Happily Ever After… Without Him

It was Sabrina’s birthday. My parents’ adopted daughter. The girl I had once called my little sister. The same girl I’d defended from bullies back in high school, when the four of us—Sabrina, Nathan, Gabriel, and I—were supposed to be a makeshift family.

I had genuinely believed I was doing the right thing back then. Helping her would bring us closer. We’d all live under one roof, sharing laughter over dinners. I never imagined she would twist it all against me.

Sabrina had always been clever, quietly inserting herself into everything. At first, she simply tagged along with us—me, Nathan, and Gabriel—but over time, it became something else. Whispering into Nathan’s ear when I wasn’t looking. Making Gabriel laugh in ways that had once belonged solely to me. I told myself not to overthink it.

Until the night I saw it. The kiss.

It was supposed to be quiet, just me and Nathan—the boy who eventually became my boyfriend—confessing our love. But instead, I caught him pressing his lips to Sabrina’s.

I let it slide. Once. Twice. Too many times.

Every time I confronted him, Nathan brushed it off. “You’re imagining things,” he’d say. “She’s like a sister.”

Gabriel chimed in, echoing the dismissal. “Stop ruining everything with your jealousy, Elena.”

It wasn’t jealousy. It was betrayal.

Now, at her birthday party, I watched them laugh and clink glasses like stars of some twisted romantic comedy. Nathan had just taken a shot, tilting the empty glass to Sabrina’s lips, his hand grazing her waist as though they belonged together. My chest tightened.

I rose quietly, slipping to one of the guest rooms upstairs. Pulling the blanket over me, I tried to block it all out. Then the door creaked.

“Elena?” Sabrina’s voice was false, sweetly concerned. “They’re looking for you downstairs. Fireworks are about to start.”

“I’m tired. Leave me alone,” I said.

She stepped closer, coaxing. “Come on… it’s my birthday. You’re really going to sulk?”

I faced her, voice low, icy. “Sabrina, isn’t it enough that I was forced to be here?”

Her frown deepened. “Do you hate me now? You think I stole them from you? That was never my intention. We were best friends once—”

“Stop.” I raised a hand. “Go enjoy your stupid party.”

But she grabbed my wrist, pulling. “Come on! It’ll be fun. I’m happy when you’re around—”

“Don’t touch me!” I yanked, but her grip only tightened.

We toppled backward. Sabrina crashed into the small table by the bed. The vase shattered, glass slicing into our arms and shoulders. Pain flared across my forearm.

Before I could react, the door burst open.

Nathan. My boyfriend. He didn’t come to me. He ran to her.

“Are you okay? Sabrina—what happened?!” His hands brushed the shards from her skin.

“She pushed me,” Sabrina whimpered. “I didn’t mean—she just—”

“What the hell, Elena?!” Nathan’s face twisted in anger. “You’re ruining everything. Again.”

I froze, blood dripping, words choking in my throat.

“She attacked me,” I stammered. “I told her to stop—”

He didn’t listen. Gabriel appeared, eyes sharp. “You’re always like this,” he snapped. “Jealous, dramatic. Can’t stand not being the center of attention.”

Even bleeding through my sleeves, I was the one blamed for ruining Sabrina’s birthday.

Gabriel grabbed my arm. “Come on. Downstairs. We’re celebrating. You’re not going to disgrace the family again.”

So I went. Bruised, bleeding, humiliated, I stood beneath the fireworks, watching them dance and laugh.

One last time. Just one final effort. I joined the circle around the bonfire, plastering a fake smile over my face like a mask.

The music swelled. The crowd cheered. I swayed, barely holding myself together, when a shove sent me sprawling. Nathan? Why?

I stumbled into the edge of the bonfire. Fire licked my arm, agony shooting through me.

I screamed.

Someone screamed back—Sabrina. She knelt beside me, panic-stricken. “Oh god! Elena, you’re hurt! We need an ambulance—”

But Nathan shook his head. “It’s nothing. Just a small burn. She’ll survive. Consider it payback for hurting you before.”

And Gabriel? He didn’t even glance at me.

No one helped.

I hauled myself away from the fire and called a cab. No one offered to take me to the hospital. No one cared that I was bleeding.

And that was fine. Because this time, I vowed, it’s the last time they ever hurt me.