Chapter 3
Lily's eyes turned red with hatred as she stepped toward me. "Claire, you shouldn't even be here. Things were perfect with just the three of us, but you just had to show up and be an eyesore."
Then, with a flick of her wrist, she splashed her glass of red wine all over my white dress.
She looked at me smugly.
Did she really think I couldn't show up here just because my gown was ruined?
I scoffed.
I couldn't help but laugh at Lily's stupidity.
"What are you laughing at?" she snapped.
"Looks like Margaret never taught you anything useful. Let me show you how to really pour red wine on somebody," I said.
Before Lily could even react, I dumped the whole glass of red wine right over her head.
She screamed.
Lily stumbled and fell to the floor.
Her scream instantly drew a crowd.
People glanced at each other, and then at us. Naturally, all eyes were on the two Jennings sisters, both of us looking absolutely wrecked.
Of course, Lily looked way worse than I did.
Anyone could see that the two Jennings sisters were anything but friendly.
People wanted to laugh, but with the Jennings family's reputation on the line, they held back. The gossip in the room just kept getting louder.
That was when Felix and Flora finally pushed their way through the crowd and made it to the scene.
Their faces were stormy.
One look at the mess, and they knew exactly what had happened.
Lily was bawling, snot and tears streaming down her face.
Her dress was ruined, and her makeup was completely smeared and destroyed.
I stood quietly, watching Lily, and then Felix and Flora.
Without saying a word, they lifted Lily off the floor and led her away.
They didn't spare me a single look the whole time.
The Jennings family's reputation was totally trashed today.
When I stepped out in a fresh dress, I bumped right into Flora, who was clearly hunting me down.
"Claire, what on earth do you think you're doing?" Flora demanded, her voice sharp with accusation. "How could you drench Lily in red wine? She's your sister!"
My chest tightened for a moment.
It wasn't her scolding that bothered me. It was the disappointment of her defending Lily without even knowing the reason.
She was defending her other daughter.
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady as I looked at Flora. "Did you ever ask me why I poured wine on her?"
"What?" Flora blinked, looking confused.
Her reaction just made me feel even more let down.
She hadn't even noticed my dress was ruined.
In all that mess and embarrassment, all she cared about was her poor little girl. She didn't spare me a single glance.
"Lily was the one who splashed red wine all over my dress first, so I poured it over her head," I said.
I told Flora exactly how it all went down.
After more than twenty years of calling her my mother, I still hoped for something from her.
I just wanted her to judge things fairly for once.
But in the end, I failed.
Flora looked a little uncomfortable. She knew Lily was the one at fault.
"Lily's your sister. She's younger than you, so you should be the bigger person and let her have her way. How could you get back at her?" Flora said.
My heart twisted painfully.
Why?
Why did she always defend Lily, even when it was Lily who started it? Why was I always the one getting blamed, even when I was just fighting back?
Was it really just because I was not related by blood?
But they were the ones who promised they'd love Lily and me the same.
They said they raised me, and in their hearts, I was their real daughter.
My eyes became teary. "If I were the one who started it, and I were the one with wine dumped on my head, would you defend me the same way?"
Flora's brows furrowed. She clearly hadn't expected me to come at her like this.
"So what do you want from me? It hurts me no matter which one of you gets hurt. You're both my girls. Claire, are you trying to break my heart?" she wailed.
She was acting like I was the one making her lose it.
But I knew that wasn't true.