Bella shattered the necklace Damian sent. “I don’t want your charity!” she spat. “I’m not some gold digger.” As pearls and diamonds scattered, I knelt to gather them. Damian nudged my hand. “Convince her to wear it,” he ordered, “and I’ll pay your father’s bills.” Bella glared. “Pathetic, Liz. Groveling for his world?” But I had no choice. I held out the broken pearls. She closed her eyes, refusing. I failed. Yet Damian paid anyway. From then on, we were tied to him—but his preference for Bella was clear. He adored her fire; I was just the gold digger tagging along. Years later, when Bella returned, Damian held me close. “Your sister’s back,” he murmured. “I know,” I replied evenly. “I wish you both happiness.” 1 Damian rewarded my words with a kiss, his lips pressing against mine with a sense of satisfied ownership. “Good girl,” he whispered. He leaned back against the headboard, a distant, hazy look in his eyes. “If only Bella was this… obedient.” A thousand tiny needles pricked at my heart. I didn’t answer, just quietly slipped out of bed and began gathering my things. Suddenly, his hand shot out, his grip on my wrist like a steel band. It was so tight, it hurt. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” he demanded. “What am I supposed to say?” I asked softly. He let out a short, sharp laugh and released me, slumping back against the pillows. “Before Bella left for Europe, she told me to take good care of you.” My world tilted. The pain in my chest, once a dull ache, sharpened into a blade. So that was it. The only reason I was allowed to stay by his side was as an act of charity, a favor to Bella. Of course. In Damian’s eyes, I had always been just a pale imitation of my sister. “Bella is always like that,” Damian’s voice was laced with a wistful longing, an undeniable tenderness that was never meant for me. “She’s kind to everyone but me. She saves all her cruelty for me.” I tried to slip away to the bathroom, but he caught my hand again. “Stay. Just a little longer.” Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, carving his handsome profile out of the darkness. For a moment, I was thrown back to the first time I ever saw him. Bella had just accidentally spilled a scalding cup of coffee on his hand. A large, angry red splotch had immediately bloomed on his skin, but he had just smiled. “It’s nothing. As long as you’re not hurt.” “Hmph. I wasn’t going to apologize anyway,” Bella had retorted, tossing her hair. “You rich people are all the same. You think you own the world.” I’d been terrified, ready to apologize for her, for everything. But Damian’s interest had only deepened. “You hate me?” “Yes. I hate spoiled, useless trust-fund babies like you more than anything.” She’d punctuated her sentence with a little stomp of her foot. And Damian had laughed. A real, genuine laugh. I was hiding behind Bella then, a shadow to her sun, watching the undisguised amusement and indulgence in his eyes. And a single thought had echoed in my naive heart: He’s… he’s such a good person. Later, I learned he had fallen for her at first sight. And when he told that story, he never even remembered I had been there at all. The memory shattered. I looked at Damian, who was now lighting a cigarette. “I’ve arranged for your father’s follow-up treatments,” he said, the words curling out with the smoke. “Thank you,” I nodded. “Don’t be so formal.” He took another drag, his eyes settling on my face through the gray haze. “If you want to thank someone, thank your sister. I’m only taking care of your family because of her.” … In the bathroom, the sound of the shower drowned out the choking sobs I was trying to swallow. I let the cold water cascade over me, from head to toe, hoping it would numb the ache inside. When I came out, I was surprised to see he was still there. Damian was leaning against the doorframe, scrolling through his phone. “I’m picking Bella up from the airport tomorrow. Clear my schedule.” “Okay.” He suddenly walked over, took the towel from my hands, and started to dry my hair. His movements were clumsy, awkward, and he kept snagging the tangles, pulling at my scalp until it stung. I closed my eyes and endured it. He must have noticed my wince, because his touch finally softened. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I’ve… never done this before. I just wanted to practice. For when I do it for Bella.” “It’s okay,” I said, forcing a smile. “Just be a little gentler. You don’t want to make Bella angry.” He grunted in agreement, and his motions did become much lighter. The next day at the airport, I was by Damian’s side at the crack of dawn. Bella emerged from the arrivals gate in a stunning red dress, a vision of vibrant, sun-kissed beauty. Every head in the terminal turned to watch her. Including Damian’s. He was a blur of motion, rushing forward to take her suitcase. “You must be exhausted,” he said, his voice softer and more tender than I had ever heard it. Bella just gave a noncommittal hum, her eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on me. A flicker of amusement played on her lips. “Liz. You came too?” “It’s been a long time, Bella.” I stepped forward, my smile perfectly polite, perfectly distant. On the drive back, Bella sat in the passenger seat. Damian kept turning to her, their easy laughter filling the car. He had never been so talkative with me. Their conversation drifted from the weather in Paris to silly family anecdotes, a seamless tapestry of shared history and effortless intimacy. I sat in the back, a ghost in the machine, completely invisible. 2 When we got home, Bella gestured for me to grab her luggage and follow her. I obeyed. The moment we were inside her opulent, princess-like bedroom, she spun around and slapped me. The crack of her hand against my cheek echoed in the silent room. “Liz, you are absolutely shameless.” Her voice was dripping with contempt. “While I was abroad, bettering myself, you were here selling your body. God, you’re just like your mother. A cheap whore.” Bella was the daughter of my father’s first wife. A year after their divorce, my father met my mother. They dated, fell in love, and got married. But in Bella’s eyes, my mother would always be the other woman, the homewrecker. It didn’t matter that my own mother, in a desperate attempt to win her over, treated Bella better than she treated me. It was never enough for Bella. She loved to humiliate my mother and me in public, calling Mom a mistress and me the mistress’s daughter. From a young age, those whispers followed me, becoming a brand of shame I couldn't escape. All the bullying I endured at school could be traced back to Bella. When my father tried to intervene, Bella would simply say: “Dad, nobody else gets bullied. It’s only her. Doesn’t that tell you she’s the one with the problem?” The stinging heat on my cheek pulled me back to the present. “What, cat got your tongue?” Bella sneered, looking down at me. I remained silent. I’d learned my place over the years. I couldn’t afford to upset Bella. Because if Bella was unhappy, Damian would be unhappy. And if Damian was unhappy, my father’s medical funding would disappear. Bella wouldn’t care if he lived or died. Seeing my bowed head, she let out a scornful laugh and sauntered over to her walk-in closet. She pulled out a silk dress and tossed it at me. “Here. Go iron this for me. And make sure it’s perfect. I hate wrinkles.” “Okay,” I whispered, and left the room. In the hallway, I passed the housekeeper. He gave me a look filled with pity and resignation before quickly averting his eyes. After all, who would respect a shameless gold digger? While I was ironing the dress, a blast of steam caught my wrist. A painful red blister rose on my skin almost instantly. I stared at the angry mark and was suddenly reminded of a night Damian had been drunk. He’d mistaken me for Bella, murmuring her name over and over again. “Bella, don’t go… don’t leave me…” His grip had been just as painful then, but I hadn’t pushed him away. Sometimes, a person’s heart is so starved, it will cling to even the most hollow imitation of love. Just then, Damian appeared in the doorway. His gaze fell instantly to my reddened wrist. “What happened to your hand?” “I burned myself by accident,” I answered honestly. He rushed over, his face etched with worry. He took my wrist, his touch surprisingly gentle as he examined the angry blister. My breath caught in my throat. “Who told you to iron this?” His voice was tight, suppressed. “Bella did.” I always told the truth. A small, bitter smile touched his lips as he let go of my hand. “She’s still the same, always ordering people around.” I didn’t say anything else. He turned to leave, then paused. “That new project you’re managing… give it to your sister.” My eyes shot open, wide with disbelief. By the time I could process his words, he was already gone. Why? The project I had poured my soul into for six months—the early mornings, the late nights, the endless work—he was just giving it away? But I knew. I had no right to refuse. In Damian’s world, Bella and I were the moon and the mud. And I was the mud. That night, I lay in bed, tossing and turning, sleep a million miles away. I got up, needing some air, and found Damian in the living room. He was sitting on the sofa in the dark, smoking, the moonlight tracing the sharp line of his jaw. “You’re still awake?” He saw me and instinctively stubbed out his cigarette. “I was just getting some water.” He nodded silently. But as I turned to leave, he spoke again, more to himself than to me. “I looked forward to her return for so long. But now that she’s back… I don’t know. It feels… ordinary.” My heart skipped a beat. I thought I must have misheard him. Damian looked up at me, his eyes filled with a raw, conflicted struggle. “If I… If I told you I couldn’t bear to let you go… would you think I was insane?” 3 We both pretended that late-night conversation never happened. Bella started working at Friedlander Corp. She was immediately appointed as my direct supervisor. I spent the morning walking her through the company’s procedures, but she just watched me with growing impatience. “This is boring. Let’s just stop here.” “But, there’s still—” I tried to explain, but she cut me off. “Don’t I have you for that? As my subordinate, isn’t it your job to handle these things for me?” Bella gave me a dismissive look, then a cruel smile bloomed on her face. “Then again, the only thing you’re really good at is pleasing men in bed.” The office went silent. Around us, my colleagues froze, their eyes wide, some covering their mouths in shock. But Bella wasn’t finished. She stepped closer, her high heels clicking on the floor, her posture radiating superiority. “What? Did you forget to tell your coworkers that your mother was a cheap mistress who broke up a marriage? You two are cut from the same cloth.” “My mother was not a mistress,” I retorted, meeting her gaze. She covered her mouth with a manicured hand, letting out a high-pitched, mocking laugh. “Oh, listen to you. Still denying it? Of course. People like you have no shame.” … The scandal spread through the company like wildfire. After work, Damian summoned me to his office. His friends were there, a pack of smirking hyenas, their eyes raking over me with amusement. I thought Damian might issue a statement, put a stop to the rumors. Instead, all he said was, “You shouldn’t have made your sister angry.” I bit my lip, fighting back the tears that burned behind my eyes. He continued, his voice devoid of warmth. “Bella has been very good to you. If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have even had the money for college. Liz, you need to learn to be grateful.” I looked up, my eyes red-rimmed. Yes, I knew. If it weren’t for Bella, we wouldn’t have received Damian’s support. My father would have died long ago, unable to afford his treatments. I would have dropped out of school, trapped in poverty. Damian’s lecture was a clear warning: do not resent your sister. As I left his office, I could hear the raucous laughter from inside. “Damn, Damian, you’re cold. She’s a pretty little thing, you know. You sure you want to be that harsh?” “Yeah, man. What if you actually scare her away for good?” “Say what you will about Liz, she might be a spineless gold digger compared to her sister, but she’s always been completely devoted to you.” Damian’s voice, careless and cutting, drifted out. “She can’t hold a candle to Bella. It’s the difference between the moon in the sky and the mud on the ground. If she didn’t look so much like Bella, why would I ever have kept her around?” Another wave of laughter followed. I quickened my pace, desperate to escape. In the end, Damian gave the project to Bella. All she did was sign her name on the final page, yet she received all the credit. She became an overnight sensation in the industry. When people talked about her, the brilliant rising star, they inevitably mentioned me. “Those two sisters… one is a fearless, ambitious powerhouse, and the other is just a parasitic vine, clinging to whatever branch she can.” “Liz is just riding her sister’s coattails, and she’s not even grateful for it.” The rumors were like thorns, wrapping around my neck, tightening their grip until I could barely breathe. At the celebration banquet, Bella was the center of attention, surrounded by admirers. She held her champagne flute high, her smile radiant. Someone raised their glass in a toast. “Ms. Linwood, you are truly a force to be reckoned with! Our CEO is a lucky man to have such a capable partner by his side.” Damian smiled in response, but his eyes, almost unconsciously, drifted across the room and met mine. I offered him a small, empty smile and turned to leave. I didn’t see the deep furrow that creased his brow as I walked away. I moved through the party like a ghost. Bella was a natural-born star; even stolen glory looked magnificent on her, and she spoke of her “achievements” with righteous conviction. As for me, I didn’t even have the right to defend myself. With her newfound fame, the elders of the Friedlander family softened their stance. They announced that if Bella’s performance remained strong through the next quarter, they would officially welcome her into the family. When Bella heard the news, she put on a grand display of insulted, haughty pride. “And you think I should be happy about this? What makes you so special? You were just born lucky, that’s all.” “I will not grovel and scheme just to marry into your family.” “Everything I do—my education, my work—I do it for myself. It has nothing to do with any of you.” Her speech left the Friedlander elders speechless, their faces turning shades of purple. Damian quickly stepped in to smooth things over, his eyes shining with adoration for Bella. “That’s just how Bella is,” he said, a proud smile on his face. “She’s real. She’s not fake. Don’t take it to heart, Grandpa.” I stood to the side, watching the whole absurd spectacle unfold.
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