Chapter 3

"No."

"That ring was the promise you made when you proposed to me. You said it was a symbol of your love. Giving it to someone else—what is that supposed to mean?"

Chase was struck speechless.

Stella, seeing the tension, chimed in with a sweet smile, pulling a cheap trinket from her purse.

"Elena, you won't be empty-handed!"

"Chase bought me this at the Dollar Tree a while back. Look, it’s perfect timing. Chase bought both anyway, so it doesn't really matter which one you wear."

I glanced down at the plastic ring she held out.

It was cheap, flimsy, with jagged plastic edges from poor molding. Grossly inferior.

Just like me in this house—a total joke.

Chase took it from her and shoved it straight onto my finger.

"See? I told you Stella is far more considerate than you. She's even willing to share her own jewelry."

"It actually looks pretty on you. Let’s leave it at that. Since your sister loves the diamond, just let her have it."

My parents immediately chimed in with nodding approval:

"Yes, exactly. You're about to start a life together; don't ruin it over petty trinkets. You're the older sister, what’s wrong with letting her have it? It's all staying in the family."

"Stella is young and emotional. You've yielded so many things to her over the years, what's one more ring?"

"Alright, let's hurry back to City Hall. The license isn't even signed yet. Your temper is really getting out of hand, Elena."

Their voices overlapped, a chaotic wall of noise, but not a single word reached my heart.

I drew a deep breath, turning my eyes toward Chase, offering him one final, silent chance to save himself.

"Chase, I’m asking you one last time."

"Do you honestly believe I should give this ring away?"

Chase sensed the icy shift in my demeanor and hesitated, caught off guard.

But then Stella lowered her head, giving his sleeve two delicate, pleading tugs. That was all it took for him to fold.

"Elena, you're usually so reasonable."

"Look at her finger—it's swelling up. Just let her keep it. I swear, tomorrow! Tomorrow I’ll take you to Harry Winston and buy you whatever you want!"

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

*Tomorrow?*

Chase, you and I don't have a tomorrow.

Before I could speak, a knock echoed at the door.

It was our housekeeper.

"Miss Elena, are you in there?"

She stepped inside, holding several leftover wedding favor boxes. "We were doing inventory on the reception gifts, and we noticed something strange... The names printed on the covers... say Miss Stella's name."

I opened the door wider.

The housekeeper held out the elegant favor boxes. Embossed in gold lettering across the front was:

[Chase Sterling & Stella Vance]

Stella hadn't expected them to be brought back.

She shot a murderous glare at the housekeeper, hissing under her breath, "Didn't I tell you to throw all of those out? Why did you bring them back here?"

"It was just a print error! Why does everyone have to make a federal case out of it?"

Catching herself, she immediately spun back around, putting on a childish pout and grabbing my forearm.

"Elena, I'm so, so sorry!"

"I accidentally gave them the wrong name when placing the rush order! They printed so fast, and I was terrified you'd yell at me, so I just thought I'd secretly hand them out..."

I let out a cold laugh and wrenched my arm away from her touch.

"Custom wedding favors require at least three final draft approvals from the bride. Are you telling me you 'accidentally' approved your own name three separate times?"

"Stella, do you take me for an idiot?"

Cornered with no way out, Stella dropped the innocent act and threw a full-blown tantrum.

"Fine! If you don't believe me, what do you want me to do?"

"I was the one who walked down the aisle with Chase anyway! What's so wrong with my name being on the boxes?"

"What do you expect us to do now? Reprint everything and ship them out to all the guests? There's no time! If you're going to keep holding this over my head, then fine—I'll just die! I'll die to pay for my mistakes, happy now?"

With a dramatic scream, Stella dashed toward the open window, climbing onto the sill.

"Don't touch me! Nobody stop me!"

"My own sister wants me dead, so I might as well jump!"