Chapter 11
I proposed to Antonio Kaufman, my boyfriend of seven years.
But what greeted me was my stepsister, Celia Parrish, holding up her marriage certificate with Antonio.
Apparently, Antonio had been cheating on me. He had given his heart to
Celia.
I had lost, completely and utterly.
But I wasn’t about to forgive what they’d done.
“Grace, I have cancer,” Celia sobbed, holding onto my dress. “My last wish is to have a fancy wedding. Could you wait until I’m gone to propose to Antonio?”
“Stop lying,” I said coldly, shaking her off. I was done with their drama.
Antonio glared at me. “She’s your sis. Can’t you be a little more understanding?”
I froze, stunned by his words.
He knew well that Celia’s mom had destroyed my family.
Using her pregnancy, her mom forced my dad to get a divorce.
And there Antonio was, backing up Celia.
Rage surged through me, my eyes blazing.
Antonio didn’t notice and continued, “That’s between your parents. It hast nothing to do with Celia. Can you stop taking it out on her?”
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Chapter 11
The man I thought I knew felt like a stranger.
Not long ago, we went to visit my mother’s grave together, and he had driven Celia away when she showed up uninvited.
But looking back, I realized he was trying to protect her.
Celia looked at Antonio with gratitude, her tears streaming down as she held out the marriage certificate for me to see.
“I’m not as great as Grace. Antonio is the only one who’d marry me. If I tear this up, will it make you feel better?”
Before she could finish, Antonio snatched the certificate from her hands. He clutched it like it was precious.
“Celia, don’t say things like that. I’m gonna make this right. I’ll make sure everything is perfect for you–the marriage, the wedding, everything.
Then he turned to me, his face cold..
“This is just temporary. Celia doesn’t have much time left. When it’s over, I’ll come back to you.”
Seeing him protect both Celia and that marriage certificate, I couldn’t believe a word he said.
The curious looks from the crowd felt like needles, making me feel more like a clown than a bride.
Before I could respond, Celia sobbed louder and stepped between me and Antonio.
“Grace, I never want to mess up your relationship. Everything was my idea. If you’re angry, take it out on me,” she said.
Watching Celia keep up her act, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“So, your mom’s a homewrecker, and you’ve learned a lot from her. Bitch,
out on her. you deserve your illness.” I let all my anger o
The slap came out of nowhere, leaving my cheek stinging. I looked at Antonio in disbelief.
He used to say his biggest dream was to marry me and be by my forever, but now he hit me for the woman I hated most.
All my love and hope for him disappeared at that moment.
side
My friends couldn’t hold back any longer. They rushed over, surrounding Antonio and Celia.
“Seven years of Grace’s life wasted on a jerk like you! And now you’re marrying the daughter of a homewrecker?” one of them shouted.
Antonio pulled Celia close, afraid that someone might hurt her.
It was laughable. What a joke my proposal had become.
I looked down at my wedding dress. The whole thing felt meaningless.
Antonio had sworn he’d always be with me. When did he start siding with Celia?
I motioned for my friends to hold off and asked the question that had been haunting me.
Antonio kept shielding Celia, sneering, “Grace, you were just a kid when your mom died. Do you think you know the whole story? You’ve let hate blind you. Leave me out of it.”
Chapter 12