The Runaway Bride: The Spoiled Sister Can Have Him

Tags: Real Heiress Awakening, Toxic Family, Runaway Bride, Cutting Ties, Second Chance Romance On my wedding day, my family's adopted daughter locked me in the dressing room, slipped into my bridal gown, and walked down the aisle with my fiancé, Chase. I pounded on the door until my fists bruised, only to hear Chase’s muffled voice from the hallway: "Elena, the ceremony is just for show. Stella just wanted to know what it feels like to be a bride. We’ll let you out tomorrow when we go to City Hall to sign the papers." My parents backed him up without hesitation: "You’re the older sister, Elena. You need to indulge your sister. Just stay put." A lump rose in my throat, choking back every scream. All these years, whenever Stella wanted something, I—the biological daughter they brought back—was forced to give it up. When we were kids, my parents made me cut off the sweet tips of the strawberries to give to her, leaving me with the sour, white stems. When Chase entered my life, he did the exact same thing, telling me to cater to Stella, leaving me with whatever gifts she didn't want. Yet, I was actually a year younger than her. Because even the title of "the younger, pampered sister" was something she demanded, and I had to surrender it. It wasn't until the next afternoon at City Hall that they finally let me out. Chase stood at the altar, reciting his vows before the clerk: "In sickness and in health, I promise to take care of you..." Stella, who had insisted on tagging along, suddenly chimed in from the front row: "And me! Chase, you have to promise to take care of me and Elena!" The city clerks chuckled, thinking it was an adorable family joke. Chase didn't stop her. Instead, he smiled and went right along with it: "Deal. I’ll take care of you, too. I'll spoil you forever!" Everyone laughed. Except me. Chase finished his vows, turning his gaze toward me. "So, Elena Vance, do you take Chase Sterling to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Silence stretched between us. After what felt like an eternity, I reached up and ripped the veil from my hair. "I don't." I was done giving everything away. Chase froze, then let out an uneasy laugh. "Are you so nervous you’re stumbling over your words? It’s okay. Let’s do it again." "Elena Vance, do you take Chase Sterling to be—" Before he could finish, I threw the crumpled veil onto the floor. "I said, I don't!" I spun around, stepping off the platform, and headed straight for the exit. Chase sprinted after me, grabbing my wrist in a vice grip. "Elena! What is wrong with you? Can't we talk this through? Today is our wedding day!" I turned to face him, cold and detached. "Oh, so you do remember this is our wedding?" "Since when do wedding vows get shared with someone else? Are those words you casually promise to another girl right in front of your bride?" Chase frowned, looking at me as if I were overreacting to nothing. "She’s your sister, Elena. She’s not some random stranger. What’s the big deal?" "You're the older one, and you’re the biological daughter of the Vance family. Just let her have her fun." *Let her have it.* There it was again. That word. Always telling me to let her win. All these years, whatever Stella wanted, I was expected to hand over on a silver platter. Why? I was actually a year younger than her. Yet even the innocence of being the younger child had been stolen from me because she wanted the privileges of a fragile little sister. My eyes burned with unshed tears. I violently yanked my wrist from his grip and walked out into the chilly afternoon air. Chase stared at my retreating back, sighing in frustration. He didn't chase after me. I knew what he was doing. He was going back to consult my parents and Stella, brainstorming ways to "deal with my temper." Just like on my birthday last week. It was supposed to be my celebration, yet I was handed a necklace only after Stella had rummaged through the gift boxes. The design was dated and cheap compared to what she got. And the moment she took a second glance at mine, she decided she wanted that one, too. I was left with nothing. And whenever I dared to whisper a single "no," my parents and Chase would immediately lecture me: *You're the sister. Why can’t you just be generous?* For twenty-seven years, I had heard that line until it made me sick. I was done listening. Back in my bedroom, staring blankly into the vanity mirror, the door was suddenly shoved open without warning. Stella leaned against the doorframe, complaining in that familiar, whining tone: "Elena, are you throwing another tantrum at Chase?"I didn't turn around. I simply met her gaze through the glass. "You knock before entering. Get out." Stella gave a dry laugh and waved her hand dismissively. "It’s just a knock. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" "Mom and Dad never knock on your door. They just walk right in." "Why are you acting so high and mighty all of a sudden? It's not like I barged into my own room." She knew. She knew that in this house, nobody ever respected my privacy. They walked into my space like it belonged to everyone. Yet when it came to Stella's bedroom, they would knock gently, whispering sweet questions, waiting patiently for her permission before entering. "Get out!" I snapped. "This is my room, and I want to be left alone." Stella rolled her eyes, completely ignoring my words. Instead of leaving, she pushed the door wider and yelled down the hallway: "I tried talking to her, but she won't listen! What else am I supposed to do?" "Chase, Mom, Dad, you guys deal with her!" Instantly, the three of them crowded into my bedroom. The moment my parents opened their mouths, the same tired script played out. "Stella is young and naive. She was just joking around at City Hall. As her sister, you should show some grace." "Exactly. We're a family. You never acted so petty before. Why are you suddenly throwing a fit over signing a piece of paper?" Even Chase joined in, glaring at me with disappointment. "Elena, Stella is your sister. I love you, which means your family is my family." "You're the true daughter of this family. Why do you have to be so calculative over every little thing? She came in here to apologize. Can you please just be mature and forgive her? Stop being so selfish." I looked at Chase, feeling an emptiness that went bone-deep. He claimed he loved me, yet he was completely blind to my humiliation and pain. He was actively participating in my erasure. Suddenly, I let out a soft laugh. The realization hit me with total clarity. Chase and I were truly over. Seeing me smile, Chase actually thought I had calmed down. He quickly waved Stella over from the corner, eager to play the hero who repaired our sisterly bond. "Stella, come apologize to your sister. See? Elena isn't unreasonable." Stella dragged her feet, tossing whatever she was holding onto my bed with an annoyed sigh. "Fine, it was my fault. I’m sorry. Thanks for forgiving me, happy now?" My eyes caught the object she had tossed. "What was that?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm. Stella went silent, instinctively hiding her right hand behind her back. I walked over to the bed. It was the small velvet box containing the custom engagement ring Chase had given me when he proposed. The lid was cracked open. The ring was gone. Seeing her attempt to hide her hand, everything clicked instantly. I lunged forward, grabbing her wrist and yanking her right hand into plain sight. There, sparkling on her ring finger, was my engagement ring. "Stella Vance. You stole my ring?" Caught red-handed, Stella snatched her arm back, her face flushing with indignant rage. "Steal? Why do you always use such vile words?" "I was just trying it on! I'll take it off and give it back, okay?" She pulled at the ring, tears instantly welling up in her eyes as she whimpered: "You're my sister, and you're the real Vance heiress. What's wrong with letting me wear it for a minute? Just because you're the blood daughter, you think you can bully me now." "Ow! It hurts! It’s completely stuck!" Her cries were loud, deliberately pitched. I knew that performance wasn't for me. It was for the other three people in the room. Sure enough, the moment she pretended to struggle for the third time, Chase stepped in and caught her hand. "Stop pulling, Stella. Your finger is completely red. If you like it that much, just keep it." He casually dismissed my entire world: "It’s just a piece of jewelry. I’ll buy Elena a bigger one tomorrow." He then turned to me, completely expecting my submission. "Right, Elena?""No." "That ring was the promise you made when you proposed to me. You said it was a symbol of your love. Giving it to someone else—what is that supposed to mean?" Chase was struck speechless. Stella, seeing the tension, chimed in with a sweet smile, pulling a cheap trinket from her purse. "Elena, you won't be empty-handed!" "Chase bought me this at the Dollar Tree a while back. Look, it’s perfect timing. Chase bought both anyway, so it doesn't really matter which one you wear." I glanced down at the plastic ring she held out. It was cheap, flimsy, with jagged plastic edges from poor molding. Grossly inferior. Just like me in this house—a total joke. Chase took it from her and shoved it straight onto my finger. "See? I told you Stella is far more considerate than you. She's even willing to share her own jewelry." "It actually looks pretty on you. Let’s leave it at that. Since your sister loves the diamond, just let her have it." My parents immediately chimed in with nodding approval: "Yes, exactly. You're about to start a life together; don't ruin it over petty trinkets. You're the older sister, what’s wrong with letting her have it? It's all staying in the family." "Stella is young and emotional. You've yielded so many things to her over the years, what's one more ring?" "Alright, let's hurry back to City Hall. The license isn't even signed yet. Your temper is really getting out of hand, Elena." Their voices overlapped, a chaotic wall of noise, but not a single word reached my heart. I drew a deep breath, turning my eyes toward Chase, offering him one final, silent chance to save himself. "Chase, I’m asking you one last time." "Do you honestly believe I should give this ring away?" Chase sensed the icy shift in my demeanor and hesitated, caught off guard. But then Stella lowered her head, giving his sleeve two delicate, pleading tugs. That was all it took for him to fold. "Elena, you're usually so reasonable." "Look at her finger—it's swelling up. Just let her keep it. I swear, tomorrow! Tomorrow I’ll take you to Harry Winston and buy you whatever you want!" A bitter laugh escaped my lips. *Tomorrow?* Chase, you and I don't have a tomorrow. Before I could speak, a knock echoed at the door. It was our housekeeper. "Miss Elena, are you in there?" She stepped inside, holding several leftover wedding favor boxes. "We were doing inventory on the reception gifts, and we noticed something strange... The names printed on the covers... say Miss Stella's name." I opened the door wider. The housekeeper held out the elegant favor boxes. Embossed in gold lettering across the front was: [Chase Sterling & Stella Vance] Stella hadn't expected them to be brought back. She shot a murderous glare at the housekeeper, hissing under her breath, "Didn't I tell you to throw all of those out? Why did you bring them back here?" "It was just a print error! Why does everyone have to make a federal case out of it?" Catching herself, she immediately spun back around, putting on a childish pout and grabbing my forearm. "Elena, I'm so, so sorry!" "I accidentally gave them the wrong name when placing the rush order! They printed so fast, and I was terrified you'd yell at me, so I just thought I'd secretly hand them out..." I let out a cold laugh and wrenched my arm away from her touch. "Custom wedding favors require at least three final draft approvals from the bride. Are you telling me you 'accidentally' approved your own name three separate times?" "Stella, do you take me for an idiot?" Cornered with no way out, Stella dropped the innocent act and threw a full-blown tantrum. "Fine! If you don't believe me, what do you want me to do?" "I was the one who walked down the aisle with Chase anyway! What's so wrong with my name being on the boxes?" "What do you expect us to do now? Reprint everything and ship them out to all the guests? There's no time! If you're going to keep holding this over my head, then fine—I'll just die! I'll die to pay for my mistakes, happy now?" With a dramatic scream, Stella dashed toward the open window, climbing onto the sill. "Don't touch me! Nobody stop me!" "My own sister wants me dead, so I might as well jump!"Stella wailed dramatically on the window ledge, tears streaming down her face. She clutched the curtains, leaning halfway out into the open air, yet her knuckles remained securely locked onto the frame. She kept glancing back at me, weaponizing her fake suicide to force my surrender. My bedroom was on the ground floor. Even if she jumped, the drop into the soft flowerbed wouldn't even scratch her knee. Yet my parents and Chase rushed forward in absolute panic. Two grabbed her arms, one wrapped his arms around her waist, desperately pulling her back like she was dangling over a cliff. Chase spun around and roared at me, his eyes bloodshot with rage: "Elena, are you completely heartless? Apologize to Stella right now!" "She's your sister! You took the title of the biological daughter that she wanted so badly—can't you let her have anything else? Do you really have to push her to her death before you're satisfied?" Chase glared at me. My parents glared at me. As if throughout this entire nightmare, the villain was me—the woman locked in a room on her own wedding day, the woman whose ring was stolen, whose identity was wiped from her own wedding favors. A wave of sheer exhaustion washed over me. I was so tired. Too tired to fight, too tired to care who was right or wrong. I gave a slight bow toward Stella and spoke in a monotone voice: "I'm sorry, Stella." "It was my fault for being a bad sister and failing to give in to you. Please come down. I was wrong." Satisfied with her victory, Stella climbed down from the sill with a petulant sniffle. My parents and Chase swarmed her, wiping her tears, whispering sweet reassurances, soothing her bruised ego. Once she managed a triumphant little smile, she cast a spiteful glance my way. "Fine, I forgive her. She's my sister; I can't stay mad forever. The sun is setting, so Elena and Chase should hurry back to City Hall before it closes." Her "generosity" earned another round of breathless praise from Chase and my parents, who remarked on how sweet and forgiving she was, telling me I should take notes from her. Gradually, the chaos cleared out. My parents escorted Stella downstairs, Mom throwing one last venomous glare over her shoulder: "I don't know how you can call yourself the older sister. Stella is ten times more mature than you'll ever be!" Only Chase and I remained in the room. He rubbed his temples, letting out a weary sigh. "Elena, I don't know what got into you today. I'm giving you five minutes to wash your face. I'll be waiting downstairs. We're going straight to City Hall to finish this." He turned to walk away. I couldn't help myself. I called his name. "Chase." He stopped, looking back over his shoulder. "Do you really have nothing else to say to me?" Chase paused for a second, then chose to deliver one final lecture: "Stop being angry, Elena. As the sister, you should learn to be the bigger person." He shut the door behind him. Staring at the closed wood, I whispered into the empty room: "I was supposed to be the younger sister." Too bad nobody cared to listen. A few minutes later, the housekeeper knocked gently and stepped inside. "Miss Elena, Mr. Sterling says the car is waiting." Seeing my silence, she asked cautiously, "Do you... need a few more minutes to rest?" I shook my head. I walked over to the desk, swept all my identification documents, passport, and cards into my tote bag. I didn't pack a single stitch of clothing. Why would I want the clothes Stella had deemed unworthy of her own closet? Then, I stepped onto the window ledge. "No," I smiled faintly. "I'm running away. Tell them I'm calling off the wedding." "Say goodbye to them for me." Leaving the housekeeper frozen in shock, I stepped down into the garden. It was the most liberating decision I had made in twenty-seven years. The drop was only two feet. Stella wasn't stupid—I was the stupid one for staying trapped for so long. My feet hit the grass smoothly. I slipped through the side gate, flagged a cab, and headed straight for the airport. I didn't care where I went. At the counter, I simply asked for a ticket on the next departing flight. Seconds before boarding, my phone buzzed violently with text messages from Chase. Each one was more furious than the last: [Elena, the maid said you ran away? Stop throwing these ridiculous fits!] [Where the hell are you?] [Do you want to get married or not?! Get your ass back here right now!] I looked down at the glowing screen, my thumb hovering over the red button. With a firm, steady press, I powered down the phone. Chase, I'm never getting married to you. And I'm never coming back.The housekeeper watched my silhouette vanish down the winding estate road. She instinctively moved toward the living room to alert Chase, but her steps slowed to a halt. She paused, looked back at the empty driveway, and quietly decided to wait fifteen minutes before casually strolling over to report my absence. By the time they rushed up and pushed open the bedroom door, the room was deserted. Chase’s face turned an ugly shade of gray. He fired off text after text, call after call, met only with automated voicemails. Dad paced frantically, the phone glued to his ear: "Straight to voicemail! Why isn’t she answering?!" "That ungrateful brat is getting more rebellious by the day!" Mom clutched her chest, looking faint from sheer outrage: "How could she do this to us? Today was supposed to be the day they signed the papers, and she just bolts?" "How are we supposed to show our faces in high society after this?!" Amidst the panic, Stella lowered her head, hiding a sly smirk. She stepped forward and gently tugged on Chase’s sleeve, her voice dripping with mock innocence: "Chase... since Elena ran away, and she and I look so much alike... why don't you and I go sign the papers? Just like how I stepped in for her at the wedding." "Once we track her down, we can figure things out from there." For once, Chase didn't immediately agree. His brows knitted into a tight knot, an uneasy chill creeping up his spine. My parents, however, nodded eagerly, already grabbing Stella’s arm to head for the door. That was the moment the fog finally cleared from Chase’s mind. "Stop!" His voice cracked like a whip through the room, his arm shooting out to block Stella's path. All three turned to look at him, baffled. Chase stared hard at Stella, his eyes narrowing with a dark, probing intensity. "Stella. On the wedding day, you said you just wanted to experience walking down the aisle, and I let you. You promised you would behave." "Then you stole Elena’s engagement ring, and to keep the peace, we let you keep it. Then the wedding favors were printed with your name, which you swore was a simple mistake, and we let that slide too." "And now... you want to sign the marriage certificate with me?" Chase took a menacing step forward, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper: "The wedding was you. The ring was you. The favor boxes were you. And now you want to be the one on the legal documents." "Tell me, Stella—who was I supposed to be marrying? Elena, or you?" Stella froze. She had never seen Chase look at her with anything other than indulgence. To have him turn on her so violently left her entirely off-balance. Instinctively, she leaned on her usual weapon—acting cute. She softened her posture, reaching out to grasp his wrist, giving it a playful shake. "I didn't mean anything by it, Chase..." "Besides, Elena is my sister. She always shares with me! When she comes back, we can just explain it to her. If she’s really mad... I'll just apologize to her again, okay?" Chase stood in stony silence. He knew Elena. She wasn't someone who acted impulsively or ruined family reputations for fun. For her to walk away from her own wedding meant she had truly reached her breaking point. For the very first time, Chase felt a sickening wave of panic—the terrifying realization that he had lost something he could never get back. Seeing Chase’s storm-cloud expression, Stella’s confidence began to crumble. She quickly turned toward my parents, who had always shielded her: "Mom, Dad, help me out! Talk to Chase!" "I really was just trying to help resolve the situation!" But this time, my parents didn't jump to comfort her. Mom was staring frantically at her phone, repeatedly trying to message me, her voice trembling: "How is this possible... She blocked my number?" "Elena has always been so obedient. Even when we fought, she never blocked me..." Dad was sweating profusely, yelling into his phone: "Pick up! Why won't she pick up?!" "What if... what if something happened to her out there?" Completely pushed to the sidelines, a toxic surge of resentment flared in Stella’s chest. She stamped her foot and shrieked at the top of her lungs: "Mom! Dad! What are you doing?! Instead of worrying about me, you’re obsessing over Elena?" "She’s a grown woman! It’s not like she’s going to drop dead on the street!"*SLAP!* A sharp, violent crack echoed through the bedroom. Mom’s hand hung in the air, trembling with fury, having delivered a savage slap across Stella’s cheek. Pointing a shaking finger in Stella's face, Mom screamed: "Stella Vance, listen to the vile poison coming out of your mouth!" "Since the day she came home, how much have you taken from her? You are a year older than her, yet you demanded to be treated like the baby sister, and we forced her to give in! You are adopted, yet you lived like royalty while my own flesh and blood suffered in the shadows!" "You took her clothes, her food, you even tried stealing her boyfriends before—do you think I was completely blind?!" "She stepped aside for you every single time! Instead of showing a shred of gratitude, you stand there wishing death upon her?!" Stella was knocked sideways by the force of the blow, her cheek swelling into a bright crimson welt. In all her twenty-eight years, she had never been hit. Least of all in front of Chase. Clutching her burning face, tears of humiliation poured down her cheeks. Yet she still dared to scream back: "You hit me?! You actually hit me for her?!" "Growing up, whenever I fought with Elena, you always took my side! Who cared about bloodlines or birth order? You chose me! If she's upset, I can make it up to her later! Why are you all turning on me now?!" Desperate to prove that Elena was making a mountain out of a molehill, Stella frantically grabbed the engagement ring on her finger. With one effortless tug, the diamond ring slid smoothly off her knuckle. "Isn't it just about the damn license? We can sign it another day!" "And here's her stupid ring! Take it!" She hurled the ring onto the vanity table, where it clattered noisily. Chase, who had been watching in grim silence, locked his eyes onto the ring that had just come off without the slightest resistance. His pupils shrank. "It came off just like that?" His voice was terrifyingly calm. "So all that crying about it being stuck... your finger swelling up, you screaming in pain... it was all an act?" A sudden memory hit Chase like a freight train. The Dollar Tree. The morning he drove Elena to her dress fitting, Stella had insisted on riding along. She had made him pull over near a discount dollar store, dragging them inside to look around. At the time, he thought she was just being whimsical. "That cheap plastic ring... you bought it that morning, didn't you?" "You planned this whole thing. You bought a decoy ring so you could force Elena to give you the real diamond today. Isn't that right?" The trap snapped shut around her. Stella’s face drained of all color. She couldn't find a single word to defend herself. She looked at Chase with tear-filled eyes, trying to summon that familiar, helpless pout: "Chase... it’s just a ring! You said it yourself—Elena always gives in to me! Why does it matter if I wear it? Why are you yelling at me..." "I told her to accommodate you, not to let you treat her like your doormat!" Chase roared, his voice shaking the walls. Backed into a corner, Stella snapped, dropping all pretense and screaming back hysterically: "Isn't that exactly what you meant?!" Her screech was deafening, mascara running down her flushed face. Her wild eyes darted between Chase and my parents: "You told her to give in, which meant you gave me permission to walk all over her! Now that she’s had enough and walked out, you suddenly pretend you’re saints and blame me for everything? You think this is all my fault?!" "Mom and Dad favored me my entire life, so why wouldn't I think I was entitled to take her things?! And you, Chase! You were supposed to be her fiancé! Yet you always took my side, making her take the ugly gifts I rejected!" "You all treated me like I was more important than her!" Chest heaving, Stella broke down into a frenzied scream: "When we were stepping on her, we did it together!" "Now that the consequences are here, I'm the only monster? None of you get to play the victim! You're all just as guilty as I am!"A suffocating silence descended upon the room. My parents stood frozen. Chase looked like he had been struck by lightning. Mom stared at the hysterical woman before her, realizing with absolute horror that they had personally bred a soulless, cruel monster. She collapsed against Dad, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. "She's right... We did this." Mom lifted her tear-streaked face. Through Stella's sneering visage, she seemed to see the ghost of the little girl who had spent the last decade quietly chewing on bitter strawberry stems in the kitchen corner. "From the very beginning, we were wrong to force Elena to yield. She was our biological child. She suffered so much before we found her, yet we never gave her a single day of peace." "When you were little, you threw a tantrum because you wanted the sweet tips of the strawberries. To save ourselves the headache, we forced Elena to eat the sour green bottoms and give the best parts to you." Mom buried her face in her hands, agonizing sobs slipping through her fingers. "We failed her. We showered you with unconditional indulgence at the cost of our own daughter's dignity. We broke Elena's heart, and we turned you into a monster with no empathy." Stella was stunned into silence. She couldn't comprehend how, in just under an hour, a runaway bride could flip her parents' lifelong devotion into absolute disgust. Chase couldn't stand being in that room for another second. He wasn't stupid. He saw the truth laid bare before him. He saw his own cowardice, his own vanity, and how he had willingly become an accomplice in breaking the woman he claimed to love. He spun on his heel, desperate to track down Elena. Stella lunged forward, throwing her arms around his waist, sobbing uncontrollably: "Chase, don't leave me!" "Mom and Dad hate me now because of her! Are you going to abandon me too?!" Chase looked down at the hands clutching his jacket. He took a deep, shuddering breath, his voice devoid of warmth: "Let go." "Stella, from the very beginning, the only reason I ever looked at you was because you were Elena's sister. Without Elena, you are nothing to me." Stella refused to let go, gripping him with manic strength. "No! That's a lie! You told me she was too quiet and I was fun! You said we both had our charms! The way you looked at me—I know you liked me!" "You made her give things to me because you cared about me more than her!" Her cries were desperate, her logic entirely unhinged. "So what if she's gone?! We can just be together! She and I share the same face! Being with me is the exact same as being with her—what difference does it make?!" Chase stared down at her face. That familiar face. The face that had occasionally distracted him with its lively, flirtatious energy. He had to admit to himself, in the darkest corners of his mind, that he had enjoyed the attention. But deep down, he knew the truth. The woman he loved, the anchor of his soul, was Elena. Chase reached down, prying Stella’s fingers off his jacket, one by one. "The difference is that she is Elena. And you are not." "And you never will be." He pushed her away with cold finality and walked out without looking back. My parents stumbled out behind him, neither sparing a single glance for the girl collapsed on the floor. The bedroom fell dead silent. Stella sat alone on the hardwood floor, staring blankly at the empty doorway. She couldn't understand how, just sixty minutes ago, she was the beloved princess of the Vance family, and now she was discarded like trash. Unable to process her fall from grace, Stella curled into a ball and screamed into the empty room.