My Family Gave My Life to My Sister Chapter 04

My Family Gave My Life to My Sister Chapter 04

The teasing outside my bedroom door grew louder and louder.

One of Grant’s buddies clapped him on the shoulder and laughed.

“Grant, you’re not getting married yet. Relax!”

“Look at you. You’re sweating through your shirt!”

“Hannah’s crazy about you.”

“Of course she’ll say yes!”

“Exactly!”

“After all these years, that’s exactly what she’s been waiting to hear!”

All of our friends joined in, teasing Grant.

Mom and Dad chimed in too.

Mom smiled toward the closed door.

“Hannah, stop sulking.”

“Grant already apologized.”

“Come on out.”

Dad cleared his throat.

“Baby, Grant’s a good man.”

“Look at all the effort he put into this for you.”

“Come on. Don’t stay mad.”

Everyone in the room held their breath, staring at that door.

The candle flames flickered softly.

Balloons floated against the ceiling.

Everyone was smiling.

They were all waiting for me to open the door, throw myself into Grant’s arms, and say yes.

I floated in midair, a deep ache spreading through my chest.

I’d waited five whole years for this proposal.

It had finally come.

Just at the worst possible time.

Seconds ticked by.

In the silent living room, the faint smell of decay became harder and harder to ignore.

Someone muttered under their breath.

“God… do you guys smell that?”

“Something smells weird.”

More people quickly chimed in, confused.

“Yeah.”

“It’s getting stronger.”

“Why does it smell so bad?”

Mom had always cared deeply about appearances.

With all our family and friends standing there, she immediately looked embarrassed.

She turned and went to get the key from the bedroom.

As she came back, she deliberately raised her voice and smiled.

“Hannah, don’t be shy!”

“You’ve been waiting for this forever, haven’t you?”

“I’ll open it for you!”

Click.

The door opened.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the bed.

Grant walked in through a shower of confetti, holding a bouquet of flowers.

Then he dropped to one knee.

His voice was loud enough for the whole town to hear.

“Hannah, will you marry me?!”

The moment the words left his mouth, cheers erupted throughout the living room.

Only I remained perfectly still on the bed.

I looked as though I were simply asleep.

Aubrey stood in the corner, staring fixedly at me on the bed, resentment written all over her face..

The room was buzzing with excitement.

Applause and congratulations filled the air.

But the me lying on the bed remained completely still.

I didn’t respond at all.

Grant softly called my name several times, his voice growing gentler with each one.

“Hannah?”

“Can you hear me?”

“Hannah?”

“Wake up.”

“I came here to propose to you.”

The smile on his face slowly stiffened.

“Hannah?”

“Come on. Stop messing around.”

“Get up, okay?”

Mom finally grew impatient.

She stepped forward, grabbed my right hand, and tried to pull me up.

“Hannah!”

“Enough with the tantrum!”

“Everyone’s waiting for you!”

“Get up and apologize to everyone. Now.”

“Tell them you’re sorry for wasting everyone’s time…”

Her voice cut off.

My right hand dangled limply in midair from her grip.

Soft.

Loose.

Without a trace of strength.

The rest of my body remained on the bed.

Only that hand had been lifted into the air, swaying loosely in Mom’s grip.

Mom whipped her head around.

In an instant, every smile in the room disappeared.

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief.