Swap Lives with My Sister - Chapter 10

Three years later, I graduated with honors. My impressive resume landed me a top job at a Fortune 500 company. Then, riding the wave of technological innovation, I started my own business.

I didn’t return to the States for seven years. A class reunion brought me back. My classmates, married, with kids, some happy, some divorced and still struggling.

Chris, still handsome but looking worn down, showed up with a noticeably heavier Sarah. Sarah’s eyes widened when she saw me.

“Ashley…”

I smiled. “Hi, Sarah. Long time no see.”

“What are you doing now? You look… amazing.”

Sarah was still the same bubbly, naive girl. Aside from the extra weight, she hadn’t changed a bit. She showered me with compliments. My classmates chimed in.

“Ashley’s a CEO now! A total boss babe!”

“Ashley, let’s collaborate! Don’t forget about us little guys, haha.”

“Ashley, are you seeing anyone?”

They were curious about me, firing questions left and right. I answered them all. Chris’s eyes never left me. After the reunion, Sarah and Chris waited for me outside.

Sarah said my parents missed me, wanted me to visit.

Chris stayed silent.

Two days later, I went to their house, gifts in hand. My parents threw my gifts onto the porch, slamming the door in my face.

“We don’t have a daughter! Get out!”

“Sarah may forgive you, but we never will!”

“Just die out there! Don’t ever show your face again!”

I expected this. No sadness, no tears. I came to provoke them. To show them their discarded daughter, driving a luxury car, dressed impeccably, addressed as “Ms. Ashley Davies, CEO.”

While their precious Sarah was still a mess. They’d chosen wrong. Even though they refused to admit it, Mom peeking through the curtains betrayed her true feelings.

Sarah pleaded with them to calm down. She sent Chris out to talk to me. He walked beside me, his tired face cautious.

“Congratulations, Ashley. I’m happy for you. ”

Happy? Who was he to be happy for me?

I smiled. “Thanks. You and Sarah seem happy, too. That’s good.”

His face fell. He started complaining.

“Ashley, if you hadn’t left, maybe we could have been together.”

“Sarah’s fragile. I didn’t want to hurt her, so I agreed to be with her. She’s not like you. She’s so weak, so dependent. I carry all the weight. That’s why I haven’t accomplished anything.”

I looked at him. “You think Sarah’s holding you back?”

He nodded. “If we were together, we could have been so much more! I had good grades too, you know. Things went downhill after I started dating Sarah.”

“Too bad we can’t go back.”

“We can, Ashley! I’ll divorce Sarah! We can…”

“What about Sarah? What about your three kids?”

“She just wants to be a housewife. The kids were her idea. I don’t even like kids. Your parents have their retirement fund, they can take care of her. We don’t have to worry about them.”

“Is that so, Sarah? Did you hear that?”

Chris froze.

Behind him, Sarah’s face was a mask of rage. She charged at him, no longer the fragile flower, and slapped him hard across the face. She grabbed his collar, throwing him to the ground. As she continued her verbal assault, I quietly slipped away.

“You pathetic excuse for a man! Look at yourself! Ashley would never want you!”

“She never wanted you! And now you’re crawling back? Disgusting!”

“I could forgive you for cheating, but this? I’m done! I’ll cripple you!”

“You useless freeloader! Living off me! And you want to leave? Divorce me?”

“I’ll tell you what, you’ll die before you leave me!”

“You think you can boss me around? I’ll destroy you!”

Watching Chris get pummeled in my rearview mirror… The sting of his slap at the airport faded away. I called my assistant. Booked a flight back to London.

“Ms. Davies,” she said, surprised. “I thought you had a lot to take care of here? Is everything resolved?”

“Yes,” I said. “Things went smoother than expected. There’s still some loose ends, but I don’t need to be here for that.”

I gave my assistant my old social media login. Told her to lure Chris in. Two weeks of carefully crafted messages, vague promises… Chris was hooked. He filed for divorce, giving up everything.

Sarah fought back, enlisting my parents‘ help to harass him. During a heated argument, my dad had a heart attack and died. Mom, devastated, had a stroke, leaving her paralyzed.

Sarah, with three kids and a sick mother, had no energy left to fight Chris. She agreed to the divorce. Chris, penniless, bought a one–way ticket to London. He lost contact with “me” the moment he boarded the plane.

He searched, he asked around, but I was gone. He didn’t know I traveled constantly, flitting between countries. Finding me in a city of millions, with no money, no resources… He’d be lucky to find me in his dreams.

Years passed.

Sarah somehow got my number.

Chris was dead, she told me. Mugged for a bag of chips in some back alley. Mom had lingered for two years before passing away. Sarah had sold their house to support her kids.

She blamed me for everything. But wasn’t it her own choices that led to this?

“I never hurt you, Sarah,” I said. “Why do you blame me for everything?”

She sobbed hysterically. I hung up, blocking her number, erasing her from my life. Later, I stood on stage at a product launch, presenting my latest innovation.

A reporter asked, “Ms. Davies, what’s the secret to your success? Is there anyone you’d like to thank?”

I smiled. “I’ve met a lot of people, faced many challenges. I’ve had great classmates, friends, and teachers. But if I have to thank anyone, it would be myself.”

“Thank you, Ashley, for never giving up.”

“Thank you, Ashley, for your unwavering determination.”

“Thank you, Ashley, for always loving yourself.”

“Ashley, you’re the best.”

THE END