Fading Starlight

Hearing their accusations, I felt a swirl of emotions. Just like that with a single photo, everyone turned on me.

Autumn paused for a moment, then continued reading from my diary.

"But she didn’t seem to hate me," she read. "She wiped her sweaty palms and nervously reached out her hand to me. But I rejected her."

Autumn’s voice wavered a little. "She froze, then asked me in a tiny voice if I didn’t like her.

"I remembered that moment. I had opened my mouth to speak, to explain, but Mom and Dad's angry voices had shattered the moment.

"Mom: Autumn just got home today. Can't you stop acting like some spoiled little princess?

"Dad: Do you even know what Autumn’s been through these past twenty years? If it wasn't for the hospital screwing things up, you'd be the one who suffered!

"I stood there, stunned. Just the night before, they had held me, reassured me, sworn that even with Autumn back, their love for me wouldn't change. Yet, because I hesitated to shake her hand, their true feelings spilled out, raw and cutting.

"But…

"All I could think about at the time was Autumn's embarrassment. I had seen the rough calluses on her hands, and I worried that she’d feel ashamed."

Autumn’s voice faltered for a moment as she read, her eyes flashing with something unsteady.

She bit her lower lip unconsciously.

My mother suddenly seemed to realize how this sounded. She jerked her head up and blurted out, "I—well, maybe I did say those things, but later she crossed so many lines, I had no choice!

"If she was really looking out for Autumn, then why didn’t she explain? She's just making excuses for herself!"

Dad pulled her close and whispered, "It’s over, Carol. She’s dead. She paid for what she did."

Franklin frowned and cut in sharply. "She obviously just couldn't handle Autumn coming home. She was scared Autumn would take her place," he said.

Autumn smiled faintly, but didn’t say a word. Instead, she flipped to the next page of the journal.

March 15, 2024.

The screen behind her flashed to life again, showing a photo of Franklin crouching on the ground, tying my shoelaces.

Autumn began reading again, "Franklin came over today. The first thing he said was... he wanted to break off our engagement.

"He said now that the real daughter of the Westwoods had returned, there was no way he would marry a fake. But hadn’t he always said he loved me? That our marriage wasn’t about the families but about us?

"We had known each other for over twenty years. Was all of that... nothing?

"I ran out to find him. I had to know why. And I overheard him on the phone, laughing with his friends.

"'Ginger Westwood? She’s a fake who actually thought she was somebody. She’s just for fun. If you want a marriage alliance, you marry the real deal.'

"Then, he laughed harder. 'Yeah, it’s a shame though. I wasted five years on her, treated her like a princess, and she wouldn't even let me touch her. She really thought she was some untouchable goddess. But Autumn? She looks like she’ll be a lot easier to get.'"

As Autumn finished reading, the wedding hall was completely silent, the weight of her words pressing down on everyone present.

That was the moment the truth crashed down on me. Every sweet word, every gesture of devotion from Franklin, had been a lie. The depth of his betrayal left me reeling, my heart shattered into a million pieces.

I had thought about telling Mom and Dad. However, every time I even mentioned Franklin’s name, they would immediately accuse me of being jealous of Autumn. They never gave me a chance to explain and defend myself.

But what about Autumn? How could I stand by and let her marry someone like that? Would she even believe me?

At this point, Autumn glanced sideways at Franklin.

He swallowed hard, then barked out, "She’s just jealous you were marrying me! She made all this crap up!"

Mr. and Mrs. Cordon shot up from their seats, their faces contorted with fury.

"If our son really said those things," Mrs. Cordon shrieked, "then how do you explain her drugging Franklin to get into his bed?!"

A wave of murmuring swept through the guests.

"Yeah, remember?" someone whispered. "At Autumn’s birthday party, Ginger slipped something into Franklin’s drink. The next morning, she demanded he marry her. She’ll never live that down."

Autumn gave a small nod.

"Yeah," she said softly, her voice sharp as a knife. "Why did she have to do something like that?"