Chapter 3I Was Just My Sister's Marriage Test Subject

A week later, after yet another blind date arranged by Aunt Brenda fell short of my mother’s insane standards, she finally called me herself.

She didn't ask how I was doing. Her voice came blasting through the speaker, sharp and demanding.

"Where are you? Have you broken up with Gavin yet? You have no idea what kind of losers your aunt tried to set Haley up with today. Not a single one of them holds a candle to Gavin."

I was in the middle of my residency rotation, running on three hours of sleep, the hospital intercom blaring overhead. My attending physician had already called my name twice down the hallway.

I rubbed my swollen, aching temples, suppressing a wave of bone-deep exhaustion. "Mom, Gavin and I love each other. I am not breaking up with him. Haley can take her time and find her own boyfriend."

A beat of silence, and then the line shuffled. My father’s heavy, somber voice replaced hers.

"Nora," he began, adopting the posture of a wise, long-suffering patriarch. "Your mother and I are getting old. All we want is to see your little sister settled with a good man for the rest of her life. You’re the older sister—what’s wrong with making a sacrifice for Haley? If it weren't for your sister's sake, do you really think your mother would have let a high-caliber man like Gavin into your life in the first place?"

He paused, letting out a heavy sigh. "You’ve enjoyed three years of a good man's company. You should be grateful you got to borrow him thanks to Haley."

A harsh, hysterical laugh escaped my throat.

"Borrow him?" my voice cracked, tight with rage. "What does Gavin have to do with Haley? I know you guys favor her, but I’m your daughter too! Do you hate me so much that you can't bear to see me happy?"

My voice had raised higher than I intended. Across the nurses' station, my attending shot me a stern, warning glare.

I took a deep, shuddering breath, lowering my voice into a cold, hard promise. "Gavin and I are not breaking up. Think very carefully about what you’re trying to do, Dad. Don't blow this family apart."

I foolishly believed my warning would make them back off.

Two hours later, my phone buzzed with an incoming photo from Haley.

It was a shot of my parents' living room. Gavin was sitting on the sofa, completely surrounded by a dozen extended relatives—aunts, uncles, cousins—looking visually overwhelmed.

Haley’s text followed: “Nora, Gavin is being cross-examined by the whole family right now. Poor guy looks terrified haha.”

The blood rushed out of my face. My head spun.

My mother had invited Gavin to the house alone.

What was she planning to do to him?!

I ripped off my white coat, abandoned my charting, and drove like a maniac back to my childhood home.

I threw the front door open, striding into the foyer just in time to hear my mother’s voice ringing out clearly over the crowd, discussing wedding terms.

"I won't let my precious daughter be wronged," my mother was saying, her tone pompous and grand. "We will provide a $300,000 cash contribution toward their house down payment, plus a brand-new SUV as a wedding gift. And whatever registry money comes in, she keeps it all."

A collective gasp echoed through the living room. The relatives exchanged amazed glances, marveling at what an extraordinarily generous mother she was.

It sounded like the ultimate expression of maternal love.

Except the "precious daughter" she was talking about wasn't me.

Gavin spotted me standing by the entryway first. His face lit up with immense relief, and he instantly stood up. "Nora! You're here!"

He walked toward me, his eyes shining with adoration, completely oblivious to the trap laid out around him. "Nora, I'm going to marry you. I promise I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world."

The moment the words left his mouth, the room fell dead silent.

Except for Haley, everyone in the room shot Gavin deeply uncomfortable, bizarre looks.

Aunt Brenda broke the silence, her tone dripping with bewildered pity. "Oh, Gavin, sweetie... you must be so excited you’re talking nonsense. You’re Haley’s boyfriend! The girl you’re marrying is Haley!"

Gavin froze mid-step, his jaw dropping. "What? No... Nora is my girlfriend."

I stood there, icy cold from head to toe, staring directly at my mother.

She had clearly lied to the entire extended family, telling them all that Gavin was Haley’s fiancé. I wanted to see how she was going to wriggle her way out of this absurd lie.

My mother met my gaze calmly, unhurried. She offered the relatives a gentle, long-suffering smile.

"Nora and Gavin broke up a while ago," she said smoothly, her voice laced with practiced sorrow. "Gavin is such a wonderful young man, and he and Haley are such a perfect match... so I thought we’d make it official today."