Chapter 4
The day before our wedding, I was arranging Lily’s memorial in my room, where her urn had sat on my desk since the funeral and I replaced the white lilies with fresh ones daily.
As I reached for the flowers, I noticed white powder scattered around the base, and a terrible premonition washed over
With trembling hands, I opened the urn to find it empty, so I rushed to Sophia’s room and threw open the door, only to find she looked unsurprised to see me burst in. “Miss Carter, why so agitated?”
I ignored her, my eyes drawn to the litter box in the corner.
Inside, cat waste mixed with chunks of gray-white powder in a disgusting mess.
What it was needed no explanation.
My lips trembled as I whispered in disbelief, “You… you dumped my sister’s ashes in the litter box.”
Sophia tilted her head, naked malice gleaming in her eyes. “Oops, you found out. Who told you to be so shameless, still planning to marry Alex? Weren’t you scared when your sister died so horribly? How strange. I remember stabbing her until
she was completely mangled.”
She leaned closer, a twisted smile playing on her lips. “Thinking about that feeling still excites me. She kept crying. Saying
‘Emma, it hurts so much… Emma save me…”
My vision went white with rage.
When I came to, the lamp had already smashed into her head.
“Emma!” Alex burst in simultaneously, shoving me away hard.
My lower back hit the desk edge and I crashed to the floor.
“Alex…” I gasped through the pain, pointing at the litter box. “She put my sister’s ashes…”
Alex froze, following my gaze to the litter box. His face went ashen.
But before he could question Sophia, she suddenly screamed, curling into a ball and convulsing violently. “No… help me…
the shadows are coming! Save me! Alex!”
Alex forgot everything else, glaring at me furiously. “Emma! She can’t tell right from wrong-why are you fighting with a
sick person?!”
I laughed bitterly. “Alex, are you so sure she’s having an episode every single time?”
Alex frowned. “Enough! Stop slandering her. She saved my life. If it weren’t for her…”
“If she hadn’t taken your place, you would’ve been killed by kidnappers at fifteen!” I cut him off with a cold laugh. “You’ve said that eight hundred times in seven years. So what-that gives her the right to kill my sister and desecrate her ashes?!”
Alex fell silent.
Sophia suddenly convulsed harder, her eyes rolling back before she fainted.
“Sophia! Sophia!” Alex panicked, scooping her up and rushing out without a backward glance. “Get the car! Hospital!
Now!”
The room fell quiet.
I laughed at myself bitterly, realizing I was never even a choice for him.
As I tried to stand while gripping the desk for support, sharp pain tore through my abdomen the moment I moved, and looking down, I saw bright red blood streaming down my legs.
By the time the ambulance arrived, I was barely conscious from the pain, yet through my haze, I saw my phone light up.
A voice message from Sophia: “Alex, I might not have been having an episode the day I killed Lily. I was just so scared…
afraid you’d abandon me after marrying her… Alex… am I terrible? Miss Carter must hate me now…”
Two seconds of silence.
Then I heard Alex’s gentle voice: “Sophia, you know I’ll never abandon you.”
My heart felt like it exploded.
Before losing consciousness completely, I heard myself whisper, “Alex, I hate you.”
When I opened my eyes again, I was staring at a hospital ceiling.
My phone buzzed with Alex’s name on the screen, and as I answered, my bloodless face reflecting in the black surface, his voice was ice cold. “Emma, how could you fake being sick? Don’t use these tactics for attention. It’s childish.”
I said nothing.
1
He continued, “Tomorrow’s wedding-you will be there on time. I’ll wait for you.”
After he hung up, I sent all the video evidence and that voice recording to my lawyer.
Tomorrow’s wedding-I was looking forward to it.
