Married the "Old Geezer", Now They All Cry!

Chapter 2

The marriage had been meant for me from the start. However, since Howard and I were still together at the time, I told my parents to just drop the whole thing, and they agreed.

It wasn't until the day before, when Lilian suddenly announced that she was getting married, that I finally realized my parents had been having her keep in touch with that man all this time.

She had been perfectly willing to marry Timothy at first, until she caught wind from someone that he was some sleazy middle-aged guy, and then she wanted nothing to do with him.

I suppose my parents never once stopped to think that he might actually be my first boyfriend from all those years ago, and that was exactly what led to the scene that played out this morning.

A cold smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. I had a strong feeling Timothy only did this because he had figured out that the person he'd been corresponding with all along wasn't me.

When I first heard the news yesterday, it did sting, but I quickly reminded myself that I still had Howard and there was no chance of rekindling things with Timothy anyway.

And since Timothy and Lilian seemed to be hitting it off so well, I told myself it was probably for the best if they ended up together.

He was a genuinely good person, and Lilian was my sister after all.

But now, looking back on everything, I only felt a deep sense of bitterness.

I had always put my family first and genuinely wanted what was best for them, yet they never believed me.

I packed up all my things. When I was about to finish, I spotted a few insurance policies tucked away in the corner, accident insurance for the family.

When I saw the names on them, I just stood there staring for a long time.

The beneficiary on every single one of them was Lilian.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

My parents were always going on about how they had given Lilian so many cold looks over the years because of me. But I knew crystal clear that it was all just for show.

Ever since what had happened in my sophomore year, my parents had announced that they wanted me to relax and take it easy.

And to do that, what they actually did was leave me on my own.

At home, they never pushed me to do my homework or study, and they just kept pushing me to go have fun. If I didn't play along, my mother would start crying and saying I got her wrong again.

At the same time, they piled all the pressure onto Lilian, forcing her to study and signing her up for tutoring session after tutoring session.

When the time came for us to apply to colleges, Lilian completely tanked her SATs and ended up not even getting into a four-year university, while I got into one of the best schools in the country.

My parents were thrilled for me, pretending Lilian didn't matter.

But now I saw the truth. They truly believed she'd tanked her scores just to spare my feelings. And they'd ignored her all these years because they were terrified I'd snap again.

The simple truth was that Lilian was just never that gifted academically. But somehow, that reality got twisted into her sacrificing everything for my sake, and I ended up being painted as the villain in everyone's eyes.

This arranged marriage situation was just another chapter of the same old story.

I pushed all those thoughts aside and went back to packing up my things.

Lilian walked in.

She wasn't even pretending anymore.

She came up to me, noticed the wedding dress I had pulled out of the closet, and let out a mocking laugh. "Bella, are you really that desperate to marry that old geezer?"

I looked at her and felt nothing but disgust. "Lilian, I've always been good to you. Why are you doing all of this to me?"

She fixed her eyes on me, and her expression suddenly hardened. "Good to me? Sure, you were nice to me and gave me everything I ever wanted, and you always had my back at school. And what did all that get you? A wonderful reputation.

"Then what did it get me? I'm just the foster daughter who had to accept your charity. It must feel amazing being a saint, huh? Everyone sings your praises, and I'm just your sister, the adopted one!

"Why is it that you were born into wealth and comfort while I was born into a life where my own mother hated me? I once asked for a doll, and she scolded me for it. You said you liked me, and your parents took me with you without a second thought."

Hearing her accusations, I realized I had completely misjudged who she really was.

"Lilian, if I had known you would turn out like this, I never would have asked my parents to bring you home in the first place."

A strange smile spread across her face.

Just as she was about to say something, she grabbed a knife from beside her and dragged it across her own wrist, letting out a bloodcurdling scream. "Ah! Bella, I'll marry him. I'll go through with it. Just please don't kill me!"