Chapter 8: The Sister I Thought I Knew
Vanessa showed up at my house three days later.
I wasn’t expecting her.
Which was probably intentional.
She had always been good at controlling timing.
Controlling conversations.
Controlling emotions.
I opened the door and found her standing there.
No makeup.
No perfect dress.
No confident smile.
For a second, she looked like my sister again.
The girl who used to share secrets with me under our childhood blankets.
The girl who cried when I moved away for college.
The girl who promised we would always be close.
Then she spoke.
“You’re really going to make me beg?””
And just like that, the illusion disappeared.
I stared at her.
“What?””
She sighed.
“I came here to fix things.””
“No.””
Her eyebrows lifted.
“No?””
“You came here because things are getting worse for you.””
Her expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
“I can’t believe you think that.””
“I can’t believe you’re still not apologizing.””
She looked away.
“I said I was sorry.””
“When?””
“In my messages.””
I almost smiled.
“You said you were sorry that people were judging you.””
“That’s not fair.””
“No. It’s accurate.””
She stepped inside without asking.
I immediately hated that.
Because it was such a Vanessa thing to do.
Act like boundaries didn’t apply to her.
“We need to talk about the video.””
My stomach tightened.
“What about it?””
She crossed her arms.
“You made it look intentional.””
I stared at her.
“You pushed me.””
“It wasn’t like that.””
“It was exactly like that.””
She shook her head.
“You’re exaggerating.””
There it was.
The word.
The one she always used.
The one that erased my feelings.
“You know what’s funny?”” I said.
“What?””
“I spent months after my accident wondering if I was exaggerating.””
Her expression softened slightly.
“I never wanted you to feel that way.””
“Yes, you did.””
She looked hurt.
But I continued.
“You wanted me to feel that way because then you didn’t have to feel guilty.””
For the first time, Vanessa had no immediate answer.
That scared me.
Because Vanessa always had an answer.
“I was jealous,” she finally said.
I froze.
“What?””
She sat down.
“I was jealous.””
The confession was so unexpected that I didn’t know how to react.
“Of what?””
She laughed bitterly.
“Everyone cared about you.””
I stared.
“Vanessa…”
“I know it sounds horrible.””
“It does.””
She looked down.
“After your accident, everyone asked about you. Everyone checked on you. Everyone wanted to help you.””
My chest tightened.
“And?””
“And I felt invisible.””
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“You felt invisible because your sister was injured?””
She flinched.
“I know.””
“No, I don’t think you do.””
I walked toward the window.
“Do you know what I would have given to go back to before the accident?””
She didn’t answer.
“I would have given anything to not need help. Anything.””
My voice shook.
“You were jealous of the worst time in my life.””
Vanessa wiped her eyes.
“I didn’t mean for things to go this far.””
“But they did.””
“Yes.””
“Because you kept choosing yourself.””
She looked at me.
“I’m sorry.””
This time, it sounded different.
But it wasn’t enough.
Not yet.
“Why did you go to a lawyer?””
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“I needed advice.””
“About what?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation told me everything.
“Vanessa.””
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
“That you were going to destroy my life.””
I stared at her.
“I was the one whose life changed.””
She looked away.
And then she said something I would never forget.
“I just wanted people to stop seeing me as the bad person.””
There it was.
The truth.
Not:
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.””
Not:
“I wanted to fix what I did.””
She wanted to fix how she looked.
I sat down.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you.””
Tears filled her eyes.
“You’re my sister.””
I nodded.
“Yes.””
“Doesn’t that mean anything?””
“It means I expected more from you.””
The silence between us was unbearable.
Then she stood.
“I guess I know where I stand now.””
I looked at her.
“No.””
“What?””
“You know where you stand because of your choices.””
She walked to the door.
Before leaving, she stopped.
“I really did love you.””
The words hurt.
Because I believed her.
And that was the tragedy.
I believed she loved me.
I just didn’t know if she loved me enough to stop hurting me.
After she left, I sat alone for a long time.
Then my phone rang.
It was Daniel.
“Emily.””
His voice sounded serious.
“What happened?””
“There’s something you need to know.””
I sat up.
“What?””
“Vanessa wasn’t only talking to a lawyer.””
“What do you mean?””
“She contacted someone else.””
“Who?””
A pause.
Then:
“The hotel.””
My heart sank.
“Why?””
“She’s trying to get the security footage removed.””
I went completely still.
“She can’t.””
“She’s trying.””
And suddenly, I understood.
May you like
Vanessa wasn’t fighting because she believed she was right.
She was fighting because she knew the truth could destroy the person she wanted everyone to see.
