My Toxic Fiancé Called Me Trash, So I Married His Boss

The night before our wedding, I was playing Truth or Dare with my fiancé and his friends. A friend asked him to describe me in one word. "One word isn't enough." As I looked at him expectantly, Mason reached over and casually pulled out my hearing aid. "Used goods." "Trash." His voice sounded muffled, like it was filtered through a thick layer of cotton. I thought I had misheard him. But the VIP room erupted into a wave of laughter. "Did I hear that right, Mason?" "She's already like this, and you're still actually going to marry her?" Mason bit down on his cigarette and patted my head. "Well, I had a crush on her back when I was young and stupid." "Now that she's deaf and bankrupt, think of it as a clearance sale. I'm just taking her off the market. Buy one, get one free." As he spoke, he gave a meaningful look toward the door. "Her best friend, who's never been married, has a sweeter face and a softer waist. She's down for a quickie in the back seat, too." The door opened, and Sienna walked in late. She naturally handed her purse to Mason. "You bad boy, teasing our Coco again?" "If you showed up earlier, I wouldn't have to tease her," Mason replied, putting my hearing aid back in and smiling tenderly. The sudden rush of noisy chatter pierced my ears. I had originally wanted to surprise him on our wedding day. To tell him that my hearing was almost fully recovered. I never expected that the real surprise would be hearing his true thoughts ahead of time. "Why the sudden silence?" Seeing my expression, the smile on Mason's face faded slightly. "Can't hear again?" I looked at him and said nothing. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then smiled again. "Don't be mad." "They're just joking around. You actually believed them?" His best friend chimed in from the side. "Don't be mad, Coco. Mason was just saying you're as beautiful as you were before your first marriage!" Mason gave him a warning glare. Muffled snickers echoed around the room. Sienna rubbed my back sympathetically, then leaned over and pinched Mason's lower back. "If you dare tease our Coco again, she won't marry you tomorrow." Mason's attention shifted, his brow furrowing. "Why are your hands so cold?" He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Sienna naturally pulled it tight around herself. "It's my period. I'm not as lucky as Coco, who always has a man picking her up wherever she goes." Mason stopped talking and looked down at his phone. After a while, the waiter knocked and brought in a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Sienna smiled. "At least you're thoughtful. Not like Coco's clueless ex-husband, Tyler." She seemed to realize something and stuck her tongue out at me. "Tomorrow is your big day. Let's not talk about that coward who ran away when things got tough." I sat to the side, silent. For the first time, I actually paid attention to their interactions. Every time we met, Sienna loved to squeeze between us, hugging me and saying, "Men are trash, besties forever." But beneath the dim table, she had slipped off her high heels. Her toes traced up Mason's calf, stopping flirtatiously at his inner thigh. Mason didn't blink. He caught her wandering foot under the table while frowning at me. "Why aren't you speaking?" After a moment of thought, he typed on his phone: "Did your hearing aid die?" I remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded. Mason let out a breath, the tension instantly leaving his face. "Good girl. Just sit tight for a bit longer, then we'll head home." As if some restriction had been lifted, the conversation at the table became even more shameless. "Come on, Mason. Give us some tips. How did you manage to score this second-hand bargain?" The corners of Mason's mouth curled up, his tone as casual as ever. "A brother in debt, a bankrupt dad, a runaway ex-husband, and an abandoned girl." "I happened to know the debt collector her brother Austin owed money to. One thing led to another, and we got back in touch. Just good luck, I guess." Sienna shot him a look, her voice still sweet and caring. "Don't talk about Coco like that right in front of her. She'll be sad if she hears." But Mason seemed completely unbothered. "It's fine. Her hearing aid is dead. How can a deaf girl hear anything?" Deaf. I took a sip of my drink. That year, to shield my brother from debt collectors, I was pushed and hit my head against the corner of a table. Since then, I suffered from traumatic hearing loss. On the day we reunited, I still vividly remembered the disbelief on Mason's face when he learned about my situation, and the trembling pain in his eyes as he touched my ear. Now, it had boiled down to a dismissive "deaf girl." Suddenly, the glass was snatched from my hand. Mason frowned and handed me his phone. "You haven't taken your meds tonight. Don't drink." I had just glanced at it when Sienna clutched her stomach, her face turning pale as she tugged at his sleeve. "Oh no... my cramps are suddenly getting really bad..." Mason immediately stood up and grabbed his coat. "I'll book a room upstairs. Go lie down and rest. I'll get you some painkillers right now." He was about to walk out when Sienna grabbed him and glanced at me. Only then did he remember me. He casually typed on his phone: "Going for a smoke." Sienna held his hand and added three words right after on his Snapchat screen: "Using the restroom." The alcohol numbed my emotions. I nodded slowly. Perhaps thinking my flushed, tipsy face was cute, Mason's gaze softened for a second. He reached out to stroke my cheek. But I turned my head to avoid him. His hand paused, but he didn't care much. He mouthed, "Wait for me." The door closed. The music on the stage was deafening, so no one noticed when I followed them out. As expected, those two hadn't gone far. In the hallway, Sienna wrapped her arms around his neck, eagerly pressing herself against him. Mason didn't push her away. "Real cramps?" "Does missing you so much that it hurts count?" After a few moments, I heard Sienna's reluctant voice. "Coco is so pitiful. She's buried in debt and was dumped by her ex-husband after he got tired of her. You have to treat her well after you marry her, okay?" Mason let her hold him, still smiling lazily. "She has someone to bail her out now. But what about you?" "No one is going to sneak over in the middle of the night to warm your bed anymore. Aren't you the pitiful one?" Sienna huffed, tracing patterns on his chest with her finger. "Treating her well doesn't conflict with treating me well." I didn't listen to the rest. The window at the end of the hallway was open, and the night wind was freezing. Standing there, I suddenly didn't know what I was supposed to do.My phone rang. I stared at the caller ID: "Dad." Like a curse, it rang relentlessly. As soon as I picked up, my father's voice came through, filled with tears. "Chloe! They came to the door again today! They broke Austin's jaw! His face is swollen beyond recognition!" "When is your boyfriend's money coming through? Didn't he say he'd send monthly payments once you sign the marriage license? Have you signed it yet?" In the background, my mother's sobbing and my brother's cursing erupted all at once. I stood there in silence. "...Tomorrow." The crying and cursing stopped instantly. A sigh of relief came from the other end. "Good, good. We won't bother you guys on your big day tomorrow. Just remember to remind our son-in-law to send the first payment tomorrow." The call clicked off. At some point, my face had become wet and cold. I cleaned myself up, went back to the VIP room, grabbed my bag, and prepared to leave. The people who had been laughing loudly earlier tried to block me. Seeing that I ignored them, their expressions turned sour. "A piece of used goods dares to throw a tantrum? She really thinks marrying Mason makes her high society." "What do we do? Call Mason?" "Call him for what? He's busy 'handling business.' Mason said the deaf girl relies on him to survive now. She can't run away." I left. That person was right. I had nowhere to go except Mason's apartment. Perhaps I should thank him for at least not bringing Sienna to our home. I took a very long shower. My mind kept flashing back to that hallway and the ankle grabbed under the table. Half-asleep, Mason woke me up. "Did you take your meds? Why are you sleeping in the guest bedroom?" I caught the scent of a foreign body wash on him and turned over. "Can't hear. My ears hurt." He froze, only then remembering that when he first convinced me to move in, I was still undergoing treatment. I often couldn't sleep because of the pain and would hide in the guest room to avoid keeping him awake. "...Call me next time it hurts. Don't just walk off by yourself." He bent down to kiss my hair. "Sleep. Our wedding is at nine tomorrow morning. I'll wake you up." The next day, just as the car stopped outside City Hall, Mason's phone rang. "Coco is with you, right? I can't believe you both forgot today is my birthday!" "I booked a table with some friends next door. We're just waiting on you two. Hurry up!" Mason hung up and restarted the car. He complained under his breath, not even looking at me. "Your best friend is such a pain. If it weren't for you, I..." "Maybe we shouldn't go." It was the first time I had ever interrupted him. Mason paused, but his hands didn't stop turning the steering wheel. "That wouldn't be nice. She's your friend, after all." "Anyway, it's still early. We can get married any day, but a birthday only happens once a year. I don't want you guys to ruin your friendship because of me." At the restaurant, Sienna was wearing a white satin dress. She was surrounded by a crowd, including some of Mason's friends. Someone looked at her, then at me. "Why do I feel like Sienna looks more like the bride than Coco today?" "Yeah, Coco didn't even dress up for her wedding day. She's completely overshadowed by Sienna." Sienna flushed, her eyes watery and helpless. "Should I change out of it and swap with Coco? I just wanted to look pretty for my birthday..." Mason stopped her as she pretended to stand up. "No need." I looked at their joined hands and said nothing. "Is Coco's hearing aid dead again?" Sienna reached over to take my hearing aid, but her grip slipped. A crushing sound echoed from beneath the table. Sienna's face froze, and she shrank back. As if terrified of being scolded. Seeing her reaction, Mason instinctively frowned and spoke first. "It's fine. Sienna didn't mean to." He picked up the broken pieces, pulled out his phone, and typed for me to see: "Let's eat first." Actually, pretending to be deaf made things easier. If I had known this would be the outcome. On the day I got divorced and ran into Mason on the street, I wondered if I would still have stopped to listen to him tell me, with red eyes, how much he had loved me for years. The waiter brought out two new cups of pudding. Mason set one in front of me and pushed the other to Sienna. "For me?" "Yeah. Yours was broken. This one is brand new, untouched." "Oh, brand new." The people at the table smirked and winked at each other.Sienna's eyes filled with anticipation. "So, where is my birthday present?" "Didn't you say you wanted the new Apple bundle? Go grab it from my trunk later." She gasped. "But I just got this phone not long ago." Mason's expression was flat. "Give it to Coco. She happens to need a new phone anyway." "But... won't Coco mind using my hand-me-downs?" Someone across the table laughed on Snapchat. "Coco herself is second-hand. Why is she acting so picky?" "Second-hand matches second-hand. Sounds perfect." Mason's expression didn't change as he wiped the corner of my mouth with a napkin. No one would ever guess what they were talking about. My phone buzzed on the table. Several text messages chased after me like ghosts. "Where is the money?" "Your parents and brother are about to be beaten to death, and you don't care at all?!" "Do you think you're still some prize? You should be begging on your knees that someone wants a divorced girl like you! If he leaves and the money is gone, you can just wait to bury us!" My fork scraped loudly against the plate. I felt a sudden wave of nausea and apologized when I recovered. "...I'm sorry." Mason held my hand, his eyes full of concern and questions. Sienna also looked at me worriedly. "Is Coco feeling sick? Should we take her home first?" Hearing the word "we," Mason's throat bobbed. The party ended on a sour note. Sienna followed us back to our apartment. This place had been vacant until we reunited. Mason had hired a design team to renovate it according to my taste and invited me to move in six months ago. He said he had planned for this to be our marital home long ago, but he never expected it would actually wait for the female lead of his dreams. At the time, I thought it was romantic. Now, opening the door only made me feel exhausted. The actors were still performing, but the audience had had enough. Sienna familiarly opened the bottom drawer of the shoe cabinet, took out a pair of slippers, and peered inside. "Wow, Coco really is lucky. Every man she finds is richer than the last." I didn't look up, quietly changing my shoes. Seeing that I didn't react to her provocation, Sienna became even bolder. "Mason, did you replace the showerhead yet? Last time I was showering, the hot water suddenly cut out..." Mason glared at her warningly. "Watch it. She might read your lips." Sienna laughed behind my back. "Coco's only been deaf for a year. If she were that smart, she would've gone to Harvard." They watched me walk into the guest bedroom. Like a silent ghost in this house. I turned off my phone and lay down in a daze. After a while, I got up to get some water. The living room was dark. The master bedroom door was cracked open, lights off. From the other side of the wall, I heard Sienna's heavy breathing. "Tell me, if Coco knew I used this bed with you before she even moved in, would she be devastated?" "Just the apartment? My new cars. Which one haven't we slept in?" "Stop it. I just suddenly feel a little bad for her." But Mason dismissed it casually. "Nothing to feel bad about. She gave me a second-hand marriage, so I'm giving her second-hand love. It's fair." "Besides, if I hadn't pulled some strings... she wouldn't even have a second marriage to look forward to." Silence fell inside for a moment, followed by a woman's gasp. "You mean, her family's debt...? Oh my god, you are so bad, haha..." "Don't you like me bad?" The intimate sounds started up again. I stood frozen, the blood in my chest turning cold all the way to my fingertips. The warm decor of this home suddenly felt sinister. As it turned out, this was never a harbor from the storm. It was a web spun for me from the very beginning. My last shred of sanity drove me to the study. Numbly, I dug out my ID and credit cards. Before closing the drawer, I saw a document. The name on the buyer's line was incredibly familiar. It was my father's former company. Without time to look closely, I grabbed it. Standing at the entryway, I took one last look at this house full of memories. On the sofa, there seemed to be a lingering shadow of two people cuddling and watching TV. I set down my keys and closed the door behind me. It was as quiet as the sound of falling snow.After they finished, Mason watched Sienna put her white dress back on. "Did you do that on purpose today?" "I was a little jealous." Sienna's eyes flickered, and she smiled. "But if Coco is happy, I'm happy. I had to fulfill your years of secret pining, after all." Mason flicked his cigarette ash, silent. He remembered the first time he saw Chloe in high school. She wore a designer sports skirt that cost five thousand dollars. Meanwhile, he had to save up just to buy a five-dollar school lunch. A group of kids had urged her to report a stain on her skirt, but Chloe just looked down at the grease mark, pursing her lips. "It's fine. He didn't mean to." They were worlds apart. It was only natural she didn't remember him. But humans never learn to be content. Fortunately, he was now the Mason who could buy her a house full of five-thousand-dollar dresses without blinking. Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a wave of disgust toward what had just happened. "Leave before she wakes up." Sienna paused while putting on her stockings, but she kept her composure. "Not even married yet and you're already rushing me out? Divorced girls really know how to train their dogs." Mason raised an eyebrow. Sienna shivered, her eyes suddenly turning red. "...I'm leaving. No need to look at me like that." The front door slammed shut. Mason rubbed his temples, relieved for once that Chloe's hearing issues had never improved. He washed away the scent of Sienna and changed into loungewear. The guest bedroom door was open, the blackout curtains drawn tightly. Before going in, he thought about how her ears had been hurting frequently lately, and that he should schedule a follow-up appointment for her. In the pitch black, his phone suddenly buzzed violently. He answered it and flipped on the light. The fawning voice from the receiver rushed in impatiently. "Hey, Mason! I hope my useless son didn't upset you?" "Listen, about that first payment you promised to help clear... it hasn't hit my account yet. What's going on?" The voice faded into the background. Mason stared blankly at the neatly made bed. It was as if he had suddenly gone deaf. For some reason, a terrible premonition flooded his chest. He checked the bathroom, the kitchen, the study. Every room was empty. Ignoring Thomas, who was still rambling, he hung up. He called Chloe. The first four times, it went straight to voicemail. The fifth time, the number was disconnected. He called Thomas back, cutting him off before he could speak. "Is Chloe with you?" Thomas's confusion sounded genuine. "What? Isn't she getting married to you today? We called her too, but she didn't pick up." He hung up. Only one thought echoed louder and louder in Mason's mind: She knew. "Coco is just throwing a tantrum." Sienna, who had been called back, was fixing her lipstick in the mirror. "Think about it. Her family's massive debt relies entirely on you. Without you, she can't even afford her ear doctor visits. Do you really think she'd leave her cash cow?" Mason sat on the sofa, his face dark. "She can't hear, and she doesn't have much money. Where could she go?" "And when exactly did she..." "Maybe because you never close the door." Sienna turned and smiled at him. "I'll just apologize when she comes back. Coco and I are best friends. She always let me have my way when we were kids. She'll forgive me this time too." "What's the difference if you marry her a few days later..." Even though they were the same words, hearing them from someone else made his face darken instantly. "Shut up." Sienna fell silent for a moment, then slowly walked over and leaned into his chest. "...Mason, why don't we just forget about her?" "She's a divorced girl who's been used, and her family is a bottomless money pit. You're just trapped by your own obsession." "I gave my first time to you. We're a perfect match in and out of bed, and your friends like me better anyway. Since she found out, why don't we just go with it? Let me be the one to marry you..." The air went dead silent. Mason looked down at her and let out a mocking laugh. "Who the hell do you think you are?"