My home wrecker sister slept with every guy I dated in high school until I started dating her current boyfriend’s brother. I’m Riley and I need to tell you about my sister Madison before I get into what happened last month. Because what happened last month only makes sense if you understand what Madison did to me throughout high school.
Madison is 2 years younger than me. Growing up, everyone always said she was the pretty one, the fun one, the one everyone wanted to be around. I was the responsible one, the boring one, the one who studied too much and cared too much about what people thought. And Madison knew exactly how to use that. The first time it happened, I was 15.
His name was Jake Brennan, and he was my first real boyfriend. We’d been dating for 3 months when I noticed Madison started hanging around us more. She’d show up at his basketball games, ask if she could tag along when we went to the movies. I thought she was just being a little sister who looked up to me. I was so stupid.
I found out from Jake’s best friend, Tyler. He pulled me aside after school one day, and asked if I knew what was going on. When I asked what he meant, he got this uncomfortable look on his face and said I should probably talk to Jake. Jake confessed the same day Madison had been texting him, sending him photos.
She told him I was planning to break up with him anyway, that I’d been talking about him behind his back, that she understood him better than I ever could. He broke up with me that afternoon. I confronted Madison that night. She was sitting on her bed painting her nails this bright red color, and she barely looked up when I came in.
I asked her why she’d do that to me, why she’d go after my boyfriend. She shrugged. Just shrugged. He wasn’t that into you anyway, she said. I did you a favor. I told mom and dad, but Madison cried and said she had no idea what I was talking about. Said Jake had come on to her and she’d rejected him. said, “I was just jealous because he’d chosen her over me.” She was 14.
I was 15. Our parents believed her. The second time was with Connor Matthews. 6 months later, same pattern. Madison started hanging around, started texting him, started telling him lies about me. Connor lasted 3 weeks before he dumped me for her. Then there was Brandon, then Eric, then Daniel.
By the time I was a senior, I’d learned to keep my relationships as far away from Madison as possible, but she always found a way. She’d friend them on social media, show up at parties I’d mentioned, corner them when I wasn’t around. The thing about Madison is that she never actually wanted these guys. She’d date them for a few weeks, maybe a month tops, then get bored and dump them.
It was never about the guys. It was about winning, about proving she could take whatever I had. I moved away for college as soon as I graduated. Got as far from Madison as I could. I went to Northwestern. She stayed in California and went to UCLA. For 4 years, I barely saw her. Holidays only. It was the happiest I’d been in years.
But then I moved back home last year. I’m 26 now. I’d gotten a job offer at a tech company in San Francisco and it made sense financially to live with my parents for a few months while I saved up for my own place. Madison had moved back home too after graduating. She was working as a social media manager for some startup. That’s when I met Amber and her brother Ethan.
Amber was in my yoga class. We got coffee after class one day and we just clicked. She was funny and genuine and the kind of person who made you feel like you’d been friends forever after one conversation. We started hanging out regularly and she kept mentioning her brothers. She has two, Ethan and Cole. Ethan was her older brother, 28, worked in finance.
Madison had been dating him for 6 months. I knew this because Madison wouldn’t shut up about him. He was perfect, apparently. Made good money, drove a nice car, took her to expensive restaurants, was talking about proposing soon. I’d met him twice at family dinners. He seemed fine, a little full of himself, maybe, but Madison seemed happy, which was new.
She’d never dated anyone seriously before. Cole was the younger brother, 25, same age as Madison. He was a carpenter, built custom furniture. Amber showed me photos of his work, and it was stunning. these intricate dining tables and bookshelves that looked like art pieces. “He’s single,” Amber said one day, giving me this meaningful look.
And I think you two would really h!t it off. I laughed it off. “I wasn’t looking to date anyone, especially not my sister’s boyfriend’s brother. That felt like asking for drama. But then I met him.” Amber invited me to her parents house for a barbecue. It was a Saturday in June, one of those perfect California days.
Madison was supposed to be there with Ethan, but she’d texted me that morning saying they couldn’t make it. Some work thing. I almost canled, but Amber had been so excited about me coming, so I went. Cole was in the backyard when I arrived, standing by the grill with Amber’s dad. He was tall with dark hair and these intense green eyes. He wore a faded t-shirt and jeans with paint stains on them.
When he smiled at me, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years. We talked for 3 hours straight about everything: music and books and travel and what we wanted out of life. He made me laugh so hard I snorted, which I was mortified by, but he just grinned and said it was cute. He was nothing like the guys I usually went for, nothing like the polished, ambitious types I dated in college and after.
He was grounded and creative and didn’t care about impressing anyone. He just was himself. By the end of the night, he asked for my number. I gave it to him. I didn’t tell Madison. I didn’t tell anyone except Amber, who was thrilled. Cole and I started texting, then went on our first date the following weekend. We went to this tiny Italian restaurant in North Beach, and he told me about how he’d started building furniture after dropping out of business school.
His parents had been disappointed, but he’d never been happier. Life’s too short to do something you hate just because it looks good on paper, he said. We started seeing each other regularly after that. Two weeks turned into a month. A month turned into two. We kept it quiet, just between us and Amber. I told myself it was because things were still new, because I wanted to make sure it was real before bringing my family into it, but really, I was terrified of Madison finding out.
In August, Amber’s parents threw this big party for their 30th wedding anniversary. The whole family was invited. I couldn’t avoid it. Madison and Ethan would be there, and Cole and I had been dating for almost 3 months by then. We couldn’t hide it anymore. It’ll be fine, Cole said the night before the party. We were at his apartment lying on his couch.
Madison’s happy with Ethan. She’s not going to care. I wanted to believe him, but I knew Madison and I knew how she operated. The party was at a venue in Napa. Beautiful place with vineyards stretching out in every direction. I wore this blue dress I’d bought specifically for the occasion. Cole picked me up and when he saw me, he kissed me and said I looked incredible.
I felt good, confident, like maybe, just maybe. Things were different now. We were adults. Madison had her own relationship. She wouldn’t care about mine. Madison and Ethan arrived half an hour after us. I saw her eyes land on Cole and me across the room. We were holding hands. Her expression didn’t change, but something in her eyes did.
this flash of recognition, then calculation. She came over 5 minutes later. Riley, she said, kissing my cheek like we were close. I didn’t know you’d be here. And Cole, I didn’t realize you two knew each other. We’ve been dating for a few months, Cole said. He squeezed my hand. Riley’s amazing. Madison smiled.
It was her pageant smile, the one that didn’t reach her eyes. That’s wonderful, she said. We should all get dinner together sometime, you know, since we’re practically family now. I felt sick. The rest of the party was fine. Madison played the perfect sister, the perfect girlfriend. She and Ethan were attached at the hip, laughing and whispering to each other.
She barely looked at Cole, but I knew better. I knew something was coming. It started small. Madison began texting Cole. Just little things at first, asking him about furniture recommendations for her and Ethan’s apartment, sending him photos of designs, and asking his opinion. He showed me the messages, completely oblivious to what she was doing.
Should I just not respond?” he asked. “No,” I said. “That’ll just make it worse. Just keep your answers short, but Madison was patient. She always had been. She started showing up at his workshop. said she wanted to see his work in person, brought him coffee, asked if he could build a custom coffee table for her and Ethan as an anniversary gift.
Cole thought she was just being nice, building a relationship with her sister’s boyfriend. She’s actually pretty cool when you get to know her, he said one day, “I wanted to scream.” Then Amber called me one night in September. She sounded stressed. “I need to talk to you about something,” she said. “It’s about Madison.” My stomach dropped.
Amber had been out with some friends and they’d run into Madison at a bar in the marina. Ethan wasn’t with her. Madison had been dancing with some guy, really dancing with him. And when she saw Amber, she just waved and kept dancing. I don’t know if I should tell Ethan, Amber said. Maybe it wasn’t a big deal.
Maybe they were just dancing. Did it look like just dancing? I asked. Silence. No, Amber admitted. It didn’t. I told her to stay out of it. That it wasn’t our business. But inside, I was furious. Not because Madison was potentially cheating on Ethan, but because I knew exactly what she was doing.
She was getting bored with him, which meant she was about to set her sights on something new, on someone new. Cole and I went to his parents house for dinner the next week. It was just going to be us and his parents and Amber. But when we got there, Madison and Ethan were in the living room. “Surprise,” Madison said. Ethan’s mom invited us.
“Isn’t that sweet?” I looked at Amber. She looked as surprised as I was. Dinner was torture. Madison sat across from Cole, asking him questions about his work, laughing at his jokes. She kept touching Ethan’s arm, playing the devoted girlfriend, but her eyes were on Cole the entire time. After dinner, I went to the bathroom.
When I came back, I heard voices in the kitchen. Madison and Cole. I stopped in the hallway. I just think it’s great that Riley found someone like you, Madison was saying. Her voice was soft, intimate. She’s had such bad luck with guys, they always end up leaving her. But you seem different. Riley’s incredible.
Cole said, “I’m the lucky one. You’re sweet.” Madison said, “Too sweet. I hope she appreciates you.” She has this tendency to get so wrapped up in work that she forgets about the people around her. Our parents always said she was too focused on herself. “I just worry about you. You know, I’d hate to see you get hurt.
” I walked into the kitchen before Cole could respond. Madison smiled at me. “There you are.” I was just telling Cole how happy I am for you, too. I didn’t say anything. Just took Cole’s hand and led him back to the living room. On the drive home, Cole was quiet. “Everything okay?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said.
But he didn’t sound convinced. Madison was just saying some stuff about you about how you get really focused on work. “What else did she say?” He hesitated. “It’s nothing. Just forget it.” But I couldn’t forget it because I knew Madison had planted a seed, a tiny doubt, and she would water it until it grew. Over the next few weeks, Madison ramped up her efforts.
She started commenting on all of Cole’s Instagram posts, liking every photo, sending him memes she thought he’d like. She invited us to things constantly, double dates, drinks, parties, always with Ethan and toe, always playing the perfect couple. But I saw the way she looked at Cole, the way she found excuses to touch his arm, to stand close to him, the way she’d bring up inside jokes that made Ethan feel left out, made him seem boring in comparison.
Cole still didn’t see it or didn’t want to see it. She’s just being friendly, he said when I brought it up. She’s your sister. She’s trying to get to know me. That’s what she does, I said. She acts friendly until she has you exactly where she wants you. Cole looked at me with this expression I’d never seen before.
disappointment. Maybe that’s a pretty cynical way to look at your own sister,” he said. We fought about it. Our first real fight. I tried to explain Madison’s history, but Cole didn’t want to hear it. He thought I was being paranoid, jealous, even like I couldn’t stand that Madison was paying attention to my boyfriend.
I stopped bringing it up after that, but I watched I watched Madison work her magic the same way she had a dozen times before, slowly driving a wedge between Cole and me while playing the innocent sister who just wanted everyone to get along. In October, Ethan proposed. He did it at some fancy restaurant. Got down on one knee. The whole thing.
Madison posted about it on Instagram immediately. The ring was huge. Her caption was all about finding her soulmate. About how Ethan was the love of her life. I knew it was a lie. Madison didn’t love Ethan. She probably didn’t even like him that much, but he was successful and stable and wanted to marry her, so she’d said yes.
Amber invited me to lunch the day after the engagement. She looked worried. I need to tell you something, she said. And I need you to promise not to freak out. My heart started racing. Cole came to me last week. Amber said slowly. He was confused about some things Madison said to him about you.
What did she say? Amber bit her lip. She told him that you have this pattern that you date guys who are safe and boring because you’re afraid of actually getting close to anyone. That you’re still hung up on some ex from college and you’re just using Cole to get over it. That she’s worried he’s going to get his heart broken.
I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. She told him all of this. I asked not all at once. Over time, little comments here and there, but Cole started piecing it together and got worried. He asked me if any of it was true. What did you tell him? I told him Madison was full of [ __ ] Amber said firmly. I told him that she has a history of going after your boyfriends.
That this is what she does. I told him everything you told me about high school. What did he say? Amber looked uncomfortable. He didn’t believe me. Not completely. He said it sounded far-fetched. That people change. That Madison seems really happy with Ethan. I drove to Cole’s apartment that night. He was in his workshop sanding down a table.
He looked up when I came in and I could see the doubt in his eyes. Madison had done her job. We need to talk. I said we talked for 2 hours. I told him everything about Madison. every boyfriend she’d stolen, every lie she’d told, every time she’d chosen winning over me. I showed him old Facebook messages, text from friends back in high school. I laid it all out.
Cole listened, but I could tell he still wasn’t sure. Why would she do all that and then end up engaged to my brother? He asked if she was going to go after me. Why get engaged to Ethan? Because that’s what makes it fun for her, I said. The challenge, the risk. She doesn’t actually want you, Cole. She just doesn’t want me to have you.
He was quiet for a long time. I need to think about this, he finally said. I left feeling worse than I’d felt in years because I could feel him slipping away. I could feel Madison winning again. The next week was hell. Cole barely texted me. When he did, his messages were short. He canceled two dates, said he had too much work.
I knew what was happening. Madison had gotten into his head, and now he was pulling away. Amber tried to help. She talked to Cole, tried to convince him that Madison was manipulating him, but Cole was stubborn. He didn’t want to believe that someone could be that calculated, that cruel. Then came Ethan’s birthday party. November 15th.
His parents threw this big celebration at their house. I almost didn’t go. Cole had barely spoken to me in a week, but Amber begged me to come. Please, she said, I have a feeling something’s going to happen tonight, and I need you there. I went. I wore jeans and a sweater. Didn’t bother trying to look nice.
What was the point? Cole and I were basically over. Madison had won again. Cole was in the backyard when I arrived. He was talking to Ethan and some other guys, drinking a beer. He saw me and gave this small wave, but didn’t come over. Madison was inside holding court in the kitchen. She looked perfect as always.
Her ring caught the light every time she moved her hand. She was laughing about wedding plans with Ethan’s mom. I stayed for an hour, drank two glasses of wine too fast. Considered leaving early, but then Amber grabbed my arm. “Come with me,” she hissed. She pulled me upstairs to the second floor where the bedrooms were. We stopped outside one of the guest rooms.
The door was slightly a jar. Inside, I could hear voices. Madison’s voice and another man’s voice. “Not Ethan’s.” I looked at Amber. She put her finger to her lips and pushed the door open slightly. Madison was sitting on the bed. Cole was standing by the window. They were alone. “You’re so talented,” Madison was saying. Ethan always talks about work.
It’s all numbers and deals and boring business stuff, but what you do is real. It’s art. Thanks, Cole said. He sounded uncomfortable. Madison stood up, moved closer to him. I need to tell you something, and I need you to promise not to tell anyone. Cole didn’t respond. I think I made a mistake, Madison said softly, saying yes to Ethan.
I mean, he’s wonderful, but he’s not. He’s not you. My heart stopped. Madison. Cole started. Just listen, she interrupted. I know this is complicated. I know you’re with Riley, but I can’t stop thinking about you. About what we could be like together. You feel it, too, don’t you? This connection.
She reached out, put her hand on his chest. Cole stepped back. No, I don’t feel it, and you need to leave me alone. Madison’s expression changed. Just for a second, I saw anger flash across her face. Then it was gone, replaced by hurt. I just thought, she said, her voice breaking. Riley said you were having doubts about her.
I thought maybe you felt the same way I did. Riley never said that, Cole said firmly. And I don’t have doubts. I love her and you need to stop whatever game you’re playing. That’s when Amber pushed the door fully open. We both walked in. Madison spun around. Her face went pale. How long have you been standing there? she asked. “Long enough,” I said.
Cole looked at me, then at Amber, then back at Madison. Understanding was dawning on his face. “This is what Riley was talking about,” he said slowly. “The pattern. You do this.” Madison’s jaw tightened. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Riley’s always been jealous of me. She can’t stand that I’m happy that I found someone. Save it.
” Amber cut her off. “I heard everything. You just told Cole you made a mistake getting engaged to my brother. You put your hand on him. You tried to kiss him. I did not.” “Yeah, you did.” Cole said. His voice was cold. and you’ve been messing with my head for months, planting doubts about Riley, making me question everything.
Riley tried to warn me, and I didn’t listen. Madison’s perfect facade cracked. Oh, please. Riley’s not some innocent victim. She’s boring and uptight, and that’s enough. Ethan’s voice came from the doorway. We all turned. Ethan was standing there. Based on his expression, he’d heard everything, too. Ethan, Madison started, her voice suddenly small.
Baby, this isn’t what it looks like. Really? Ethan said, “Because it looks like you just told my brother you made a mistake getting engaged to me. It looks like you tried to kiss him. So, please enlighten me. What is it supposed to look like? Madison’s eyes filled with tears. Real ones this time, I think. I was confused.
I’ve been stressed about the wedding, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. Take off the ring, Ethan said. Silence. Take it off, Ethan repeated. We’re done. Madison looked around the room at each of us. Looking for an ally, someone to side with her, but there was no one. She’d finally pushed too far.
She yanked off the ring and threw it at Ethan. It bounced off his chest and clattered to the floor. “Fine,” she spat. “I didn’t want to marry you anyway. You’re boring and predictable and you’d probably cheat on me within a year like every other finance bro in this city. Get out, Ethan said gladly.
Madison stormed past him, past all of us. I heard her heels clicking down the stairs, heard the front door slam, then silence. Ethan bent down and picked up the ring. He looked at it for a long moment, then at Cole. I’m sorry, Ethan said. I should have seen it sooner. Mom kept saying Madison was perfect and I wanted to believe it, but there were signs, times she’d disappear.
Lies that didn’t quite add up. He paused. She showed up at my office last week. said she needed to talk about wedding stuff, but then she started asking about you, about your relationship with Riley. I should have realized what she was doing. “It’s not your fault,” Cole said. Ethan looked at me.
“I’m sorry, Riley, for what she did to you. Growing up with her must have been hell. I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded.” Ethan left the room. Amber followed him, giving me and Cole privacy. Cole crossed the room and pulled me into his arms. “I’m so sorry,” he said into my hair. “You tried to tell me. You warned me and I didn’t listen.
I thought you were being paranoid or jealous. And I’m an idiot.” “You’re not an idiot,” I said. Madison’s good at what she does. She’s had years of practice. I love you, Cole said. I should have said it before. I love you and I’m not going anywhere. I started crying then. Not sad tears, relief tears, because for the first time in my life, Madison hadn’t won.
She’ tried her usual tricks, but they hadn’t worked. Cole had chosen me. We went back downstairs. The party was still going, but news of what happened had clearly spread. People were whispering. Ethan’s mom was crying. His dad looked furious. Amber came up to us. I recorded it, she said quietly, holding up her phone. What? The conversation in the bedroom.
I started recording when we were outside the door. I have the whole thing. Madison saying she made a mistake. Her coming on to Cole. All of it. I stared at her. Why? Amber shrugged. Because I’ve seen what Madison does on social media. How she controls the narrative. I knew she’d try to spin this somehow. Make herself the victim.
I wanted proof of what really happened. She was right. The next day, Madison posted on Instagram a long caption about how she’d called off her engagement because she’d realized Ethan wasn’t the right person for her, how she was focusing on herself and her growth, how she was grateful for the support of her family and friends during this difficult time.
No mention of what really happened. No mention of going after Cole. Comments poured in. People saying how brave she was, how they admired her strength, how she was an inspiration. It made me sick. But then Amber posted the recording. She didn’t tag Madison. She didn’t add commentary. She just posted the audio with the caption truth.
The video went viral. Within hours, thousands of people had heard Madison admitting she’d made a mistake getting engaged. Heard her coming on to Cole. Heard Cole rejecting her. Heard her mask slip when we caught her. Madison’s phone started blowing up. People who knew her from high school started commenting, sharing their own stories about her.
Girls whose boyfriends she’d gone after. Friends she’d betrayed, a pattern that went back years. Madison tried to defend herself, posted that the audio was taken out of context, that I’d manipulated Amber into posting it, that she was the real victim here, but nobody believed her. For the first time in her life, people saw through Madison’s act.
She deleted her Instagram 2 days later, then her Facebook, then everything. My parents called me that week. They wanted to know my side of the story. I told them everything about high school, about all the boyfriends Madison had stolen, about how I’d tried to tell them and they hadn’t believed me. My mom cried. My dad kept saying he was sorry.
They said they’d failed me, that they should have seen what was happening, that they’d been so caught up in keeping the peace that they’d ignored the truth. Madison moved out of my parents house, got an apartment with a friend from work. My parents tried to reach out to her, but she wouldn’t respond to their calls or texts.
She’d built her whole identity around being the perfect daughter, the pretty one, the popular one. And now everyone knew the truth. I should have felt vindicated, triumphant even. But mostly, I just felt sad. Madison was my sister, and despite everything she’d done, part of me had always hoped she’d change, that she’d wake up one day and realize that constantly competing with me wasn’t making either of us happy.
But that didn’t happen. Cole and I are still together. It’s been almost 4 months since Ethan’s birthday party. We moved in together last month. Got a little apartment in Bernal Heights with exposed brick and these huge windows that let in perfect light. Cole set up a small workshop in the garage. He’s been building me a bookshelf customdesigned with these intricate carvings along the edges. Amber and I are still close.
She apologized about a hundred times for not believing me sooner about Madison, but I don’t blame her. Madison was good at hiding who she really was. Ethan’s doing okay. He dated someone new for a while, but it didn’t work out. Last I heard, he was taking a break from relationships, focusing on himself.
I see him sometimes at Amber’s parents house and we’re friendly. There’s this unspoken bond between us. We both fell for Madison’s act. My relationship with my parents is better than it’s been in years. They’ve been making an effort. Really trying to understand what I went through with Madison. My mom especially. She keeps saying she wishes she’d listen to me back in high school that she’d been so focused on keeping Madison happy that she’d ignored my pain.
But here’s the thing about Madison’s story that I haven’t told you yet. The part that still keeps me up at night sometimes. A few weeks ago, I got a package in the mail. No return address. Inside was a notebook. Madison’s handwriting on the cover. High school diary. I almost threw it away without opening it, but curiosity won.
Inside were entries from when we were teenagers. Detailed notes about every boyfriend of mine she’d targeted. Jake, Connor, Brandon, Eric, Daniel, all of them. She’d written out her strategies, how she’d researched their interests, what lies she’d told them about me, how long it took for each of them to break up with me. But it wasn’t the tactics that got me, it was the reason, written on the first page in her teenage handwriting.
Riley has always been mom and dad’s favorite. She’s smarter, more responsible, more everything. They never say it, but I can tell. The only thing I have that she doesn’t is that guys want me more. So, every time she gets a boyfriend, I’m going to take him just to prove I can, just to prove I’m better at something. There were entries after each successful campaign, ratings on how satisfied she felt with each takedown, notes on my reactions, on how crushed I looked, on how much she enjoyed watching me hurt.
The last entry was from senior year. After Daniel, Riley barely talks to me anymore. She flinches when I come near her. I think I broke something, but I can’t stop. I don’t know how to stop being the pretty one, the fun one. It’s all I have. And Riley has everything else, so I have to keep winning, even if it means losing her.
I read that notebook three times, then I put it in a drawer and haven’t looked at it since. I don’t know why Madison sent it to me. Maybe it was an apology. Maybe it was an explanation. Maybe it was one last attempt to make me understand her, to make me feel sorry for her. Here’s what I do know.
Madison didn’t just hurt me, she hurt herself. She spent so many years competing with me that she never figured out who she actually was. She built her identity around tearing mine down. And when that stopped working, when people finally saw through her act, she had nothing left. Last I heard from my parents, Madison moved to Portland.
She’s working for some tech startup up there. They said she seems happier, more grounded. But they also said she hasn’t mentioned me once, hasn’t asked about me or Cole or our lives. And honestly, that’s fine. I don’t need Madison’s approval or acknowledgement. I don’t need her to apologize or explain herself.
I spent too many years waiting for her to change, hoping she’d wake up and be the sister I wanted her to be. Now I have Cole. I have Amber. I have a life that Madison can’t touch and that’s enough. Cole proposed two weeks ago. We were at Ocean Beach watching the sunset. He’d built this small wooden box with my name carved into the lid.
Inside was a simple gold ring with a tiny diamond. Not Ethan, he said, getting down on one knee. I can’t afford some huge ring or fancy proposal. But I can promise you this. I’ll never let anyone come between us again. I’ll believe you when you tell me something’s wrong. I’ll fight for us always.
I said yes before he even finished talking. We’re getting married next spring. Small ceremony, just close friends and family. My parents are coming. Madison’s not invited. Not out of spite or revenge, but because some bridges once burned shouldn’t be rebuilt. The other day I was going through old photos, found one from when Madison and I were kids, maybe 6 and 8 years old.
We’re in the backyard playing with this inflatable pool. Madison’s smiling at the camera and I’m smiling at her. We look happy. We look like sisters. I showed it to Cole. Do you miss her? He asked. I miss who I thought she was, I said. Or who I hoped she could be. But the Madison from that photo, she doesn’t exist. Maybe she never did.
Cole kissed my forehead and told me he loved me. That’s the thing about Madison’s story. There’s no tidy ending. No moment where she realizes what she’s done and we have some tearful reconciliation. No redemption arc. Real life doesn’t work that way. Sometimes people hurt you. Sometimes they keep hurting you over and over until you finally walk away.
And sometimes walking away is the only way you survive. Madison made her choices. She chose competition over connection. She chose winning over having a sister. And now she has to live with those choices. Me, I choose Cole. I choose happiness. I choose a life where I don’t have to look over my shoulder, waiting for someone to take what’s mine.
Because the truth is, nothing was ever mine to take. Madison couldn’t steal what I had. She could only destroy it, and I’m done letting her destroy anything else. Last week, my mom asked if I’d consider reaching out to Madison. Said, “Maybe enough time had passed.” Said, “Maybe we could all heal together as a family.
” I told her, “No, not because I hate Madison. Not because I want revenge or to hurt her back, but because I finally learned something Madison never did. Some relationships aren’t worth saving. Some people don’t want to change, and spending your life waiting for someone to become who you need them to be is just another way of losing yourself.
So, I’m not waiting anymore. I’m not hoping for Madison to change or apologize or suddenly realize the damage she caused. I’m just living my life, building my bookshelf with Cole, planning my wedding, laughing with Amber over wine and takeout, calling my parents every Sunday, creating something real and solid in mine.
And if Madison ever does change, if she ever becomes someone who can have healthy relationships, I’ll be happy for her from a distance. But my door is closed, and it’s staying closed because I finally figured out what Madison never could. Winning isn’t everything. Sometimes the best victory is knowing when to stop playing the
