BRIANN P.O.V
I had no choice than to tail Mrs Mason,following every path she took from a far distance,it took almost thirty minutes before she approached a room door and almost got hold of the knob when she heard footsteps receding,but Sua showed up which made me hide behind a wall.
"What are you doing at my door? and what was..." Sua paused just to look away from Mrs Mason's leer. "Don't even think we can be together and you have no shame.For God's sake,i'm your son's fiancee and you still want me?"
"I missed you" Sua was pulled into a close-fitted hug,not letting go. "You left ontario to further your education and never visited. What happened to you,Sua!? you've changed a lot and i want us to be together like the way we were before"
"it can never happen,i see you as my mother and spending time with you in the past doesn't mean i want a romantic relationship with you.Don't you think of how young i am,there are women out there who would be so happy to lay with a woman like you and what about your husband?"
"None of them are like you and i only married Mr. Mason because of his properties,i never liked him from the beginning,it has been you ever since i set my eyes on you,i never knew you were the one i would ever love" Mrs Mason chanted at the point of pleading.
Disengaging from the hug and pinned Sua's hand against the wall,already pulled her by the waist even if Mrs Mason have been warned to stay away,i noticed her trembling with the sheer force of Mrs. Mason's gaze as there was rummage for control,struggling to escape from Mrs Mason's lips with the slightest bit of raking down her naughtiness as much as she had fought to push away and everything collided into her eyes for a brief second and hiked the torrid emotions swimming between them that turned into tempered demand.
From the passage,I couldn't see much, just shapes in the dim light.But I heard it.
"No" Sua said,firm but low.
Then a shuffle.A hand on a shoulder, maybe.A breath that didn't sound quite right.
"I said stop" She repeated,louder.
I froze.My hand tightened around my phone.I didn't know what I was seeing,not really.I only knew something was off.
Through the small crack opening in the wall,I caught a glimpse of her,backed against the wall,Mrs Mason was standing close,too close.
"I'm sorry" Mrs Mason said softly. "I just thought you wanted...."
"I do" Sua snapped,stepping sideways,pressing her palm to Mrs Mason's chest and pushing her gently back.Her voice cracked. "That's the worst part.I do.But not like this."
Mrs Mason stepped away,finally hearing her. "Then tell me how" She said. Not angry. Just quiet.
She took a shaky breath. "I've never done this before. I don't even know who I am when I'm with you. It's scary."
"I'm not here to take anything you're not ready to give" The woman said. "I need you to choose me. Not fall into me because you're scared of what it means if you don't."
Silence.
I should have walked away, but I couldn't. I watched as my sister leaned against the wall, covering her face with her hands.
"I've wanted to kiss you since the first day we met" She said. "But I've also wanted to run."
Then, slowly, she stepped forward. No pressure. No rush. Just one step. Then another.
And then she kissed her.
Gently. Deliberately. No struggle. No confusion. Just her, saying yes on her own terms.
I slipped away from the wall without a sound,heart pounding,not from shock,but from something else. Something like...understanding.
I didn't say anything that night.
I slipped back to my room,shut the door gently and laid on my bed with my eyes wide open in the dark.Not from shock,not even confusion,but from something deeper. A feeling I couldn't name.
The truth was,I hadn't really seen her until now.My sister.The one who always seemed so strong,so sure.But tonight,she looked...scared.Brave.Human.And for the first time, I realized how heavy silence must've felt on her shoulders all this time.
THE NEXT MORNING
I waited in the kitchen,pretending to scroll through my phone.I could hear her moving upstairs,the quiet creak of the hallway floorboard near her room.I didn't know what I was going to say. I just knew I had to say something.
When she finally walked in, her eyes landed on me for just a second before she reached for a mug and poured some coffee. She didn't look angry or embarrassed. Just tired. Carefully guarded.
"I saw you last night," I said softly.
She stopped stirring. Her fingers went still around the handle.
"I didn't mean to," I added quickly. "I was just looking for the restroom and... you were with...."
She stayed quiet for a bit. Then she gave a little nod, her back still to me.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" She murmured.
"I know what I saw."
She turned, then slowly and carefully as if afraid I'd flinch or walk away.
"She didn't force me," She finally spoke.
"Not really. I just...panicked. I said no because I was scared of what saying yes meant. But I wanted it. I wanted her. I just... needed to get there in my own way."
I nodded. "I get that."
"Huh!!?" Her voice broke a little. "Because it's not just the kiss, Briann. It's everything. The parts of me I've been hiding. From you. From everyone."
I stood up and crossed the room. For a second, I thought maybe I shouldn't hug her, maybe she didn't want to be touched. But then, she dropped her arms and stared at me like she'd been waiting for someone to see her for a long, long time.
"You're my sister. You can tell me anything bothering you," I said and took a few steps close to her. But her stare turned into a terrific glare.
"It doesn't worth talking to you."
"Sua!!" I called when she walked out angrily.
I stood there in the kitchen,coffee gone
cold on the counter,the morning sun
crawling slowly across the tile.And
somehow,in the quiet,I felt something
change between us.
Not everything was fixed.Not yet.But
something important had begun.
We were starting to become far apart
from each other.
It happened at the kitchen table.
Of course it did.Where else do all the
hardest conversations begin in our
family?
Mom was slicing up the roast,steam
rising in soft curls from the platter,and
Dad was arguing with the salt
shaker.Everything felt normal.Which
made the moment feel even heavier
like a glass that might crack if you
held it just a little too tight.The Mason
family were all out for a board meeting
at Damel company, so it was only the
Adrienno that were left at the mansion.
Sua sat across from me.She hadn't
touched her food.Her hands were under the table,probably twisted into knots in her lap.Mrs Mason wasn't here,of course not.That would've been too much,too fast. But the truth was in the room anyway, waiting in her throat.
"Is something wrong with the potatoes?" Mom asked,always sensing something before it was said.
"They're fine," Sua said quietly.
Mom paused,then smiled that careful mom-smile she wore like a scarf in winter. "You're quiet"
"I need to tell you something" She said.
Dad looked up from his plate.
The room felt too small all of a sudden.
And then,without buildup,without rehearsal,Sua was dying to say the words like they had been burning holes in her ribs for years.But she took in a sharp deep breath and uttered in a haste.
"I'm ready to marry Massilo"
The silence was instant.Deep.Like everything else in the house just stopped breathing.
Dad blinked.Twice.
Mom set the serving spoon down like it had suddenly become too heavy.
And I watched Sua's shoulders square up like armor,even though she was shaking.
"You're… what?" Mom asked.Not angry.
Just off-balance.
"I'm ready to marry him" She said again, voice clearer this time. "I've thought about it and I realised it would be better if I marry Massilo"
She looked down,then up again.
"I have changed my mind" She said.
"And I won't reject any of dad's plan anymore"
For a few seconds,all I could hear was the clink of Dad's fork touching his plate as he set it down.
Then finally,Mom exhaled.
"I don't know what to say.I thought you don't want Massilo.What made you change your mind" Mom whispered.
"I'm surprised. Not because I'm upset"
"You weren't supposed to" Sua said.
Dad cleared his throat, then looked at her like he was trying to catch up to where she'd been for years.
"The decision hasn't changed even if you don't agree. You will still get married to him"
Tears welled up in her eyes before she could stop them.
Mom reached across the table, took her hand, and held it tightly.
"Don't force yourself to do what you never intend to do" She said which was quite comforting. "But you still have to think about it again. Marriage is a life time agreement and it would be better if you tell me who you really want to spend the rest of your life with"
My sister nodded. She couldn't speak. Not yet.
So I did.
"I don't know why you suddenly chose to dad's decision" I said, looking at them both. "Only now you don't have to push yourself too hard"
And in that moment,at the kitchen table,with cold potatoes and untouched roast.We became a little less perfect,a little more honest,and a whole lot more real.
It had been two days.
Two whole days since I saw them kiss.Since I saw her choose it,after saying no. And still,the moment played in loops behind my eyes,sometimes the stillness, sometimes the kiss itself.I couldn't tell if I was more confused or concerned.
Not because of who it was with.But because of how it happened.
And because she hadn't said a word about it.
We were in her room now,the afternoon sun painting streaks across the floor.She was pretending to clean,folding and refolding the same sweatshirt.I sat on the edge of her bed,the silence between us sharp.Finally,I spoke. "Can I ask you something?"
She sighed. "Is this about what you saw?"
"I'm not judging you" I said quickly. "I just...I need to understand."
Her jaw tightened.
"I saw you push her away" I said. "And then you kissed her.And I don't know what that means.I don't know if you were okay."
That was the wrong thing to say.Or maybe just said the wrong way.
Her voice rose instantly like a match to dry grass.
"Are you serious right now,Briann? Are you interrogating me?"
"No! I just...."
"I don't need you to understand,okay?" She snapped. "You're my little sister,not my therapist."
Her words hit hard.I blinked, surprised,the breath catching in my throat.
"I wasn't trying to judge you" I whispered. "I was scared for you"
She scoffed, tossing the sweatshirt aside. "You saw one moment and thought you knew the whole story. But you don't. You have no idea what it's like being me. Wanting something so badly it terrifies you. Questioning yourself every second because you don't know where the line between fear and desire is"
I stayed quiet. She was breathing hard now, arms crossed like armor.
"I kissed her because I wanted to" She said finally. "Not because she made me. Not because I was trapped. Because I chose it. After fighting myself for so long."
She turned away from me, shoulders tight. "But maybe next time, don't watch from the passage like it's a movie."
I bit the inside of my cheek. Her anger didn't scare me. But it hurt. And behind the hurt, I saw what it really was:
Shame.
Not because of who she kissed. Because of how much it cost her to admit she wanted it.
"I didn't mean to watch" I said softly.
"But I saw someone I love in a moment she wasn't ready to share. And it scared me. Because that was Mrs Mason you were kissing. That's all"
Her arms dropped.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then, in the smallest voice, she said,
"I'm still trying to figure out how to not hate myself for wanting her."
That broke something in me.
I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around her back. This time, she didn't push me away.
"You don't have to figure it out alone" I said.
And for once, she didn't try to be strong. She just let herself be held.
"We have to get to the bridal boutique for my wedding dress before it's too late. My wedding is coming soon and in no time....
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked her with the gaze that said; Don't you love Mrs Mason.
She just smiled and went away. It would be so much better if Sua's love was not Mrs Mason, the wife of the great Mr Mason.
I left her room, heading to the living room so as to wait for her arrival and she later came. Without looking, she walked out of the house like I was never visible while I ran just to catch up with her. We entered the black Rolls-Royce Cullinan. She was back to her old self again, the one who always put on the serious face. But it doesn't hurt me, her happiness is the only important thing for me with her safety. The car zoomed off and eventually came to a stop at the place we had always wished to go.
The boutique didn't just sit on the avenue. It glowed. Tucked between high-end jewelry houses and designer ateliers, the bridal boutique's facade was polished marble and glass, with gold-lettered signage etched in a graceful serif script:
Maison de Lune - Bridal Couture.
Inside,the air was cool and perfumed,not overly sweet,but scented with white roses, warm amber, and the faintest trace of expensive champagne.The floor was Italian Carrara marble,smooth underfoot,veined with subtle silver.Crystal chandeliers hung from a coffered ceiling,casting fractured light like diamonds across the room.
Every inch of the boutique exhaled luxury. Gowns were displayed not on cluttered racks, but on custom brass rails and individual velvet-covered dress forms, spaced generously like art in a gallery. Silks from Milan, hand-beaded lace from Lyon, and flowing organza from Tokyo - each dress was a statement,a sculpture in fabric, illuminated by soft spotlights that made the sequins and pearls shimmer like stardust.
A private fitting suite sat behind arched glass doors,upholstered in dove-gray velvet,with a wall of antique mirrors edged in rose-gold.An attendant,immaculately dressed in black,brought in chilled sparkling water on a silver tray as brides-to-be slipped into gowns with the help of expert stylists who spoke in low, reverent tones.
Along the back wall,a curated collection of accessories glittered beneath glass domes. Swarovski-encrusted veils,heirloom-inspired tiaras,and delicate silk gloves arranged like treasures in a royal vault.
It wasn't just a store.
It was a sanctuary for dreams woven in silk and sealed in elegance,a place where luxury wasn't just seen or touched,but felt in every breath. The boutique felt like it belonged to another world,not just richer,but softer, slower.Everything shimmered: The marble floors, the chandeliers above, even the silence.It was a silence that held its breath for moments like this.
Sua stood on the pedestal in front of the mirror,the third dress of the afternoon flowing around her like morning mist.Ivory satin,fitted bodice,off-the-shoulder sleeves that made her look like a painting.She wasn't smiling yet,that smile hadn't happened.But I could see her imagining it. The aisle.The music.Her waiting.
I sat on the velvet sofa tucked against the back wall,quiet and small beneath the glittering chandeliers.The stylist hovered beside her,adjusting fabric,offering soft commentary in that half-whisper brides get in places like this.I didn't say much.I wasn't the type to gush or clap.And I didn't need to do much as Sua had a whole room full of mirrors doing that for her.
She glanced at me once,just once,over her shoulder,her eyes searching mine for something.
Approval? Reassurance? Permission to fall in love with this version of herself?
I gave her the smallest smile,the kind that said I see you.
Because I did.
Not just the dress,or the daydream,or this one than the last.I saw the little girl who once wrapped herself in bedsheets and said she was marrying the sky.The teenager who swore she'd never wear white because it was "too expected." The sister standing here now,quiet in her own kind of awe.
"You look...like it could be the one" I said softly,not trusting my voice with anything more.
Her expression flickered,not quite tears,not quite joy.Just something real.Full.
She looked back at the mirror.
And I stayed there in the background,quietly watching her become someone she was always meant to be.