Chapter 6
"Everyone knows you." Her smile was pale. "Every girl dreams of being you."
A string in my mind slowly tightened, and fragments of memory began to stir.
I unconsciously gripped my wrist.
"You're bleeding?" Scarlett gasped, standing up and freezing in place.
Only worry remained on her face now.
It was like the heartbroken, hysterical woman from just moments ago wasn't her.
I looked down. The bandage on my wrist had indeed been soaked through with blood.
I pulled my sleeve down to cover it.
She realized in an instant. "You..."
"Just a scratch." I casually grabbed a tissue to wipe away the remaining blood.
A sob came from above. Scarlett's eyes welled up with tears.
"Willa, I'm sorry! I hurt you." She broke down, slapping herself. "I should never have hurt you, of all people!"
I froze, staring at her in confusion.
She pulled up a photo on her phone.
A girl in a fluffy rabbit costume stood in the snow, her childish smile frozen in the frame.
"Those photos made me a child star and got me into showbiz. I earned enough to improve my family's life." Scarlett smiled bitterly. "But after that, my parents had several more children.
"But it was because I entered the industry that I got to meet James.
"So I truly owe thanks to your father, Mr. Gomez, who took those photos, and to you, Willa."
As she swiped to the next photo, there I was, wearing the same outfit and beaming brightly at the camera.
Distant memories came flooding back.
When I was fifteen, my parents took me to a mountain to shoot my birthday photos.
On the way down the mountain, we ran into a couple yelling at their little girl to take off her snow coat for a portfolio shoot.
The girl was crying from the cold.
The three of us exchanged a look.
I took off my rabbit coat, tucked myself into Mom's mink.
Dad grabbed the coat, rushing over with his camera.
That afternoon, everyone was happy.
Scarlett's eyes sparkled. "When your birthday photo went up on the building that year, I finally realized you were Willa! Every year, your parents would make your birthday special for you, sharing your wishes. I remember them all.
"At eighteen, you wanted to marry the one you loved in a wedding dress you designed yourself, so your parents invited a renowned wedding dress designer to teach you. At seventeen, you wished to learn skiing, so your parents built you a ski resort. And when you were sixteen, you wanted to be a boss, so your parents even renamed their company Willa Vision just for you..."
"Your parents call you the Wish Girl," Scarlett said through tears. "But that's completely wrong. You never needed to make wishes. Your parents made your every dream come true!"
"You know what? I made a birthday wish to your photo every year." She bowed her head. "Hoping to steal a little of your luck."
Wish Girl.
It had been so long since I'd heard those words.
My body grew warm.
"Because I look a bit like you, they called me a knockoff Wish Girl. Your fans came to my page saying they missed you, and somehow I actually gained some fame." Scarlett let out a bitter laugh. "But my parents still looked down on me! To get my siblings on a show, they drugged me and sent me to a director! If it hadn't been for James, God knows whose bed I'd be in right now!"
Her eyes glistened with tears as she said, "James saved me from hell, and I fell in love with him. He rescued me at my lowest, so I've decided to devote my life to him. I've chosen him, even if it means breaking with everyone, even if I'm hated. But he's your fiancé."
Scarlett looked at me, her voice trembling. "I always thought you two were just in an arranged marriage, so I didn't think I hurt you. But now I know you love each other. I really am hurting you.
"I'm sorry. You and your family have done so much for me, yet I've been so selfish."
With tears streaming down her face, Scarlett choked out between sobs. "I'm stepping aside. I'll leave James and stay out of your lives for good. May you have a happy life together."
With that, she stood up and grabbed her bag. "Willa, I wish you all the happiness."