CHAPTER 3

I stood there, my eyes locked on Emma's, my heart pouring out all the pain and hurt I'd been carrying.

"How could you, Emma?" I asked, my voice shaking with emotion. "Why did you always like to take everything away from me? Since growing up, anything I liked, you would take it. Why? Why can't you just leave this one thing for me?"

Emma raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "You're just jealous," she said. "You've always been jealous of me, of the fact that Mom and Dad love me more."

I felt a sting from her words, but I knew I had to keep going. "Jack is my life," I said. "He's my everything. Please, Emma, can't you just leave him alone?"

Emma laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "You really are pathetic," she said. "You think I'm going to give up Jack just because you're begging me to? No, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to marry him, and I'm going to make sure that you never see him again."

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Emma's words were like a knife, twisting and turning in my heart.

"Why are you doing this, Emma?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why are you trying to hurt me so much?"

Emma shrugged. "Because I can," she said. "Because I'm the favorite, and I always get what I want. And what I want is Jack."

I felt a wave of anger wash over me, but it was mixed with sadness and hurt. I realized that Emma had always been the one who got everything she wanted, and I was just the one who got left behind.

"Emma, stop this," I said, my voice firm but pleading. "Stop hurting me. Stop taking everything away from me."

Emma just laughed again, her eyes glinting with triumph. "No, I won't stop," she said. "I'll keep taking, keep hurting, until you have nothing left."

I felt a surge of anger and hurt at Emma's words. How could she be so cruel and heartless? Didn't she care about my feelings at all?

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I accused, my voice shaking with emotion. "You're enjoying watching me suffer and hurt."

Emma smiled, a cold and calculating smile. "Maybe a little," she admitted. "You've always been so perfect and prim, so sure of yourself. It's nice to see you taken down a peg."

I felt like I'd been slapped. How could my own sister say such things to me?

"You're not even sorry, are you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Emma shrugged. "Why should I be sorry? I've got what I want. I've got Jack, and I've got the satisfaction of knowing that I've hurt you."

I felt a wave of despair wash over me. I realized that I would never be able to forgive Emma for what she had done. She had betrayed me in the worst possible way, and she didn't even have the decency to apologize.

"I hate you, Emma," I said, my voice cold and hard.

Emma smiled again. "I don't care," she said. "I've got what I want, and that's all that matters."

And with that, she turned and walked away to her room, leaving me standing there, feeling broken and defeated.

I watched as Emma walked away, feeling a mix of emotions: anger, hurt, and sadness. I couldn't believe that my own sister could be so cruel and heartless.

I took a deep breath and decided to leave the apartment. I couldn't bear to be there anymore, surrounded by memories of Jack and Emma's betrayal.

I walked to the local bar, where I knew my friend Rachel would be waiting for me. We had planned to meet up for drinks and catch up, but now I just needed someone to talk to.

I walked into the bar, my eyes scanning the dimly lit room until they landed on Rachel's familiar smile. She waved me over, and I stumbled towards her, my legs feeling like jelly.

As I collapsed onto the stool next to her, Rachel's expression changed from welcoming to concerned. "Hey, girl, what's wrong?" she asked, as I buried my face in my hands.

The dam burst, and I sobbed uncontrollably, my body shaking with each ragged breath. Rachel wrapped her arms around me, holding me close as I cried.

I couldn't talk, couldn't form words through the sobs. All I could do was cry, letting out all the pain and hurt that had been building up inside me.

Rachel ordered us drinks, and I downed mine in one gulp, feeling the burn of the liquor all the way down. She handed me another, and I drank that one too, feeling the numbness spread through my body.

But even the liquor couldn't dull the pain. I felt like I was suffocating, like the weight of Emma's betrayal and Jack's rejection was crushing me.

I drank more, trying to drown my sorrows, but they just kept coming back, haunting me like ghosts. Rachel tried to talk to me, to comfort me, but I just shook my head, unable to speak.

As the night wore on, I became more and more incoherent, my words slurring together as I stumbled over my own thoughts. Rachel tried to catch me as I fell off the stool, but I pushed her away, stumbling towards the bathroom.

I locked myself in a stall, collapsing onto the floor as the tears came again. I felt like I was broken, like I'd never be whole again.

As I lay there, surrounded by the stench of stale beer and vomit, I felt like I'd hit rock bottom. I had nothing left, no pride, no dignity. All I had was pain, and a deep, abiding sense of sorrow.

And as I lay there, I knew that I might never be able to escape it.

I don't know how long I lay there, surrounded by the stench of the bathroom. Time lost all meaning as I succumbed to the darkness that had been closing in around me.

Eventually, Rachel found me, knocking gently on the stall door. "Hey, girl, are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft with concern.

I didn't answer, couldn't answer. All I could do was lie there, feeling the weight of my sorrow crushing me.

Rachel came into the stall, helping me to my feet. I leaned on her, unable to stand on my own, as she guided me out of the bathroom.

We stumbled out of the bar, into the cool night air. Rachel hailed a taxi, and we collapsed into the backseat, exhausted and emotional.

As we drove through the city, Rachel held me close, letting me cry on her shoulder. I felt like I was breaking apart, like I was shattering into a million pieces.

The taxi dropped us off at Rachel's apartment, and she helped me inside. We collapsed onto the couch, and I fell into a deep, troubled sleep, surrounded by the darkness that had consumed me.

When I woke up, it was morning. Rachel was sitting next to me, a cup of coffee in her hand. "Hey, girl," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"

I sat up, rubbing my temples. My head was pounding, and my mouth felt dry. But it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

"I don't know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just feel so broken."

Rachel put her arm around me, holding me close. "You're not broken," she said. "You're just hurt. And it's okay to hurt."

I looked at her, feeling a lump form in my throat. "Thanks, Rach," I said, my voice shaking. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Rachel smiled, her eyes filled with compassion. "You'll never have to find out," she said. "Come let's go and make breakfast. Then we talk about what makes you so hurt and broken."

I nodded, she took me to the kitchen, to prepare breakfast.

Rachel handed me a glass of water and some pain relievers. "Here, take these. You're going to need them."

I nodded, taking the medication and drinking the water. As the morning wore on, my head began to clear, and I started to feel more coherent.

Rachel made us some breakfast, and we sat down at the table to eat. As we ate, Rachel kept looking at me with concern.

"Hey, girl, what happened last night?" she asked, as we finished up our breakfast. "You came into the bar, and you were a mess. What's going on?"

I sighed, feeling a lump form in my throat. I didn't want to relive the pain of the previous day, but I knew I had to tell Rachel what had happened.

"It's Emma," I said, my voice shaking. "She's engaged to Jack."

Rachel's eyes widened in shock. "What? That's impossible. Emma knows how much you love Jack."

I nodded, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. "I know. But she didn't care. She's been secretly dating him behind my back, and now they're engaged."

Rachel's face turned red with anger. "That bitch," she spat. "I'm so sorry, girl. This is just unbelievable."

I nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude towards Rachel. She was always there for me, no matter what.

As we talked, I felt a sense of calm wash over me. Maybe, just maybe, I could get through this after all. With Rachel by my side, I felt like I could face anything.

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