Moon Sets, Stars Awake

To appease the girl who stole my life, my brother deliberately announced the wrong name at our engagement gala.

In front of all of Port Sterling's elite families, he declared that I was to marry a waiter.

The citys high society pointed and laughed.

The precious Aurora Ashford, marrying a server! How the mighty have fallen!

I stood frozen on the stage, a wave of humiliation and fury washing over me.

My brother, Jackson, felt no remorse. "This is what you get for stealing Sophies spotlight at the dance competition. She was heartbroken for days. Think of this as a little lesson."

"Shes just a spoiled kid, a bit dramatic. Don't take it personally," he added, his tone dismissive. "It's just a joke, anyway. Dad and I would never actually let you marry him."

Whispers and stares followed me from every corner of the ballroom.

Jackson cleared his throat, his expression unchanged as he addressed the crowd again. "Just a bit of fun, everyone. Aurora is still young. We'll make a formal announcement about her engagement another time."

He glanced at Sebastian Vaughn, who stood near the stage.

It was supposed to be our engagement they were announcing tonight. Everyone in our circle knew our families had arranged it ages ago, that we were childhood sweethearts, destined for each other.

My heart clenched, waiting for him to speak, to fix this.

But Sebastians eyes held a chilling, indifferent distance, as if he were a mere spectator to my public execution.

"An announcement is an announcement," he said, his voice smooth and cutting. "The Ashfords are a respectable family. You can't treat something like this as a game."

He smirked. "Besides, the waiter looks thrilled. You wouldn't want to break his heart in front of everyone, would you?"

His words struck me like a physical blow.

Jackson's face hardened. He stared at Sebastian, bewildered. "What are you talking about? You love Aurora more than anyone. Why would you say that?"

Someone in the crowd snickered. "Doesn't everyone in Port Sterling know? Mr. Vaughn only has eyes for your other daughter, Sophie. I heard he just bought her a limited-edition sports car to win her favor."

Every word was an icicle piercing my heart.

My eyes burned with unshed tears. I strode forward and took the microphone from my brother's hand.

"Since the announcement has been made," I said, my voice ringing with a conviction I didn't know I possessed, "it is most certainly not a joke."

"This waiter," I declared, turning to find him in the crowd, "I'll marry him!"

Jacksons eyes widened in shock. "Aurora, what the hell are you talking about?!" he hissed. "You are an Ashford! You can't marry a waiter!"

I looked at him, my expression a mask of cold fury. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted, Jackson? Are you happy now?"

He was stunned into silence for a moment, then his voice rose in frustration. "Aurora, you're still competing with Sophie, even now? Don't you realize how much she's already been through..."

I couldn't bear to hear another word of his defense for her.

I dropped the microphone with a thud and walked off the stage. All eyes were on me. As I passed Sebastian, he grabbed my arm.

His tone was low and laced with reprimand. "Aurora, why must you be so stubborn, even now? When will you learn to just back down?"

He pulled me closer, his voice softening into a deceptive caress. "Stop being so childish. Go and apologize to Sophie properly. For the sake of our history, I'll smooth this over for you. You don't have to throw away your happiness just to prove a point."

I looked up at him and sneered. "Our history?"

"Admitting you're a backstabbing coward would be more honest than this pathetic act of yours. At least then you wouldn't make me sick."

His face went pale.

I ripped my arm from his grasp and walked toward the corner where the waiter stood, shell-shocked.

Jackson was frantic, shouting from the stage. "Aurora, don't do something you'll regret! Get back here!"

Sebastian watched me go, his hands clenched into tight fists.

I ignored them both, my focus entirely on the man in front of me.

"Will you marry me?" I asked softly.

The waiters mouth opened, a flicker of an emotion I couldn't decipher crossing his face.

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice smooth yet crisp. "Miss Ashford, I'm just a server. Are you sure you won't regret this?"

"I never regret anything."

"Alright," he said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "I'll marry you."

Jackson charged toward me like a madman, but Sebastian stepped in his way, a cold smile on his lips.

"Can't you see what she's doing? She's doing this on purpose," Sebastian said, his voice a low hiss. "If you go to her now, she'll just use it to torment Sophie even more."

His smile was razor-sharp. "She's betting that you won't let her go through with it. She's calling your bluff."

"Give in now, and you'll never have any control over her again when she goes after Sophie."

Jackson froze.

I turned, my gaze landing on Sebastian with a cold, dead weight.

We were promised to each other from birth, inseparable childhood friends. Then, at twelve, I was kidnapped, vanishing without a trace. The grief shattered my parents. They spent nights sleepless, drowning in guilt, until they adopted Sophie from an orphanage.

She was charming and clever, and slowly, she filled the void I had left. They showered her with the love that should have been mine, treating her like a precious gem.

A year ago, I clawed my way back from a living nightmare, covered in scars, finally returned home by the police. But I wasn't met with the joyful tears of a family reunited. I was met with guarded, distant eyes.

I still remember them comforting Sophie, right in front of me: "Sophie, we will always love you. She will never threaten your place here."

In that moment, I felt as if Id been stripped bare in the dead of winter, the cold seeping into my very bones.

The news that the Ashford heiress was marrying a waiter spread like wildfire. Soon, it was the top trending topic in Port Sterling, with millions talking about it.

When I got home, the first thing I saw was my father pointing a finger at my brother, his face purple with rage. "You absolute fool! How could you humiliate me like this?!"

My mother sighed. "What's done is done. The best we can do is convince Aurora to issue a public statement saying it was a childish prank, a tantrum to save the familys reputation."

"I'm sure she's already regretting it," she added. "She was just lashing out."

Sophie was crying, her face a mask of delicate sorrow. "I'm so sorry, Mom, Dad. It's all my fault. Jackson was just trying to stand up for me. I never thought sister would be so reckless as to tarnish the family name."

My mother's heart instantly melted. "Don't say that, darling. We know you're a good girl. You've put up with so much since she came back. This wasn't your fault."

My father nodded in agreement. "Exactly. This has nothing to do with you. It's Aurora who doesn't know her place."

"Don't you worry," he said, his voice firm. "She just ran wild for too long. She's using this to get to us. There's no way she's actually marrying a waiter."

As the words left his mouth, my mother looked up and our eyes met.

The living room fell into a deathly silence.

The old me would have screamed. I would have had a hysterical meltdown, demanding to know why they were treating me this way.

But I was just so tired now.

I didn't have the energy to fight anymore.

Or maybe, I had simply given up on ever finding a shred of affection from them. I no longer hoped for their love.

So, under their wary, hostile stares, I turned and walked upstairs without a word.

A few days later, I met the waiter at a caf.

He was already there, having ordered my favorite coffee and pastries. A bouquet of fresh roses, with droplets of dew still clinging to the petals, sat beside my place setting.

I stared at the flowers, a strange warmth blooming in my chest.

He smiled gently at me. It was only then that I truly saw him. He was a handsome, refined young man, dressed in a tasteful casual outfit. Though I didn't recognize the brands, the clothes were understated but clearly expensive.

"Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Landon."

"I'm Aurora Ashford."

Landon paused for a fraction of a second. "I know," he said softly. "The real Ashford heiress. The one whose life was stolen by an impostor."

My head snapped up.

For so long, everyone had told me to be considerate of Sophie, to understand the hardships shed faced. Not a single person had ever acknowledged that I was the one who had truly lost everything.

After a moment, I pushed down the surge of emotion and slid a check across the table. "I can't be seen organizing things. The wedding, the house, the car whatever a normal wedding has, well have it. Use this. You can put everything in your name. If it's not enough, just let me know."

"We'll get married in two weeks. Is that okay?"

Landon didn't take the check.

His gaze, dark and unreadable, was fixed on me. "Miss Ashford," he said, his voice gentle, "are you absolutely certain you won't regret marrying a waiter with no prospects?"

My heart sank a little. "Are you backing out?" I challenged.

Landon froze, then a low chuckle escaped him. "Alright. I understand. I'll be there in two weeks to marry you. And just as you said, we'll have everything a proper wedding should have, and more."

He didn't take the check. Instead, he pressed a small, velvet box into my hand before turning and walking away.

I opened it.

Inside lay a stunning diamond ring. I stared at it, feeling as though my heart was being wrapped in something warm and soft.

When I returned home, the cheerful atmosphere vanished. Everyone stared at me with disapproval.

My brother, Jackson, scratched his head awkwardly and tried to pull me toward the sofa. "Aurora, you're back! Come, have some cake."

I gently pushed his hand away. "No, thank you. I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

"Wait," my mother's sharp voice cut through the air. "We need to talk."

I sighed internally, a bitter smile on my lips. It was always like this. Me, the outsider, standing against them, a united front.

Seeing my silence, my mother continued, "Your little stunt at the gala, insisting on marrying a waiter, has not only disgraced our family but also deeply embarrassed the Vaughns."

"So, we've decided. It's best if your sister gets engaged to Sebastian instead."

I slowly turned my head to look at Sebastian. He avoided my gaze.

A cold laugh escaped me. The last thread holding my heart together finally snapped.

My mother, mistaking my reaction for defiance, scowled. "Don't be so difficult, Aurora. If you hadn't made such an ugly scene at the gala, we wouldn't have to"

"Fine," I cut her off, my voice flat and devoid of emotion. "You can decide. You don't need to ask me."

"My early congratulations to my dear sister and my future brother in law."

With that, I turned and left, not sparing Sebastian another glance.

To my surprise, he followed me, his expression grim. "Aurora, how long are you going to keep this up? I didn't have a choice."

I looked down at the hand gripping my arm. "Brother in law," I said, my voice dripping with ice, "is it appropriate for you to be holding me like this?"

Sebastian sighed. "Please, don't be like this. I know you're angry, but can't you just behave for once?" His voice softened. "I know you didn't mean what you said back there. You're just lashing out because you're hurt, aren't you?"

I met his gaze.

Maybe, once, I would have been heartbroken. For the longest time, I had believed that Sebastian would never betray me. My faith in him was as constant as the sunrise.

When I first came home a year ago, my family treated me like a stranger. They indulged Sophie's every whim. But Sebastian was different. He was always there for me during my darkest moments. I thought his feelings for me were unchangeable.

I never imagined he would eventually choose her side.

His cruel words from weeks ago still echoed in my ears: "Look at you, this hysterical mess. No wonder your own parents and brother love Sophie more."

"I'm so tired, Aurora. Why do you always force me to choose between you and Sophie? The one time I don't defend you, you accuse me of falling for her. When does it end?!"

"Fine! You want the truth? I have fallen for her! I'm madly in love with her!"

Those words were like a series of slaps, waking me up to the cold, hard reality.

All along, I was just an obstacle, an inconvenience to be discarded.

Sebastian reached out and gently touched my hair, his voice laced with weary condescension. "Can we just stop this, please? We grew up together. I don't want to see you suffer like this."

"Here's what we'll do," he continued. "I'll marry Sophie first, to quiet down all the gossip. Then, I'll buy you a house somewhere private. We can still be together, always."

My eyes widened in disbelief. A searing pain tore through my chest, as if an invisible hand was ripping my heart in two. "Sebastian, do you hear yourself? You want me to be your mistress?!"

His brow furrowed, genuinely confused by my reaction.

"Aurora, being with me, even without a title, is a hundred times better than being with that waiter, isn't it?!" he exclaimed, his frustration mounting. "You've already hit rock bottom. What are you still holding onto so stubbornly?!"

My last shred of hope for him dissolved into dust.

I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"Get out."