8 1:6

- Villainess POV-

I ran into the garden. When I reached the large gazebo I collapsed onto the ground and began to cry. Tears blurred my vision and I tried to muffle my wails with the palm of my hands but I couldn't stop myself from letting out 2 years' worth of pain.

After a minute, my cries turned into sniffles but the tears didn't stop. I tried to whip them away but they kept coming, I just curled into a ball and wrapped my arms around my shivering shoulders.

'I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. Please don't leave me like this, please, please-'

I could hear the sound of approaching footsteps nearing my position and for a moment I thought it might be my father. That he had followed me and would apologize for everything. I imagined him holding me and reassuring me that I was still his daughter and that nobody, not even that White Lotus B*tch Fan Long, could replace me.

I turned slightly and caught sight of a midnight blue dress and fair hair. It wasn't my father. He had stayed in the house with his real daughter. He wouldn't come to find me...because I wasn't a part of his family anymore. I was a problem.

Before I could compose myself or yell at this audacious woman, my breathe caught in my throat, and a fresh wave of pain forced tears from my eyes. And then warm arms encircled me and I fell into an embrace. I cried in the crook of her should as soft hands trailed the line of my back.

"It's okay. It's okay now. You aren't alone anymore" She whispered into my ear and it feels so good to be held that I wanted to stay like this forever. I breathe in her scent, the smell of rose petals after a downpour. How could someone feel so soft?

We stayed that like that for a very long time, until I had no more tears left to cry. I looked up at her then and saw a beautiful woman in her early twenties staring down at me. The moonlight. lit up her soft features and I noticed a small birthmark near the left side of her mouth, which curved upwards in a half-smile. When I first saw her, she seemed only as beautiful as the other guests, who were all famous or highly influential people. Now, I can't help but think that none of those fools could compare. She was the most beautiful woman, I'd ever seen and I ingrained her image into my memory for fear that she might disappear completely at any moment.

I stared into her grey eyes and felt that if I looked hard enough, I would see the stars.

She held my gaze for only a second before, turning her face down and smiling shyly. I followed her eyes to her dress that still had the imprint of frosting and crumbs. I realized that despite our close proximity she had angled her body away from mine so none of the mess would transfer onto my own outfit. I remembered her lying on the floor, Fan Long's Birthday Cake surrounding her, a look of complete confusion plastered on her pretty face.

God, she was so adorable.

I began to laugh. I laughed because her situation was ridiculous and mine so pitiful. I laughed because the only person that seemed to care about me anymore was a stranger covered in cake. I laughed because I couldn't cry anymore.

Through fits of giggles, I wiped at my wet eyes and runny mascara and said,

"I'm sorry about your dress, you wore it well"

Her half-smile perked up into a full one. She let out a small laugh as she picked at her ruined gown.

"It's fine. I actually think buttercream might be *muffled laughter* the next *more laughter* big thing."

The girls collapsed on top of each other in peals of laughter.