My Girlfriend, My Best Friend, Their Secret Vows

We're playing "Never Have I Ever" at a bachelor party when my girlfriend, Veronica Smith, draws a card that reads, "I have never betrayed my best friend." The moment her words fall, the room freezes as if someone hit pause. Everyone looks at me at the same time. Three seconds later, they wordlessly pick up the drinks in front of them and down them in unison. I am the sole winner of this round, which means I get to ask the losers a truth question or give them a dare. Hence, without hesitation, I ask, "How did you betray your friend?" To my surprise, everyone remains dead silent. My close friend, Ian Lachlan, is about to take his punishment shot when Veronica, who has been silent for a long time, holds his hand down and looks at me. "Don't make things difficult for them. I'll tell you. The truth is, I've been with Ian for five years. I'm pregnant, and I can't let our unborn child be illegitimate." In an instant, tears well up in his eyes, and he can't even bring himself to look at me. Bridget Rochelle, my cousin, also comes clean. "To be honest, we've known all along. Ian and Veronica tied the knot in their hometown last year, and we all attended their wedding. Your adoptive parents accepted it too. They just asked us not to tell you for the time being." At that moment, the party lights hit my eyes, and everyone's faces blur. Their confessions echo in my ears, one after another. Turns out, for seven years, I've been living a lie. Chapter 1 I parted my lips, but it felt as though something was lodged in my throat. It took me a long while to force out, "Ian and Veronica had a wedding last year?" No one answered. I knew everyone in this private room. We'd wined and dined together, traveled together, and sent each other gifts during the holidays. But now, all of them hung their heads, unable to meet my eyes. In the end, my cousin, Bridget Rochelle, broke the silence. "Yes." I stared at her blankly, unable to process her words for what felt like an eternity. Bridget and I had grown up together. When someone picked on me when I was a child, she would stand up for me. When a teacher reprimanded me, she'd buy me candy on the way home from school. I had always believed that anyone in this world could deceive me, but not Bridget. Yet, here she was, siding with them. I belatedly realized that last year, when my girlfriend, Veronica Smith, claimed she was on a business trip, she was actually tying the knot with my friend, Ian Lachlan. I felt like such an idiot. I'd been worried that she would overexert herself, so I'd ordered late-night snacks for her and delivered them to her office. My heart had gone out for her, and I'd told her not to burn the candle at both ends. Looking back on it now, it felt as though someone had gouged out my heart with their bare hands. I looked at Bridget. "What do you mean? Do Ma and Pops know?" Avoiding my gaze, she responded quietly, "They were afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it, so they never told you." My fingertips went numb, and I could barely hold myself upright in my seat. Ma and Pops knew all along. It hit me that Veronica wasn't the only one who had lied to me. Even my own family had helped them keep me in the dark. At long last, I understood why everyone was so calm now. They had known all along that this day would come. Veronica looked at me and said flatly, "I know this isn't fair to you, Jesse." My eyes burned as I held her gaze. "You knew it wasn't fair to me, yet you did it anyway." Her brows drew together, as if she didn't like the way I was talking to her. "What's done is done. Nothing will change even if you cause a scene now." Ian sighed. "Veronica has done so much to make it up to you over the years, Jesse. Your younger brother's medical treatment, your job transfer, and the house you live in—which of those didn't she help you with? Everyone has been considerate of your feelings, too. Be reasonable and think about it." "Exactly! You're the most fortunate one here," someone chimed in. After hearing that, it felt as though my blood had run cold. I was the one who didn't belong in their eyes. Plus, I had reaped all the benefits. Apparently, they had lied to me out of good intentions, and I was supposed to be grateful for it. Veronica leaned back in her chair, as if she had finally gotten a burden off her shoulders. "Ian and I had a wedding. We'll host one for you, too. That will make us even," she said apathetically. For a moment, I almost laughed out loud. That made us even? "You still want to have your cake and eat it too." I scoffed. Her expression darkened. "I'm attempting to preserve your dignity, Jesse." I sneered. Everyone in this room was well aware of her and Ian's affair, and now, they were supposed to show up at our wedding. Was that what she called dignity? Was she really that eager to make me an even bigger laughingstock? Tears pooled in Ian's eyes, and he rasped out, "I know you hate me, but the baby's innocent, Jesse." I looked at him, feeling a tight, suffocating ache in my chest. "What about me? Was I not innocent for seven long years?" The color drained from his face. His lips quivered, but he was at a loss for words. I picked up the glass of wine beside me and hurled it in Veronica's face. Wine dripped down her chin and trickled downward. Ian sprang to his feet, shrieking my name at the top of his lungs. Yet, my gaze remained on Veronica. "I don't want the dignity you're offering me, and I sure as hell won't grant you your fairy-tale ending, either. I wish you two bastards a lifetime of happiness together!" Having said my piece, I grabbed my coat and walked out. Chaos erupted behind me. Bridget called after me, someone tried to stop me, and others accused me of taking things too far. Still, I didn't look back. Chapter 2 The next morning, I was jarred awake by the buzzing of my phone. Notifications kept popping up one after another. There were screenshots from social media posts and forwarded group messages, as if everyone was afraid I might miss them. The moment I tapped open the first photo, my breath hitched in my throat. Veronica and Ian stood outside the courthouse with their marriage certificates, grinning ear to ear. The comments below were a wall of well-wishes. I kept scrolling and came across a post from Bridget. "It's been a long journey. I wish you all the happiness you've dreamed of!" She'd attached photos of Veronica and Ian, along with pictures from last year's wedding. I tapped on the group photo, and my hands began to tremble uncontrollably. There were so many familiar faces in the photo. Bridget was there. Irene Miller was there. Even Ma and Pops were there. Pops had a smile on his face, while Ma stood beside him, handing out wine glasses. Everyone looked completely at ease. Then, there was me—the fool who was left out of the loop from day one. I placed my phone facedown on the bed, a dull ache tightening in my chest. However, my phone wouldn't stop ringing. Someone in the company group chat had shared a video from the private room the night before. It showed only the most chaotic part of what had happened. I was standing there, my expression grim. Ian was weeping pitifully, while Veronica stood in front of him as if she was protecting her husband from someone who had wronged him. The caption was even more sickening. "A certain someone was exposed as a homewrecker and went berserk, splashing wine at them." Before long, my colleagues recognized me. "Isn't that Jesse?" "Wow, you really can't judge a book by its cover." "No wonder his girlfriend never made their relationship public. Turns out, he's the side piece." "Hurry up and tag her husband and tell him to come get him!" The blood in my fingers ran cold as I sat there. Veronica knew perfectly well that I wasn't a side piece. Yet, she didn't utter a single word to defend me. Her silence was as good as an admission. It took me a long while to pull myself together before I finally got up to wash my face. I still had to go to the hospital to visit my younger brother, Julian James, that day. His condition had been unstable lately, and the last thing I wanted was for him to see any of this. However, before I could even step out the door, a billing notification from the hospital popped up on my phone. I was still short on the funds needed for his next round of treatment. I stared at the amount for what felt like an eternity and, ultimately, decided to head home. Veronica and I had lived here together for four years. I had put so much thought into making this place feel like home. I had even planned to pay off the mortgage once I'd saved enough money. I had genuinely thought about our future. Sadly, there was no future for us anymore. I had just stepped into the living room when I heard the front door click open. Veronica and Ian walked in together. Both of them were still dressed in the formal attire from their wedding photoshoot. My heart went numb as I took them in. "Do you have any idea what your photos have done? Now, everyone thinks I'm the one who came between you two," I jeered. Veronica frowned. "Everyone knows we're married. I just made a post about it." Ian chimed in impatiently, "Can you stop blaming us for every little thing, Jesse? Everyone's happy for us. What's the big deal?" I found it absurdly laughable when I heard that. I took a deep breath. I had nothing left to say. "Get the hell out!" Veronica looked as though she'd just heard a joke. "Did you just ask me to leave? I paid for most of the renovations, maintenance fees, and parking space over the years. Do you really think you could have afforded to live here on your own? "Ian and I are going to live here from now on. If you can't accept that, pack your shit and leave!" I stood frozen in place for what felt like forever. The down payment for this place came from every single cent I had scraped together since my very first job. On the day I signed the contract, I was so happy that my hands were shaking. Veronica had wrapped her arms around me and said that this would be our home from then on. I had proudly shown Ian the keys, and he had replied, "That's great." It seemed that he was already lying in wait back then. I didn't waste another breath on them. I quickly packed up my belongings. When I crossed the threshold, Veronica's voice sounded behind me. "If you take one step out that door, I won't give you another cent!" Standing in the elevator, my knuckles turned white as I tightened my grip on the handle of my luggage. I'd bitten the inside of my mouth until I tasted blood, but I couldn't feel the pain; all I could feel was an overwhelming sense of humiliation. Ultimately, I left without looking back. I wanted to get as far away from them as possible. Chapter 3 I had nowhere to go. In the end, I could only check into a cheap budget hotel. The room was a shoebox. Even the curtains were old. I sat on the edge of the bed and called Julian. As soon as he answered, the first thing he asked was, "Have you been crying, Jesse?" My nose prickled, but I still said no. He was silent for a moment before asking quietly, "Did you and Veronica get into a fight? The internet's talking about you." My heart sank into my stomach. The very thing I had feared most had happened after all. After hanging up, I immediately opened Twitter. It wasn't high on the trending list, but it was trending enough for the people who needed to see it to notice. The headline was painfully clear. "Girlfriend Gets Pregnant and Registers Marriage, While the Side Piece Causes a Scene." Beneath it was a mashup of images—videos from the private room, photos outside the courthouse, and old pictures of Veronica and me. The most disgusting part was that they had completely reversed the timeline. The post claimed that Veronica and Ian had been a couple all along and that I was the one who had come between them. They even claimed that because Julian's illness cost a lot of money to treat, I had clung to Veronica because I was looking for someone to support me. The comment section was filled with all kinds of insults. My eyes misted over as I scrolled through them one by one, but I couldn't shed a single tear. Before long, I received a message from the company. Because the negative publicity surrounding me was affecting the company's image, they formally notified me of my termination. I gaped at those words for what felt like an eternity. I had slowly worked my way up to this position. When I was just an intern, I stayed up all night with clients to revise proposals. I snuck into the restroom to splash water on my face whenever I was too tired to keep my eyes open. Later on, as I took on more projects, there were times when I barely slept for several days straight. I had thought that, at the very least, there was one thing I'd managed to hold on to through my own efforts. Unfortunately, I was wrong. … That evening, I still went to the Smith residence. I wasn't there because I still had any hope. I simply wanted to see what all these years had really meant. I had never been there before. Veronica and I had been seeing each other for seven years, yet I had never met her parents. Every time I brought it up, she would tell me that her family was traditional and that we could talk about it later. I couldn't believe I'd actually believed her. When the door swung open, Veronica's father, Ryan Smith, spotted Ian at a glance. He patted Ian on the shoulder and greeted him warmly. "You must be Ian. Come on in!" I stood at the threshold, but no one paid any attention to me. When he finally noticed me, he frowned and asked Veronica, "Who is he?" At that moment, I started to feel a little nervous. Yet, after a brief pause, she said coldly, "He's a driver newly hired by my company." I glanced at my plain outfit and realized that, in her eyes, I couldn't hold a candle to Ian. Ryan lost interest in me and turned back to enthusiastically chat with Ian. Sample wedding invitations and formal wear catalogs were laid out on the coffee table. I merely took one look at them, and my heart twisted painfully. I had chosen that wedding invitation. Half a year ago, Veronica and I had stayed up late into the night picking it out. She had said that when we got married someday, we'd use this design. The suit design tucked inside the formalwear catalog was also the exact one I had once chosen. I had thought it was too expensive and couldn't bring myself to order it. Veronica had hugged me and said she'd buy it for me once her year-end bonus came in. I belatedly realized she had bought it. However, she had just given it to someone else. Ryan flipped through the samples and said softly, "Make sure to change the names." Veronica took them from him and casually called the wedding planner. "Change the groom's name to Ian and get his measurements retaken for the tux." Her expression remained stoic as she said that. Yet, I felt hollow inside when I heard it. After Ryan took Ian upstairs, Veronica finally walked up to me. "I…" I gazed at her silently. She sighed. "I'm sorry. No matter what you need, I'm still willing to help you out." I suddenly wanted to guffaw. "Did you seriously think all this time that I was only with you because you're rich?" Veronica knitted her brows. "Isn't that the case? I'm the one who has never asked you for a single thing. I don't owe you anything." Looking at her, the last remaining ember in my heart went completely cold. Just then, I received a call from the hospital. The nurse sounded frantic on the other end of the line. "Am I speaking with Julian's family member? The patient suddenly became extremely agitated, and his condition has worsened. Please come to the hospital immediately!" My vision swam, and without thinking, I turned on my heel and sprinted out. … By the time I arrived at the hospital, Julian had already been transferred to the intensive care unit. The doctor told me that after seeing the posts online, he had suffered an emotional breakdown. His health had already been poor to begin with, and the shock almost took him out. As I stood on the other side of the glass and watched him lie in that hospital bed, tears immediately welled up in my eyes. His complexion was pallid, an oxygen tube rested beneath his nose, and the back of his hand was covered in needle marks. For a moment, I didn't even dare to breathe too heavily. Chapter 4 When I went inside, Julian was still awake. After hearing my footsteps, he slowly peeled his eyes open. The moment he saw it was me, tears pooled in his eyes. He grasped my hand. His grip was so weak that it felt like he might slip away at any moment. "Jesse." I hastily tightened my grip around his hand. "I'm here. Don't worry." He stared at me for a long time before tears trickled down his cheek. "Are you a homewrecker, Jesse?" My whole body went rigid. I wasn't afraid of what others said about me, nor did I care how much their words hurt me. Julian, however, was different. Had he not donated his kidney to save me back then, I would've died. Because of the complications from that surgery, he could no longer live like a normal person again. I shook my head frantically, my throat raw and aching. "No, I'm not." He wept even harder. "But everyone online says you're clinging to someone else's wife!" I bent down, pressed my cheek against his hand, and kept telling him over and over that it wasn't true. Right then, the door to the hospital room was pushed open. I turned around, and my entire body instantly tensed up. Ian had arrived with Veronica's sister, Talia Smith, in tow. I immediately stood up and planted myself between them and the hospital bed. "What are you doing here?" Ian clutched a fruit basket and said softly, "I'm here to clear things up. Those comments online are too harsh. I don't want Julian to get the wrong idea." After hearing that, Julian's eyes actually lit up. He looked at Ian, as if he was clinging to the last ray of hope. "My brother isn't a homewrecker, right, Ian?" I looked at Ian too. For a split second, I hoped he would tell the truth, even if it was just a single sentence. Ian nodded. "That's right. He's not." Julian visibly relaxed. However, the very next second, Talia scoffed. "Why are you covering for him, Ian? He's a homewrecker, isn't he?" The room went dead silent. I whipped my head around to gape at her. Julian was stunned as well. Talia stood at the threshold and said casually, "My sister's legally married to you, yet he still won't let her go. If he's not a homewrecker, then what is he?" Julian blanched. He stared at Ian intently, as if he was waiting for him to deny it. Ian, however, merely stood there. His lips were pale, and he didn't utter a single word. At that moment, I could only watch as the light in Julian's eyes slowly shattered. The heart monitor began to wail. His breathing became erratic, his chest heaved violently, and his face instantly turned ghastly pale. "Julian!" I lunged forward to press the call button before turning around and shoving Ian away. "Get out! Who told you to come here?" The fruit basket crashed to the ground, scattering fruit all over the floor. Ian stumbled back a couple of steps, and the color drained from his face. "Listen to me. That's not what Talia meant, Jesse!" I stared at him long and hard, my whole body shaking like a leaf. "In that case, why didn't you deny it? Why did you just stand there and watch him collapse without saying a single word?" By the time the nurses and doctors rushed in, the hospital room was already in complete chaos. I called for the doctor while pushing them out. "Get out. All of you, get the hell out!" Just then, Veronica arrived. The moment the door swung open, I thought she would at least take a look at Julian. Yet, the first thing she did upon rushing in was to support Ian. "Are you okay?" Tears instantly welled up in his eyes, and he seized her arm. "I only came here to clear things up, but he shoved me out of the blue, Veronica." Veronica immediately shifted her attention toward me, and her expression hardened. "Enough's enough, Jesse! Ian came to check on your brother out of the kindness of his heart. Besides, I'm pregnant. Do you have to make a scene until I get stressed out too?" I stood beside the hospital bed, and when I heard those words, something inside me suddenly went hollow. Julian was being resuscitated, surrounded by doctors and nurses while the heart monitor blared nonstop. Yet, she couldn't see any of it. The only thing that mattered was her and Ian's unborn child. I looked at her, and all of a sudden, I didn't feel like uttering another word. I raised my hand and pointed toward the door, my voice so hoarse that it barely sounded like my own. "Get out. All of you, scram!" The doctor also ordered all unauthorized personnel to leave in a stern voice. The ward finally quieted down. After a long, desperate effort to resuscitate Julian, he was finally pulled back from death's door. I sat beside his bed and stayed with him until well into the night before he came to. The moment his eyes fluttered open and met mine, tears spilled over. I leaned down and held him tightly. "Let's leave." Julian trembled softly in my arms. I stroked his hair, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'll take you away. We'll sell our old house and leave this city behind for good." Julian wept and nodded. "I'll leave with you, Jesse." … In the days that followed, I barely slept. A week later, we finished all the procedures. Before the plane took off, I took one last look at my phone. There were no new messages. I snapped my old SIM card in half and never looked back. The hospital refunded the remaining treatment fees to the original account, with a simple remark. "The patient has been transferred to another hospital." Veronica was at her wedding venue when she saw the message. She frantically dialed my number, but no one answered.