Chapter 3: The Secret Behind the Scissors
I didn’t sleep that night.
Not because of the ruined dress.
Not even because of Mia.
It was because of that message.
Did she find out why you really cut it?
Those words kept replaying in my mind like a song I couldn’t turn off.
There was a reason Mia destroyed my dress.
A reason bigger than jealousy.
And whatever it was, she had been hiding it.
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the pieces of champagne fabric I had placed carefully on my desk.
I knew it was strange.
The dress couldn’t be fixed.
Not completely.
But throwing it away felt impossible.
It was proof.
Proof that something I worked for could disappear in seconds because someone else decided my happiness bothered them.
Around midnight, I heard footsteps outside my room.
I looked up.
The door opened slightly.
My dad stood there.
“Still awake?””
I wiped my face quickly.
“Yeah.””
He walked inside and sat beside me.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
That was something I loved about Dad.
He never forced conversations.
He just stayed.
Finally, he looked at the destroyed dress.
“I should have noticed sooner.””
I shook my head.
“Dad, it’s not your fault.””
He looked at me.
“Yes, it is.””
“No.””
“Aaliyah, I kept telling you Mia was insecure. I kept telling you she would grow out of it.””
He looked down.
“But maybe I ignored how much damage she was actually causing.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because the truth was, part of me had been waiting for someone to say that.
Someone to admit I wasn’t imagining things.
“Dad?””
“Yeah?””
“Why did you really do that with her bag?””
He smiled slightly.
“You mean why did I scare her?””
I nodded.
“Because I wanted her to feel what she made you feel.””
I looked at him.
“But you didn’t cut it.””
“No.””
He picked up a piece of the fabric.
“Because destroying things is easy.””
He handed it back.
“Respecting them is harder.””
That sentence stayed with me.
The next morning, I woke up early.
Graduation was only hours away.
And somehow, I still had no idea what I was going to wear.
Dad had promised we would figure it out.
But the bigger problem was not the dress.
It was the feeling that something in my family had shifted.
Something that couldn’t be ignored anymore.
I walked downstairs and found Dad already on the phone.
He looked serious.
When he saw me, he turned away slightly.
That immediately caught my attention.
Dad never hid conversations from me.
After he hung up, I asked, “Who was that?””
He hesitated.
“Your aunt.””
“Why?””
He looked at the floor.
“She called because Rachel talked to her last night.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“About what?””
Dad didn’t answer immediately.
That was when I knew.
There was more.
“Dad?””
He sighed.
“She told your aunt that I was being too harsh with Mia.””
I stared.
“Seriously?””
“She said I embarrassed her.””
I laughed softly.
Not because it was funny.
Because I couldn’t believe it.
“Mia embarrassed herself.””
Dad nodded.
“I know.””
Then he looked at me.
“But there’s something else.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
Before he could answer, we heard a voice behind us.
“Mom says you’re ruining my graduation.””
Mia stood at the entrance of the kitchen.
She looked exhausted.
Her perfect confidence from yesterday was gone.
But something else had replaced it.
Anger.
“Your graduation?”” I asked.
She walked in.
“Yes.””
She pointed at Dad.
“You’re making everyone think I’m some horrible person.””
Dad looked at her calmly.
“You destroyed your sister’s dress.””
“You keep saying that like I murdered someone.””
“No one said that.””
“But everyone is treating me like a monster.””
I watched her carefully.
She wasn’t apologizing.
She was upset about consequences.
There was a difference.
Dad leaned against the counter.
“Mia, why did you really cut the dress?””
Her face changed.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
Fear.
“I already told you.””
“You said it was ugly.””
“It was.””
“That’s not the reason.””
Silence.
Mia looked away.
“Aaliyah, can we not do this today?””
I froze.
Because she said my name differently.
Not with annoyance.
Almost with desperation.
That made me even more suspicious.
“No,” I said.
Her eyes moved toward me.
“No?””
“No. Yesterday you destroyed something important to me. Today I’m finding out why.””
Rachel appeared behind her.
“Mia, just tell them.””
I looked at Rachel.
“You knew too?””
Rachel didn’t respond.
My heart sank.
How many people knew there was more?
Dad’s expression hardened.
“Tell us.””
Mia crossed her arms.
“It’s not a big deal.””
“Then why hide it?””
She didn’t answer.
Dad stepped closer.
“Mia.””
Finally, she exploded.
“Because I knew you would choose her!””
The room went silent.
I stared at her.
“What?””
Her eyes filled with frustration.
“You always choose Aaliyah.””
Dad looked shocked.
“Mia…”
“No, it’s true!””
She pointed at me.
“Everything is about her.””
“That’s not true.””
“Yes, it is!””
Her voice cracked.
“When she got accepted into college, everyone celebrated. When she graduated, everyone planned a party. When she got her scholarship, Dad bought her a laptop.””
I stared.
“That’s what this is about?””
Mia shook her head.
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
She looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something underneath the jealousy.
Pain.
“You were wearing that dress because everyone was going to look at you.””
I said nothing.
She continued.
“I was supposed to graduate too.””
My eyebrows lifted.
“What?””
Mia looked down.
“I didn’t tell anyone.””
Dad’s face changed.
“Tell anyone what?””
Her silence answered before she did.
“I failed two classes.””
The room went still.
Rachel closed her eyes.
Dad looked at her.
“Mia.””
“I was going to retake them.””
“When?””
“Next semester.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because I knew what would happen.””
She looked at me.
“Everyone would compare us.””
I felt something shift inside me.
Because suddenly, the dress wasn’t the only thing that had been destroyed.
Mia had been carrying something too.
But that didn’t erase what she did.
“You were hurting, Mia,” I said quietly.
“I understand that.””
She looked surprised.
“But you hurt me because you were hurting.””
Her expression changed.
“I didn’t want to disappear.””
“You didn’t have to destroy me to be seen.””
Nobody spoke.
Then Dad asked the question that changed everything.
“Mia, who sent you that message last night?””
Her face went pale.
“What message?””
Dad looked at me.
I realized he knew.
“You think I didn’t see your reaction?””
Mia stepped back.
“It was nothing.””
“Who was it?””
She didn’t answer.
Dad’s voice became firmer.
“Who?””
Finally, she whispered a name.
“Ethan.””
My heart stopped.
Because Ethan wasn’t just anyone.
He was someone from my graduation class.
Someone who had been helping organize the ceremony.
Someone who had always been friendly to me.
Someone who knew about my dress.
Dad frowned.
“Why would Ethan know about this?””
Mia looked uncomfortable.
“He told me something.””
“What?””
She looked at me.
And the next words changed the entire story.
“He said the dress wasn’t special.””
I stared.
“What are you talking about?””
Mia swallowed.
“He said…”
She paused.
Then she whispered:
“He said that dress was supposed to be destroyed before you ever wore it.””
The room went cold.
Because suddenly, this wasn’t just about Mia’s jealousy.
Someone else had been involved.
Someone had convinced her to do it.
And I had a terrifying thought.
May you like
If Ethan wanted my dress destroyed…
What else had he been planning?
