My fiancé slept with my sister. On the day of our engagement party, I heard their tearful confessions of love with my own ears. It was enough to make me physically sick. 1 Ethan and I had been together for seven years, ever since our sophomore year of college. Bella followed me around like a shadow, calling him "Ethan" in that sweet, syrupy voice for seven years. In my eyes, they were always just brother and sister. Yeah, right. Ethan might have seen her as a little sister, but what she saw him as... well, that's a whole other story. 2 Bella is my half-sister. Same dad, different moms. My parents divorced early. I stayed with my dad. Because I had a talent for dance, he doted on me. Bella was cute when she was little—chubby cheeks, babbling, drooling, always wanting to sleep in my bed. But once she hit kindergarten, the cuteness wore off. She mastered the art of playing the victim early on— "It's my fault, not Harper's." "Daddy, if you're going to punish someone, punish me!" "You guys are fighting... I'm scared, sob." "If Harper likes it, let her have it!" "I didn't mean to... Harper, can you forgive me?" I didn't know the term "Pick-me Girl" back then. How could such a small child have such manipulative thoughts? But my dad's attitude towards me shifted from good to bad, and then from bad to worse. Plus, my stepmom was her biological mother. My position in the house became precarious. I poured everything into my studies and dance, hoping my dad would love me a little more. It was useless. He always thought I was bullying Bella, and that Bella was suffering in silence. 3 You think I didn't guard against Bella when I started dating Ethan? The first two years were fine. I was in college; she was in high school. But when I graduated and she entered college, she had more time, and the drama started. Every weekend, when Ethan and I had a date, she would show up rain or shine to "bond" with her big sister. If I tried to send her away, she’d turn on the waterworks: "Harper, do you hate me now? Tell me what I did wrong, I'll change! ...You're breaking my heart!" I’d roll my eyes. "Do you have to be a third wheel?" Bella would look at Ethan with red-rimmed eyes, pleading for help. Ethan always played the peacemaker, saying Bella was still young, that she just looked up to me, and telling me not to be so harsh on her. We fought about this several times. He said I was unreasonable for holding a grudge against a kid. I said he didn't know the half of it and had no right to judge. We almost broke up. But we didn't. After that, whenever Bella clung to me, Ethan stopped interfering and let me handle it. 4 By the way, I'm a dancer. My name is Harper Vance. I work for the State Ballet Theater, practically a principal dancer. Ethan works in IT, a software engineer. He’s a project manager at a tech startup—young, promising, and still has a full head of hair. Everyone said we were a perfect match. Countless people asked when we were tying the knot. We decided to have an engagement party first. Ethan and I booked a ballroom at a local luxury hotel. We chose it for its layout—a grand staircase and a mezzanine. Crystal chandeliers, a spiraling staircase. The ground floor for the guests, the upstairs suites for changing and resting. I was in the dressing room, touching up my makeup. "Harper, your dress is stunning! It shows off everything perfectly! Unlike me, stuck in t-shirts and jeans every day." "That lipstick shade is perfect on you! Is that the one everyone's talking about? I'm so clumsy with makeup. Harper, will you teach me later?" I looked at her through the mirror. "Sure." She beamed with joy. Sometimes, I wondered if she was genuinely oblivious or just that good at acting. For years, my dislike for her was palpable. How could she still pretend we were best friends? "Harper, it's almost time. I'm going down to keep Mom and Dad company!" Bella turned and ran out. The makeup artist watched her leave and sighed. "Ms. Vance, your sister is so... innocent and lively! Everyone else is in evening gowns, and she’s the host’s family wearing jeans." I smiled but didn't reply. some dirty laundry shouldn't be aired. 5 Ethan was late coming to get me. He wasn't picking up his phone. I called a friend downstairs who told me he had come up a while ago. A while ago? A woman's intuition is a powerful thing. In that moment, my mind flashed to Bella. Without hesitation, I stood up, gathered my skirt, and walked out. Two doors down from the dressing room was a lounge. The door was ajar. Voices drifted out. I walked closer— "Ethan, this is the last time I'll call you by your name... soon you'll be my brother-in-law... it hurts so much!" "Harper is so lucky to marry you... You're such a good man. She must have saved the galaxy in a past life." "Ethan, what do I do? I really, really like you..." "Bella, don't do this. Your sister and I are about to get engaged..." The voices stopped. I hesitated for two seconds, then kicked the door open. The two of them were tangled on the sofa. Ethan was pressing Bella down, kissing her. His hand was sliding under her shirt, lost in the moment. My blood froze. This was our engagement party. Did they have no shame? "Harper..." Bella saw me first. They scrambled off the sofa in a panic. One with hair like a bird's nest, the other with a crumpled suit. "Sister, it's not what you think!" "Harper, listen to me!" Ethan stepped in front of Bella, shielding her. That protective stance said everything. How long had this been going on? Even if today was the spark, the fuel had been piling up for a long time. I looked at Bella and forced a smile. "It's not what I 'think,' it's what I 'saw'!" Then I looked at Ethan, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Your mouth says no, but your body seems pretty honest... No need to cancel the party, just swap the bride! Ethan, we're done. Pretend we never met." I turned to leave, tears instantly blurring my vision. Years of love, gone just like that. Bella rushed out and grabbed me, dropping to her knees with a thud. She slapped her own face. Smack! The sound echoed. The noise downstairs died down. In the sudden silence, only Bella's crying could be heard: "Harper, forgive us just this once... I didn't mean to! I was ready to call him brother-in-law! We... we just couldn't help ourselves... we didn't go all the way... Please believe me, I'm begging you. Go get engaged to Ethan, okay? Sob, sob..." I laughed out of pure anger. After this, how could we get engaged? Did she think I had no dignity? Ethan stood at the lounge door, not taking a single step forward. He looked at me, then at Bella. His eyes were full of heartache—for her. My heart sank to the bottom of the ocean. "I didn't realize you two were so deeply in love that you 'couldn't help yourselves.' You... you guys are really something!" I laughed through my rage and turned to run downstairs. 6 3-inch heels. A floor-length gown with a train. I lifted the front of the skirt, but someone stepped on the back. I tumbled down the stairs like a ragdoll. The physical pain was sharper than the gasps from the crowd. Everyone rushed over. I struggled to stand, only to realize my right ankle wouldn't move. I'm a dancer. I know the difference between a sprain and a bone injury. My heart went cold. "Call an ambulance! Now!"
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