Jake smiled, kissed her cheek like a brother would, and walked away.
That was six months ago. Now, Lena sat in her car outside the church, watching guests file in. Mia’s wedding day. The white dress, the lilies, the 200 RSVPs—all a beautiful lie held together by Lena’s silence.
It read: “Meet me at Mom’s. I have to tell you something about Jake. And I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” cheatingsis
“You look beautiful,” he murmured, close enough that his cologne—the same one he wore to their secret hotel meet-ups—wrapped around her.
Inside the church, the organ started. Lena slipped into the back pew just as Mia began her walk down the aisle. Their eyes met for a second—Mia’s full of happy tears, Lena’s full of something else. Guilt. Fear. A sick, thrilling secret. Jake smiled, kissed her cheek like a brother
Two hours later, Lena sat on her childhood bed, watching the door. The forum had one new notification. A private message from LostAndFound : “Proud of you. Now the real story begins.” Outside, tires crunched on gravel. Mia’s car. Lena took a breath. For the first time in six months, she wasn’t hiding. She was just a sister. Waiting for the storm.
The vows were recited. “I do.” “I do.” Lena’s phone buzzed in her clutch. A DM on the forum from LostAndFound : “The wedding doesn’t have to be the end. It can be the beginning of telling the truth. You deserve to breathe.” Mia’s wedding day
That hit Lena like a gut punch. Because it was true. Growing up, Mia was the golden girl—valedictorian, effortlessly beautiful, the one their parents introduced first. Lena was just “Mia’s little sister.” Jake was the first person who ever looked at Lena and saw someone more than the shadow. The problem was that he was supposed to marry the sun.