My Sister Got the Man I Loved

Synopsis

The day I found out my uncle, Edward Blake, was marrying my sister, Christina Francis, I dropped out of school and left the country. On the plane, Edward kept blowing up my phone with messages: [It's not what you think. Come back, and I'll explain. Please, don't be so stubborn. Reply to me. I'm begging you.] I'd been in love with Edward for ten years, and every time, he'd shut me down with, "We can never be together." But then, out of nowhere, he married my sister. I stared at the screen, at the man who always had everything under control, and for the first time, he begged me. My finger hovered over the power button for ages, but in the end, I yanked out my SIM card, like pulling a thorn straight out of my heart. Three years later, if it hadn't been for my father's grave being moved, I never would have set foot in that city again. The very first day I got back, one of the members of the Francis family intercepted me at the airport. Actually, it was Edward himself, the current head of the Francis family and my so-called uncle. Three years had passed, and he looked a lot thinner now, his jawline sharp enough to cut. But his eyes were harder to read than before, like staring into a bottomless well. He stood in the middle of the arrivals hall, his presence so intense that his assistants didn't dare breathe. When he saw me, his lips moved, and he called out, "Charlie." It wasn't "Charlotte." He called me "Charlie." When I was little, he always called me that. He said my name sounded nice. But after I confessed to him at sixteen, he never called me that again. I dragged my suitcase past him without so much as a glance, like he was nothing more than an obstacle in my way. He reached out and grabbed my wrist. "The car is outside. I'll give you a ride." I glanced down at his hand, at the plain platinum band on his ring finger, glinting under the harsh airport lights. I stared at that wedding ring for a couple of seconds. Three years later, it was still there, like it had grown into his skin. I gave a small smile and looked up at him. "No need to trouble you, Uncle Edward. I've already called a ride."