On the luxury yacht bound for our wedding in the Bahamas, a storm suddenly hit. The vessel tilted violently as freezing Atlantic seawater rushed in. Six people. But only five life jackets. My husband, Christian, grabbed the last bright orange jacket and put it on my sister, Katelynn. He dropped to one knee, buckling the canvas straps securely around her waist. "Don't be afraid, Katie. I've got you," he murmured. I stood frozen in place, the freezing seawater swirling around my ankles. "Since we're at this point, there's no need to hide it anymore," my mother sneered, without a single ounce of concern for me in her eyes. "Christian and your sister have been together for a long time. Katelynn just pitied you too much to let us expose the truth." My best friend, Dallas, stepped in front of Katelynn, glaring at me like I was the enemy. "You've hogged her man for seven years, Blossom. It's time you gave him back." Christian finally turned to look at me. "Blossom, we already signed the marriage certificate at the courthouse two weeks ago. Let your sister have this wedding." Everyone knew. I was the only fool kept in the dark. Even in this life-or-death moment, watching me left on the sinking deck without any survival gear, the expressions on their faces were actually... relieved. If I drowned in this freezing ocean, Katelynn's life would be perfectly complete. But soon, the yacht stabilized. The moment my feet touched solid ground, my heart completely died. Looking at the job offer from a top architectural firm in London on my phone, I immediately booked a one-way ticket to London. Since they wanted me to disappear so badly, I would grant their wish. Chapter 1 Blossom POV The Coast Guard cutter brought us into the harbor at Nassau just as dawn broke across the gray horizon. Paramedics set up a triage area on the concrete dock, wrapping everyone in thick wool blankets and handing out hot drinks. My parents and Christian swarmed around Katelynn, rubbing her hands, adjusting her blanket, and demanding that the medical staff check her oxygen levels immediately. "Katie, did you get scared just now?" "Katelynn, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" I watched numbly as they swarmed around my sister, asking about her well-being. A warm liquid trickled down my brow. I reached up and touched it. It was blood. When the yacht tilted at its worst, Christian had ripped his hand out of mine and turned to protect Katelynn. I lost my balance and smashed my head hard against the brass cleat. No one remembered, and no one cared. After all, in their hearts, I was the one who could be sacrificed in a crisis. The delayed pain surged up with a vengeance, hurting so much I couldn't even speak. "Blossom, when did you get hurt?" A handkerchief was gently placed on my head. Seeing me turn my head to avoid her touch, my sister Katelynn bit her lip, her face full of feigned remorse. "They just panicked for a moment. It's my fault for taking your life jacket. If you want to blame someone, just blame me alone. I'm sorry..." Before she could even finish her apology, Christian stepped forward, his brows furrowed in deep annoyance. "Blossom, I was the one who took the jacket. Don't make things difficult for your sister." His hand clamped tightly around Katelynn's waist. He looked at me as if I were some dangerous beast. "How am I making things difficult for her?" I stood up, gripping the edge of the metal bench to steady my swaying body. "You took the last life jacket and left me on the sinking deck to die! You fiercely protected her, letting my head smash hard against the brass cleat! I was the one who almost died!" My father stormed over, his face flushed with fury, and pointed a thick finger straight at my face. "Lower your voice right now, Blossom!" Anton commanded sharply. "You are still alive and well, aren't you? The Coast Guard arrived, nobody drowned, and you are standing perfectly fine on solid ground right now. Stop playing the victim just to ruin this weekend!" My breathing almost stopped. Because I wasn't dead yet. So even after being abandoned by everyone, I didn't even have the right to break down. Christian sighed, his tone softening into manipulative coaxing. "Blossom, I know you're upset. I'll explain everything later. Be good. The wedding is about to start. We need to hurry back to the hotel, clean up, and handle this properly like adults." My gaze shifted to Katelynn, then rested back on Christian's face. My voice trembled. "Is there any need for me to go?" Before he could answer, my best friend Dallas grabbed me without explanation, aggressively shoving me toward the resort shuttle. "No, you must go," Dallas hissed fiercely. "Otherwise, people will think Katie is the other woman." "You have to be there to clarify things and protect Katie's reputation!" I looked at Christian in utter disbelief. He nodded at Dallas, his face completely devoid of warmth. "Get her on the shuttle," Christian instructed. "Once we arrive, have the resort doctor glue the wound so her hair covers it. We don't have time for a trip to the emergency room." Two hours later, Dallas pushed me through the heavy double doors of the banquet hall. I raised my head, expecting to see the floral arrangements and welcome boards I had poured my heart into designing over the past six months. Instead, what greeted my eyes was a massive sixteen-foot banner hanging over the main stage. Printed on it was a giant, glossy photograph of Christian holding Katelynn tightly on a beach, their foreheads pressed together, framed by gold foil cursive letters. Beneath the photo, the script read: Welcome to the Wedding Celebration of Christian and Katelynn. I walked up to the reception table. The wedding invitations spread open across it stung my eyes. Groom: Christian Stafford. Bride: Katelynn Hubbard. There was no trace of any alteration. From the very beginning, the name on the invitations was never 'Blossom'. I stood frozen in place, suddenly wanting to laugh. No wonder. My parents, who had always been cold and indifferent to me, took the initiative to handle everything the moment they heard I was getting married. Watching them work tirelessly, I had been moved to tears, thinking it was all because they loved me. It turned out I was wrong. From the very beginning, this entire trip was a meticulously planned scam designed to completely replace me.

Blossom POV The heavy mahogany doors slowly opened behind me, and the first wave of guests gradually walked into the banquet hall. Everyone who passed the reception desk and saw that giant photo stopped to offer a few words of praise. "This photo is absolutely stunning. They look like a match made in heaven," an older woman remarked to her companion. I stared fixedly at that photo. The sea breeze, the flowing veil... That was the exact wedding dress I had spent hours fitting. When we took our pre-wedding photos, Christian had generously finalized the entire aesthetic. When I complained it was too expensive, he rubbed my hair and chuckled, "You only get married once, Blossom. You have to pick your absolute favorite." Yet, when the retouched photo album arrived, it went straight into Katelynn's hands first. She flipped to the horseback riding set, lightly tapped her finger on the page, and said, "This one is pretty." And so, here we were. The welcome boards, the massive screens—everywhere was filled with images of my sister sitting on horseback, looking down with a delicate smile in my dress. In the end, I was nothing but a fitting model for Christian and my sister's wedding. A middle-aged relative's gaze darted between Katelynn and me, his face full of confusion. "Wait a minute," the man said. "Isn't Christian Blossom's boyfriend? I saw them together last Christmas..." My parents' smiles froze instantly. "Oh, you know how young people are these days, Richard!" Anton said loudly, drawing the attention of several nearby guests. "Blossom and Christian figured it out months ago that they were better off as friends. Blossom actually stepped down willingly so Christian could pursue his true love. Isn't that right, Blossom?" Suddenly, a muffled groan escaped my lips. My mother, Joyce, viciously pinched the soft flesh of my lower back. She lowered her voice, her tone dripping with warning, "Admit it, Blossom! Otherwise, how is your sister supposed to face everyone?!" I lowered my head, holding back my tears, and didn't say a single word. "Mom, she's just tired," Christian said. A flicker of extreme, hypocritical pity flashed in his eyes as he pulled me to his side. "Katie has gone to touch up her makeup. I'll take Blossom to change her clothes." Inside the private dressing room. Christian sighed and reached out, his thumb trying to wipe away the remaining tears at the corner of my eye. "I know you're still angry about the life jacket on the yacht," he coaxed softly. "Stop making a fuss. We all made it out perfectly fine, didn't we?" I dodged his hand. With red eyes, I demanded the only explanation I cared about. "Why?" Christian stepped closer, pulling the zipper on my back. My ruined linen dress fell to the floor. "Katie picked out a bridesmaid dress for you. Put this on, it suits you." He arranged the hem of that cheap, dusty pink fabric, his eyes so gentle it was as if he wasn't the same man who had handed my survival gear to someone else a few hours ago. "Why?" I asked again, my voice hollow. Christian looked down, pinning that cheap bridesmaid corsage to my left chest. His tone was infuriatingly casual, yet every word pierced my heart. "Your sister is prettier than you, and she's more feminine than you. Even her architectural designs are better than yours." "She captivates everyone just by standing there. People can't take their eyes off her." After saying that, he actually smiled. "Don't overthink it, Blossom. After seven years together, I'm not a block of wood. Signing that marriage certificate at the courthouse was my commitment to you. Today is just about fulfilling your sister's dream. Just play along, okay?" My heart clenched violently, and I gasped for air through sharp, stabbing pain. I violently ripped off the humiliating corsage from my chest. "What do you take me for? Why the hell should I..." His smile vanished. "Your sister is pregnant." "It's mine." My brain went completely blank. "Your parents know. They want to keep this child," Christian continued, showing no remorse. "Blossom, consider it a debt we owe you." Christian's lips kept moving, saying something else. But I couldn't hear a single word anymore. When the music started, I stood numbly by the side curtain, my entire body so numb I lost all sensation. I watched Christian take Katelynn's hand at the altar, right under the white floral arch I had personally chosen. I watched Christian lift the veil, cup my sister's face, and gently kiss her. Amidst the cheering crowd, I absentmindedly saw my parents wiping away tears of sheer joy. During the reception toast, Katelynn glided toward me, holding two crystal champagne flutes filled with a dark pink liquid. "To my best sister," Katelynn announced loudly into the wireless microphone, her voice echoing throughout the banquet hall. "Blossom designed this entire hall for us. To prove that there is no bad blood between us sisters, I want to invite her to share this signature strawberry champagne cocktail with me." The entire hall instantly went quiet, waiting for this heartwarming moment. My mother stepped up quickly and shoved the cold glass hard into my hand. "Drink it, Blossom," Joyce narrowed her eyes, her gaze full of threats. But I was severely allergic to strawberries. When I was seven, I nearly suffocated to death in the emergency room just from accidentally eating a strawberry. They all knew it perfectly well. But right now, everyone wanted me to drink this strawberry cocktail. Christian even leaned down to my ear and muttered under his breath, "One sip won't kill you. For the cameras, drink it." I took the glass, and along with my tears, I swallowed the entire drink in three large gulps. Then I set the empty glass down, turned around, and walked out the side doors into the night. As my throat began to swell rapidly and my lungs fought desperately for oxygen, I made my final decision. That invitation email from the top architectural headhunter in London... The moment I got back, I would accept it.

Blossom POV The severe allergic reaction caused by the strawberry cocktail kept me on an IV drip in the hospital for three days. None of my family members came to visit me. Until the morning of the third day, my phone finally vibrated. It was an automated push notification from a social media platform. My mother had posted a nine-photo grid of the wedding banquet. A candlelit dinner. My sister and Christian embracing in the sunset. Right in the center of the nine-photo grid was a family portrait. I was the only one missing. "Katelynn's wedding was a perfect success!" my mother captioned. My best friend Dallas commented below: "Married to true love. So jealous!" Amidst a screen full of likes and blessings, not a single person asked where I had gone. A doctor came in to help me with my discharge papers. I learned from him that my family had flown back to Miami the morning after the wedding. "Sweetie, is no one coming to pick you up?" Nurse Maria asked sympathetically. "Do you want me to help you contact your family?" "No need," I replied, my voice incredibly hoarse from my swollen vocal cords. "I don't have anyone to contact." On the flight back to Miami, my phone vibrated. It was an onboarding email from the headhunter in London: "Dear Ms. Hubbard, we have reviewed your preliminary portfolio submitted to the International Structural Arts Foundation. Your design concept for community spaces is stunning. We sincerely invite you to take on the role of Senior Design Associate at our London headquarters. The team at Singleton & Partners looks forward to your joining." I opened my calendar, my eyes landing on the preliminary round of the National Fellowship Competition in three days. I had poured two whole years of blood, sweat, and tears into my core masterpiece, The Nexus Pavilion. The submission deadline was this Friday at the National Arts Center in downtown Miami. As long as I secured this award, my international work visa sponsorship for the UK would be expedited, and my name would be permanently cemented in the industry. After landing, I took a taxi straight back to the apartment I shared with Christian. I had just taken a nap to soothe my exhausted body when I was bombarded by countless phone notifications. I opened them to find swarms of people flooding my social media accounts, cursing me out as a "homewrecker" and "shameless." "Are you proud of stealing your sister's man? A calculating homewrecker, disgusting!" "You pathetic copycat, it's sickening. Your sister studies design, so you study it too. Your sister gets a man, and you lust after him. They're already married, and you still won't let it go?" Only then did I realize what had happened. My sister had posted about her wedding and specifically tagged me. "Thank you to my little sister for witnessing my happiness." And on my profile, there was still an un-deleted photo of Christian and me. I used to love posting our daily life with Christian on my social media. But last year, he suddenly forced me to delete all those photos. I had missed one. I walked straight to my desk drawer and pulled out the marriage certificate buried at the very bottom. Suddenly, my wrist was gripped by a forceful, unyielding hand. "Are you trying to destroy Katie?" Christian's voice turned freezing cold. "If you post this, people will call her the other woman. Her career, her reputation—everything will be ruined!" "And what about my reputation?" I looked at the man I had loved deeply for seven years and demanded, "My career, my dignity, my life... are they completely worthless to you?" Christian wiped his face in extreme frustration and let out a long, heavy sigh. "You are so smart, your career won't be affected at all, Blossom," he said, using that customary, sickeningly dismissive and condescending tone. "If your portfolio is gone, you can always draw another one. But Katelynn is so fragile. Can't you just be the bigger person and let her have this?" I looked at him quietly. The very last string of attachment deep within my soul finally snapped. "Christian, let's get a divorce." Christian froze for a moment, then he actually laughed. He rubbed my hair, like he was coaxing an unreasonable child. "Stop making a fuss. You have loved me for seven whole years, could you really bear to leave? You have always been the sensible one, Blossom. Just step back this one time for Katelynn, okay?" I looked at him. I remembered my mother saying my sister looked better with long hair, so I cut mine short. I remembered at my high school graduation, Katelynn cried that her dress was slightly wrinkled, so I gave her my gown. It felt like I could never win against my sister. Until I met Christian, who firmly told me, "Why compare? Blossom is just Blossom." I had never cried so pathetically in my life as I did that day. So now, seven years later, Christian was absolutely certain that I couldn't bear to let him go. But now, in his eyes, he could only see my sister too. What he didn't know was... my international flight was already booked. For the rest of the journey, I only wanted to walk alone.