My sister stole my fiancé before our wedding, so I gave her a gift she wont forget.

A Lifetime of Shadows

My sister stole my fiancé three days before our wedding, so I gave her the wedding gift she’d never forget. I should have seen it coming.

Maya had always been the golden child, prettier, smarter, more charming. Growing up, she borrowed my clothes, my friends, and eventually my boyfriends.

When I was 16, she convinced my crush Tommy Martinez to take her to prom instead of me by telling him I’d been talking about another guy. When I was 22, she moved in with my college boyfriend David while I was studying abroad in Italy, claiming she was helping him through depression after his father died.

Each time my parents defended her with the same tired excuses.

“Maya doesn’t mean to hurt you,”

mom would say, stroking my hair while I cried.

“She just has this magnetic personality, people are drawn to her.”

“Your sister’s not malicious,”

Dad would add.

“She’s just young and doesn’t think things through.”

But Maya always thought things through. I’d learned that the hard way when I found her diary at 15, full of detailed plans for stealing my friends, my opportunities, my life.

She’d written about Tommy:

“Clare’s so boring, I bet I could get him to notice me in one conversation.”

About David:

“He’s too good for Clare anyway, she doesn’t appreciate what she has.”

Building a Dream on Broken Ground

But I thought Jake Patterson was different. We’d been together for four years, engaged for eight months.

We’d met at a restaurant where I was waitressing to pay for nursing school and he was working as a line cook with dreams bigger than his paycheck. Jake loved how I made him laugh during his worst kitchen disasters, scraping burned sauce off pans at 2:00 a.m. while he practiced new recipes.

He loved how I supported his dreams of opening a restaurant, contributing my entire savings account, $23,000, to his business plan when banks wouldn’t give him a loan. He loved how I believed in him when his own family called him a failure for dropping out of college to attend culinary school.

Jake had seen Maya manipulate men before. He’d been there during family dinners when she’d flirt shamelessly with my high school boyfriend Matt right in front of me, then claimed she was just being friendly when I confronted her.

He’d rolled his eyes at her wedding dress shopping commentary.

“Claire’s so practical, but wouldn’t something more form-fitting be better? You want Jake to be excited, not comfortable.”

He’d laughed when she’d accidentally spilled red wine on my engagement photos at last year’s Christmas party, claiming the lighting made me look washed out and offering to retake them with her photographer friend.

“Your sister is exhausting,”

he’d told me after that party.

“I don’t know how you put up with her constant drama.”

I defended Maya like always.

“She means well, she just doesn’t have a filter.”

The Rehearsal and the Revelation

The rehearsal dinner was perfect. We’d rented the private dining room at Bella Vista, the restaurant where Jake and I had our first official date.

Fifty of our closest family and friends filled the space with laughter and champagne toasts. Jake squeezed my hand under the table while my father gave his speech about finding your person, about how proud he was to welcome Jake into our family, about how he’d watched Jake grow from a struggling cook into a man worthy of his daughter’s love.

Maya sat across from us, radiant in her sapphire bridesmaid dress that cost me $400, toasting our happiness with champagne and that smile I’d trusted my whole life. She’d insisted on sitting directly across from Jake, claiming it was the best spot for photos.

Throughout dinner, she’d lean forward when Jake spoke, laugh just a little too loud at his jokes, touch his arm when making points about the wedding.

“She’s just excited for you,”

Jake had whispered when I noticed her behavior.

“Maya’s always been dramatic.”

When it came time for the maid of honor speech, Mia stood with tears in her eyes, holding the microphone like she was addressing the United Nations.

“Clare has always been my role model,”

she’d said, her voice breaking with what seemed like genuine emotion.

“She’s taught me about loyalty, about supporting the people you love no matter what. When Jake came into her life, I saw my sister transform into the happiest version of herself.”

“Jake, you’re getting someone who will fight for your dreams, who will stand by you through anything. Clare, you’re getting someone who sees how incredible you are.”

She’d raised her glass with a trembling hand.

“To Clare and Jake, may you always choose each other first no matter what challenges come your way.”

The room erupted in applause. Jake kissed my cheek, whispering:

“Your sister really loves you.”

I’d felt guilty for ever doubting Maya’s intentions.