It isn't working

Adeline

“Sit down, Adeline,” My father said. Thank you to him for relieving my embarrassment.

I sat mechanically on the couch with my mind blank.

Sasha was seated right beside Xander, his arm draped over her.

"Adeline! So lovely to see you again," she trilled. I knew it was all a performance. That sweet smile, the wide, welcoming arms - none of it reached her eyes.

“Sasha, when did you come back? Xander, why are you here with Sasha?” When I finished asking, I realized that my voice was hoarse.

No one can remain calm after seeing her husband and sister show intimacy.

“Adeline, don’t be rude to Sasha,” Xander said.

Am I rude? I just asked normally that he was so protective of my sister and neglected his wife. If he has been as cold as he has been in the past few years, I can live with it. But seeing him so protective of Sasha, I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Am I rude? She stole my husband and flirted with my husband.” I spat, unable to hold back the venom in my voice.

Sasha gasped, a hand flying to her impeccably painted nails. “Adeline, honey, you know that's simply not true!" Her voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes. "We're just in love, Adeline. There's no stealing involved."

It was a masterful performance. Her voice trembled, her lower lip quivered. And it worked. Xander's scowl deepened, his arm wrapping protectively around Sasha's waist.

"That's enough, Adeline," he growled. "Sasha did nothing wrong. You need to leave."

"Nothing wrong?" I choked out, my voice thick with disbelief. "She waltzes in here, pretends to be the grieving widow, and then suddenly you're 'in love'? Don't insult my intelligence, Xander."

"She's not pretending anything, Adeline," Xander shot back, his voice tight. "We've been talking, and we realized our feelings for each other run deeper than we thought."

"Convenient, isn't it?" I scoffed, my gaze flitting between them. "Right after you kick me out, right after everything falls apart."

Sasha dabbed at her eyes with a perfectly manicured hand. "Adeline, darling, please don't make this harder than it needs to be. We just love each other too much.”

The hypocrisy of her words made me laugh, a harsh, humorless sound. "Happy? You stole my husband, my future, and now you want me to be happy for you? Explain that logic to me, Sasha."

"We didn't steal anything, Adeline," Sasha insisted, her voice gaining a sharper edge. "We fell in love. There's a difference."

"Is there?" I challenged, stepping closer, my voice barely above a whisper. "Because from where I stand, it looks an awful lot like betrayal."

The room spun as Sasha's words echoed. "We fell in love," she'd said, a sickeningly sweet piety lacing her tone. Love?

Suddenly, a new voice greeted my ears. It was my steomother. Adeline," she began, "perhaps Sasha is right. Maybe you should finally find someone who truly loves you."

"Happiness? You think after years of being a faithful wife, after building a life with Xander, this is about happiness?" I demanded.

"Marriage is a partnership, Adeline," she continued, her gaze unwavering. "And from what I understand, yours wasn't built on love, was it?"

"It wasn't based on love, no," I admitted, the bitterness clinging to my throat like ash. "But we were married mother! Until your precious Sasha decided to slither into our lives and steal what wasn't hers."

Gasps filled the room, but I held their disapproving stares.

Ignoring the gasps and murmurs, I turned to Xander, my voice shaking wuty hurt. "And what about you, Xander? Did you ever love me? Or was I just someone you could use to while away your time?"

“I never loved you, Adeline.” He said, avoiding my gaze. His response was rather too quick, more like a practiced one.

I parted my lips to refute that claim, but Sasha cut in.

"Look, Adeline," Sasha finally cut in, her voice adopting a patronizing tone. "It's clear this isn't working. Xander and I are soulmates. Perhaps you should just step aside and let him be happy with his true love."

"True love?" I scoffed, but before I could finish, my father cut in.

“Adeline, perhaps they're right.”

“A- About? Right about what, dad?” I questioned, not wanting to believe my ears.

“Get the divorce, Adeline. If you hadn’t used trickery, Sasha and I would have been married a long time ago. The marriage between you and I was a mistake, and it’s time to end it.”

How ridiculous.

My husband, and my family, are forcing me to divorce. They wanted my husband to marry my step sister.

I can’t stay in this house for another minute.