Chapter 11 - A Sister's Plea
The silence that followed Evelyn’s departure was thick and suffocating. The orchestra had long since packed away their instruments. The party was unequivocally over, though no one had officially announced it.
Isabella slowly stepped forward, her royal blue dress rustling against the marble floor. She looked at the blood on Amelia’s face, the red mark where her own hand had struck her. The guilt was a physical weight, crushing her chest.
Tears overflowed from Isabella’s eyes, ruining her flawless makeup. She didn't care. For the first time in thirty years, Isabella Hartley did not care what the cameras saw.
"I'm sorry," Isabella wept, her voice trembling. "I am so deeply, horribly sorry. For the dress, for the slap... for everything."
Amelia stood still, clutching her apron.
"I can't change what happened," Isabella continued, taking another tentative step closer. "I can't give you back the last thirty years. But..." She hesitated, her heart hammering wildly. "...but if you’re really my sister... please. Please let me know you."
Amelia stared at her for a long, agonizing moment. Years of pain, of hunger, of feeling inadequate, couldn’t just disappear overnight. Neither could the sting of the slap that still burned on her cheek.
But she looked into Isabella’s eyes and saw her own soul looking back. She saw genuine, desperate regret. She saw a loneliness that mirrored her own.
May you like
Very slowly, Amelia reached out her rough, calloused hand.
Isabella didn't hesitate. She lunged forward, throwing her arms around the waitress. The sisters embraced, clinging to each other as if they were drowning. Isabella buried her face in Amelia’s shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably, ruining the cheap fabric of the catering uniform with her tears. Amelia wrapped her arms around the silk of the ballgown, resting her chin on her twin’s shoulder, her own tears finally falling freely.
