Wedding Livestream: My Fiancée Marries My Brother

After swallowing my fourth painkiller of the day, I sit in the hotel lobby wearing the suit Lily Sullivan picked out for me, waiting for the entire morning. The hotel where the wedding is supposed to take place is completely deserted. I then stumble across a livestream of a wedding that is trending locally. On the screen, Lily is slipping the ring that belongs to me onto the groom's finger. And the groom is Henry Griffin, my younger brother, who vanished ten years ago. Facing the camera, Lily speaks calmly. "Ryan Griffin, I know you're watching this. Ten years ago, you lost Henry, causing him to suffer for years. I only pretended to marry you so that today, you could finally experience the despair of being abandoned." The camera shifts to my parents and older sister, the people who have promised to help decorate our new home. My sister says coldly, "You got ten years of our love and attention. Now, it's time to give everything back to Henry. Consider it your atonement." I stare blankly at the happy family on the screen, at a loss. I calmly close the livestream, then take the good luck charm I had planned to give Lily, along with the wedding ring and boutonniere, and toss them all into the trash. What none of them know is that a month ago, I was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. Even today, I'm only able to stand upright with the help of painkiller injections. All I want before I die is to be Lily's groom for a day, and to let my parents and sister witness one last moment of happiness in my life. Now, that dream is shattered. I only have three days left. For the rest of that time, I'll find somewhere quiet and wait to die. Chapter 1 The hotel staff knocked on the door and gently reminded me that the room reservation would only be held until 2:00 pm. Using the wall for support, I forced myself to stand. My vision blurred and darkened. Before I could say anything, an employee from the bridal boutique walked in just as I had finished packing my ID and medical records into my travel bag. "Mr. Griffin, the suit was ordered by Ms. Sullivan, but she only paid the deposit." She looked uncomfortable as she continued, "Ms. Sullivan just informed us that you will be responsible for the remaining balance. The total is 3800 dollars." At that moment, my phone rang. Lily Sullivan's voice was as gentle as ever. "Ryan, did you watch the livestream?" "I did." "Good. Then, at least you understand why I changed grooms at the last minute." She spoke softly, the same way she had when we were kids and she'd clean the scrapes on my knees; the same way she had listened to me vent about work after we'd grown up. After a pause, she added, "The suit looks good on you. I've already paid for part of it, so it's not like I completely wasted your morning." So, that was how she saw it. She'd exchange wedding rings with my brother, then come back and spend the night with me, as if everyone won. My stomach suddenly churned violently. For a moment, I couldn't tell which pain was worse—the one in my abdomen or the one in my chest. I covered my mouth, but the metallic taste of blood still rose up my throat. "You expect me to pay 3800 dollars?" "Henry has suffered so much over the years. Weddings are expensive, and you're his brother. What's wrong with helping out?" Henry Griffin's voice sounded in the background. "Lily, don't blame Ryan. He waited all morning. He must feel terrible." "You're so considerate." Only after comforting Henry did Lily say to me, "Come home for dinner later. Mom and Dad are hosting a welcome-home party for Henry. Apologize to him face-to-face, and we can put all this behind us." "And then what?" "Then, we keep living our lives." Her tone was matter-of-fact. "A wedding is just a ceremony. You're still the one I'm legally married to. I never said I was leaving you." The call ended. The boutique employee stared awkwardly at the suit I was wearing. I only had 4100 dollars left in my bank account. That money was supposed to pay for my hospitalization. However, none of this was the employee's fault. After settling the balance, I changed back into my own clothes and left the hotel. My sister Sarah Griffin's car was waiting at the curb. The window rolled down, and she jerked her chin toward the back seat. "Get in." "I need to go to the hospital," I said. "Today is Henry's first family dinner since coming home. Don't ruin it." She pushed the car door open from inside. When I didn't move, she frowned. "Ryan, Lily may have lied to you, but she did it for Henry. You owe him ten years of his life. It's just a wedding. Is it really worth running away from home over?" Once, when I was little and had a fever, Sarah had carried me across three blocks to see a doctor. She had been drenched in sweat, yet she'd laughed and said I weighed less than her school backpack. Now, she couldn't even be bothered to get out of the car and help me stand. "Sarah, I don't feel well." "You've always been like this. Anytime something doesn't go your way, you get a headache." Her tone softened slightly. "Be good. After dinner, I'll take you to the hospital, okay?" Be good, she told me, in the same cajoling tone she had used when we were children. Clinging to the last scraps of hope, I got into the car. However, the car didn't head to my parents' house. Instead, it stopped in front of the apartment Lily and I had bought together. Wedding decorations still covered the front door. Inside the entryway sat two pairs of matching house slippers. One belonged to Lily, and the other was Henry's size. In the living room, Mom was helping Lily remove his boutonniere. "You must be exhausted after today. Let me massage your shoulders." Dad was busy arranging wedding favors into gift boxes. When he saw me enter, he barely glanced up. "Finally. Go change into your suit. The photographer is here to take a family portrait." "Why do I need to wear the suit?" Henry wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders, smiling blissfully. "Ryan, you'll wear the groomsman's suit, and I'll wear the groom's. That's the only way everyone will know you're genuinely happy for me." Dizziness hit me again. I grabbed the shoe cabinet to keep from collapsing. Chapter 2 The travel bag slipped from my hand, and my medical file slid halfway out. Mom bent down, picked it up, and shoved it into the bottom shelf of the shoe cabinet. "More tests for headaches and fevers? Leave it there for now. It's bad luck to bring that stuff out today." The photographer was already setting up his equipment in the living room. Lily walked over and straightened my crumpled collar. "Ryan, stop acting like you're the victim. Let Henry have his satisfaction. I'm still coming home with you tonight." As she spoke, Henry tossed a white suit at my feet. It was the cheapest groomsman's outfit the bridal boutique offered. "Put it on, Ryan. Don't keep everyone waiting." Smiling, he pushed open the master bedroom door. The walls were covered with wedding photos of Lily and me. However, every photo had been altered. My face had been cut out and replaced with Henry's. Beneath one of the frames sat a hotel receipt that showed Lily and Henry as the registered guests. The date was the night I proposed. That night, Lily had called to say an urgent matter at work had come up. I'd waited alone in the restaurant for four hours. When she finally returned late at night, she hugged me and apologized. "Ryan, once we're married, I'll make up every minute I've missed." It turned out that she hadn't been at work. Instead, she had just climbed out of Henry's bed. The hotel receipt crumpled beneath my tightened grip. Lily reached for it, but I pulled it away. "When did this start?" "Don't ask questions that only damage relationships." She lowered her voice. "Henry had just come back and felt insecure. I was only keeping him company." "You kept him company in a hotel room?" Sarah snatched the receipt from my hand. "They're both adults. What's wrong with that? Do you have to assume the worst? If Lily didn't love you, would she have stayed with you for seven years?" "Seven years?" Henry leaned against the couch, stroking the wedding ring on his finger. "During those seven years she was with Ryan, she celebrated my birthday with me every year. She used to complain that Ryan was too clingy, and it was hard for her to get away." The words were like a punch to my chest. Ten years ago, I'd been standing in line at a mall, helping Mom buy a birthday cake. Henry had wanted to go look at a display of toys, and I'd told him to wait beside the counter for just three minutes. When I came back, he was gone. The police searched for an entire year without finding a lead. Back then, Mom held me while I cried and told me it wasn't my fault. Dad sat beside my bed at night, afraid my guilt would drive me to do something reckless. Sarah had even burned the missing-person flyers. "No one is allowed to ever bring this up in front of Ryan again." All that protection had merely been part of a lie, and the ending had already been written. "When were you found?" The moment I asked that question, the room fell silent. Mom immediately stood up and said, "Today is supposed to be a happy day. Why bring up the past?" "Mom, I just asked when he came back." "Ryan, don't pressure Mom." Henry's eyes reddened. "It doesn't matter when I came back. It doesn't change the fact that you lost me." Lily gently wrapped her arms around Henry and comforted him, "It's okay. I'm here." The ring on his finger reflected the light from her dress. The bright flash hurt my eyes. I had gone back to the jewelry store five different times to look at that ring. Every time, Lily had told me it was too expensive and that there was no need for an extravagant wedding. The last time, I leaned on the display counter and joked, "Once I finish this illustration project, the royalty payment will be enough for me to buy it myself." She tapped my nose and said, "Silly. There's no rush. Someday, I'll get you something even better." The "something better" she had promised was a plain ring worth less than 200 dollars. Meanwhile, the expensive ring now sat on Henry's finger. "Take the ring off." Henry immediately stepped behind Lily. Dad's expression darkened. "It's just a ring. Are you really going to fight your own brother over it?" "I bought that ring with my own money." Before the wedding, Lily had transferred 28 thousand dollars from our joint account, claiming the new house needed renovations. She had promised me every cent would go toward building our future home. Looking around at all the new furniture and decorations in the house, I realized the money had indeed been spent on the house. The only difference was that I wasn't the groom. "Shared marital assets are still shared assets, regardless of who bought them." Lily's voice remained gentle as she continued, "Me giving Henry a sense of security is part of helping you make amends. You always say you love me. Are you really not able to part with a little money?" My stomach twisted violently. I rushed into the bathroom and dry-heaved for a long time. When I came back out, I saw that Sarah had opened my travel bag. Medication bottles were neatly lined up on the coffee table. "Painkillers. Sedatives. Anti-nausea medication." Henry picked up one of the bottles and said, "Ryan, for someone trying to avoid apologizing, you've certainly come prepared." "Put that down." I moved toward him quickly and was hit by a wave of dizziness. I slammed into the corner of the table. The bottle slipped from his hand. White pills scattered across the floor. Mom didn't help me up. Instead, she immediately shielded Henry. "Why are you frightening him?" "Those are my medications," I answered. "If you've got a headache, just endure it for a while." Dad glanced at the clock on the wall and said impatiently, "The photographer charges by the hour. Stop wasting time." Henry crouched down and gathered the pills, his voice gentle. "Ryan, I'll help you." He returned the pills to the bottle. Then, as he passed the sink, his wrist tilted ever so slightly. The white tablets spilled into the drain as he swiftly turned on the faucet. Lily saw the whole thing. However, she simply took his hand and gently dried his fingers. "Don't touch dirty things. Mom can get Ryan another bottle later." Chapter 3 The medications were powerful preion drugs, issued in limited quantities by the hospital for my specific condition. They couldn't be bought over the counter at the pharmacy. "Lily, I probably won't survive longer than three days." The living room fell silent for two seconds before Sarah burst out laughing. "You'd say such a thing just to get out of a family photo? Ryan, don't use death to manipulate people." Mom smoothed a wrinkle in my jacket and spoke in a tone as if soothing a stubborn child. "When you were little and couldn't get your way against Henry, you'd pretend to have stomachaches. It seems you haven't changed." "Mom, I'm not pretending." "Alright. You're not pretending." She nodded dismissively. "Let's finish the photoshoot first, then we'll take you to the hospital, okay?" The photographer pressed the shutter. In the picture, Henry stood in the center, while Lily clung affectionately to his arm. My parents and Sarah surrounded him on both sides. Meanwhile, I stood at the very edge in a cheap groomsman's suit, only half my pale face visible in the frame. When the photos were done, Dad pulled out a document and said to me, "This is a property transfer agreement. The family house was registered in your name. But now that Henry's back, it should belong to him." Grandma had left the house to me. Before she passed, she held my hand and told me, "Having something of your own is the foundation of security in life." For ten years, I had entrusted the deed to Dad without a second thought. "Grandma gave that house to me." "You've already had it for ten years." Dad pushed a pen across the table. "Don't be greedy. Let Henry have the house. You and Lily can still live in the apartment." Henry grinned and lightly shook Lily's arm. "But Lily told me the apartment belongs to me, too. If Ryan lives there, I'll have nightmares every night." Expressionless, Lily said, "Ryan can stay in my old studio apartment. It's a little run-down, but it's close to a hospital. It'll be good for his health." That apartment was only 300 square feet. It was a converted basement unit with no windows. The ceiling leaked terribly, and there was barely any heat in it during winter. Seven years ago, when Lily was struggling with her startup business, I lived there with her for almost two years. Whenever mold spread across the walls, I'd cover it with decorative stickers. Back then, she held me tightly and promised that she'd never let me suffer again. Now, she was offering me that same basement apartment as compensation. "I won't sign it." Sarah grabbed my shoulder. "Stop being difficult. After Henry disappeared, he slept under bridges and ate garbage to survive. And you can't even stay in a basement? Besides, it's only temporary. Once he's calmed down, we'll bring you back." Pain spread from my skull down my spine. I began seeing double. I pleaded, "Give me my phone. I need to call an ambulance." Lily caught my wrist. "If an ambulance shows up today, what will the neighbors say about Henry? Just hold on for another couple of hours. Once the relatives leave, I'll take you to the hospital myself." "I'm in a lot of pain. I really can't hold on anymore." As I struggled, my phone slipped from my fingers. Henry picked it up first. "Ryan, are you trying to record us, then go and tell everyone that your family mistreated you?" He turned the phone off and stuffed it into his pocket. "When you've signed the papers, I'll give it back." The doorbell rang. Relatives began arriving with gifts. No one asked if I was in pain anymore. Everyone gathered around Henry, listening to his tragic stories. He spoke of sleeping in train stations, being beaten, and nearly being trafficked to another country. Mom cried so hard she could barely stand. Dad turned away to wipe his eyes. Lily tiptoed and kissed Henry's forehead. "No one can hurt you ever again." Near the coffee table, I pushed myself upright against the wall. A corner of my medical file still stuck out from the bottom shelf of the shoe cabinet. If I could just get the report, surely then they'd believe me. My fingertips had barely touched the folder when a shoe came down on my hand. I looked up to see Henry staring at me. His voice was low. "Ryan, nobody is taking you to the hospital. The three minutes of despair I spent waiting for you ten years ago will be repaid tenfold by you today." He picked up the medical file, then walked into the master bedroom and tossed it inside. The door slammed shut. A second later, I heard the key turn. Henry had locked the master bedroom door. Chapter 4 By the time dinner began, I could no longer stand on my own. Lily helped me into a chair and even placed a cushion behind my back. "See? I still care about you." In front of everyone, she ladled soup into a bowl for me. "Ryan just has a lot on his mind. He'll be fine after a while." Parsley floated on the surface of the soup. I was severely allergic to parsley. For seven years, Lily had always reminded waiters to omit parsley from my meals. Today, she forgot. Or perhaps, ever since Henry returned, she no longer cared to remember my dietary needs. "Lily, if Ryan doesn't want it, feed me." Lily immediately brought the bowl to Henry. "Be careful. It's hot." The relatives laughed. "The brothers used to be so close. Now that the younger one is back, the older one is jealous." "Ryan has been spoiled. He needs to learn to give in to Henry." Sarah approached with a glass of wine. "Did you hear that? Nobody thinks we've treated you unfairly. Now, sign the papers, raise a toast to Henry, and we'll put all of this behind us." The agreement was placed in front of me again. A pen hovered over the signature line. Even through my cloudy vision, I shook my head. "That house was Grandma's gift to me." Dad finally lost his patience and snapped, "How long are you going to keep acting like a child? If you don't sign today, you're not leaving this house." Before I could respond, Henry spoke softly. "Dad, Ryan isn't feeling well. Let him rest for a while." The four of them carried me into the guest room. Sarah placed the agreement on the bedside table. "You can come out when you've come to your senses." Lily pulled the blanket over me and pressed a hand against my forehead. "You don't have a fever. Stop pretending to be sick just to upset Mom and Dad." "My phone…" I said weakly. "You'll get it back after you sign the papers." As Lily turned away, I grabbed the sleeve of her shirt. "My medical records are in the master bedroom. Go take a look at them." For seven years, whenever I held onto her like that, she would always stop and comfort me. This time, Henry called her name from the hallway, and her sleeve immediately slipped from my fingers. "Henry has had a difficult day. I'm going to stay with him. When your attitude improves, I'll come check on you." The door closed. Then, I heard the lock click. Pain completely erased my sense of time. When I woke up, it was already dark outside. Laughter drifted in from the living room. Lily and Henry were opening wedding gifts together. The emergency call function on my watch still worked. I had barely entered the second digit when the bedroom door suddenly opened. Henry walked in and snatched the watch away. "Are you trying to call an ambulance again? The house is full of relatives. Are you trying to humiliate us?" "Give it back." I lifted an arm, but it fell helplessly back onto the mattress. Henry stared at my face. For a brief second, panic flickered in his eyes. Still, he quickly fastened the watch around his own wrist. "Ryan, this watch is pretty nice. I'll consider it your wedding gift to me." The door locked again. I didn't know how much time passed after that. Eventually, the living room grew quiet. Lily entered with her arm looped through Henry's. My parents and Sarah followed. "Ryan, you still haven't signed the agreement." Sarah patted my cheek. "Stop pretending to be asleep. The last time you went for a checkup, the doctor said you were fine. Are you trying to guilt-trip us again?" My body no longer felt pain. Lily sat beside the bed, her voice patient yet weary. "Look how considerate Henry is. He was the one who told me to come check on you. If you just sign your name and give him the house, we can go back to our normal lives." Mom adjusted the shawl around Henry's shoulders. "Your brother came home with nothing. Why can't you just let him have this? We won't abandon you." Dad nodded coldly. "Lying there without moving isn't going to get you out of this." Leaning against Lily, Henry sniffled quietly. "Ryan, do you hate me? If that's the case, I don't want the house. Lily and I will move out." "Don't be ridiculous." Lily tightened her arm around him before turning toward me. "Ryan, will you only be satisfied if Henry ends up homeless?" When I didn't respond, she reached out and pushed my shoulder. "That's enough." My arm slipped from the edge of the mattress and dangled limply in midair. Lily frowned as she leaned closer toward my face. The next second, her entire body froze beside the bed.