Not My Idea Either

To get under the skin of the insufferable Hawthorne triplets, I made a point of saying it loud and clear at the family dinner. “So, have the three of you decided? Which one is going to be the lucky groom in this arranged marriage?” They practically shoved each other away, disgust written plainly on their handsome faces. I was about to randomly point and choose when a little girl suddenly appeared at my side. She claimed to be from eight years in the future. “Mommy, I finally found you.” She threw herself into my arms, then looked up at the Hawthorne brothers. “Daddy, you’re here too! You really, really love Mommy, don’t you? You follow her everywhere. No wonder when she said she didn’t want you anymore, you had to go find a rooftop to… cool down.” “Wait a second!” The little girl’s eyes went wide. “How do I have three daddies?!”

1 The entire room fell into a dead silence. After what felt like an eternity, the eldest triplet, Arthur Hawthorne, was the first to react. “What nonsense are you talking about, kid?” He then shot me a cold look. “I get it, Stella. This is another one of your little ploys, isn’t it? You hired an actress.” Before I could argue, the little girl in my arms puffed out her cheeks in anger. “Daddy, are you trying to make Mommy mad? Candy won’t help you get back in her good graces this time!” “Who’s your daddy?!” all three of them snapped in unison. “Well, it’s either you, or him, or him,” the little girl said, pointing a chubby finger at each of the triplets in turn. “When Daddy stands with his brothers, Candy gets confused.” “You must remember your father’s name,” Arthur pressed. “Umm, I only know his last name is Hawthorne.” “You don’t even know his first name? And you expect us to believe this isn’t an act?” The little girl got flustered. “It’s because he always calls himself Mommy’s good little puppy!”

2 I took a sip of water and nearly choked. Was that something you could just say out loud? The Hawthorne brothers’ faces were a thunderous shade of black. Normally, no one would believe such a ridiculous story. Except… the little girl’s features were a perfect, miniature version of theirs. Down to the sharp jawline and the intense eyes. If you looked closely, you could even see a faint resemblance to Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne. The little girl, Candy, tugged on my sleeve. “Mommy, which one is my daddy?” “…How should I know?” My brain was about to short-circuit. That was a question far beyond my pay grade. “Oh, right, I remember now!” Candy clapped her hands. “At this time, Mommy and Daddy’s relationship was still really bad.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “It was because my auntie was bullying Mommy, and Daddy helped her do it. He regretted it for a long, long time afterward.”

3 It was like she was dropping a series of bombs. The room fell silent once again. My stepsister, Luna, immediately panicked. “Little girl, you shouldn’t tell lies!” “I’m not lying,” Candy said matter-of-factly. “My mommy is allergic to shellfish, but you always sneak seafood sauce into her dipping bowl.” As she spoke, I glanced down at the small bowl in front of me. The one Luna had just brought over. My father had even praised her for it. “Luna, even though you’re not our biological daughter, you’re more thoughtful than one. She’s so kind, always helping her sister adjust. Stella, you should learn from her.” Candy picked up the bowl and trotted over to my father, Robert Shaw. “Grandpa, you can taste it if you don’t believe me.” Robert was still in a state of shock. But before he could respond, Candy spun around and called out to the family chef. “Never mind, let’s ask Angus. Grandpa Angus, can you smell this? Is there seafood sauce in here?” Angus had been our family’s chef for nearly a decade. He took one sniff and nodded decisively. “Yes, there is. It’s the new brand of oyster sauce I just bought. That’s the smell.” In an instant, every eye in the room swiveled to Luna. Her face was pale with panic. “I… I just forgot my sister was allergic. I swear it wasn’t on purpose.” Her eyes welled up with tears. Arthur’s brow furrowed with concern for her. “I believe Luna. She’s not that kind of person.” “I believe her too. We’ve known her since she was a little girl,” the second brother, Julian, chimed in. The youngest, Wyatt, followed suit. “Are you all really going to believe some random kid who appeared out of nowhere?” The three of them stood up, ready to escort the now-sobbing Luna from the room. As he left, Wyatt shot me a look and drew a finger across his throat. The message was clear: if he found out this was a stunt I’d orchestrated, I would pay. But honestly, I was more curious than they were. Who was this kid? Because I couldn’t stand a single one of the Hawthorne brothers.

4 The Hawthorne triplets despised me because, for the first twenty-three years of my life, I had lived on a ranch out west, surrounded by horses. I had only been found and brought back to my biological family three months ago. I still remembered the day I returned. In front of everyone, Luna had asked me with a saccharine sweetness, “Sister, I’ve been in your place for so long. I hope you don’t mind?” I said, “I do.” Luna, clearly not expecting my bluntness, burst into tears. The triplets immediately rushed to comfort her, and that’s when their animosity toward me began. But I was only telling the truth. Luna was adopted from an orphanage simply because she bore a slight resemblance to me. By then, I’d been missing for three years. To soothe their grief, my parents adopted her and let her take my place. Her name, Luna, meant “blooming”—a new life for them. She was obedient and sweet. But whenever my parents started making plans to search for me again, Luna would conveniently come down with a fever or a headache, tying them down. Over time, the search for me was forgotten. She had lived comfortably as their only daughter for years. Now that I was back, it was time for a reality check. She needed to understand whose life she’d been borrowing. As for the Hawthornes next door, our families had a long-standing marriage agreement. The bride was supposed to have been Luna. Now, it was me. None of the four of them were happy about it. Funny, neither was I. Every time I saw the three brothers grinning like idiots around Luna, I wondered if fate was plotting the downfall of the Hawthorne dynasty. How could anyone be so monumentally stupid? Case in point: the day after the dinner party. A DNA sample from Candy had been sent for testing, but the results weren’t back yet. Still, they were already scrambling to pledge their allegiance to Luna. “Who do you think Candy’s father is?” “Well, you can rule me out,” Julian, the second brother, said with absolute certainty. “I’m allergic to country girls. I couldn’t possibly touch Stella.” “It’s not me, either,” Arthur, the eldest and most serious, said, adjusting his glasses. “I would rather become a monk than be with Stella.” Wyatt, the youngest, chimed in, “Don’t look at me. I can’t stand her. Marrying her and having a kid? You might as well just kill me now.” “It has to be a setup,” Arthur concluded. “Stella hired a child who looks like us because she was afraid none of us would agree to the marriage. She’s disgustingly desperate.” “Yeah, that must be it.” What a bunch of idiots. Did they think they were so clever? They didn’t even bother to lower their voices when they were bad-mouthing someone. Hopeless. I was sitting just inside the window, sharing a snack with Candy. “They’re saying such mean things about us,” I whispered to her. “How are you not sad?” “There’s nothing to be sad about.” Candy swung her little legs, perfectly calm. “The time is almost here.” “What time?” “The time for Daddy to fall in love with Mommy.” “And how do you know that?” The little girl puffed out her chest with pride. “Because I peeked at Daddy’s diary, of course!”

5 I was about to tell her that snooping in diaries was wrong when Wyatt’s voice cut through from outside. “Anyway, I’ve had it with Stella. As soon as those test results come back, I’m going to make her pay!” “Sigh…” Luna, who had been silent, let out a soft, delicate sigh. The three of them immediately swarmed her. “What’s wrong?” “Are you not feeling well, Luna?” “I was just thinking… even if the child is an actress, you can’t escape the arranged marriage.” The brothers fell silent. Arthur was the first to speak. “I won’t agree to it. I’m going to marry you, Luna.” “Get lost. Luna wants to marry me, right?” Wyatt shot back. “What are you two talking about? It’s obviously me!” Julian interjected. “Please, don’t fight!” Luna said, cutting them off. “My sister gets to choose first. It doesn’t matter what any of you want.” “But Luna, are you really okay with that?” She lowered her eyes, her voice thick with martyrdom. “Stella is the real daughter of this family. I stole her place for all these years. It’s only right that she gets to choose first.” Wow. I had to admit, I loved her attitude. Even if it was a complete act, the words were music to my ears. My little sister was being so magnanimous. It would be a shame to let her “good intentions” go to waste. I stood up and tapped on the window. “Sorry to interrupt, Luna, but did you mean what you just said?” Wyatt glared at me. “Were you eavesdropping?” “I was. What are you going to do about it?” He, of course, could do nothing but glower. I turned back to Luna. “You were serious just now, weren’t you?” Luna nodded. “Of course. I feel terrible for taking your place, your family… So now, whatever you want, sister, I’m willing to give it to you.” “That’s wonderful.” I pointed a finger at the three clueless brothers. “They are all currently my potential fiancés. Until my marriage is settled, please have some self-respect and stay away from them.” “Stella, are you crazy?!” “Are you out of your mind?!” Luna’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But… but we grew up together! We’re very close…” Oh, so we were playing the innocent card. Two could play at that game. I was about to counter with my own brand of saccharine manipulation when Candy spoke up from beside me. “You just promised to let my mommy have whatever she wants. Were you lying to us?” The little girl’s eyes were wide and round, pure and innocent. She then turned to the three brothers. “Daddy taught Candy that lying is bad, right, Daddy?” “…Who’s your dad?!” Wyatt finally snapped. He had the shortest fuse of the three. “Stella, don’t push it! I’ve been putting up with you for Luna’s sake, but this is too much! Apologize to her right now, or else—” “Wait, I remember now,” Candy’s eyes lit up. “Daddy talks a lot. Is it you?” “…” Wyatt’s face turned beet red, and he was rendered completely speechless. Just then, the butler came running out, looking flustered. “The DNA results are in! The child… she is the young miss’s daughter! And she is a Hawthorne!” Every head snapped in his direction, waiting for him to continue. “But the child’s biological father is…” The butler paused, as if the words were difficult to say. “All three of you… are her biological father!”