A knot twisted in my stomach as soon as I entered the room. The silence seemed too thick, too heavy. Something wasn't right.
I had expected my sister Susan to be pacing back and forth, or maybe looking at the dress again with the excitement she had been wearing all week. But when I pushed the door open, it was empty.Empty.My heart pounded against my ribs as I crossed the floor, my feet making soft noises in the quiet room. I scanned the familiar space—the bed, the desk, the dresser—everything was in its place, just as it had been for weeks. The only difference was her absence.I didn't want to admit it, but I knew. I just did.There was no way she was ready for the wedding that our parents arranged for her, that wasn't her, but she convinced us all by telling us how she was in love with Elijah, who I hadn't even seen yet.I gazed over the wall and saw the dress still hung in the corner, like some cruel mockery of the future Susan had once been willing to step into. The veil lay across the vanity table.And then my eyes landed on it—the note.I had seen her write like this before, neat and precise. But now the words seemed rushed, hurried, and desperate, like she had to write them and leave before anyone could stop her.But this was not supposed to happen. She seemed happy talking about Elijah and her dates with him, though occasionally she did complain about him being indifferent to her, but she was confident about the way she felt for him, and there was not a single reason to leave, then what happened?"I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry, Althea. I hope you understand. I can't marry him. I thought I could, but I can't. I'm leaving. Don't try to find me."I read it again and again, my vision blurring as I fought to make sense of it. She was gone. Just like that.I took a shaky step back, my hand gripping the vanity for support. My stomach felt like it was dropping to the floor. Susan had been so sure. She had agreed to the marriage and had even seemed satisfied about it. She had made the plans and tried on the dress with a smile, and I had assumed that she was ready—but now she was gone.Why? Why now?The thought of her running away—of leaving me to shoulder the responsibility—felt like a betrayal. She couldn't just disappear. Not after everything.But there was no time for anger. No time to ask why. No time to go searching for her.My mother entered the room, her face filled with panic as she watched me stand alone in it with no trace of her sister."Where is she?" Mama gasped, her voice a mix of panic and desperation, her eyes wide as if searching for a glimmer of hope in the room's shadows to find her daughter."She's gone, Mama." I whispered, my voice trembling. "She left."My mother's eyes widened, as she closed the distance between us, urgency in her steps."This is bad, Althea." She spoke with terror, and I am well aware of it. This was not supposed to happen. I had asked Susan a thousand times if she was sure about it, and she always said yes."We have to fix this—now." She took a deep breath, her voice low and frantic. "Your father... he'll never forgive this betrayal. His reputation means everything to him. He'll think we've dishonored the family."Hearing her, I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. I was so worried about Susan's betrayal that I forgot about the most dangerous of all, my father."Michael will kill us," She added, and it was not a lie. I know my father, he would not think twice before grabbing the gun to kill me and my mother and then go after Susan."But how do we fix this, mama? Susan left us!" I remind her, tears streaming down my eyes, feeling betrayed.Mama gazed at me without a word, and it hit me- there was no way she was expecting this. The silence hung between us, heavy with fear. I could see the panic in her eyes, realizing she was serious.She looked at me, searching for answers, "I can't take her place!" I answered her that this was not my responsibility to bear."I'm not her!" I fight back, she can't do this to me."Please, you have to understand," she urged, desperation lacing her words. "You both look so much alike—" She paused, gazing at me again "Maybe this was the reason you both were born just a year apart, the same day, the same month. No one would even notice the switch."A smile curled on her face, her words echoed in my mind, making me question her sanity— is she being real?She turns me over, making me face the mirror, a chilling realization creeping in. Was this the reason we looked so similar? The same dark hair, the same wide brown eyes— a mirror of features that felt like a cruel twist of fate. Was it my punishment to bear her face, to step into her life as if I could erase her choices?A wave of guilt washed over me. I had always loved the bond we shared, but now it felt like a burden. "Why do I have to look like her?" I muttered, shame flooding my chest. "Why do I have to take her place?"My mother's eyes shimmered with urgency. "If you don't step in, we'll face his wrath together. We can't let this destroy us. You're all I have left to make this right."I looked at her, the fear in her gaze reflecting my own. The thought of slipping into my sister's life felt like an unbearable weight, a loss of my own identity. But as I faced my mother's pleading expression, I realized that this might be the only way to protect our family, and her.