always been better than me at everything. Why should you get everything so easily? So I started wondering… What would you look like when you lost it all, one thing at a time?"

I stared at her twisted expression.

"So you stole Tristan from me? You destroyed my family?"

"I was helping you! I was the one who made you see that he never loved you! On your wedding anniversary, you were busy trying to get investors for his company. Meanwhile, he was in bed with me, telling me how boring you were. You thought you were building his career for him. In the end, wasn't that money just going toward buying me designer bags?"

"Shut up!"

I raised my hand and swung at her.

She easily dodged it.

Then she grabbed my wrist and twisted it back.

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Remember that antique vase in Mom and Dad's room? I was the one who broke it. I kicked the pieces into your room. And I was the one who cried and begged Mom not to blame you. Told her you must have broken it by accident."

Of course I remembered.

It had been Grandma's keepsake, a family heirloom she had left to Mom.

That day, I came home from school and opened my bedroom door.

There were shattered pieces all over the floor.

Mom stormed in and slapped me across the face.

No matter how desperately I tried to explain, she refused to believe me.

She barely spoke to me for a long time afterward.

I was lost in those old memories when Elena spoke again.

"That tabby cat you had when we were kids—Daisy? I was the one who killed her. You loved that cat so much. You even slept with her in your arms. So I mixed rat poison into her food. You cried so hard your eyes were swollen shut. Even Mom came to comfort you."

She smiled.

"Tell me, Audrey… If it weren't for me, would Mom ever have looked at you twice after you 'broke' that vase?"

Her eyes glittered with cold calculation.

I stared at the woman in front of me.

A chill shot from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head.

Rage surged through my chest.

I yanked hard, trying to free my wrist, but she held on even tighter.

"Audrey, are you going to hit me?"

Her voice was soft and innocent.

"Audrey! Ah!"

Before I could react, she suddenly threw herself toward the headboard.

She dragged my wrist—and my entire body—with her.

The door flew open.

My parents rushed in.

"Elena!"

"Audrey! What the hell did you do to your sister?"