Hey, Ugly Duckling

The next morning, the bedroom door swung open, and Byron pulled me into the dining room. "Claire cooked for you herself. She wants to make amends."

The table was covered with dishes. Claire limped out of the kitchen carrying the last plate, her smile sweet. "Sharon, I made all your favorites."

"She knows you gave her blood to save her. She wanted to cook you a nice meal to make up for it." Byron's voice was gentle.

Mom and Dad were already seated, showering Claire with praise. "Your leg hasn't even healed, and you're already thinking of others. How thoughtful."

I glanced at the table. There were shrimp, crab, and scallops. Every single dish contained seafood that would give me a severe allergic reaction.

A memory tore open like a wound. When I was ten years old, Claire secretly chopped up shrimp meat and mixed it into ravioli filling. After I ate it, my whole body swelled up, and I could barely breathe, nearly going into shock.

Claire had laughed hysterically outside the emergency room. "Look at how ugly she looks! She's even uglier than before!"

In the present, I turned my head away. "I can't eat this. I'm allergic to seafood."

Claire's mouth immediately trembled with hurt when she heard that.

Mom's and Dad's faces darkened. "Claire worked all morning on this. Just have a few bites. It'll be fine."

Byron frowned. "Claire meant well. Just eat first. I'll take you to the hospital afterward."

My chest felt like it had been hit with a blunt object. I shoved my chair back and ran out. I stood alone by the lake, letting the wind blow against me. Soon, light footsteps approached from behind.

"You really don't appreciate anything, do you?" Claire's voice dropped all pretense. Her limp was gone, too.

I asked calmly, "What exactly do you want?"

She laughed lightly. "I'm Byron's first love. Back then, I just thought he was some poor nobody. I didn't know he'd become so powerful. Now, I'm taking him back. Someone like you doesn't deserve anyone's love, especially not his."

Each word was like a poisoned needle piercing my heart. I knew I was ugly, but hearing my own sister say it still made me shake with pain.

"You know what?" She leaned close to my ear. "You're not just ugly. You're stupid, too."

I froze, confused by what she meant.

"I'm so beautiful and well-behaved, so of course I should be the only princess. Seeing you with a face just like mine makes me sick every time.

"When we were eight, I fell off that cliff on purpose. I knew you'd come save me. I calculated exactly where to position myself so you'd get that scar.

"Oliver's death had nothing to do with you, either. I threw his toy into the pond and tricked him into going after it.

"Once Mom and Dad thought you killed Oliver, they stopped loving you. I wanted the whole world to hate and abandon you!"

I could barely believe my own ears. The sister I desperately saved was the one who made me get this scar, the one who caused our brother to drown!

Some people were just born evil, doing such terrible things even at such a young age.

My whole body went cold. "After doing so many terrible things, aren't you afraid of karma? Aren't you afraid I'll tell everyone?"

"Who would believe you?" Her laughter was cruel. "They only believe what they want to believe."

With that, she shoved me hard into the lake. The icy water instantly closed over my head. I couldn't swim. I instinctively opened my mouth to call for help, but only swallowed mouthfuls of water.

I thrashed desperately, but felt myself sinking deeper and deeper. As my consciousness faded, I saw Claire on the shore, laughing wildly.

I barely managed to grab onto a rock at the edge and pull myself out, only to see Byron's figure appear in the distance. The moment Claire spotted him, she jumped into the lake and screamed for help.

Byron didn't hesitate. He dove in and quickly pulled her to shore.

Claire clung to him, crying. "I was worried about Sharon, so I followed her here. I don't understand why she pushed me..."

I tried desperately to explain, but Byron only frowned and glanced at me once. His eyes were cold and disappointed. He scooped Claire up and walked away without looking back.

I lay alone on the shore, soaking wet, shivering from the cold. Between Claire and me, he chose Claire, even though I was his wife. To his knowledge, I was still pregnant, yet he didn't choose me.

This time, my heart truly died.