The day before my brother’s wedding. I was picking out a dress when Julian suddenly lashed out at me. “I told you she likes the rose-pink one. Why do you always have to steal her spotlight?” I initially thought he was just worried I’d be too dressed up for the wedding, which wouldn’t be appropriate. But Julian continued: “Briar only gets one wedding in her life, and it’s already heartbreaking that she can’t marry the one she loves. Can’t you just let her have this?” I stayed silent for a moment. I didn’t ask Julian why he knew more about my future sister-in-law’s beloved than I did. Instead, I FaceTimed my brother, Alex. Alex was with Briar, trying on her wedding gown. He wore a black groom’s suit, his eyes full of joy. “Clara, Briar wants you and Julian to come over for dinner later.” Julian’s profile briefly appeared in the frame. He didn’t ask for my opinion, just unilaterally agreed. But usually, he never liked coming to my family’s house. The camera flipped. Briar, having changed into her gown, ran out of the dressing room, excitedly tiptoeing to throw her arms around Alex. “Alex, do I look pretty?” Almost simultaneous with Alex’s reply, a very low voice came from behind him. I heard it. “I’ve always known she’s most beautiful when she’s trying to seduce someone.” I looked over. Julian’s calm face still held a hint of resignation. It was as if I’d imagined it. He leaned down, whispering intimately into my ear, trying to appease me. “Come on, I said the wrong thing. Are you still mad?” “How do you want to punish me, Clara? I’ll accept anything, okay?” Thinking of Julian’s endless tricks and manipulation, and still on a video call with Alex, I felt a little uneasy. I turned my face away. My eyes met Briar’s, which seemed to hold a flicker of jealousy. But it was only for a second. Then she smiled. “Clara and her boyfriend seem so in love. Are you two getting married soon?” Alex was still fussing over Briar’s wedding dress, admiring it from every angle. He didn’t even look up. “Julian has been scheming to marry my sister since graduation, but Clara just wants to have fun for a few more years.” My hand, holding the phone, paused. Before, I’d never questioned it. Why did Julian insist I tell everyone I wasn’t ready to marry, when it was he who didn’t want to get married so early? His reason back then was that he didn’t want my parents to misunderstand or dislike him. But now, that excuse felt a bit too flimsy. Alex was led away by a staff member to change clothes. I picked up the rose-pink dress I’d chosen earlier. But before I could say anything, my future sister-in-law’s eyes were already red, her gaze bypassing me. She looked towards Julian behind me. “Clara, can you let me have this dress? “Someone once promised me the perfect dress, but it was snatched away by another.” The hand on my shoulder tightened, almost imperceptibly. This time, it wasn’t just my imagination. “Give it to her.”
After Julian uttered those words, he quickly exited, claiming an urgent matter at the company, his steps hurried. He even wore mismatched slippers. This wasn’t normal. Hesitating for a moment, I grabbed my car keys and headed to Julian’s office building. But before I could even enter the elevator, the receptionist told me Julian had taken the afternoon off; his assistant had just informed her. My hand, hanging at my side, trembled uncontrollably. A terrifying thought flashed through my mind, leaving me ice-cold. I took several deep breaths to regain my strength before heading to the underground parking lot. It was working hours, so the parking lot was eerily quiet. Stifled gasps and moans. They clearly pierced through the silence, reaching my ears. “Are you really going to marry him? He’s Clara’s brother!” The woman was pressed tightly against the man, his hand clamped around her neck. Yet, she was still smiling. “What, Julian, are you jealous? “You were the one who threw me away first. Now, you don’t get a say in who I’m with, no matter what man I choose.” Briar’s constant provocations only deepened the storm brewing in Julian’s eyes. He swiftly captured Briar’s parted lips. The sounds of heavy breathing intensified. The only sounds left in that desolate parking lot were my muffled sobs and raw agony. Julian was cheating. With Briar, the woman about to marry my brother. How could I possibly accept this? I don’t know how much time passed, but the sounds eventually stopped. When I looked again, Julian still hadn’t released Briar. But his voice was much softer than before. “Briar, I’m not stopping you from getting married, but it can’t be Clara’s brother.” “Come on, break it off with him. I can introduce you to someone much better.” Briar’s eyes were red-rimmed, as if he’d been rough with her. “Clara is the woman you love most. Even after three years of being your secret, you still cast me aside for her without a second thought.” “Since you chose her, stop trying to control me.” Julian wasn’t a mild-tempered man. Only with me did he tolerate my yelling and snarky remarks. But now, Briar was receiving the same treatment. I watched. Julian lowered his head and remained silent for a long time, as if making a difficult choice. It was either give her up, or give me up. The moment I knew Julian had betrayed me, a future for us became impossible. But his hesitation, even then, twisted a knife in my gut. The car keys in my hand unconsciously dropped to the ground. I stood there, stunned. My gaze met Julian’s cold eyes, which had instantly darted my way. The next second, he abruptly released Briar, who had been pinned beneath him, his eyes filled with a panic I’d never seen before. I picked up the keys and fled.
All the way there, my tears never stopped. Julian’s black Maybach was relentlessly tailing me. Was he really so afraid I’d expose his affair with Briar? Well, I was going to expose it. I would tell Alex. I would tell him not to marry Briar, that she didn’t truly love him. We had all been tricked. My car pulled up to the bridal shop. Alex was still happily trying on his groom’s suit. Seeing my tear-streaked face, he looked surprised for a moment. I was about to speak when Briar’s call came through. I don’t know what she told him, but Alex’s gaze turned scrutinizing. “Clara, are you trying to tell me that Briar and Julian are involved in an illicit affair?” I didn’t have time to think, just nodded furiously. I desperately spilled the entire truth. “Yes, Alex, Julian cheated! Briar has been his mistress for three years. She deliberately approached you to get revenge on Julian!” My mind gradually cleared. From their earlier conversation, I could sense it. Briar hadn’t moved on from Julian. And Julian, too, seemed to still harbor feelings for her. But to my surprise, Alex’s expression remained calm, and he kept staring at me. A bad feeling crept into my heart. Sure enough, Julian and Briar strode in. “Alex, I suppose Briar has already explained everything to you, right? “Clara and I had a little argument. I ran into Briar on the way to the office. We just said hello, and Clara immediately became suspicious.” Julian spread his arms, making a gesture of utter helplessness. As if I was completely unreasonable. I instantly understood Julian’s meaning. He was convinced I had no proof, twisting the truth to protect Briar. Briar squeezed past me and stood in front of Alex. Her eyes were swollen from crying. “Alex, I know I’m not worthy of you, and Clara doesn’t like me. But she can’t just accuse me of being with… with her boyfriend! Am I really that vile and shameless in her eyes? “Maybe we shouldn’t have this wedding after all. I’m truly terrified!” With that, she cast two fearful glances at me, and instinctively cowered backward. Seeing Briar’s pitiful act, Alex’s heart instantly ached. He pulled her into his embrace. Then, he raised his hand and, without warning, delivered a resounding slap across my face. “Clara, if you ever dare to speak ill of Briar again, I’ll disown you as my sister. This is your only warning.” I was stunned. From birth until now, my parents had never laid a hand on me. But Alex had struck me. Faster than my reaction, though, was Julian’s sudden fist. It landed squarely on Alex’s nose. “The girl I’ve cherished above all else? You think you can lay a hand on her?” Julian exploded with fury, grappling with Alex. Eventually, Alex conceded, raising his hands in surrender. He begrudgingly apologized to me.
Julian dragged me into the car. He drove fast, and from the moment we got in, he never once looked at me. I, too, stared out the window, not uttering a single word. The car pulled over in a deserted suburban area and finally stopped. I thought I would finally get an explanation from him, even if it was a lie. But Julian simply said: “Clara, Briar is a good girl. I won’t let this wedding happen, but not by destroying her reputation like this.” With that, Julian turned his head uncomfortably, rolled down the window, and lit a cigarette. Having been with Julian for years, I knew his every move. So, he was capable of guilt, after all. What should I say? Should I curse him, hit him, and then team up with him to stop Alex’s wedding? If none of this had happened, maybe I would have swallowed my pride, doing everything I could to protect Alex first. But now, I wasn’t so willing. “Julian, we’re over.” I would stop this wedding, but I would do it my way. The hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly. The unfinished cigarette fell onto his white shirt, instantly burning a hole. I rarely saw Julian so disheveled. He turned, a look of helplessness on his face. “So, what do I have to do for you to forgive me?” Not everything can be forgiven. At least for me, emotional betrayal is something I can never accept. I gave him a sarcastic look for a long, long time. Julian lowered his head and, feigning remorse, confessed everything. “Briar was someone I met during our first cold war. Her gentle kindness always made me relax; she was like a drug that slowly got me addicted. “But Clara, I never loved her. This time, I was forced to break up with her because she kept pressuring me to leave you.” My broken nails dug into my palm. Yet, I felt no pain. He meant that if Briar had been willing to remain a secret mistress forever, Julian would have hidden her from me for a lifetime? That thought. It made all our beautiful moments together seem ridiculous. I opened the car door. “Julian, I won’t forgive you, and I won’t let Briar off the hook.” Since she was prepared to be the other woman, she should be prepared to face the consequences. Julian narrowed his eyes, his face gradually hardening. “So, you’re still going after her?” So, he was still going to protect her. That day, Julian abandoned me and drove off alone. In the middle of nowhere, as dusk began to fall, he never came back for me.
I didn’t get back to my parents’ house until eleven at night. Alex wasn’t there. I collapsed into Mom’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably, my entire body wracked with pain. My parents were terrified and wanted to call Alex back. “No!” I sharply lifted my head from Mom’s embrace, touching my right cheek, which was already swollen. The pain Alex inflicted on me hurt more than Julian’s betrayal. That was my own brother. He chose to believe Briar, whom he’d only known for less than two months, and didn’t believe me. After I had cried enough, I recounted everything that had happened that day. Dad was so angry that he smashed an expensive teacup. He immediately called Alex, announcing the cancellation of tomorrow’s wedding. Alex soon heard the news. After settling Briar and her family, he stormed back home. At that moment, Mom, Dad, and I were sitting on the couch, waiting for him. The instant Alex saw me, he raised his arm, as if he wanted to hit me again, just like earlier that day. But Dad, with a dark expression, kicked him hard in the stomach. “Alex, you’ve really grown up, haven’t you? Daring to lay hands on your own sister? Is this how I raised you?” Alex had just managed to soothe Briar. Then he heard that the family had canceled the wedding, and Briar was crying and insisting on leaving with her family that very night. He had apologized profusely to Briar’s family for a long time before finally calming them down. He truly hated me. Even with Mom protecting me, I could feel Alex’s piercing gaze, as if trying to shoot me down. “Clara, what did Briar ever do to you that you’re so determined to destroy her?” He glared at me, his resentment deepening. “Oh, I get it. You’re not targeting Briar; you’re targeting me.” “Since childhood, you’ve always had to compete with me for everything. You always had to ace every subject, just to make my almost-perfect scores seem inadequate, just to make everyone think I’m not as good as you, to snatch the family business right out of my hands.” When you’ve been hurt enough, nothing seems surprising anymore. Dad’s and Mom’s slaps landed simultaneously on Alex’s face. He laughed maniacally as he stumbled backward. “Just because I’m a boy and not a girl, you always favored her. It was true when we were kids, and it’s still true now. I’ve known it all along.” Alex wiped his eyes, staring directly at us. “Briar is the only woman I’ve ever truly loved. I’m going to marry her tomorrow. If you still want me as your son, then don’t stand in my way.” After Alex left, Mom and Dad remained silent for a long time. Actually, they weren’t just taking my word for it. I had shown them the parking lot video.
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