My Fiancé’s Best Friend is a Snake in Disguise I caught my boyfriend applying sunscreen to his childhood best friend. So, I turned around and asked *her* boyfriend to apply sunscreen for *me*. My boyfriend, Julian, glared at me, his face twisted with anger. “Riley Hayes, how could you be so disgusting? Letting another guy put sunscreen on you? Don’t you know there should be boundaries between men and women?” I looked at him, completely innocent. “Oh, so *you* know about boundaries between men and women?” “I was just wondering if every guy, when applying sunscreen for a girl, makes sure to rub it all over her chest too?” “Guess there are still some decent men in the world after all.” *Slap!* Julian’s hand slammed across my face, his eyes blazing with a fury that threatened to consume me whole. “Riley, Chloe is my best friend. I’ve never seen her as a woman.” “Asher is *her* boyfriend. How could you be so trashy? Asking him to put sunscreen on you?” “Do you have no shame? You’re absolutely sickening.” My left cheek burned, and my chest felt like it was crushed under a giant rock, making it hard to breathe. Julian’s words were like knives, stabbing into my heart, one by one. In his eyes, my asking Asher for sunscreen was “trashy” and “sickening.” But *his* applying sunscreen to his female best friend? That was perfectly fine, completely normal. Even if it meant touching her most private areas, there was nothing wrong with it. Chloe pretended not to care, but her eyes still welled up. “It’s fine, Julian. I know Riley hates me. It’s my fault, I apologize.” “I thought everyone understood Julian and I. We’ve been close since we were kids. This isn’t the first time he’s helped me with sunscreen, but Riley, don’t worry, I won’t ask him again.” Chloe turned her head, wiped a tear, and forced a strained smile. Julian gently comforted her, but Chloe pushed him away. “Don’t let Riley misunderstand again. She probably thinks we’re hooking up just because he put some sunscreen on me.” “If this keeps up, if you two ever divorce, she’ll probably blame me for it, right?” “I can’t possibly bear that guilt.” “Riley, but I still have to say, if Julian and I were *really* going to be together, we would have been ages ago. There’d be no room for you.” “He might be a good man to you, but to me, he’s no different from any other guy.” Then, she looked at Asher, understanding written all over her face. “Asher, don’t worry, I won’t blame you. I understand.” The way she said it made me seem like the unreasonable one. Chloe ran off, her eyes red. Julian glared at me, coldly. “Riley, are you satisfied now?” “Coming out with someone like you is just a buzzkill.” “Always suspecting this, suspecting that. Do you question every single woman I’m around?” “Look at Chloe. Does she ever question Asher? No.” “It’s just you, always nitpicking and causing drama. You’re so petty, your mind is tiny.” Looking at the disappointment and disgust in his eyes, I suddenly felt a wave of helplessness. There was no point anymore. He would never take my side. Being with him was just too exhausting. “Julian, let’s break up.” Julian’s eyes widened, shocked and furious. “Do you know what you’re saying? We’re getting married! And you’re telling me you want to break up? You’re insane!” I closed my eyes, my voice chillingly calm. “I’m not insane, Julian. I should have broken up with you a long time ago: when you faked an illness to manipulate me into caring for you so Chloe could win the piano competition; when you shoved me into a freezing pool during my period just to make Chloe happy; when you hung up on my desperate call for help because you were watching a movie with her.” “I was too indecisive, always convincing myself you’d change, time after time.” “I was too arrogant. Now I realize my mistake, and I’m fixing it. So, let’s break up.”
No one answered. I opened my eyes. Julian was nowhere to be seen. Maybe some sand got in my eyes, because tears streamed out, one after another. A tissue appeared in front of me. “Here, wipe it. Your makeup’s running.” Asher was Chloe’s new boyfriend. Julian and I had set a wedding date, and Chloe had enthusiastically suggested we have a joint wedding. Before I could refuse, Julian had agreed without hesitation. He explained it to me casually. “Chloe’s my best friend. A joint wedding will be fun, Riley. Don’t be so petty.” This group ocean getaway was also Chloe’s idea. Julian, as always, readily agreed. He was always like that. Whatever his “best friend” asked, good or bad, he’d agree. When we got to the beach, Julian said he’d forgotten the camera and asked me to go back to the hotel to get it. I didn’t think much of it. Who knew when I came back, I’d see him applying sunscreen to Chloe. Her bikini was barely clinging to her. Julian was pressed against her from behind, his hands on her chest. Their proximity was intimate, far beyond the boundaries of friendship. Seriously, what kind of “pure” friendship goes this far? Touching each other’s private areas? Seeing Asher still there, I asked him, “Aren’t you upset? She’s your girlfriend.” Asher raised an eyebrow. “I never said she was my girlfriend.” I froze for a moment, but Asher didn’t elaborate. After that whole scene, I wasn’t in the mood to enjoy myself anymore. I decided to head back to the hotel. Walking along the shaded path, suddenly, a large hand clamped over my mouth. A pungent smell made my head spin, then everything went black. I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was lying on a reef. Several men surrounded me, their eyes leering, hands rubbing together. Each of them held a bottle of sunscreen, their eyes glowing with a predatory green light. “Heh heh, little beauty, heard you like sunscreen.” “Big brothers are here to rub it in for you, guaranteed to cover every inch, top to bottom, inside and out.” I snapped awake, my heart pounding wildly, like it had plunged into a black hole. Several terrifying hands reached for me. I screamed, I struggled, but my hands and feet were held down by multiple grips. “Help! Julian, save me! Someone, please save me!” The utter helplessness made me burst into tears, screaming at the top of my lungs, hoping someone would come to my rescue. But those men seemed to read my thoughts and burst into laughter. “Go ahead and scream! This is an undeveloped area. You can scream until your throat rips, no one’s coming.” “Look at this little chick, her skin is so pale. Wonder how that guy could bear to let her go.” My nostrils were filled with various foul smells, tears streamed down my face. My heart felt dead, my whole body felt like it had fallen into a sewage pit. I stopped thinking, sinking my teeth into one of the men. A searing pain tore at my scalp, and I was slapped hard a few times. “Bitch! Still dare to bite me?!” “Get her! The boss said to just leave her alive!” My vision went black, a buzzing filled my ears, completely engulfed by despair. Suddenly, the sickening touches disappeared. Several screams echoed. I opened my eyes. A black suit jacket fell over me, covering my body. I was lifted into someone’s arms. At the police station, Julian rushed in and immediately hugged me tightly. “Riley, you scared me to death! Are you okay? How could something like this happen?” “Who did this? Where are the culprits?” His shouts echoed off the walls. Chloe slapped herself on the forehead. “Riley’s fine, isn’t she, Julian? Do you have to make a big scene so everyone knows?” “Listen to your dad. Take your fiancée home, let her rest. Apologize, comfort her. She’s not as tough as me, able to handle anything. What if she gets depressed?”
Julian seemed genuinely worried. He comforted me the whole way, his face full of indignation. “But then again, Riley, today’s incident is partly your fault too. If you hadn’t been so petty and made me angry, maybe something like this wouldn’t have happened.” “You’ve learned your lesson now, right? Chloe and I truly have nothing going on, just a pure friendship. Don’t be so jealous anymore.” I turned my head, looking at my reflection in the window, feeling only disgust. What he didn’t know was that Asher had shown me a video. In the video, Julian was teaching Chloe to swim, taking photos of her. My desperate calls for help were clearly audible in the background. They had heard me but hadn’t come to my rescue. I lay numbly on the bed, the sound of rushing water filling my ears. Suddenly, several message notifications pinged. It was Julian’s phone. The screen displayed a group chat called ‘Queen Chloe and Her Knights’. They were chatting excitedly, messages pinging incessantly. A glance caught my attention, making me freeze. “You guys wouldn’t believe it, she was screaming so tragically, her voice was completely hoarse. Anyone would’ve thought those guys were really something.” “Must’ve given her the ride of her life, Julian. You really know how to deliver. Seriously, she’s so annoying. Every time we go out, she acts like a chaperone, ruins all the fun. Our Princess Chloe has suffered so many grievances because of her.” “Got a video? No video? Send it over, let’s see.” “Didn’t Julian already send it? Scroll up.” In the video, I was practically naked, my cries mixed with lewd laughter. Julian had called it his “trophy,” flaunting it in the group. He had written: “Buddies are like limbs, women are like clothes. Anyone who upsets my buddy, I’ll make them regret it. My fiancée is no exception.” My entire body trembled, as if plunged into an ice cave. All this time, it was Julian who orchestrated everything. His concern and fear were all an act. Julian walked out, wrapped in a towel, and saw me sitting on the bed, lost in thought. He pulled me into his arms. Leaning against his chest, it felt like a safe harbor. But I knew he wasn’t my safe harbor; he was the source of my disaster. “Riley, don’t think about it. It’s over.” “I won’t abandon you. Our wedding will proceed as planned. Be good.” A hint of sarcasm flickered in my eyes. I looked up at him. “Are you so sure something happened to me?” Julian’s expression froze, a flicker of unnaturalness crossing his face. He lowered his gaze, gently comforting me. “Riley, I know you can’t accept it right now, but it’s happened. We have to learn to deal with it.” “Of course, I wish nothing had happened, but…” He trailed off, firmly believing that something *had* happened to me. My heart felt like a piece had been gouged out, empty and aching. The Julian who would have risked his life to save me was now, for someone else, stabbing me again and again. Julian, I owe you nothing. After what happened, I had no desire to stay. I bought a plane ticket to go home. Chloe acted as if nothing had happened, hooking her arm around Julian’s neck, threatening him like a good buddy. “Don’t forget the bachelor party, Julian. Just you. If you dare bring anyone irrelevant, your dad will really get you.” Julian raised both hands in surrender. “Got it, my dear son. Let go, you’re choking me.” A boarding announcement sounded over the intercom. I grabbed my bag and walked towards the gate, not calling Julian. Chloe rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Your girlfriend is such a bore. I didn’t even make a fuss about her asking my boyfriend to put sunscreen on her, and she’s still complaining.” “Son, I don’t like this fiancée. Get your dad a new one.” Julian gave an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I really don’t want to go back. If only she were half as sensible as you, I wouldn’t be so exhausted.” “I’m leaving. Be safe, and call me if anything happens.”
On the plane, Julian was distracted, constantly checking his phone. The flight attendant reminded him several times, but he acted as if he hadn’t heard. Just as the cabin door was about to close, suddenly, Julian’s phone rang. He seemed to have been waiting for this call, answering it impatiently. A tearful voice came through. “Son, your dad’s hurt.” At that, Julian sprang to his feet and rushed out of the cabin door without a word. His back view was frantic and anxious. I withdrew my gaze, feeling no surprise. After getting off the plane, I was about to tell my parents and the Davis family about calling off the wedding. But Asher sent me several videos. In the videos, Chloe had a bandage wrapped around her leg, leaning on Julian’s shoulder. Several of their friends were gathered around the hospital bed. Someone asked her what happened to her leg. Chloe said nonchalantly, “My ‘son’ was leaving me, so I got too sad and fell down the stairs, I guess. It’s just a fracture, nothing serious.” Julian’s eyes were slightly red, and he gently squeezed her face, clearly pained. “If you wanted me to stay, you should have just said so. Is hurting yourself fun?” “I didn’t mean to!” For some reason, the atmosphere became heavy. Chloe and Julian seemed to be hiding something, their eyes both red. Someone sensed the tension and pressed them about what had happened. Chloe smiled, her eyes red. “What could possibly be wrong? My ‘son’ is getting married, so his ‘dad’ is happy, of course.” “You don’t look happy at all, Chloe. Could it be… you like Julian?” Silence spoke louder than words. The person’s mouth dropped open wide enough to swallow an egg. “No way, you really like him? What about Julian?” Julian gently wiped away Chloe’s tears, his meaning unmistakable. That person let out a sharp gasp. “Since you both like each other, why aren’t you together? Julian, did you mess Chloe around?” “What are you talking about?” Julian frowned, a bitter smile on his face. “Do you think I don’t want to marry Chloe? My mom only likes Riley. What could I do? I couldn’t let Chloe marry into a family where she’d be mistreated.” Chloe patted his shoulder reassuringly. “It’s not your fault. I just wasn’t lucky enough.” “But to be in the same wedding as you, I have no regrets.” She took a deep breath, as if to finally unburden herself of a long-held secret. “Julian and I met in college. For those years, he didn’t have a girlfriend, and I was the one who helped him out. Until he got a girlfriend.” “During those years, I made sure he wasn’t ‘deprived’ in *that* area. But with Riley for three years, he was practically dying of frustration. Seriously, how did you even manage to tolerate that?” “That time in the avalanche, he risked his life to save me, but when he saw it was Riley, he threw her back and cried out my name, begging me not to die.” “He carried me to the hospital and stayed by my side for days. From that moment, I knew he was the one. Now that he’s getting married, I thought, even if I can’t marry him, wearing a wedding dress for him and walking through a wedding ceremony with him would be enough.” “So I rented a boyfriend and pretended to have a wedding. I never planned on getting married anyway.” So, Julian wasn’t the one who saved me. My fingers trembled. Knowing the truth, I wasn’t sad, I was ecstatic. I knew it! How could my savior have become such a hateful person? Julian laughed at her, calling her foolish, his eyes filled with undeniable affection. “Chloe sacrificed too much for me. I hired those guys to ruin Riley, hoping it would stop the wedding.” “If it didn’t work, I’d use it as an excuse to never touch her again.” “I couldn’t give Chloe marriage, but my body and heart had to be pure for her.” What a deeply devoted pair of star-crossed lovers. In that case, Julian, don’t blame me. I exited the video, and Asher’s message popped up. “Ms. Hayes, the man you’re marrying is not a good person. If you want to escape the wedding, I can help you.” Escape the wedding? I hadn’t done anything wrong, why should I run? Why should *I* be the one running? “What exactly do you want, Asher? I don’t think we’re that close.” Asher, if he was Chloe’s rented boyfriend, why was he exposing Julian’s true colors to me? But he didn’t reply again. The night before the wedding, Julian went to his bachelor party. Asher sent me an address. By the time I arrived, the party was in full swing. Everyone was drunk. Julian, in his tuxedo, and Chloe, in *my* wedding dress, were enacting a fake wedding. His friends were egging them on, urging them into the bridal chamber. Julian, tipsy, bent down and swept Chloe into his arms. He looked like he was marrying the woman he loved, a smile stretched almost to his ears. They went into a room amidst the cheers of his friends, kissing passionately, oblivious to the world around them. Enjoy this last hurrah. Tomorrow, you will all descend into hell.
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