Winter knocked on the door a few more times until she heard the sound of footsteps coming from inside the apartment.
Having lived with her mother and sister until she married Aiden, she knew that those footsteps weren't her mother's.
They were definitely her sister Cindy's footsteps.
'I wonder what she's been up to these days,' Winter mused as she waited for the door to open. They had a fifteen-year gap, so Cindy was twenty-two, while Winter currently was thirty-seven.
'I know she just finished university and said that she wants to get a Master's degree instead of finding a job. I guess furthering her education wouldn't hurt, right?' Winter pondered.
Click.
The door opened, and Winter's heart skipped a beat when she saw her little sister after six months of not meeting each other.
"Oh my god, Winter!" Cindy exclaimed and hugged Winter tightly. "I've missed you so much. I was worried something might've happened to you since you didn't invite us to your second wedding!"
Winter was still stunned by what she saw just now.
She saw her sister with red hair, which wasn't her natural dark hair.
But that wasn't really the problem.
"Come in. Mom is in her room right now. She'll be happy to meet you!" Cindy said as she turned around and walked into the living room.
Winter stared at Cindy back, and she began to feel nervous to the point where her breath started getting heavy.
She observed Cindy's gait, noticing how her sister swayed her body, making her newly dyed hair sway in sync.
'No, that can't be. That's not her, right?' Winter tried to dispel the ominous feeling as she stepped into the apartment and followed Cindy.
She tried to stay quiet but couldn't resist asking, "Did you dye your hair?"
"Hehe, what do you think?" Cindy quipped, looking over her shoulder with a provocative smile. "Do I look sexy with my new look?"
"W-Why did you choose red?"
Cindy appeared slightly perplexed by Winter's question. "I think red looks perfect on me. You know, natural red-haired women are the trend right now, so I want to be just like them."
…
The bad feeling in her heart started getting stronger as she recalled the woman whom Sebastian had an affair with in her previous life.
Moments before she jumped from the balcony, her mother-in-law sent a picture of Sebastian holding a woman's waist as they entered a hotel room.
But it was taken from the back, so she couldn't see the face of the mistress to identify her. She could identify only two things from that picture: the striking red hair and body shape, including height.
And Cindy happened to fit in both the hair and the body.
'That can't be, right? Why would she degrade herself to become a mistress? She's very smart and said she wants to be a successful and independent career woman in the future…'
Winter repeatedly denied the possibility, as she had a great relationship with Cindy. They only grew apart in the future because Winter failed to contact her family after her wedding to Sebastian, which seemed to have hurt Gina and Cindy's hearts.
However, she continued to send a monthly allowance to Gina's bank account because she thought it was the only way to show her gratitude towards the woman who had raised her.
"You know, I've been thinking about you lately," Cindy said as they ascended to the second floor where their mother's room was located.
"About me?"
"Mhm, I was wondering why you didn't invite Mom and me to your second wedding," Cindy halted her step at the staircase, which prompted Winter to do the same. Cindy turned her body to look at her big sister's face. She continued, "But I no longer need an answer. Because I realized that we're not the same anymore, Winter."
"What do you mean by that?" Winter asked. "I'm still the same person. I didn't invite you to the wedding because my mother-in-law filled the guest list with her friends and family. There's no more empty spots."
Cindy had a sad but accepting smile. "You don't need to lie. I understand that you didn't want us at that wedding. I'm sure you have many important guests you want to accommodate, too."
Winter wanted to refute it because she didn't have that many friends to begin with.
Even after she got married to Aiden, she found herself enjoying her time alone or with Aiden, and her friends were those from Aiden's office, like Iris, Arthur, or her family, like Gina and Cindy.
But it seemed that no matter what she said to her sister, Cindy would still think Winter didn't want to be associated with them anymore.
Winter found it exhausting to explain herself to someone who refused to listen, so she kept her mouth shut.
"I realized we're in a different social class now," Cindy said. "But I still want to be your family, and I'm sure Mom feels the same way. I'll try to find a job that pays well, so you'll finally invite me to your house or any of the events you host."
"Cindy…" Winter thought it was unnecessary to do so because Winter always thought of them as her family, even though none of them were related by blood.
But she was also glad that Cindy wasn't jealous of her. She strived to be better and become a part of Winter's elite 'circle,' though Winter didn't have such a thing.
'Well, as long as it would motivate her to do better, then I don't have anything to worry about.'
After listening to Cindy's resolve, Winter's heart eased, and she dispelled the idea that Cindy would be Sebastian's mistress in the future.
'Yeah, I think I'm being too paranoid,' Winter thought. 'Even though Cindy didn't come to the wedding, she still knew about Sebastian Saenz. She wouldn't betray me, the sister who raised her, right?'