Chapter 2
I never would've said something like that before, because I wanted to salvage their pride—especially Oscar's. He had no skills and a bad temper.
The only reason Oscar doted on Emily was because she was weaker than him. With her, he could play the role of the big brother. But next to me, everyone would only say he couldn't even measure up.
Oscar's face changed instantly, contorting with anger.
"What? You're a loser but can't hear someone say it aloud?" I said.
I deliberately aimed at where it hurt him the most.
Emily burst into tears. "Delphine, if you're angry and want to take it out on someone, come at me. Please don't drag Mom, Dad, or Oscar into this—it's all my fault.
"I shouldn't have come here now, but I really can't wait anymore. The doctor said I only have six months left..."
"Drop your pretense. Do you think I shouldn't yell at you? You wrecked my wedding, stole my man, and now you're acting like you're some innocent? How disgusting," I snapped.
Emily's claim about only having six months left was nothing but a lie. But that lie was enough to make everyone go all out for her, ready to do whatever it took to get revenge on me.
I didn't get it before, but now I do—that was what playing favorites was.
No matter what Emily did, they'd always be on her side.
I ignored them completely and turned to leave.
The weight of the wedding dress dragged me down, but my heart felt lighter than ever before.
This was my second chance at life.
This time, I would live for myself.
*****
That day, I packed up and moved out of the marital home, then drafted divorce papers. I even got the complete footage from the videographer, edited it, and uploaded it online. I wanted them to feel what it was like to be cyberbullied.
The caption of the video? [High Society Scandal: Sisters Fighting Over One Man.]
That kind of headline instantly set the internet on fire.
Within a few hours, the video went viral online.
[Ugh! This is disgusting. Does this pretentious bitch think she's the heroine of some drama? Pulling the tragic dying act? If she's dying, just get it over with instead of ruining her sister's big day.]
[Girls, if you wanna be like this bitch, try her line: "The doctor says I'm dying. Will you stay with me till the end?" My god, she's my comedy highlight of the year.]
[Brooks' golden boy isn't any better. The bitch just crooks her finger and he comes running like a lapdog. Did he even think about his bride? Was the bride just there to facilitate their romance? The shameless pair are such scumbags.]
[The poor bride—her husband stolen, her wedding ruined, and now her own family's blaming her. Maybe she was secretly adopted; why else would she be treated so badly?]
The internet was buzzing with nonstop chatter.
That line—"The doctor says I'm dying. Will you stay with me till the end?"—turned into everyone's favorite punchline.
People couldn't stop quoting it, and every time, the sarcasm was off the charts.
The Brooks family was thrown into a full-blown public relations nightmare by the scandal, forced to do damage control overnight.
Nathan called me, demanding to know if I was the one who posted the footage online.
I didn't bother with small talk. I just told him to sign the divorce papers.
He didn't agree right away. Instead, he asked if I was upset, insisting he hadn't bailed on me—just that things got out of hand and he had to put the wedding on hold.
But the fact was that the second he saw Emily, he changed his mind about marrying me.
He picked me because I was the kind of woman one married.
He didn't pick Emily because she was just someone to have fun with, not someone one settled down with.
But the moment Emily claimed she was dying, he still threw me aside for her.
He never actually cared about me.
I wasn't the kind of girl to chase after a guy who didn't want me. If he'd just told me straight, I would've let go without a fuss.
He wanted me, the perfect wife, but couldn't give up on Emily too.
"If you don't sign, I'll file for divorce. When this goes public, you'll be the one left humiliated," I said.
If it weren't for the divorce, I wouldn't even bother saying another word to him.
Just hearing his voice made me feel like there were maggots crawling on my skin.
"Why are you so set on divorce? Did you ever even love me?" he asked.
I couldn't believe he had the nerve to ask me this.
"The Delphine who loved you is already dead," I replied.
If he wanted to put on a show, I'd play along.
"I'm sorry. I messed this up. Just give me a little time, and I'd settle everything in a way that satisfies you," he said.
I let out a cold laugh. What a piece of work—he really thought he'd have me back under his thumb with a few words.
I hung up on him and called my lawyer to file for divorce.
*****
The next morning, I quit my job.
When the Cole family was about to go under, I was the only one who stepped up and fought tooth and nail to save everything. In just six months, I dragged the company out of the red and back into the black, all on my own.
And after all that? Not a single word of thanks. Instead, they started whispering that I was plotting to take over the whole company.
Melvin treated me like I was some kind of threat.
Oscar resented me, terrified I'd steal the company right out from under him.
Meanwhile, Naomi and Emily were living it up on the company's dime, acting like it was nothing. They'd throw shade at me for being "too capable," call me a tomboy, and laugh that no guy would ever go for a woman like me.