Chapter 1

1: 1

During the walk to the altar, Lambert Sanchez shoved a memorial portrait of my sister into my arms.

"If you hadn't drugged him and crawled into his bed, Melinda would never have vanished, never have ended up somewhere between living and dead!"

The blow knocked me back a few steps, and the uremia medication had my hands shaking, so the photo slid right out of my fingers.

A year ago my sister, Melinda Dickerson, fell for someone else and came to me in tears, begging me to talk Lambert into letting her go.

Meaning well, I handed Lambert the drink Melinda had given me.

But after he drank it, he lost control and forced himself on me.

Melinda played the part of the heartbroken one and disappeared without a trace.

And I became the little slut the whole family talked about.

My mother yanked my hair and spat the words at me.

"I regret ever giving birth to you, you animal, stealing your own sister's man!"

My father's face was cold. "After you're married off, don't ever come back here."

I lowered my head and looked at the message Melinda had just sent me.

"April, today's your wedding day."

"I'll come back and set it all straight, so you can marry with a clean name."

Drops of blood from my nose splattered onto the screen, one after another.

I knew I probably wouldn't last that long.

1

The blood on the screen blurred out Melinda's message.

No one noticed that anything was wrong with me.

Mom and Dad were wiping down Melinda's memorial altar with towels, and Lambert was lighting incense for her.

I got up and went to the bathroom, cleaning the blood off with tissue.

My makeup was smudged, so I found the makeup artist.

"Sorry to trouble you, could you touch up my foundation and lipstick again?"

She saw how pale my face was and lowered her voice. "Did the bride skip breakfast? Don't go and drop your blood sugar later."

I was about to answer when my mother's disgusted voice came from behind me.

"Hmph. Still in the mood to primp yourself up."

"Of course. A woman stealing her man has to look radiant at her wedding."

Aunt Colleen came over with her arms crossed, looking me up and down. "Melinda's barely cold in the ground and you've still got the heart to do your makeup?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to go on living."

I knew the whole family's humiliation was starting up again.

The makeup artist frowned. "Ma'am, it's a wedding day. Can't you let the bride enjoy it?"

Seeing someone answer back, Aunt Colleen only warmed to it. "Little girl, you don't know."

"This bride stole her own sister's boyfriend. She's rotten through and through."

The makeup artist's hand paused mid-touch-up. Her eyes flicked over me once, then quickly turned away.

I bowed my head and gave a bitter smile as the officiant carried over the fire basin to smooth things over.

"Time for the bride to step over the fire basin."

"Marry into her new home in harmony and happiness!"

I stood up, gathered my skirt, and was just about to step across.

Lambert kicked the basin over with his foot, his voice full of contempt.

"Only a good woman gets to step over the fire."

"A bed-crawler like you doesn't deserve it."

Sparks burned a few holes through my wedding dress.

I lifted my head stubbornly, my voice shaking a little. "I've said it so many times! That drink was given to me by Melinda."

Lambert cut me off, impatient. "Enough. Even lying has its limits!"

"Melinda and I were already talking about getting married. Why on earth would she drug me and then frame you?"

"April Dickerson, you really are vicious. Melinda's gone and you're still dragging her name through the mud!"

I looked at the anger in his eyes and closed my mouth.

It had been like this all year.

I explained and no one listened.

Whatever I said was just an excuse, just a lie to shift the blame.

The officiant cleared his throat awkwardly and passed me a cup of tea. "The bride offers tea to her sister."

I looked at the photo of Melinda on the memorial altar. It was the same one she had sent me.

Then I said it, one word at a time. "Melinda is still alive. Just yesterday she sent me a selfie of herself at the beach…"

Before I could finish, a slap landed across my face.

My father's eyes were red with fury. "Your sister is dead and you're still spreading lies about her!"

"When she was alive she gave in to you on everything, and now that she's gone you still won't let her rest!"