My best friend married my younger sister, who has Down syndrome—but as she fought for her life, he held my hands tightly and whispered, “It’s finally time for you to learn WHY I ACTUALLY MARRIED her.”
Rosie, my sister, is only one year younger than me. Because she had Down syndrome, some children kept their distance from her or treated her as though she were strange.
My best friend Ben was never one of them.
“You’ll always have me and Ben, Rosie,” I often told her.
Ben constantly watched over her. During recess, he always chose her for his team, and when we were in the fourth grade, he even promised that someday he would take her to prom.
For years, everyone expected Ben and me to end up together. Instead, when we were older, he proposed to Rosie.
I cried more than Rosie did. My best friend became part of my family as my brother, and my sister received the happiness that strangers had always said someone like her could never have.
Then Rosie discovered she was expecting twins. We were all filled with joy.
But her pregnancy quickly became dangerous.
When she reached thirty-four weeks, Rosie was taken to the hospital in an emergency. The doctors warned us that the situation was extremely serious. They were doing everything possible to save Rosie and both babies.
Ben never left my side, his face completely drained of color. Then all at once, he took hold of my hand and pulled me toward a deserted corridor.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Before the operation, Rosie made me promise I would tell you something if she never woke up.”
Ben appeared to be moments away from tears.
“It’s time you finally understood WHY I REALLY married her,” he said as he squeezed my hands.
My stomach twisted.
“Ben, why are you talking like this?”
Every horrifying possibility rushed into my thoughts.
Was it because of money? Was he after the inheritance our parents would leave behind? Or… had he married my sister only because it gave him a reason to stay near me?
Ben searched my face for a moment, then said,
“It’s FAR WORSE than you think. You need to sit down.”
From inside his jacket, he removed a single sheet of paper.
I didn’t even reach the end of the first line before a scream tore out of me.
It doesn’t end here. Full story linked below in the comments.
(I know you’re all very curious about the next part, so if you want to read more, please leave a “YES” comment below!)
He Married My Sister for a Reason. The Truth Was Written in My Name.
