I Was The Ugly Twin Who Outshone The Swan Sister Chapter 08

I Was The Ugly Twin Who Outshone The Swan Sister Chapter 08

The air in the theater went dead.

Mallory stood frozen, her face completely drained.

Mom recovered first. “So what if I sent her money? I was grateful she was willing to speak up for Sienna!”

Morgan looked at her steadily. “Mrs. Rowan, what she said in that room constitutes deliberate defamation of a student this institution has already accepted.”

Dad shoved to his feet. “So your school is taking her side against her own parents now?”

He pointed straight at me, eyes burning. “Brenna. Are you happy? You blew up this entire family over one spot in a program!”

I sat in my seat with both hands locked around the edges of the chair, knuckles pale, palms soaked

through.

Once, him saying my name like that was all it took. I’d shrink. Apologize before he even finished speaking. Spend the rest of the day trying to figure out what I’d done wrong.

But sitting there, looking at his face-I just felt nothing. Like looking at a stranger.

The teacher kept going through the evidence.

Registration records from Westbridge Community Arts Center. Aunt Laurel’s payment transfers. Receipts from individual lessons spread out across years.

Every document worn and faded at the edges.

Then a photo filled the screen.

Me at twelve, standing in the corner of a practice room. My bangs had been pushed apart by sweat, and my eyes were wide open-bright in a way the camera caught whether it meant to or not.

An instructor’s handwritten note beside it: [Recommend for long-term development.]

Mom’s face tightened as she read it.

Aunt Laurel turned to her. “I showed you that note back then. Do you remember what

you

said?”

Mom’s lips moved, but nothing came out.

Aunt Laurel said it for her. “You said she wasn’t worth it.”

Something squeezed inside my chest.

It didn’t hurt. It was just empty.

Comments were flooding the livestream.

[She didn’t suddenly get pretty-her mom just kept her hidden under those bangs this whole time??]

[That mother is genuinely terrifying.]

[The sister stole her choreography and then claimed it was original?]

[Mallory took money to testify against her? What is going on in this family.]

Then Sienna lunged forward, crying. “That’s not how it was!”

She reached for my hand-Aunt Laurel stepped between us.

“Brenna, I was scared. I was scared of disappointing Mom and Dad, scared of everyone finding out I wasn’t as good as they thought.”

Her voice broke. “I never wanted to destroy you.”

I looked at the tears on her face.

We were twins. We’d slept in the same crib.

But every time she cried, someone else ended up hurting me on her behalf.

“You didn’t want to destroy me,” I said quietly. “You just never thought I’d get back up.”

Sienna’s expression froze.

Mom rushed forward and grabbed for my arm. “Brenna, enough! Your sister just apologized-what more do you want?”

Aunt Laurel blocked her. “She didn’t apologize. She cried. Those aren’t the same thing.”

Mom’s chest heaved. “So what-you want to ruin us completely?”

I looked at her and thought about last night’s phone call. “Outside of this family, nobody wants

you.”

But right now,

Professor Burke was standing behind me. Aunt Laurel had my hand.

And a room full of strangers had just watched me dance-really watched, start to finish, without

looking away.

I didn’t answer her.

Morgan raised the mic, voice level and clear.

“Westbridge will be pursuing legal action regarding the false reports, defamatory statements, and interference with our admissions process. Brenna Rowan’s enrollment stands.”

Sienna swayed on her feet. Dad caught her and looked at me with something cold and deliberate in

his eyes.

“Brenna.”

“Don’t come crying to us later.”

I looked down and said nothing.

My phone buzzed.

Aunt Laurel glanced at the screen, and for the first time since yesterday, something in her face

relaxed.

She held it out to me.

Her company’s notification. Suspension lifted, investigation closed.

At the same moment, a message came through from the school’s legal team.

[Evidence supporting defamation, theft allegations, and surgery claims has been preserved. Confirm whether you’d like to proceed with formal action?]

I stared at the words for a long time.

Then I pressed the button: [Yes.]