Chapter 3

Honestly, Catherine and I were never close.

We shared a face, but our natures diverged.

I was reserved, happiest alone with books and silence.

Catherine laughed easily, charmed our parents effortlessly, and grew into a social force. She was the queen of every party and the center of the cheer squad. Boys were lining up around the block for her.

Parents always swore they loved equally. But those with two or more children never did.

Catherine claimed the lion's share.

I sometimes felt like a gray shadow, forever eclipsed by the sister everyone adored.

I watched from the margins as Catherine basked in the spotlight, coddled and fawned over.

But Vincent changed the equation. For once, I got to shine.

My marriage solved my dad's crisis. For a brief season, he showered me with attention, fussed over me, and brought home my favorite red velvet cake three times on his commute. Catherine's request for vanilla cupcakes slipped his mind entirely.

For the first time in twenty years, I tasted my dad's preference. I wept from the sweetness of it.

Following the wedding, I moved into Vincent's downtown estate. Climate-controlled to the exact degree, the air held no chill even when I stepped from the shower wearing nothing.

Priceless handwoven rugs swallowed every footfall. One living room wall had been converted into a floor-to-ceiling aquarium, a massive whale gliding behind the glass.

At first, I told myself life was perfect, if only I could ignore the refrigerator packed with blood bags labeled by type.

Vincent was generous. He placed five platinum cards in my hand, each balance carrying more zeros than I had ever dared to imagine.

He bought me couture gowns and jewels, swept me through endless galas, and introduced me to his circle of old money and power.

He was a creature of the night, yet also a titan in the human world.

Endless wealth polished me into someone radiant, unrecognizable from the girl I had been. My parents would stare when they saw me, then smile and hold me up as proof of their excellent judgment, parading me before relatives and friends.

Everyone in my family and circle of friends thought I'd hit the jackpot. After all, an ordinary girl like me had somehow landed a husband who was both insanely rich and ridiculously handsome.

I never worried about jobs again. I spent my days in the climate-controlled villa, agonizing over which designer handbag to carry.

A year into my marriage, Catherine married a local baker.

Their life was quiet and happy.

Within three months, Catherine was pregnant.

I heard the sickness wore on her. Remembering our bond, I brought a pot of chicken soup to her door on the first Christmas Eve after her baby was born.

But no one saw it coming. That night, Catherine slipped poison into our nightcaps.

Her smile was broken. "Tina, I cannot bear it.

"I'm younger and prettier than you. Why do you get to marry a man like that while I am stuck as a baker's wife?

"There is poison in both our glasses, Tina. I am done with this dull, miserable life. You are coming with me."

I died in agony, yet my face held a smile of relief.

Catherine only saw the gilded surface. She never knew how I suffered at Vincent's side.