I was born with a visual impairment. When we took our wedding photos, I asked the photographer to dim the lights. But my fiancé, Brandon, said it wouldn’t look good if it was too dark. I had no choice but to endure the discomfort and continue the shoot. “Annie, our wedding package includes a solo photoshoot, so I called Audrey to use it.” Seeing my expression, Brandon came over and kissed my forehead. “You’ve taken so many already, it’d be a waste not to give it to her.” Yet, when Audrey took her solo shots, the moment she said it was too bright, Brandon immediately dimmed the lights. And it wasn’t just that. At our destination wedding, before I even boarded the boat, I saw him thoughtfully putting my sunglasses on Audrey. “Audrey, it’s sunny on the boat, protect your eyes.” I stood silently, not getting on board. I sent Brandon a message. “Let’s cancel the wedding.” “I don’t know if I’m blind, but it seems you already have someone else in mind to marry.” The moment I sent the message, my phone immediately rang. “Annie, it’s our wedding, why are you suddenly throwing a tantrum?” I listened quietly, saying nothing, and Brandon seemed to find an outlet for his frustration. “It all comes down to you not getting the laser eye surgery. If you’d just done it earlier, wouldn’t there be no problems at all?” “Audrey had her surgery ages ago, and her eyesight is perfectly fine now. Why do you have to be so difficult and disobedient?” I sighed, my chest tightening with a suffocating feeling. He never seemed to understand that my visual impairment was due to a congenital retinal defect, making surgery impossible. What made me even more hysterical was that this was “our” wedding, yet he insisted on bringing Audrey along. He took her to work, on business trips, and even on our dates. When I protested and got angry, Brandon would just cuddle me, acting sweet. “My professor asked me on his deathbed to take care of Audrey. Annie, we’re getting married, can’t you just let her be?” How could I not? He’d remember to buy Audrey birthday gifts but forget mine. He’d watch movies she liked, pushing aside our dates. Even when Audrey had a cold, he’d stay up all night to care for her, while if I wasn’t feeling well, he’d merely tell me to rest. I gave a bitter laugh and hung up the phone. There was nothing left to say between us. I got into a car home and called my arch-rival. “Didn’t you tell me not to marry Brandon? I agree. I won’t marry him. You marry me.” There was silence for a few seconds on the other end. Unusually, he didn’t curse at me, just replied with a “Fine.” After hanging up, I looked at the schedule my rival sent and immediately found a lawyer to draft divorce papers. Just then, Brandon sent me a message. “Annie, I’ve changed the destination wedding to tomorrow. Audrey and I are going to the island today to get a feel for it. I’ll pick you up tomorrow.” “Annie, I’m happy today, so I’ll indulge your little tantrum. Don’t let it happen again.” At the same time, Audrey’s social media updated. She wore my sunglasses, a revealing tube top dress, and hooked her arm around Brandon’s neck for a selfie. The caption: “Happy two-person getaway!” The comment section was filled with blessings for the two of them. “Your girlfriend is so pretty! Much prettier than Annie!” “Looks match, education matches! Most importantly, she’s healthy. Brandon, are you sure you don’t want to switch fiancées?” Brandon seemed to see that comment and immediately snapped back: “Shut up, all of you. I only see Audrey as a little sister. And you have no right to comment on my fiancée.” I scoffed. He seemed to be defending me, but he never stopped them from treating Audrey like his girlfriend. He didn’t even delete that misleading post. After leaving a comment saying “What a perfect match,” I turned to pack my things. As soon as I finished packing, Brandon’s call came in. “What did you mean by your comment? Annie, if your eyes were really bad, you wouldn’t have time to look at your phone and post those comments!” “Ruining our destination wedding wasn’t enough, now you have to ruin my trip with Audrey? When did you become so unreasonable?” I quietly listened to him finish his rant, then calmly said, “Then let’s get divorced.”
I didn’t get a reply from Brandon. Instead, it was Audrey, who was next to him, who spoke first. “Annie, Brandon and I really aren’t like that. If you don’t believe me, I can kneel down for you. No, I’ll die right now!” Then came sounds of pushing and Brandon’s shouts: “Audrey, what are you doing!” Although I couldn’t see Brandon stopping Audrey, I knew he must be holding her tightly in his arms. Just like countless times before, when Audrey cried from being wronged, he would definitely hold her close. If I protested, he would say, “I just see her as a sister.” Brandon’s voice came through the phone again: “Annie, do you really have to escalate things to this point? When did you become so utterly irrational!” I didn’t speak, but he seemed to think I was being stubborn, and he said as punishment: “I won’t see you before the destination wedding. You’re on your own.” In the past, when he said things like that, I would desperately beg for his forgiveness, rushing to him that very night to apologize. But today, I just calmly said, “Remember to sign the document in your email…” But before I could finish, he hung up. It didn’t matter. He would see that divorce agreement eventually. I got up and continued packing. As I pulled open the bottom drawer of my desk, a neat stack of photos fell out. They were all of Audrey. By the sea, at a coffee shop, in a laboratory, and a close-up of her in a white lab coat, making a peace sign at the camera. Turns out, they had known each other for a long time. Beneath the photos was a folded piece of paper. I pulled it out and unfolded it, discovering it was a prenatal check-up report. Audrey’s name was clearly written on it, along with the prominent words “fetal heartbeat visible.” The date was three months ago, the day Brandon and I confirmed our marriage. I gasped, then laughed, but the laughter soon turned to tears. Brandon and I also had a child. However, that child passed away when I was seventeen. That year, Brandon and I secretly had sex, and I accidentally got pregnant. He insisted on forcing me to have an abortion. On the operating table, I trembled all over from the pain, and he cried even harder than I did, holding my hand. He told me he loved me over and over again. He said he would be good to me for life, that he would definitely marry me. Later, I could never get pregnant again. Just as I was about to photograph the pictures for Brandon, a message popped up in the family SnapChat group. Mrs. Thompson said: “We’ve watched Audrey grow up, she’s like one of our own. No matter what, Annie, you can’t bully her.” Mr. Thompson added: “Someone with your challenges should know their place! If Brandon hadn’t insisted, do you really think you’d have a chance to marry into our family?” Several relatives followed suit below, and unusually, Brandon didn’t speak up for me. It wasn’t until the relatives finished their barrage of insults that he finally said: “I’ll make her apologize to Audrey.” I stared at the screen for a long time. It wasn’t that I hadn’t wanted to integrate into Brandon’s family. I had repeatedly suggested joining the SnapChat group. But he wouldn’t let me use a smartphone, saying my eyes were bad anyway and there was no need. This group was actually one Audrey had added me to. On the day I joined, Brandon’s family all opposed my entry as an outsider, but they never questioned Audrey. She, clearly also an outsider, had joined the group before me, Brandon’s long-established fiancée. I gave a bitter smile, photographed the prenatal report, and sent it into the family SnapChat group.
The group immediately fell silent. No one spoke again. I stared at the dead quiet chat box, suddenly finding it laughable. I put down my phone and, carrying my suitcase, prepared to go to the wedding house my rival had prepared for me early, when Brandon rushed in, looking disheveled. He must have seen the prenatal report, but he didn’t explain anything to me. “Annie, say something in the group.” His tone was unusually soft. “Just say that report isn’t Audrey’s, it’s yours, and the name was just entered incorrectly.” “Audrey is still a young woman, how can she face people if this gets out?” He crouched down and took my hand. “I don’t blame you for sending the report to the group, really. And we’re getting married soon, you don’t need to care about reputations…” Before he could finish, I slapped him across the face. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself not to cry: “Is the child yours?” Brandon’s face was turned away, he didn’t move. After a moment, he turned back, bypassing the topic. “Annie, I know your eyes aren’t good, you can’t see clearly. Give me your phone, I’ll send it for you.” I refused, but he forcefully snatched it and began editing a message. I turned my head, wiped away my tears. It didn’t matter. Whether it was mine or not wasn’t important. Anyway, I wasn’t going to marry him. After he sent the message, he looked at the suitcase in my hand, then at my tear-reddened eyes. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to hug me. “Annie, be good. I’ll help you carry the travel bags down. Don’t cry, your husband will love you well.” Just then, his phone rang. He stopped what he was doing and answered. Audrey’s broken sobs came through the phone, and Brandon, without a word, turned to leave. I grabbed him: “Don’t forget to check your email.” He paused, frowning as he looked at me, thinking I didn’t want him to leave. “Don’t be difficult. You’ve really upset Audrey, I need to be with her.” He leaned in to kiss my forehead: “You prepared a surprise for me, I’ll look at it when I get back, okay?” I turned my head away, his lips met empty air. Brandon’s brow furrowed deeper, but he didn’t fuss about it. “Wait for me to come back. I’ll pick you up tomorrow.” The door closed. The room fell silent again. Less than a minute later, I received a message from Brandon. “I won’t be picking you up tomorrow. Audrey is very distressed, I need to take her to a therapist.” “The destination wedding is postponed until I inform you.” I sighed, carried my suitcase downstairs myself, and just finished dropping off my luggage. As I was about to call a taxi to my new wedding house, Brandon’s call came in. “Annie! You’ve really gone too far. You know Audrey just had eye surgery, why would you have someone lock her in the sauna!”
“I didn’t. I’ve been at the villa handling my luggage. And, haven’t you checked your email?” “Enough!” He cut me off. “Isn’t it just because Audrey delayed our destination wedding, and you’re feeling resentful?” “I didn’t, I really didn’t…” Before I could finish, my phone suddenly vibrated. Audrey sent a message: “Annie, your good days are over.” I froze, before I could even understand what was happening. Footsteps suddenly came from behind me. Before I could turn around, the back of my head was hit with a sharp pain, and the world plunged into darkness. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on the floor of a sauna room. Steam billowed, and my eyes, already poor, could see almost nothing. Brandon’s voice came from outside the door. I struggled to get up and saw Brandon holding and comforting Audrey. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll get revenge for you.” Audrey was sobbing hysterically in his arms. As the temperature rose, a pain shot through my eyes. I propped myself up and furiously pounded on the door. “Brandon, my eyes can’t be in here, they’ll bleed! Let me out!” He froze slightly, and Audrey cried even harder. “My eyes hurt so much, what do I do? What if I can’t see anymore, what do I do?” Brandon tenderly wiped Audrey’s tears, not responding to me. “I really didn’t do it! Look at the message she sent me!” I held my phone up to the glass window, Audrey’s text message displayed on the screen. Brandon glanced at it. Before he could speak, Audrey shrieked again: “My eyes hurt so much! I’ll never see again! Brandon, I’m so scared…” “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.” Brandon pulled her into his embrace, then turned to look at me, his eyes cold: “Annie, no excuse will work this time. Whatever you did to Audrey, I’ll do to you.” I covered my eyes, screaming: “At least look at my phone…” He didn’t listen. He was already embracing Audrey and turning to leave. The heat grew heavier. Tears streamed uncontrollably from my eyes, only to be evaporated by the high temperature. My eyeballs hurt more and more. I desperately smashed the door. Just then, the door opened. I was overjoyed, trying to get out, but a man pushed me to the ground. The man was drunk. He lunged at me, mumbling obscenities: “Pretty girl, I’m here.” My eyesight was too poor, I couldn’t see his movements, I could only struggle to dodge. But the sauna room was so small, there was no escaping. That filthy hand grabbed my wrist. I gritted my teeth, fumbled for the self-defense weapon I had hidden on me, and forcefully plunged it into my throat. … The steam fogged up the glass, obscuring the scene inside. Brandon’s friend, Mike, kindly reminded him. “Brandon, aren’t you going too far? She’s your fiancée, after all.” Brandon lit a cigarette, his tone nonchalant: “Just to scare her a bit. I didn’t even turn on the temperature.” “I have to teach her a lesson, otherwise she’ll keep bullying Audrey.” Mike paused: “Then why is she constantly screaming that her eyes hurt?” “She’s being dramatic.” Brandon exhaled a puff of smoke. “That’s just how she is…” Before he could finish, a staff member stumbled over: “N-no good! The lady in the sauna room… she killed herself!”
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