At Gabriel’s bachelor party, his childhood friend Rose approached him for a kiss. “Gabe, you’re not engaged until tomorrow. Since you’re still single tonight, can I have a little kiss?” He hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her without hesitation. Their friends froze, all eyes turning to me – his fiancée. Everyone expected me to cause a scene and call off the engagement right then and there. Instead, I walked up to them and cheered them on. “Bravo! I love it! Why stop at a peck? Use some tongue, why don’t you?” 0 Gabriel stiffened when he heard my words and turned to look at me. Rose was still in his arms, breathless. When she saw me, her eyes held a challenging glint. “Oh, Lily! I didn’t see you there. Gabe, I’m so embarrassed!” Gabriel looked confused for a moment when he heard Rose, but quickly regained his composure. He tried to explain, “Lily, it’s not what it looks like. Rose is just like a sister to me…” Everyone here was Gabriel’s friend and supporter. No one dared say a word against him. Someone even tried to cover for him: “Yeah, Lily. Gabe’s just had too much to drink tonight.” I looked at Rose, who was impeccably dressed. Her carefully applied red lipstick was now smudged from the kiss, giving her an even more alluring appearance. Noticing my gaze, she stared right back at me defiantly, as if to say, “No matter how long you look, this man will drop you for me with just a crook of my finger.” “Hah.” Her arrogance made me laugh bitterly. “Oh really? Just like a sister? Well, you’re not actually related, so why don’t you just marry her instead?” Gabriel’s expression darkened at my words. “Lily, I suggest you watch your jokes! I’ve already explained, what more do you want from me? Do you really need to keep harping on this and insulting Rose? Where are your manners? Rose just got back from abroad, I’m just looking out for her a bit more. What’s wrong with that?” His words made everyone’s expressions turn awkward. Just looking out for her a bit more? We’re all adults here. Since when did “looking out” for someone mean practically taking them to bed? Rose smiled sweetly and said in a considerate tone, “Gabe, don’t say that about Lily. She’s always been so kind and understanding. She’ll understand us, right Lily?” But I didn’t react the way they expected. I didn’t even acknowledge Rose. This made everyone watch me with eager anticipation, wondering how I would handle Rose. Anyone could see Gabriel’s clear favoritism towards Rose. They were curious why Gabriel seemed the angriest, even though he was the one who had done wrong. Where did he get the nerve? In Gabriel’s eyes, I saw impatience and a “here we go again” look. As if I was some kind of monster who would fly off the handle at any moment. I suppose that makes sense. In the past, when faced with someone like Rose, I would have been a firecracker ready to explode at the slightest spark. And he would be the silent observer, watching me detonate after he lit the fuse. Until I was hysterical and completely spent. Then he would pick up the pieces, acting as if nothing had happened. He’d offer some empty words or a gift, and I would pathetically make excuses and forget everything. I’ve lost count of how many times this cycle has repeated. The worst time, I steeled my resolve to leave. But just as I was walking out the door, he called. “Lily, I really can’t live without you.” Just like that, with one flimsy sentence, I turned right back around. Every single time, it was the same. Countless nights I broke down, then licked my wounds alone. Then we’d act like nothing happened and get back together. By now, I’m utterly exhausted from this relationship. 0
Someone nudged me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I’m not sure how long I had been standing there lost in thought, but the atmosphere had grown tense. All eyes were on me. “Lily, if you’re going to make a scene, go home. Don’t embarrass me here!” Hearing his harsh rebuke, I suddenly felt it all pointless. I grabbed my purse from the booth and headed for the exit. “I’ll be going then. Have fun, everyone.” I waved behind me as I walked away without looking back. As I was leaving, I heard Rose say to Gabriel in her sickeningly sweet voice: “Gabe, you don’t think Lily’s mad at me again, do you? I really didn’t mean any harm!” Gabriel gently reassured her: “It’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it.” Whatever was happening in that room no longer concerned me. Even if they were rolling around in bed right now, it wouldn’t faze me one bit. After all, to outsiders, they looked more like the intimate couple. I was the one intruding between them. They shamelessly acted intimate under the guise of being “siblings” time and time again, right in front of others. Those suggestive words, those repeated boundary-pushing tests. They played me perfectly, accusing me of being petty the moment I got upset. This time was no different – the same old story, the same accusations. Gabriel took advantage of my feelings for him, acting without a care. I had just gotten in the car when I received a video message from a friend. The video showed Gabriel and Rose dancing closely, then passionately kissing. I couldn’t even finish watching before feeling nauseous, like I had just kissed a toilet seat. My friend also sent a message asking: “Are you really not going to do anything about this?” After the wave of nausea passed, I sat back in my seat, staring blankly at the message. Was there even any point anymore? I couldn’t figure it out after thinking for a while. Annoyed, I turned off my phone screen. With a roar of the engine, I drove out of the parking garage. I rolled down the window, letting the chilly night air clear my muddled mind. Suddenly, I realized – maybe I could stop loving Gabriel. I returned to the home Gabriel and I shared. Everything in this place was decorated to his taste. From the overall style down to each little ornament. Everything except me. After three years of living here with him, I had grown accustomed to it all. I loved everything here as much as I loved Gabriel. But now, it all seemed laughable. I went upstairs to get ready for bed, then fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Around 4 or 5 in the morning, I heard the front door open downstairs. Gabriel was back. I had thought he wouldn’t come home tonight. I didn’t get up to greet him, just rolled over and went back to sleep. Before I could drift off, I heard something shatter downstairs. He probably bumped into something in the dark, not used to the lights being off. In the past, I always left the lights on waiting for him, even if he didn’t come home until morning. This was the first time I hadn’t waited up with the lights on. He pushed open the bedroom door, light from the hallway falling across me. There was no arguing like he expected. 0
It was as if nothing had happened at the party. I wasn’t hysterical, nor did I show any concern. I just lay there, as still as a corpse. He stood silently by the bed for a long time. Seeing I still didn’t react, he eventually stormed out, slamming the door behind him. I knew he was trying to get my attention. He needed me to comfort him, to let him vent his frustrations. But I was tired of it all. I slept soundly that night and woke up in a good mood to make myself breakfast. As I finished cooking, Gabriel emerged from his study, rubbing his temples. A symptom of his hangover. Seeing his familiar figure, I couldn’t help but think of last night. When I returned to the apartment last night, he wasn’t there. But I felt no worry at all. I just went through my usual bedtime routine. The bed felt so much more spacious without him in it. Gabriel hadn’t even sent me a single message after last night, and I felt nothing about it. In the past, I would have been beside myself with worry, ready to mobilize my entire network to find him. Did I still want to marry him? As I pondered this, my phone buzzed with a new picture message. It was a photo of Rose and Gabriel in bed together. Along with an ultrasound report showing 16 weeks pregnant. Oh, so that’s why he didn’t have time to message – he was too busy in bed with his “sister.” Though shocked, I forced myself to accept the reality. There had been signs between them for a long time. I should have seen this coming. After all that flirting under the guise of being “siblings,” it would have been stranger if they hadn’t gone all the way. I texted Rose back: “Congrats! From rolling in the sheets last night to 16 weeks along already? Your kid must be some kind of superhero.” Rose replied quickly: “Lily, what are you talking about? Did you even look at the report date?” “Let me remind you – this was from 5 months ago, the day of your engagement.” I froze in place, Gabriel’s voice cutting through my thoughts. “Lily, don’t make the soup too thick. I don’t like it that way.” “I want some Shanghai-style noodle soup. I don’t have much appetite, something warm would be nice.” I heard him say this as I bustled around the kitchen. How laughable. Did he think I was his maid now? Even maids get days off and a salary. I had nothing. He couldn’t even keep it in his pants outside, let alone provide any emotional value, yet he expected me to do what exactly? I ignored him, tossed my phone aside, and sat down to eat my own breakfast. Gabriel, who had been waiting a while, surprisingly didn’t get angry when he saw I hadn’t made anything for him. Instead, he said: “I drank too much yesterday and got carried away. It was my last night as a bachelor, don’t be mad.” I had just finished eating and was loading the dishes into the dishwasher, not really listening to what he was saying. Seeing I didn’t respond, he repeated himself. I finally looked up at him. “Oh, why would I be mad? Didn’t you say she’s just like a sister to you?” He hadn’t expected me to be so nonchalant. Trying to sound casual, he said: “Right, so don’t overthink it. We’re getting married soon, I promise it won’t happen again.” “Mhm.” I finished tidying up and grabbed my bag, ready to head to my studio. “Lily!” Gabriel called out just as I was about to leave. “Yes?” I turned back, puzzled. He looked at me in disbelief: “You’re just… forgiving me like that?” “What should I do instead?” “Anyway, I’ve got to go or I’ll be late.” Men are such strange creatures. He used to get mad when I adamantly refused to let him interact with other women. Now that I’ve given him the freedom he wanted, he seems upset too. I really don’t understand. When I arrived at the studio, everyone was huddled together whispering instead of working as usual. This unusual behavior piqued my curiosity. As I approached, I caught snippets of their conversation: “Do you think Lily knows about this?” “I bet it was on purpose, to make Lily back down.” … I was about to ask what was going on when I heard crying from outside. I turned to see Gabriel dragging Rose towards me. Their intimate body language drew stares from my coworkers. Before I could say anything, Gabriel glared at me furiously. “Lily, did you do this?!”
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