Chapter 2 - The Bridesmaid Contract
I stared at my older brother in absolute disbelief.
This was the same man who had once threatened to fight a guy for making a rude comment about my weight.
Now, he was standing in a crowded restaurant, defending a woman who handed out mandatory diet plans like party favors.
I tried to pull him aside to talk sense into him quietly.
I reminded him that the tattoo Vanesa wanted me to laser off was a tribute to the grandmother who practically raised us.
Daniel shifted uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze as he muttered that makeup could easily cover it for one day.
Vanesa suddenly appeared beside him, slipping her manicured hand into his.
She gave me a sickeningly sweet smile and loudly declared that she just wanted her special day to be aesthetically flawless.
The rest of our family sat in awkward silence, completely terrified of ruining the celebratory dinner.
I took a deep breath, handed the ridiculous folder back to Vanesa, and told her I would not be participating in her bridal party.
I expected Daniel to intervene, to find a compromise that respected both his fiancé and his only sister.
Instead, he silently looked down at his plate, letting Vanesa take total control of the narrative.
Over the next few weeks, the situation rapidly spiraled out of control.
Vanesa created a massive group chat for the wedding and constantly posted passive-aggressive quotes about toxic family members.
I tried to maintain my boundaries peacefully, texting Daniel to see if he wanted to grab coffee just the two of us.
He declined every single invitation, claiming he was too busy managing the wedding vendors.
Then, my mother called me in tears on a Tuesday afternoon.
She told me that Vanesa had forced our parents to agree to pay for a ridiculously expensive floral arrangement.
My parents lived on a fixed retirement income and absolutely could not afford the ten-thousand-dollar invoice.
I immediately drove over to Daniel’s house to confront him about extorting our elderly parents.
When I arrived, Vanesa answered the door wearing a silk robe and a triumphant smirk.
She didn't let me inside the house.
Instead, she proudly informed me that Daniel wasn't home and that she had officially replaced me in the bridal party.
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She held up her phone to show me a picture of her new bridesmaid.
It was Daniel’s wealthy, manipulative ex-girlfriend from college, the one who had absolutely shattered his heart five years ago.
