Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
There was a viral confession thread blowing up on Twitter.
The top comment read:
*“I’ve been holding this in for six months. I finally need to get it off my chest. I did something unforgivable to my sister. I fell in love with her boyfriend… and we slept together.”*
At first, I felt a wave of pity for this stranger’s sister.
Then I clicked on the user’s recent replies, and my blood ran cold.
*“I tried so hard to fight my feelings, but I couldn’t stop inserting myself between them. I went on all their vacations. I tagged along on their dates. I even invited myself to their weekend couple's retreat.”*
*“For the past six months, my sister hasn’t had a single private moment with him. If she weren't so good to me, maybe I wouldn’t feel this guilty.”*
Every single detail she mentioned was something my sister, Chloe, had done with me and my fiancé, Julian.
Even the location tag was the exact same neighborhood as mine.
My hands trembled uncontrollably.
Heart pounding, I tapped on the user's profile.
One glance at the feed, and my heart plummeted. It really was Chloe.
There were no photos showing her face, but there was a picture of a delicate gold bracelet on her wrist.
I had the exact same bracelet.
Julian had given it to me.
Back then, he held up the jewelry box with a warm smile. “They’re a matching pair. Unique, just like the bond between you two sisters.”
I had been overjoyed that day.
Ever since our parents died, Chloe and I had only each other. When Julian gave us those bracelets, I was moved to tears. I honestly thought he was just treating my little sister like his own family.
Now, I was looking at the caption Chloe posted six months ago:
*I told him I loved it, and he bought it for me right away.*
My throat felt bone-dry.
A bitter taste rose in my mouth. I felt like the biggest fool in the world.
The gift was a sick joke.
And our five-year relationship was an even bigger one.
It took me a long time to steady my breathing before I walked out of the restaurant restroom.
When I returned to the table, our food had already arrived.
Seeing me approach, Chloe waved cheerfully. “Claire, hurry! The food’s getting cold.”
Sitting across from her was Julian.
It looked just like any other dinner we’d shared over the past few months.
Except now, the illusion was shattered.
I forced a tight smile and sat down.
A second later, Julian picked up his fork and placed a piece of BBQ ribs onto my plate.
His voice was gentle. “Your favorite. Eat it while it’s hot.”
My fork froze in midair.
Chloe noticed and spoke up, a trace of nervous guilt in her voice. “Julian, sweet BBQ ribs are my favorite. Claire hates sweet sauces.”
A flicker of panic flashed across Julian’s eyes.
He tapped his forehead and let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “I’m so sorry, Claire. Work has been crazy lately. My brain must be fried.”
In the past, I wouldn't have thought twice about it.
But Chloe’s anonymous post was burning into my memory.
I finally saw the truth: Chloe mattered more to Julian than I did.
Six months with Chloe had effortlessly erased five years with me.
Tears stung the corners of my eyes. I blinked rapidly, fighting to keep them from falling.
There were a million things I wanted to scream.
In the end, all I could manage was a quiet, “It’s fine.”
The tension at the table didn't ease; the silence only grew heavier.
When dinner was over, Julian looked up at me.
“I’ll drop Chloe off first. You don't like dealing with traffic, so wait for me here.”
I’m naturally impatient and despise waiting around.
Yet every single time Julian suggested dropping Chloe off first, I had always agreed.
Gradually, his polite questions had turned into non-negotiable demands.
This time, I was done waiting.
I shook my head. “No need. Go drop her off. I’ll take an Uber home.”
Julian raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
“Why?”
Julian knew me better than anyone. Deep down, he already knew the answer.
Maybe he just wanted to clear his own conscience.
I curled my lips into a hollow smile. “I’m tired. I just want to get home and crash.”
Julian didn’t push any further. He turned and left with Chloe.
I stood by the restaurant window, watching their retreating figures.
For the first time, I noticed how their footsteps fell into perfect sync.
If you looked closely, you could see the matching smiles on their lips.
For the last six months, I had been an oblivious clown living in a fantasy world.
I had been blind to everything right in front of me.Julian didn't take long.
Not long after I got home, the front door clicked open.
Unlike me, he wore a deep frown, looking stressed.
“Claire, I had some new ideas for the wedding venue. I had to scrap the old design, so we might need to push the date back again.”
Over the past six months, I had heard that excuse more times than I could count.
Every time I saw him working late on drafts, rubbing his temples with an exhausted look, my heart ached for him. *Why don’t we just hire a wedding planner?* I had asked.
He had shot it down immediately.
*“No way. We only get married once. I want to give you something entirely unique, designed by me.”*
I had believed him.
No matter how desperately I looked forward to our wedding, and no matter how many times it was postponed, I always acted like I didn't mind, telling him not to stress.
Now, I finally understood.
It wasn't that he couldn't finalize a design.
It was that his heart was already occupied by Chloe.
The question that had haunted me for half a year slipped out before I could stop myself.
“Julian, do you actually want to marry me?”
Julian froze, then frowned. “Why are you asking that out of nowhere?”
“Of course I do.”
For the first time, I hated how well I knew him.
Those few hesitant words reeked of guilt and hesitation.
He probably had wanted to marry me once.
Before Chloe started showing up in our lives every single day.
My eyes pricked with tears.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I slowly unclasped the gold bracelet from my wrist.
“Take this back.”
Julian instinctively took it.
When he looked down and saw what was in his palm, his eyes widened in shock.
“Claire, what is this supposed to mean?”
My voice wavered, but I didn't hesitate.
“Exactly what it looks like.”
“Julian, I don’t want to marry you anymore. We’re done.”
Julian’s face darkened instantly.
“Is this because I drove Chloe home first? Or because I mixed up your favorite food?”
“She’s your sister! I’m only nice to her because I love you. Since when did you become so petty that you're jealous of your own sister?!”
This wasn't the first time Julian had chosen Chloe over me.
When Chloe twisted her ankle on a hike, Julian abandoned me on the trail and carried her all the way down.
When Chloe wanted extra cilantro in our takeout, Julian told the waiter to pile it on, even though he knew I was allergic.
When it was sunny, Julian always tilted the umbrella toward Chloe, leaving me baking in the heat.
The signs had been there all along.
I was just too trusting to see them.
Thankfully, it wasn't too late.
I didn't argue. I didn't even look at him.
I walked straight upstairs and started packing.
Living together for five years meant I had accumulated a lot of belongings.
Even after purging what I didn't need, I still filled two large suitcases.
There was a trench coat left hanging in the closet. I didn't touch it.
It was one of the few gifts Julian had ever bought me.
Julian was never the romantic type.
In our five years together, I could count the gifts he gave me on both hands.
I used to tell myself that I didn't care about material things.
Yet my mind involuntarily compared it to Chloe’s social media.
In just six months of their secret affair, Chloe had received countless presents.
Designer dresses, rings, bracelets, necklaces, luxury handbags…
It turned out Julian wasn't incapable of romance.
He just didn't care enough to give it to me.
My chest felt suffocatingly tight.
Refusing to let myself spiral, I shut the closet and zipped up my luggage.
“Claire.”
I paused and turned around. Chloe was standing in the doorway.
Right behind her stood Julian.Julian cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I know you’re throwing a tantrum. I brought Chloe over to talk some sense into you.”
“I’ll go downstairs and cut some fruit. You two talk.”
With that, Julian turned and headed down the stairs.
Chloe stepped closer, reaching out to take my hand.
I stepped back, dodging her touch.
Chloe blinked, looking hurt and innocent. “Claire, what’s wrong?”
I stared at her in silence.
The girl standing before me was my sister, yet she felt like a total stranger.
Looking at her feigned concern, all I wanted was to rip that sickening mask off her face.
And so I did.
“Chloe, how could you look me in the eye?”
“Our parents died when I was eight and you were six. When I found out the foster home was mistreating you, I begged Aunt Sarah to take you in too so I could protect you. When we grew up, I gave up on my dream college and worked three jobs a day just to pay your tuition without a single complaint!”
“When you quit your job, I paid your rent and took you out every single day so you wouldn't feel depressed. And you repay me by sleeping with my fiancé?! Is this your sick way of thanking me?!”
Chloe hadn't expected me to know.
The color drained from her face in an instant. She grabbed frantically at my arm, her voice trembling. “Claire, please, just listen to me—”
I didn't give her a chance to speak. I shoved her away.
“Don’t touch me!”
Years of manual labor to support us had made me stronger than most girls.
The shove sent Chloe tumbling backward.
Her head struck the corner of the wooden nightstand, knocking a heavy glass vase off the edge.
The vase shattered against the floor. Shards of glass sliced deep into Chloe’s hand, spilling blood across the hardwood.
That was the exact scene Julian walked into.
He rushed over, pulling Chloe into his arms. His eyes were bloodshot as he roared at me, “Claire Vance, have you lost your damn mind?!”
Chloe clutched his shirt, her voice breaking into sobs.
“No… don't blame Claire.”
“She knows about us. That’s why she snapped.”
Julian’s body stiffened. But a second later, his jaw hardened. “That’s still no excuse to get violent!”
“Hold on, Chloe. I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Julian scooped her up and rushed out the door.
I was left standing alone in the empty bedroom.
I had thought that once his cheating was exposed, Julian would feel guilty, or at least show some remorse.
I never imagined he would brush it off so easily.
As if betraying five years of love was nothing more than an inconvenient misunderstanding.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the floor.
I couldn't hold it back anymore.
Tears streamed down my face, my chest heaving with ragged sobs.
A sudden, sharp warmth trickled down my inner thighs.
I looked down. Crimson was blooming across my gray sweatpants.
Panic seized my chest. Trembling, I grabbed my phone and dialed Julian’s number.
He answered on the second ring. I gasped for air, fighting through the blinding pain. “Julian… help… please, call an—”
Before I could finish, Julian snapped coldly, “Cheating on you was my mistake, but you had no right to hurt Chloe like that.”
“I’ll deal with you after she gets treated at the hospital.”
Those cruel words snuffed out the very last spark of hope in my heart.
I stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to tap the emergency call button.
Before the call disconnected, however, Julian’s phone didn't hang up right away.
Instead of an end-call chime, Chloe’s timid voice filtered through the speaker.
“Julian… do you think Claire is really going to leave you for good this time?”
Julian let out a scornful scoff.
“She won't. She spent every penny she had putting you through school. She doesn't have any savings. Without me, she can't even afford rent.”
“I never cared if she found out. I just didn't want the drama. It’s always easier to keep the peace.”
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
I laughed until the tears choked me.
So Julian knew all along how much I had sacrificed for Chloe.
Yet he still chose to sleep with her.
He took my entire heart, my loyalty, my sacrifices, and ground them into the dirt.
I didn't have the stomach to listen to another word.
I hung up the phone.When I woke up, the smell of antiseptic filled my nose.
A doctor stood beside my bed, his face etched with sympathy.
“I’m so sorry. We did everything we could, but we couldn't save the baby.”
Even knowing Julian had betrayed me, those words felt like a thousand needles stabbing directly into my heart.
Julian and I had always wanted children.
He had promised that as soon as I got pregnant, we would go down to City Hall and register our marriage.
Ever since then, I had quietly hoped.
I had waited two long years for this baby, dreaming of building a family with the man I loved.
And now, my baby was gone.
I hadn't even known they existed before they were ripped away from me.
Tears pooled in my eyes, spilling over silently. By the time the crying stopped, my whole body was trembling from exhaustion.
The doctor kept me admitted for a few days of observation.
My body was weak from the miscarriage.
I had no appetite, and sleep wouldn't come.
All I could manage was sitting outside in the courtyard, staring blankly into the sunlight.
That was how I saw Julian and Chloe.
They didn't notice me. They were strolling under the shade of the trees, side by side, looking like a devoted married couple.
The nurse pushing my wheelchair sighed enviously. “Look at them. Such a loving couple. The girl was cleared for discharge days ago, but the boyfriend insisted she stay extra days just so the doctors could use the most expensive scar-removal treatments on her hand.”
“I wish I had a man who cared about me like that.”
I offered a bitter, silent smile.
You truly can't judge a book by its cover.
Julian was playing the doting caretaker for my sister, completely oblivious that his actual fiancée was in the very same hospital, recovering from a miscarriage.
I didn't bother correcting the nurse.
I was genuinely done. I was ready to leave them to their pathetic little affair.
The day I was discharged, the weather was sunny and clear.
I hauled my suitcases down the stairs of the house, only to run right into Julian coming through the front door.
Seeing my packed bags, he frowned deeply.
“I gave you almost a week to calm down. Are you still throwing a fit?”
Looking at his arrogant, dismissive face, a dark impulse took root in my chest.
Instead of arguing, I looked him dead in the eye and said, “Julian, I was pregnant.”
Julian’s face lit up with shock and sudden excitement. He stepped toward me, reaching for my arms.
“Really? You’re pregnant?”
“What did the doctor say? ”
In stark contrast to his euphoria, my voice was dead cold.
“He’s dead. And you’re the one who killed him.”
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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