He Called Me A Stone And Chose Her Pearl Chapter 03
Since we were children, Vanessa has hated sharing a face with me. She could never stand it when people praised our beauty as a pair.
When we were little, if I scraped my knee, she’d start wailing louder than I was, even if she was perfectly fine. Father would always rush past me to comfort her first.
When I was burning up with a fever, she’d claim she was afraid of the dark. Mother would sit with her all night, sending the housekeeper to check on me only once or twice.
At the Greenvale Pack’s anniversary ball, the staff delivered two identical gowns for us. Vanessa chose one, then burst into tears, refusing to let me wear the other. She claimed I was trying to steal her spotlight.
My parents always had the same two responses.
“She’s your younger sister, Laurel. What’s wrong with letting her have her way?”
“You’re too calculating, and she’s so innocent. If we don’t protect her, she’ll be taken advantage of.”
So I learned to endure it. If I didn’t, I was the manipulative one, the one who wasn’t a proper older sister.
Eventually, I stopped fighting for anything at all.
When I fell for Nolan, I was more careful than ever to hide it.
We’d never actually met, not really. We just wrote our thoughts under aliases in notebooks tucked inside dusty library books, waiting for the other’s reply.
But Vanessa knew me too well.
In the end, she still found out.
When I didn’t respond, my mother’s tone softened.
“You’re twins. Your blood, your scent… it’s closer than any other sisters’. Whichever one of you marries Nolan, what real difference does it make?”
“Once Vanessa is married, we’ll find a suitable match for you, too. Your education and wedding funds… we’ll make it right. We won’t be unfair to you.”
I looked at her, suddenly too tired to even argue.
In my entire life, I had never won a single battle against Vanessa.
I lowered my eyes.
“Fine.”