When he brushed her off again, she pretended to leave — but instead, she returned to check the room, only to find the dress destroyed.Christine had feared Hannah wouldn’t believe her, given the tension between them — tension John had probably counted on to shield himself.
Together, we confronted John. At first, he denied everything, but when pressed, he broke down and admitted to sabotaging the dress, hoping it would delay the wedding. He also confessed he had been seeing his ex again.Hannah was heartbroken. “Why wouldn’t you just talk to me?” she cried.
As John left, Christine stayed by her side. She apologized, not just for keeping the secret, but for the way she’d acted for years. “I was scared of losing my place in this family after Dad died,” she said. “But you’ve always been my sister. I should’ve protected you, not competed with you.”In the days that followed, Christine took the ruined gown and transformed it into a beautiful cocktail dress.
On what would have been Hannah’s wedding day, we held a small family celebration at the venue with the relatives who had already traveled. Hannah smiled again, thanks to Christine’s support. That day, our family dynamic shifted. “Will you and Hannah walk me down the aisle when it’s my turn?” Christine asked me quietly. I hugged her tightly. “We’d be honored.”