Chapter 6: The Secret Vanessa Kept Hidden
Three days passed.
Three days without seeing Vanessa.
Three days of messages, opinions, and rumors.
Three days of people deciding who the villain was.
Some people said I destroyed a wedding.
Others said Vanessa got what she deserved.
But the truth was more complicated.
Because losing my sister didn’t feel like winning.
It felt like losing a piece of myself.
On the fourth day, Daniel asked to meet.
This time, he looked calmer.
Still sad.
But calmer.
“I found something,” he said.
We sat across from each other at a quiet restaurant.
“What?””
He placed an envelope on the table.
“I need you to know before everyone else does.””
My stomach tightened.
“What is it?””
“Something about Vanessa.””
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a printed email.
My eyes moved across the page.
And slowly, everything changed.
The email was from the hotel.
A cancellation request.
For a wedding venue.
But the date was from months earlier.
Before the pool incident.
I looked at Daniel.
“What is this?””
“She almost canceled the wedding before.””
“Why?””
He looked away.
“Because of me.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
Daniel sighed.
“A month ago, Vanessa and I had a huge fight.””
“About what?””
“About the way she treated people.””
I said nothing.
He continued.
“She was rude to a waitress. Not just rude. Cruel.””
That didn’t surprise me.
“She laughed when the waitress cried.””
My chest tightened.
“And?””
“I told her I couldn’t marry someone who enjoyed hurting people.””
I stared at him.
“What happened?””
“She apologized.””
I almost laughed.
“She promised she would change.””
Daniel nodded.
“And I believed her.””
A painful silence followed.
Then he said:
“I think Vanessa has spent her whole life avoiding consequences.””
I looked down.
Because I knew he was right.
“She’s charming,” he continued.
“She’s funny. She knows exactly what to say.””
“But?””
“But when nobody is watching…”
He stopped.
The unfinished sentence said enough.
I folded the paper.
“Why show me this?””
“Because I think you need to understand.””
“Understand what?””
“That this wasn’t about you.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
“She didn’t push you because of your arm.””
I didn’t understand.
“She pushed you because she thought she could.””
The words stayed with me.
Because they explained everything.
The injury gave her an opportunity.
But the problem existed before.
My phone suddenly buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
I opened it.
And froze.
It was a photo.
Of Vanessa.
Standing outside a lawyer’s office.
The message underneath said:
*Your sister is preparing something. Be careful.*
I looked at Daniel.
He saw my expression.
“What happened?””
I handed him the phone.
His face changed.
“What is she doing?””
I shook my head.
I didn’t know.
But one thing was clear.
Vanessa wasn’t trying to repair the damage.
She was preparing for a fight.
May you like
And this time…
I was ready.
