**Diary Entry**
I never thought my own sister would humiliate me in front of everyone at her wedding.
My name is Eleanor. Im 29. Im Lucys older sisterthe one who was always held up as an example when we were growing up. Until one day, I simply faded into the background the moment Lucy was bornbright, loud, impossible to ignore.
She had a way of making the world revolve around her. And me? I was just there. A quiet shadow, too polite to say no.
When the wedding invitation arrived, my stomach twisted. I didnt want to go. Didnt want to see her in that white dress, hear her familiar laugh, and end up playing the victim again. But Mum insisted: *”You must be there, Eleanor. Youre family.”*
That word*family*stung more than I expected.
The wedding was held in an elegant manor. Lavish roses, sparkling chandeliers, champagne fluteseverything was exactly as Lucy had dreamed. She walked down the aisle on the arm of Daniel, her groom. Tall, confident, with the same eyes that had once only looked at me.
Yes, you heard right. We were together. We loved each other. Truly. Then one day, he vanished. And later, there he wasstanding beside my sister.
*”Look at me, not her”*thats what I saw in every glance he stole.
*”Oh, you actually came,”* Lucy said coldly when she spotted me before the ceremony. *”Just dont even think about wearing white.”*
I stayed silent. My dress was a simple slate greythe kind that blends into the background. Perfect for someone who wasnt meant to be seen.
*”Sit somewhere no one will notice you,”* she added, nodding toward a corner.
I bit my lip. Humiliation was nothing new, but thisthis felt like a knife to the chest.
The ceremony was flawless: vows, kiss, applause. All evening, I caught Daniels gaze. He seemed to want to speak, but every time, he looked away.
Then came the toasts. Lucy took the microphone, glowing with triumph:
*”Thank you all for coming. Friends, parents and even my sister, who somehow managed to show up despite our differences. After all, you were the one who wanted to marry Daniel, werent you? But he chose me.”*
The room went still. Someone stifled a laugh. Someone else looked at their shoes. My face burned. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
But thensomething no one saw coming.
Daniel stood. Took the microphone. And with a quiet steadiness, he said: *”Im sorry, Lucy. But I cant stay quiet any longer.”*
Silence. Lucys smile vanished. Mum shot to her feet. Dad gripped his glass so hard it cracked.
*”I was with Eleanor,”* Daniel said firmly. *”For two years. We had plans. I was going to propose.”*
His eyes met mine. The pain there was raw.
*”Then one day, Lucy came to my flat. Said she was pregnant. That the baby was mine.”*
Gasps. Whispers. Lucys sharp intake of breath.
*”I didnt believe her at first. But she cried, screamed, demanded I do the right thing. So I left Eleanor. I believed her. I gave up everything.”*
*”Daniel, stop!”* Lucy shrieked, but he didnt.
*”Recently, I found out the truth. There was never a baby. It was all a lie. She destroyed us. And today, at this wedding, shes still trying to hurt Eleanorthe woman Ive never stopped loving.”*
Not a sound. Even the air seemed to freeze.
*”I wont pretend anymore. Im not marrying you, Lucy.”*
Chaos erupted. Guests gasped, phones came out, someone tried to reason with him. Lucy stood frozen, then screamed: *”You cant do this! This is MY day!”*
*”You ruined it yourself,”* he replied, calm as stone.
Then he walked to me. Stood beside me. Openly.
*”Eleanor, forgive me. I was weak. I failed you. But if youll let me Ill spend the rest of my life making it right.”*
I couldnt speak. My heart pounded in my throat. Everything felt unreal.
Lucy stormed off, hurling the bouquet at a guest. Mum chased after her. Dad just stared at the floor.
And II sat there, crying. But not from pain. From relief. From freedom.
The wedding didnt happen. Lucy vanisheddeleted her socials, changed her number. Some said shed gone to Spain, others whispered about a breakdown.
I didnt revel in it. Didnt wish her harm. But for the first time in years, I could breathe.
Daniel didnt push. He just stayed: called, texted, left notes by my door. *”Ill wait. Whenever youre ready.”*
Then one day, I opened the door. He stood there, holding my favourite coffee.
*”Fancy a walk?”* he asked, simple as anything.
I nodded.
We walked slowly, like we had all the time in the world. No grand speeches, no begging. Just him, beside me. Like before.
And that was enough.
Six months later, I got a job at a publishing house. Wrote a piece that ran in *The Lady*. Started living againnot as Lucys shadow, but as myself.
Daniel stayed. Not out of guilt. Because he wanted to.
He proposed by the lake where wed first kissed. *”No lies this time. No fear. Are you ready?”*
I looked into his eyes. And for the first time in so long, I smiled.
*”Yes.”*
Life can be cruel. It breaks you, humbles you, leaves scars. But it also gives second chances. The trick is taking them.
I was forgotten. Overlooked. Pushed aside. But now? Im a woman who loves and is loved. Who moves forward.
And Ill never be anyones shadow again.
