One hour before my wedding, I scrolled across an anonymous gossip post. [Spilling the tea on my sister's "debt-repayment" wedding: The groom says marrying the older sister is paying off a debt, but his true love is the younger sister.] The main post was a photo: in the reflection of a hotel vanity mirror, the profile of a back wearing a wedding dress looked seventy percent like mine. Caption: [Is there anything more thrilling than swapping the bride on the wedding day?] My fingers trembled as I zoomed in on the photo. On the vanity, clearly placed, was the iris brooch I had personally prepared for my bridesmaid. There were already hundreds of comments downstairs. The original poster posted a close-up of holding hands in the latest reply. There was a familiar old scar on the man's ring finger, exactly the same as the mark left by my fiancé Ethan's car accident. Someone asked for details, and the poster only replied with one sentence. [The older sister accompanied him in starting a business for ten years; he said marriage is a repayment. But tonight, I will look into his eyes and say: I do.] There was a knock on the door. Chloe walked in, lifting the hem of her dress. She leaned in close to my ear, her voice as sweet as honey: "Sis, the ceremony is about to start. Look, is my brooch pretty?" 1 I forced a smile: "Yes, it's pretty." She took my arm and chuckled secretly: "Sis is the pretty one, Sis is the prettiest bride today, let's go quickly, don't keep the groom waiting." I took a deep breath and pushed open the side door of the hall. The music was soft, the guests filled the seats. Ethan stood in front of the altar, his back straight. The officiant came up, face full of smiles. "Ms. Sarah, there's a small adjustment at the end of the schedule, did you see the note?" I took the paper he handed me. In the original schedule, the bridesmaid only needed to hand over the rings. Now there was an extra handwritten line added: "Bridesmaid's Speech (2 minutes)." The handwriting was elegant, I recognized it. "Who added this?" The officiant lowered his voice: "Mr. Sterling specifically instructed this morning, saying he wanted to add a heartwarming segment." "Your sister's writing must be very good, Mr. Sterling praised the speech several times." I pinched the edge of the paper tightly. "I don't agree to this segment." "This... there might not be time to adjust, the guests are all waiting." The officiant looked troubled and glanced towards the altar. Ethan turned his head at this moment, meeting my gaze. He gave me a slight nod, barely managing to pull a smile at the corner of his mouth. I didn't say anything more and walked to the reserved seat in the first row. My mom pulled me to sit down and whispered: "Chloe prepared a speech, saying she wants to thank you for taking care of her these years. This child is so thoughtful." The music changed tune at this moment. The officiant's voice came through the microphone: "Next, let's welcome the bride's sister, today's bridesmaid Ms. Chloe, to send her blessings to her sister." Applause rang out. Chloe took the microphone, her gaze sweeping over the audience, finally resting on Ethan's face. "Thank you everyone, today is my sister's most important day. As a younger sister, I should have said some words of blessing." She paused, her fingers gently rubbing the microphone. "But I found out that if I don't say some things today, I might never have the chance." There was a slight commotion offstage. Ethan's body obviously stiffened. Chloe's voice began to tremble: "These years, I've watched my sister and Ethan walk along the way." "I know how much my sister has given, and I also know... some feelings were misplaced from the very beginning." She raised her eyes, looking straight at Ethan. The light hit her face, and I saw tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes. She spoke word by word, her voice choked but clear. "Some loves are destined to cross boundaries. Even if it means bearing the infamy of the whole world, there's no way to pretend it doesn't exist." The hall fell into dead silence instantly. Then, whispers spread like a tide. "What does she mean by that?" "Oh my god, is this a confession?" "The bride is still sitting right there!" My mom suddenly grabbed my hand tightly: "What nonsense is Chloe talking about!" I withdrew my hand, my gaze nailed to the stage. The color drained completely from Ethan's face. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Chloe continued: "I know I shouldn't, but I can't control it. Ethan, I..." Ethan didn't step forward to stop her, just kept looking at her. The officiant hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over: "The bridesmaid is a bit emotional, we understand this deep sisterly bond, haha! Next let's..." I didn't hear clearly what came after. My gaze fell on Ethan's hand hanging by his side. My gaze froze. The position and shape of that scar were exactly the same as the hand resting on the vanity in the photo. My phone vibrated in my palm. I looked down, the screen lit up with the latest reply from the anonymous post. The poster posted a new picture. And at the edge of the frame, a platinum wedding band was being gently pushed into the lens by another hand. I looked up, looking at Ethan's hand again. That wedding band, and the ring being pushed into the lens in the photo, were the same style. 2 Under everyone's spectating gazes, the ceremony eventually ended hastily. My mother chased after me wanting to say something, I shook off her hand and walked straight to the lounge on the second floor of the hotel. The door wasn't locked. Ethan was standing by the window. Hearing the noise, he turned around. He spoke first, his voice low and hoarse: "Sarah, about today... I'm sorry." "Since when?" Ethan's Adam's apple bobbed, he didn't deny it. He called my name again: "Sarah, we've known each other for ten years." "So?" "So..." He looked up, his eyes showing a weariness of someone giving up. "So I can't lie to you anymore, and I can't lie to myself either." The AC in the room was turned up too high, I felt cold. "Explain clearly." Ethan took a deep breath: "My feelings for you have always been gratitude. During the hardest times of the company, you were the one who stayed with me. Those proposals, those clients... without you, there would be no Ethan Sterling today." His fingers unconsciously rubbed the ring on his ring finger. "But gratitude is not love." I heard my own voice, remarkably calm: "Is this your reason for cheating on me? Love is love, not love is not love, but what was the meaning of pulling this stunt at the wedding? Do you enjoy seeing me make a fool of myself?" He didn't answer immediately. But sometimes, silence itself is an answer. He finally said it: "All these years, the person I really wanted to marry has always been Chloe." "When did it start?" Ethan looked away: "Three years ago. That time you went on a business trip to Seattle to follow up on a project, I drank too much, and she came to take care of me... we haven't stopped since then." Three years ago. I calculated the time. That was when I landed his first ten-million-dollar order for him. I stayed up for four days and three nights in Seattle. On the phone, he said "You've worked hard, honey," and then turned around and got into my sister's bed. How ridiculous. "Did you know she was going to confess her love to you at the wedding?" "It was Chloe's idea." Ethan's voice grew lower and lower. "She said... this would force you to let go, that you wouldn't be able to stand the public opinion and would take the initiative to cancel the wedding." "If you wanted to marry her, why didn't you just tell me directly?" He smiled bitterly: "I didn't dare. Sarah, you are too dominant. Half of the company's shares are in your name, and the core team only listens to you. If I took the initiative to break up, I would have nothing." I nodded. So that's how it is. Not love, but calculation. Not impulse, but weighing the options. Ethan stood up: "I can compensate you. I can give up the shares, and the company too..." "Ethan." I interrupted, reaching out my hand to him: "Give me back the wedding ring." He subconsciously protected his finger: "Sarah, we can still..." "Give it back." After a few seconds of standoff, he slowly took off the ring and placed it in my palm. After getting the ring, I flushed it down the toilet without hesitation. As I left, I heard Ethan's voice. "I don't love you anymore, I love Chloe." He seemed to be convincing himself. I didn't look back. The moment I opened the door, I saw Chloe leaning against the wall in the hallway. She was holding up her phone, the screen facing me. It wasn't a photo or a chat record on the screen. It was an editing interface of a forum backend. The title bar of the post read: [Spilling the tea on my sister's "debt-repayment" wedding] Poster ID: Rippling_Chloe. She looked up, waved the phone at me, and a sickly sweet smile curled at the corners of her mouth. 3 Even though these things happened, there were no ripples in my heart. The next day, I got up as usual and went to work under the strange gazes of my subordinates. While working, I thought about why Ethan and I had come to this point today. When driving home in the evening, my fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, my nails sinking into the leather cover. The lights were on in the living room. My mom was sitting on the sofa. My dad was standing by the window smoking, with three or four cigarette butts already piled up in the ashtray. Seeing me, my mom stood up, her voice a bit weak: "You're back, are you hungry? There's soup in the kitchen..." "Did you guys know everything?" Everyone knew, everyone kept it from me. Why? Just to make Chloe happy? I interrupted her, my voice sounding particularly clear in the quiet living room. My mom's hand stopped in mid-air, looking a bit embarrassed: "Know what?" "Know about Ethan and Chloe, know what was going to happen at the wedding today. Know that I was kept in the dark like an idiot." My dad put out his cigarette and turned around: "Sarah, things aren't what you think." "Then what are they?" My mom sat back on the sofa, twisting a tissue with her fingers: "Chloe... it hasn't been easy for her. Her health has been poor since childhood; you know about her heart condition. She's been bitter these years, and Ethan is sincere towards her..." "And so? So I should yield?" My mom's voice suddenly rose: "She's your sister! Can't you be considerate? The doctor said her emotions can't be stimulated. After making this scene today, she took two pills as soon as she got home!" I laughed. "Mom, today was my wedding, I was the one humiliated in public, I was the one whose fiancé had an affair with my sister. You're worried about her taking medicine, but did you worry about how I drove back?" My mom opened her mouth but didn't speak. My dad walked over: "Sarah, Ethan doesn't have you in his heart, forcing it is useless. Better to endure a short pain than a long one. Seeing it clearly now is better than getting a divorce after marriage." "When did you find out?" Silence. "I'm asking, when did you find out!" My dad looked away: "Last year, the pregnancy test report Chloe brought back, the child was Ethan's." "She was pregnant?" 4 My mom said softly: "She lost it. She said she didn't want to affect you guys, so she went and did it secretly by herself. She hemorrhaged after the surgery and almost didn't make it... Sarah, she sacrificed so much for you, can't you just let her have this?" I looked at my mom's face. I took a deep breath: "She knew clearly that Ethan was her brother-in-law, yet she still had an affair with him and even got pregnant with his child. I'm obviously the victim here, but you think I owe her?" My mom grabbed my hand: "It's not owing, it's sisterhood. Mom knows you feel wronged, but family always has to be understanding of each other. We will go talk to Ethan about compensation, company shares..." I pulled my hand back. "Where is Chloe now?" "Resting upstairs, don't go make a fuss with her, she just took her medicine..." I didn't finish listening, turned around, and went upstairs. Back in my own room, I locked the door. The wedding dress was still thrown by the bed, the veil trampled underfoot. My phone rang. It was an unknown number. I swiped to answer but didn't speak. Chloe's voice came through the receiver, carrying a smile: "Sis, did Mom advise you to let me have him?" I held the phone, making no sound. "Guess where Ethan is right now?" She paused. "In my room. He said he didn't want to go home tonight, afraid you might do something foolish." She laughed even harder: "Sis, I won again." The call ended. I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the completely dark sky outside the window. The phone buzzed again. This time it was a picture message. The sender was still that unknown number. I opened it. The moment the photo loaded, my breathing stopped. Ethan and Chloe, naked and embracing on my marital bed. The "Double Happiness" character on the headboard was still the one I personally pasted yesterday; the red paper cutting was exceptionally glaring in the photo. The bottom right corner of the photo had the timestamp. [2023.10.7 22:47] The night before the wedding. I zoomed in on the photo and saw Chloe's smiling face facing the camera, and Ethan's sleeping profile. A line of text was attached below the MMS: [Sis, your bed is quite comfortable.] 5 At dawn, I got up and started packing. I had lived in this room for ten years. The closet was stuffed with odds and ends, which I pulled out one by one. In the bottom storage box, old company documents were piled up. I pulled out the first one, it was the bid for Sterling Tech's first project. The signature on the cover was Ethan, but when I flipped to the planning attachment on the last page, the handwritten revision notes were in my handwriting. The second one, the third one, the fourth one... I couldn't help but let out a cold sneer. For the core proposals of all major early projects, I wrote the first drafts. Market analysis, product architecture, even financing speech scripts, they were densely packed with my annotations. But the final submitted versions only had Ethan's signature. I sat on the floor, spreading the documents out one by one. My phone vibrated beside me, it was Ethan. I answered it. "Sarah, let's talk, about the company shares..." I interrupted him: "That project at the Southside Tech Park, who wrote the original bidding proposal?" There was silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds. "...You did." "The first round of financing from Apex Capital, who made the PowerPoint?" "You did, but..." I asked: "But what? But all the credit went to you?" Ethan sighed: "The company was just starting out then, we needed someone to be the face of it. You are the unsung hero, I've always remembered that." "And your way of remembering is by cheating on me?" "Sarah, matters of the heart can't be forced." "So you repay me in this way?" He didn't speak. I hung up the phone and continued to rummage through the boxes. There was an old cell phone in the corner. I plugged in the charger to try it, and the screen actually lit up. The power-on password was my birthday. The photo album was empty, and there was only one text in the inbox. Sender: Chloe. [Ethan, Sis helped you so much, how can you repay the debt if you don't marry her?] [I know you only have me in your heart, but let's be realistic. Use her power to build up the company first, we can talk about the future later.] [Anyway, she loves you so much, she'll believe whatever you say.] I stared at those few lines of text, my fingers ice cold.
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