My Mom Threw My Acceptance Letter Away For My Stepsister Chapter 03
Two hours and two bus transfers later, I got home just as they were pulling in.
Shopping bags spilled out of the car. All Sophie’s.
She looked at me with practiced anxiety.
“I’m so sorry, Nat. We forgot to wait for you. You’re not mad, right?”
Ethan shot me a warning look before soothing her. “Of course not. Natalie isn’t that petty. Right, Natalie Hayes?”
My whole body went rigid at the sound of my new name.
I forced out a quiet hum.
Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Already done? It fits. Natalie’s always been so meek—she takes after Robert perfectly.”
“And Sophie? She actually looks like Margaret’s real daughter. The real Whitman princess.”
Mom and Ethan nodded without hesitation.
Mom’s gaze shifted between us, and she let out a sigh.
“Ah… what a pity.”
My fists clenched.
I caught what she meant.
What a pity her real daughter was the one she couldn’t stand.
The four of them headed inside.
I stood outside for a long time. Eighteen years in this house, and for the first time, I was afraid to walk through the door.
When I finally stepped inside, they were deep in discussion. Which luxury hotel for Sophie’s college send-off party.
Mom said, “The Grand Plaza. Biggest ballroom in Fairview.”
Ethan said, “The Sterling is better. They have that elevated stage Sophie likes. Can you picture her entrance?”
Sophie bit her lip. “I love both ideas. But honestly? I’d love the most exclusive hotel in Fairview. Too bad it’s booked a year in advance.”
That’s when Gavin stepped in. “It’s a Hartwell property. One phone call. What’s mine is Sophie’s now.”
My head snapped up.
Because The Cove wasn’t just a hotel.
Gavin had once told me he built it for us.
He said it was our promise. Said we’d have the wedding there someday.
Now it was Sophie’s too.
She gasped and threw herself into his arms. “Thank you, Gav!”
Me?
Still invisible. Still nobody.
…
One week later.
The biggest send-off party Fairview had ever seen. The Grand Plaza Hotel. Sophie in an evening gown.
She clung to Gavin’s arm. Ethan guarded her back.
Compliments followed her everywhere, along with envious stares.
A tipsy aunt squinted in confusion.
“Wait, wasn’t Natalie the sharp one when she was little? What happened with her exams?”
Mom stiffened.
Visibly irritated, she forced a patient smile.
“Oh, that was just cute-kid stuff. She was never in Sophie’s league. Nobody expected much from her.”
The words rolled off her tongue without a flicker of hesitation.
They all knew the truth. I had earned a place at Ivy Ridge University. They were the ones who forced me into a state school.
My secondhand phone buzzed.
I squinted at the cracked screen. A message from the Westbrook admissions office finally loaded.
[Natalie Hayes, your full-ride scholarship has been confirmed. Your previous enrollment at Crestwood State has been voided. Please arrive on campus September 1st.]
I exhaled. Relief.
[Thank you.]
Gavin materialized behind me, craning his neck.
“What’s voided?”
I jolted, killing the screen. “Nothing. You misread.”
He didn’t actually care.
His brow pinched for half a second before he smoothed it away and walked back to Sophie.
I stood outside the circle of light.
Silent. Watching my closest blood relatives orbit around Sophie. My heart had gone numb a long time ago.
Didn’t even hurt anymore.
Soon. Two more weeks, and I’d be free.