Chapter 4

Sarah instinctively pulled me behind her, frowning at Mom. "Brenda, don't scare the child."

Sarah and Mom's relationship was complicated. Grandpa and Grandma did play favorites, but they favored Mom. Sarah grew up wearing Mom's hand-me-downs and playing with Mom's old toys. Yet, Mom mistakenly believed she was the one who was deprived, which showed just how subtle Grandpa and Grandma's favoritism was.

As adults, Sarah let bygones be bygones and tried to mend their sisterly bond. But Mom not only refused to appreciate it, she constantly targeted Sarah with snide, passive-aggressive remarks.

Especially after Sarah married well and Mark gave her a lavish wedding after their son Leo was born, it pricked Mom's sensitive, fragile nerves. She was consumed with jealousy, almost driven mad.

So, how could she behave herself at Sarah's wedding?

In my past life, because of that grocery store incident, Sarah developed a bad impression of me, thinking I had poor character. Ultimately, she exchanged a coveted spot at a top-tier elementary school for me, for a favor that got Mom a comfortable job as a dorm manager at the school. Mom, with that easy job, lived quite comfortably.

This life, the grocery store storm had passed. I absolutely couldn't let Sarah misunderstand me again.

I lowered my head, looking aggrieved, and mumbled, "I didn't steal the rings... I might have accidentally lost them. But... but why did Mommy's first thought assume I stole them?"

I said this specifically for Sarah to hear.

Mom realized she had been too hasty and started to panic.

But in front of so many relatives, especially at the wedding of the sister she most envied, if the theft of the wedding rings were exposed, how would she ever hold her head up in the family again?

She had to vehemently insist I did it. It would get her off the hook and punish me for my 'disrespect' at the grocery store.

Mom immediately put on a heartbroken and indignant expression, crying to Sarah, "Sarah, I'm not wrongly accusing her! Lily has been light-fingered since she was little. She stole erasers from classmates at school, and candy from the grocery store. When I said something, she even talked back! It's all my fault, I didn't raise her well!"

She performed a tearful act, looking like a single mother who had toiled hard but was heartbroken by her ungrateful daughter. She instantly stole the bride's thunder.

The relatives immediately began to whisper.

"Oh, it's really hard raising a child alone, there's not much time to teach them."

"This child is really something, daring to cause trouble at such a big event. She must be rotten to the core."

"So young and already greedy for wealth, stealing such valuable rings. What will she be like when she grows up? Who would ever marry her?"

The tide of opinion turned instantly.

Sarah looked at Mom's pitiful act, and the scales in her heart began to tip. A trace of guilt appeared on her face as she softly comforted Mom, "Brenda, the child is still young. We can teach her slowly."

Seeing Sarah about to be convinced, I grew anxious. I tugged at her wedding dress and said loudly, "Aunt Sarah, you can't misunderstand Lily, Lily is so sad!"

"Last time at the grocery store, Mommy was the one who stole something, but she insisted I did! Teacher said that's called slander!"

I straightened my tiny frame. "If you don't believe me, you can ask the neighbor ladies in our apartment complex!"

My certainty made Sarah's wavering eyes grow more pronounced; she seemed to feel a fresh wave of sympathy for me.

Mom saw the situation turning bad and immediately pulled out her ultimate tantrum move.

She flopped onto the ground, slapped her knees, and wailed loudly, "My life is so miserable! When I was little, I was bullied by Mom, Dad, and my sister, and now that I'm grown, I'm still bullied by my own daughter!"

She pointed at Sarah, tears and snot streaming down her face. "Sarah! You deliberately invited me here today to make a fool of me, didn't you?!"

"I told you not to let Lily be the flower girl, I was afraid she'd cause trouble for you, but you wouldn't listen! It's always been like this since we were kids, everything had to go your way, and Mom and Dad always told me to give in to you! I'm the older sister!"

"And now, my child stole something, and she's full of lies, pinning the blame on me, and you're even taking her side!"

"You spoil her rotten every day, and now she doesn't even respect me, her own mother! I have to swallow my anger, even if my teeth are broken! Today is your big day, and I don't want to make things difficult for you! Fine! You say it was me? Then it was me! I stole the rings, I'll pay you back! Won't that suffice?!"