Chapter 12
Rosalia bounced around the house giving Luigi the grand tour, her voice artificially bright and cheerful.
She barely slowed down when passing Aurelia’s room, but Luigi still caught a glimpse and stopped dead in his tracks.
Aurelia’s room was fucking tiny-smaller than his family’s storage closet. Meanwhile, Rosalia’s bedroom was massive and decked out like a goddamn princess palace, complete with a canopy bed and walk-in closet.
They were identical twins, but their living situations were like comparing a prison cell to a luxury suite.
At dinner, Luigi tried to keep his voice neutral as he asked, “How come your rooms are so…
different?”
tosalia immediately jumped in with a practiced lie. “Oh, Aurelia’s always been weird about space. She says small rooms make her feel more secure or
whatever.”
Ars. Cooper nodded along eagerly. “We’ve always tried to treat both girls fairly, but Aurelia has such a difficult personality. Not sweet and grateful ke Rosalia. She’s constantly accusing us of playing favorites.”
And she’s always been trouble at school too-never actually studies, just copies off other kids and pretends to be this perfect student.”
uigi felt rage building in his chest and couldn’t stop himself from speaking up. “That doesn’t make sense. Aurelia’s been valedictorian material since reshman year.”
And if she was really just some cheater, how the hell did she get recruited for a classified government program?”
lis sharp tone made everyone at the table go silent.
uigi looked around this house where both sisters had supposedly grown up with equal love and treatment.
here wasn’t a single fucking trace of Aurelia anywhere.
o photos of her on the walls, no awards displayed, no evidence she’d ever existed in this family.
he realization hit him like a freight train-Aurelia hadn’t been exaggerating or playing victim. If anything, she’d probably downplayed how toxic this
lace was.
sick feeling twisted in his stomach as memories of her tearful confessions came flooding back. All those times she’d tried to tell him how isolated and nwanted she felt, and he’d just… brushed it off.
uigi pushed back from the table, his appetite completely gone.
Thanks for dinner. I should get going.”
‘anic flashed across Rosalia’s face as she scrambled to follow him. “Luigi, wait! You don’t understand-”
but he was already out the door and gone.
tosalia whirled around to face her parents, her careful mask finally cracking.
This is YOUR fault!” she screamed. “You couldn’t shut up about Aurelia for five fucking minutes! Now Luigi thinks we’re horrible people!”
Her voice was getting more shrill and desperate. “You completely sabotaged me! I’ve been working toward this for years and you ruined everything!”
Mrs. Cooper looked genuinely bewildered. “Honey, we barely said anything. Luigi was the one asking about your sister.”
“Besides, Aurelia’s success reflects well on our whole family. We should be proud-”
“PROUD?!” Rosalia’s composure shattered completely. “So because Aurelia got into some fancy school, suddenly she’s the golden child again? What about me? What about everything I’ve done?”
Chapter 12
Tears of rage and frustration streamed down her face. “I’ve spent my whole life trying to be perfect for you people, and the second she does something impressive, you forget I exist!”
“No wonder she fucking left! This family is toxic as hell!”
She stormed off to her room and slammed the door so hard the walls shook.
Mr. and Mrs. Cooper sat in stunned silence, looking at each other helplessly.
“Maybe we should… not mention Aurelia around Rosalia anymore,” Mr. Cooper finally said. “She seems sensitive about the comparison.”
Mrs. Cooper nodded numbly. With Aurelia gone and unreachable, Rosalia was all they had left.
Meanwhile, Rosalia was having a complete meltdown in her bedroom, frantically typing message after message to Luigi.
Luigi please don’t leave me like this!! My parents are just upset that Aurelia left without saying goodbye-they don’t actually hate her I swear
We’re a loving family, I promise. Aurelia and I have always been super close. This is all just a misunderstanding
lease give me another chance. I can explain everything
he watched the “typing…” indicator appear and disappear on his end, her heart hammering with desperation.
After what felt like an eternity, his response appeared:
his isn’t working, Rosalia. We’re done.
tosalia stared at the message in horror, her perfectly constructed world crumbling around her.
verything she’d worked for, every lie she’d told, every manipulation she’d orchestrated-all of it destroyed because of Aurelia.
ven when her sister wasn’t here, she was still finding ways to ruin Rosalia’s life.
