The night before my wedding, my mom got into a car accident—she needed a blood transfusion, fast.

Her blood type was rare. Mine matched. I was pregnant, but I didn't think twice. I donated.

While I was bleeding out, losing my baby, my fiancé, Joffrey Habsburg, and his brother—my so-called childhood friend—Mateo, were busy holding Nancy's hand during her cosmetic surgery.

I begged Joffrey to save my mom. Only then did he bother to pick up a scalpel.

When it was over, he said, "Surgery failed. She's gone."

Two days later, I overheard Nancy purring through the door, wrapped around the Habsburg brothers.

"Mateo really is a racer—he hit that old hag dead on. And Joffrey? You were amazing too, making sure she didn't survive the surgery. Thanks to you both, I got Lori's blood for my operation."

Even with a door between us, their little lovefest was painfully loud.

Nancy sighed, all sugar and seduction. "Mateo, touch my face. Do I look pretty? Just like before?"

Mateo practically melted. "Nancy, you've always been beautiful. Don't ever do this again. Even a tiny injection kills me, let alone surgery."

Joffrey, not about to be left out, cut in. "Why just Mateo? If it weren't for my plan, you wouldn't have even gotten the right blood."

Nancy huffed. "I only want Mateo to touch me. At least he's loyal. Not like someone who 'loves' me but still got engaged to another woman."

Joffrey didn't flinch. He coaxed her. "She was just a tool for you. You know you're the only one I love."

Nancy pouted, milking it. "But you still agreed to marry her. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have been disfigured. And yet, you still went through with the engagement."

Joffrey just laughed, kissing her deep, like this was all some big joke. "That was a stalling tactic. That's why we acted before the wedding. Now that the old hag's dead, Lori's too messed up to even think about marriage. I even gave you that necklace made from her rib—so don't be mad."

Nancy traced her nose, murmuring, "That's true. If it weren't for Lori's rib, I wouldn't have this perfect nose."

Then, like she hadn't just bragged about wearing my bones, she blinked all innocent. "But Lori gave you her rib. She must really love you. If she knew how you treated her, she'd be heartbroken."

Mateo pulled Nancy into his arms, nuzzling her affectionately. "You're too kind, still thinking about Lori after everything. This is just what she owes you. Not just her rib or her blood—if she died, that'd just be karma."

Their words cut like knives.

My fingers shook against the doorframe, tears slipping down my face.

So this was the truth. My love for Joffrey, my devotion to my mother—none of it had ever mattered. I'd only ever been a stepping stone.

Two days ago, I lost my baby from too much blood loss. Now, hearing this, a fresh wave of pain tore through my stomach.

Through the haze, I saw my mom on the operating table.

That day had been a blur. Her blood type was rare, and no one at the hospital dared touch her case. So, even pregnant, I gave as much blood as I could.

But just as the surgery was about to start, the on-call doctor vanished.

I had no choice but to call Joffrey, sobbing as I begged.

He didn't care.

"I have my own matters to handle. Nancy's getting cosmetic surgery—I need to be there for her. She only has me. If I don't take care of her, who else will? You're not a child anymore. Handle it yourself."

My voice shook. "But doesn't she have Mateo? They're the real couple. You're getting married tomorrow—why are you still clinging to them? My mom is dying. You're the only one who can help her. Joffrey, please..."

Silence.

With no other choice, I ran through the pouring rain to the plastic surgery clinic next door.

The second I saw him, I collapsed at his feet, gripping his legs, my sobs raw and desperate.

"Joffrey, I know I've been the only one in love all these years. But please, just this once—save my mom, if only because you're about to be my husband."

A sharp voice cut through the moment.

Nancy stood off to the side, smirking. "Lori, you're getting married tomorrow—can't you at least try to keep up appearances?"

I froze. "Nancy? Aren't you in surgery?"

Nancy waved a hand, grinning smugly. "It hasn't started yet. I'm just a baby at heart—I need both Mateo and Joffrey with me the whole time. But you should be worrying about yourself.

"Look at all that blood under you. You seriously don't even know when you're on your period?

"Stop embarrassing yourself, hahaha!"

A sharp pain ripped through my stomach. My breath hitched as I looked down.

Blood. A deep red stain spreading across my white dress.

But I was two months pregnant. This wasn't my period.

Nancy dug through her bag, pulled out a pack of pads, and tossed it at my face. "Here, take it. Consider it a gift. I heard everything you said on the phone. I'm not heartless—if you entertain me, I might just let you have Joffrey."

I could barely stand. Blood loss, pregnancy, exhaustion—I was hanging by a thread. "What do you want me to do?"

Nancy's doll-like face twisted into a mockery of sweetness. "I love puppies. Roll on the ground and bark three times, and I'll agree."

I turned to Joffrey. Mateo. Silent, pleading.

They didn't move. Didn't care.

Joffrey finally spoke, but only to side with her. "Nancy's not like you. She's simple-minded. If she wants to give you something, you should at least show some sincerity."

My heart went cold.

I clenched my teeth, shut my eyes, and did it—rolled on the floor and barked like a dog. Humiliation burned, but I ignored the stares.

Nancy burst into laughter, finally satisfied enough to let Joffrey step away for the surgery.

I passed out before I could see if it even mattered.

When I woke up, a nurse stood by my bed.

"Due to excessive blood loss, the baby couldn't be saved. I'm very sorry for your loss."

As for my mom? The nurse said Joffrey had done his best. Surgery failed. She's gone.

Dazed, I stumbled out of bed, desperate to see her one last time.

Joffrey blocked the door.

He pulled me into his arms, face full of manufactured grief. "You're too weak right now. You need to rest. Leave the funeral arrangements to me. Even though your mother is gone, you still have me. I'll always be here for you."

With my mom gone, Joffrey was all I had left.

So I listened. Stayed in bed like an obedient little doll for two days.

And in those two days, I became a ghost—watching their perfect little world through social media.

Nancy was especially loud about it, posting a photo of the three of them with the caption:

[Since the law won't let three people get married, I'll just be your little sister forever. From today on, my name is Nancy Habsburg!]

Her surgery had been a success. In the photo, her new face was hauntingly familiar—a feminized version of Joffrey.

She sat between Joffrey and Mateo, a bouquet of roses in her hands. At a glance, she really did look like their sister.

Joffrey and Mateo posted soon after.

[Congratulations to my beautiful princess on a successful recovery!]

Same photo. Same pose. But each brother had cropped the other one out—leaving just themselves and Nancy.

To top it off, they both changed their profile pictures to a heart with a tiny dot under the right side, matching the beauty mark beneath Nancy's eye.

My hands shook as I scrolled through the comments, drowning in a flood of well-wishes for them.

Tears dripped onto my phone before I even realized I was crying.

Back in high school, Mateo and Joffrey had practically fought over me.

Every morning, my desk had a carefully packed breakfast waiting. My backpack? Always stuffed with snacks and flowers. After school, one of them was always by my side. For a while, I was that girl—the one every girl envied.

You're so lucky! Being pursued by twins—one a straight-A student, the other the campus bad boy—and they're both ridiculously handsome. You're like the heroine of a romance novel!"

"Some cultures allow men to have multiple wives, so why can't a woman marry two men? Lori's beautiful enough to pull it off!"

I used to laugh it off. "Stop teasing."

Despite their identical faces, my heart had always belonged to Joffrey.

When he gave me an album of our 99 best moments together, I thought we were forever.

But then Nancy came back. And everything changed.

Bit by bit, Joffrey and Mateo's affection for me faded.

They moved Nancy into our home, making her the real mistress of the house.

The walls that should've held our wedding photos? Now plastered with pictures of their perfect little trio. The decor? Scrapped—every inch drowned in Nancy's favorite lavender.

And now, watching them tangled up on the bed, I finally snapped.

I turned to run, but my legs buckled, and I hit the floor hard.

The commotion sent them scrambling, clothes hastily thrown on.

"Lori? When did you get back?!"

Joffrey rushed over, scooping me up. He carried me to a side bedroom, tucking me in, lying beside me.

His eyes flickered—guilt? Or just panic that I'd ruin their sick little plan?

This was the man I had loved, the one I had planned to surprise with our baby on our wedding day.

My eyes burned red. My voice cracked. "I want my mom..."

Joffrey wiped away my tears, his voice carrying an edge of restraint.

"I postponed our wedding. You need to rest. Seeing you like this... it hurts me too. It's my fault. If my surgical skills were better, maybe Mom would still be here."

I stared at his neck.

The necklace made from my rib was gone.