Amelia

Amelia Peterson never liked mirrors. They reflected everything people loved to remind her of her pale skin, the soft curve of her waist, the way she was “cute” instead of stunning. Standing in her bedroom, she tugged at the zipper of her dress, the one her mother had insisted she wear for Pearl’s big night. Not wanting to cause any drama or get blamed for anything going wrong, she agrees with her mother, after all mothers knows best. Pearl, as always, was the star. The banners in the city were already lit with her face and glossy hair, piercing blue eyes, and a body made for cameras. The face of Hérmes Tech. The sister everyone wanted. Amelia wasn’t jealous. At least, that’s what she told herself. Jealousy meant wanting something she believed she could have. Amelia knew she wasn’t built for it, attention, perfection, desire. She was built for quiet rooms and glowing computer screens, for worlds where her code mattered more than her body. She’d rather be comfortable in baggy jeans and oversized sweatshirt, than be in a room filled with paparazzi and their flashing lights. But tonight wasn’t about her. It never was. Downstairs, her mother’s voice floated up the hall, sharp as ever. “Amelia, hurry. Try not to embarrass your sister this time, it is always you are drama, for someone like you, you always want to draw attention to yourself.” She swallowed, her throat tight. Ruby Peterson had once been crowned the most beautiful woman in the world. Now, she wore her bitterness like perfume, heavy and choking. Amelia had grown used to her mother’s glances, the ones that slid over her as though she were unfinished. When Amelia finally descended the staircase, Pearl was already there, dressed in her alluring red dress. It stuck to her body like a second skin, it was beautiful, her hair and makeup was done flawlessly. The photographers outside were practically begging for her, flashes going off as she smiled effortlessly. Beside her, Levi stood tall, his hand resting just a little too comfortably on Pearl’s back. Amelia froze. Levi is her fiancé not Pearl’s. His brown eyes flicked toward her briefly, the smile not reaching them. He didn’t move his hand. Didn’t step away. Amelia felt the ground tilt under her feet, but she forced herself forward, her chest tight with something she didn’t yet have the courage to name. Ruby clapped her hands. “Perfect. Now let’s not keep the Hérmes family waiting.” Hérmes. The name carried weight, power. Mathias Hérmes had built an empire, and now his son, José Hérmes, ruled it with an iron gaze. Amelia had only seen him on screens tall, severe, piercing blue eyes that looked as if they could read you down to your bones. They said he never smiled. They said he didn’t have to. Sighing to herself as if releasing a breath she never knew she was holding, Levi walks up to her and smiles at her, giving her a once over. “ You look good in this dress” “ Thank you, you look good too” she responds smiling a bit. “ I think this dress would look more prettier If you had a flatter stomach, like your sister, well you are lucky you have me. Someone who loves you just the way you are” with that he kisses her forehead and takes her hand in his. Not knowing those set of words he just said broke something within her. Amelia didn’t know then that before the night ended, her quiet, invisible life would begin to unravel. And it would start with the way José Hérmes looked at her.