Ethan and I were preparing dinner with my parents, my younger sister Sophie, and her fiancé, Mark. The kitchen was warm and filled with the comforting aroma of roasted chicken and baked potatoes.

Ethan was busy mashing the potatoes while I arranged the salad. It was a familiar scene, yet my stomach was in knots. I had prepared myself for this evening, knowing it would be difficult because of Sophie.

Sophie and I had been very close since childhood. We dressed alike, loved the same things, and shared hobbies and friends. Some relatives even joked that we were twins.

But as we grew older, it became stranger. I started making my own friends and developing my own interests, but Sophie continued to copy everything I did. Literally everything.

She even enrolled in the same college and chose the same major as me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was stealing my life and my identity.

When I met Ethan, things only got worse. A month later, Sophie started dating Mark. When Ethan and I moved in together, she and Mark did the same.

Mom kept telling me it was just a coincidence, but when Mark proposed to Sophie two weeks after Ethan proposed to me, I realized it wasn’t just a coincidence. Although it annoyed me, I decided not to give it much thought.

Finally, my parents arrived, and soon after, Sophie and Mark showed up. We all sat down in the dining room, the table set with our best dishes and silverware.

The conversation started with a few brief updates on everyone’s lives. Dad talked about his latest project at work, and Mom shared a funny story about their neighbor’s dog. I noticed Sophie was unusually quiet, but I tried to focus on the positive.

“Hayley, have you and Ethan chosen a wedding date?” Mom asked, eyes bright with excitement.

I took Ethan’s hand and exchanged a glance with him. “Yes, April 10th,” I said, trying to sound cheerful.

“That’s a wonderful date; spring weddings are always the most beautiful,” Mom said with a warm smile.

“We think so too. We took our time choosing it. Plus, it’s the day of our first date, so we thought it would be symbolic,” Ethan added, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

“You won’t believe it!” Sophie suddenly exclaimed, making me tense up. “Mark and I also chose April 10th for our wedding!”

I felt a wave of frustration. “No, you can’t do that. That’s our date, and we chose it first,” I said, trying to keep calm.

“How do you know you were first?” Sophie asked, her tone challenging.

“Because I know you, Sophie. I’m sure you didn’t even pick a date until I did. You just want to have your wedding on the same day,” I replied, my voice rising.

“That’s just your guess. It has nothing to do with reality,” Sophie responded, crossing her arms.

“Of course,” I muttered under my breath.

“The world doesn’t revolve around you, Hayley,” Sophie snapped.

“It seems your world revolves around me,” I retorted, feeling my anger boil over.

“Girls, stop fighting,” Mom said, looking worried. “Tom, say something,” she turned to Dad, who had been silent the whole time.

Dad sighed. “What can I say? They’re not little kids anymore,” he said, shrugging.

“Mom, you know she chose that date just to copy me,” I insisted, my voice trembling with frustration.

“Hayley, we really don’t know when they picked their date. You two have always been very similar, so it could just be a coincidence,” Mom said, trying to soothe things over.

“Yeah, right,” I murmured, feeling defeated. I realized no one would believe me.

For the rest of the evening, I barely spoke. The tension in the air was thick, and I felt like I was walking on eggshells. Ethan noticed my mood and kept holding my hand, which calmed me a bit.

He would squeeze my hand gently and give me reassuring looks, trying to make me feel better.

After everyone left and Ethan closed the door, I sighed heavily, feeling the weight of the evening lift slightly. Ethan approached and hugged me tightly.

“Do you want to run away to an island and get married there?” Ethan asked, his eyes filled with kindness.

A smile appeared on my face. “That sounds nice,” I said. “Do you at least believe she’s doing this on purpose?”

Ethan nodded. “Of course. It’s pretty obvious. She always tries to copy you.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling a sense of relief. “You’re the best.”

I kissed Ethan softly, feeling grateful for his support. His presence always made things better, even when everything seemed so frustrating.

After that evening, Sophie kept messaging me about the wedding. She wanted to know everything: the colors I chose, the venue, the cake. It drove me crazy.

Not only did she steal our date, but now she wanted to copy my entire wedding. Each new message made me more frustrated.

When she asked me to send her pictures of the dress I wanted, I found the ugliest designs I could and sent them to her. It was something, at least.

I hoped she would pick one of those awful dresses and look ridiculous. But I knew it wouldn’t stop her from trying to copy everything else.

One day, I was in the bridal salon, trying on my real wedding dress. It was beautiful, just like I had always imagined. I was admiring myself in the mirror when I saw Sophie walk into the salon. My heart sank. How did she find me? I thought.

“Hayley! You chose this salon too!” Sophie exclaimed, her voice full of surprise. “I can’t believe it. We’re so alike.”

“Yeah,” I replied, trying to hide my annoyance.

She looked at the dress I was trying on and raised an eyebrow. “This looks nothing like the ones you sent me.”

“I changed my mind,” I said, and then an idea came to me to prove to everyone that Sophie was copying me. “I had to change my mind because I’m pregnant.”

Sophie’s eyes widened. “Oh… Congratulations!” she said, trying to sound sincere. “I’m happy for you and Ethan. Mark and I are also thinking about having a baby.”

I knew it wasn’t true. Mark had once told me he didn’t want kids for a few years because he wanted to focus on his career. But Sophie was always trying to outdo me. “I hope everything works out for you,” I said, keeping my tone polite.

Sophie smiled, but I could see the gears turning in her head. “Thanks, Hayley. We’ll see how it goes.”

After that, Sophie spoke with the consultant, and I saw her pointing at my dress. But this time, I felt a small victory. Maybe this would finally show everyone how far she was willing to go to copy me.

When I got home, I told Ethan about running into Sophie at the salon and lying about being pregnant. Ethan wasn’t thrilled about the idea but said he would support me. “I understand why you did it, but lying can make things messy,” he said.

“I know, but I felt cornered,” I replied, feeling a bit guilty.

Ethan sighed. “By the way, Mark booked the same venue for their wedding that we chose. It’s frustrating.”

I groaned. “Of course he did. They can’t seem to leave us alone.”

Two weeks later, I received a message from Sophie. It was a photo of a positive pregnancy test with a text saying our children would be like siblings. I couldn’t believe it.

Sophie was willing to get pregnant just to be like me. I congratulated her, but I planned to tell everyone the truth at a family dinner the following week.

A minute later, Sophie sent another message: “Don’t tell anyone yet, not even Mark knows.”

I simply replied, “Okay.” It was strange because Sophie always wanted to show off everything she copied from me. She loved the attention and praise. Something felt off, but I decided to wait and see what she would do next.

Finally, the evening of the family dinner arrived. Ethan and I were the first to arrive. As soon as we walked in, Mom greeted us with a warm smile and immediately started asking about the wedding preparations.

“How are things going with the wedding, Hayley?” she asked, eyes full of excitement.

“We’re almost done with the plans,” I replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, just a few details left to sort out.”

A few minutes later, Sophie and Mark arrived. They joined us in the living room. Sophie looked around and then focused on me, as if she was trying to gauge my mood.

Dad was outside, finishing the steaks on the grill, so we hadn’t sat down to eat yet.

Sophie sat next to me with a sly smile and said, “Hayley, did you tell Mom about your pregnancy yet?”

Mom’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re pregnant? That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed.

“No, no. It’s not quite like that,” I said quickly. “I took a test, but it turned out to be a false positive.”

Mom nodded, her face softening. “Oh, that happens. But you have your whole married life ahead of you.”

“Yeah,” I replied, forcing a smile.

“So, you’re not pregnant?” Sophie asked, sounding annoyed.

“No, as I said, the test was false positive,” I answered, trying to hide my satisfaction.

“I can’t believe it!” Sophie shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Honey, what’s going on?” Mom asked, looking worried.

“Nothing,” Sophie said with a frown.

Feeling the tension, I stood up to go to the kitchen and pour myself some water. As I moved, I accidentally knocked over Sophie’s purse, which looked just like mine. “Oh, sorry,” I said, bending down to pick it up.

I noticed something had fallen out and reached to grab it, but Mark was quicker. That’s when I saw it was an ultrasound photo.

“What is this?!” Mark yelled, his face turning red.

“It’s our baby. I’m pregnant,” Sophie said, trying to sound calm.

“That’s impossible,” Mark said, shaking his head.

“Why?” Sophie asked, looking confused.

“Because a few weeks ago, I had some tests done, and they told me I’m infertile,” Mark replied, his voice trembling with anger.

“And when were you planning to tell me?!” Sophie screamed.

“Better tell me whose baby this is!” Mark shouted, his voice echoing in the room.

“What does it matter?!” Sophie said, her voice rising.

“It matters because I’m planning to marry you!” Mark yelled back.

“It’s your old neighbor!” Sophie blurted out. I knew Sophie had dated Mark’s neighbor before him, but I couldn’t believe she had been cheating on Mark.

We all sat in shock. Mark silently threw the ultrasound photo down and left the house.

“I never loved you anyway!” Sophie yelled after him, her voice cracking.

“Then why were you going to marry him?” Mom asked, her voice calm but stern.

“Because he… because he…” Sophie stammered.

“Because Mark is an architect, like Ethan, right?” I asked, feeling a mix of anger and pity.

“What do you know? This all happened because of you and your fake pregnancy!” Sophie yelled at me.

“No, Sophie. Your actions led to this,” I said firmly.

“So what!” she screamed and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door.

“Do you believe me now that she was deceiving everyone to be like me?” I asked Mom, feeling exhausted.

“Yes, but I think you went too far by lying about the pregnancy,” Mom replied, her voice gentle.

“She lied her whole life, I lied once to expose her,” I said. Mom said nothing, knowing I was right.

Ethan and I got married as planned on April 10th. The day was beautiful, filled with sunshine and joy. Our family and friends gathered to celebrate with us, and everything went perfectly.

Sophie, meanwhile, started dating Mark’s old neighbor, Colin. It was surprising at first, but soon it became clear that she was genuinely happy.

For the first time in her life, Sophie seemed to live as she wanted, without copying anyone. She looked relaxed and content, a real smile on her face. Seeing her happy made me feel relieved, and I hoped she would continue to find her own path.

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If you enjoyed this story, read this one: I always dreamed of a quiet life as a librarian, where books become friends. But meeting the mysterious T. turned my world upside down. What do you do when love comes at the wrong time and brings secrets that break your heart? Read the full story here.

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