The Day Their Lies Broke My Mind

After discovering that Hugo Cavill's cheating on me, I develop severe depression. To put my mind at ease, he has two location-tracking bracelets custom-made for us. The first time I discover that the bracelet's location is at City Hall, I rush over, only to find my best friend, Vivian Walker, hand-in-hand with my younger brother, Kieran Crawford, waving at me. "Hugo accidentally left his bracelet in Kie's car yesterday, Bri. We are just about to bring it to you after we obtain our marriage certificate." The second time around, the bracelet's location shows that Hugo's at the hospital. Worried that something has happened to him, I hurry over, only to find the bracelet on Dad's wrist. "You came at just the right time, Bri! Hugo came to see your mom and me yesterday and left his bracelet behind. You really need to give him a good talking to. Without this bracelet, we'd be just as worried about him as you." The third time, the bracelet's location shows up at a wedding venue. Without telling a single soul, I hail a cab and race to the hotel, only to see Hugo onstage in a tuxedo, solemnly planting a kiss on Katalin Miller's forehead. Mom's and Dad's voices drift over from the corner. "I hope Bri doesn't find out too soon this time. She almost caught Hugo and Kat after their prenatal checkup at the hospital last time." Vivian and Kieran chime in. "It was the same when they registered their marriage. It's a good thing we went together that time." Someone sighs. "Whatever happens, we absolutely can't let Bri find out. God knows what she'll do given her condition." At that moment, a voice rings out in my mind. "They've all betrayed you. Is there any other reason for you to stay alive?" Chapter 1 Brianna's POV That voice kept looping in my mind. It was so sharp that it made my head ache. I was only granted a temporary reprieve when a sudden burst of audio and light appeared on the massive screen. Not far off, my younger brother, Kieran Crawford, excitedly pointed at the two people on the screen. "Look, I recorded this video for Hugo and Katalin!" My lashes fluttered. Hugo Cavill and Katalin Miller were framed from behind on the screen. The two of them were dressed in a tuxedo and wedding gown. They sure looked like they were made for each other. "You look so good together!" My best friend, Vivian Walker's, voice sounded in the video. I dug my nails into my palms as I remembered what had happened this time around. Hugo had told me that he was going on a business trip. Kieran and Vivian, claiming they were worried about him, had bought tickets and tagged along. Before leaving, they had patted their chests and solemnly promised me, "Don't worry, Brianna. We'll definitely keep an eye on him for you!" Turns out, Kieran and Vivian had been helping Hugo keep me in the dark since then. The light from the screen made my face look ghastly pale. My breath hitched. What about Mom and Dad? The scene changed, and the screen started shaking. "Go on, Hugo. Kat's already waiting for you upstairs!" I remembered this incident. It had happened even earlier. Ever since I discovered Hugo's affair, my condition had rapidly deteriorated. Mom and Dad told me they were going to a church to pray for my recovery. Hugo had offered to go with them. Mom and Dad had been hesitant about him leaving my side, but they had ultimately agreed. "It's okay, Bri. We'll keep an eye on him. Nothing will go wrong." When those words surfaced in my mind, Hugo and Katalin appeared on the screen, kissing beneath the very tree where they were supposed to be praying for me. I twisted the rosary beads around my wrist. It was the rosary bracelet they had brought back from the mountain that time. Hugo had told me it would cover the scar on my wrist and keep me safe. As it turned out, it was just an item Katalin hadn't wanted. The scar that had already healed felt as though it had been ripped open all over again. The pain was so intense that it nearly brought me to my knees. The person beside me reached out to support me and struck up a conversation as if we were old friends. "Isn't it romantic? To be honest, the bride is really pitiful. I heard the groom has a depressed ex-girlfriend who refuses to let him go even after they broke up; she threatens him with suicide at the drop of a hat. "The bride is so magnanimous and has never held it against her. If you ask me, people like that should be sent to a mental asylum!" The air around me felt as if it were instantly sucked out of the room. I started shaking uncontrollably. I was the one who had been with Hugo for a decade. Katalin was the one who had come between us. "How do you know all this?" I rasped. That person pointed in the direction of Mom and Dad. "Fortunately, the ex-girlfriend's family and friends are reasonable people. They felt so bad for the couple that they stepped up to handle all the wedding preparations themselves." His lips continued to move, but I could no longer hear a thing. It all made sense now. It was no wonder Mom, Dad, Kieran, and Vivian had been nowhere to be seen these past few days. To add insult to injury, they had even forgotten my birthday. As it turned out, they had been busy preparing for Hugo and Katalin's wedding. The chatterbox closed the distance between us and whispered, "Plus, word on the street is the ex-girlfriend's parents even gave the bride and groom a house as a wedding gift. It's in the western suburbs, but that area is being developed, so it'll be worth a pretty penny in the future." A loud ringing filled my head. I turned on my heel and bolted outside. My hands were shaking so violently that I misdialed several times before the call finally went through. "Hello, I'd like to check who the registered owner of the property at 56 West Suburbs, Southreach, is." After a prolonged silence, the voice on the other end responded, "The property's registered under Katalin Miller." That house had been left to me by Grandma. I could still remember how my eyes had been red and puffy when Mom and Dad handed me the deed after Grandma passed away. "This is from your grandmother, Bri. Make sure you hold onto it, okay?" But now, they had given it to my boyfriend and the woman he had cheated on me with as a wedding gift. Chapter 2 Brianna's POV I had no idea how I made it back home. My head was pounding, and the house felt stifling. The voice that had vanished returned. "Open the window. Open it, and it won't feel so stuffy anymore." I shifted my gaze toward the pitch-black window. "Go on, open it. Take the leap, and your head won't hurt anymore!" I dragged myself forward. After I opened the window, the room really did feel less stuffy. I pounded on my head. Would the pain really go away if I took the leap? I had just swung one leg over the sill when a voice shattered the silence behind me. "Bri!" The very next second, I was tackled to the floor. Hugo panted and pulled me into his arms. "I should've been home sooner. Forgive me, Bri. I'm so sorry." There was a lingering fear in his trembling voice. He kept running his hand down my back. His movement was gentle, and his hand was shaking, too. I rested my head on his shoulder, staring out at the darkness of the night. "Where'd you go?" His body stiffened for a split second before he pulled away and gently wiped the tears that had unconsciously slipped down my cheeks. "I had a wedding to attend today. I couldn't duck out before it wrapped up, so I got held up." Right after saying that, he pulled out his phone. "Kieran was there with me. If you don't believe me, you can ask him." The call connected almost instantaneously. "Hugo has made it home, right, Brianna? Are you checking up on him again? Relax, he was on his best behavior today." His slightly lazy voice was as infuriatingly punchable as ever. He used to tell me, "Brianna, if anyone ever picks on you, tell me. I'll beat the hell out of them!" Yet, he had taken the side of the very people who had betrayed me. He had chosen to stand against me. After hanging up, Hugo leaned in to peck my forehead. "Is your mind at ease now?" The scenes from the wedding flashed across my mind. A wave of nausea rose in my throat, and I couldn't help but double over and dry-heave. Hugo's expression shifted. "Bri—" His phone abruptly rang, cutting him off. "I need to take this," he said before hurrying out onto the balcony. Snippets of his voice drifted in through the narrow gap of the unlatched sliding door. "She's having another episode... Yeah... I'll be down in a second." I closed my eyes and listened as Hugo's footsteps approached. "Sean told me he's not feeling too well, Bri. I'm going to check on him. If it gets too late, I'll just crash at his place tonight." As soon as his words fell, I received a call from Dad. "Hugo's coming over to check up on me, Bri. Don't worry about a thing." What a seamless tag team they were. Hugo dangled his bracelet in front of me. "If you're still anxious, feel free to track my location at any time." His footsteps gradually faded, and the door clicked shut behind him. I pushed myself up from the couch and walked to the window, where I saw Katalin eagerly throw herself into Hugo's arms. The couple kissed before slipping into the car. The vehicle vanished into the distance in no time. I took a deep breath and silenced the voice in my head. Then, I went downstairs, hailed a cab, and gave the driver Mom and Dad's address. Chapter 3 Brianna's POV The cab was faster than Hugo's car. I stood in the dim shadows of the residential complex and watched Hugo and Katalin walk hand-in-hand into the yard next door to Mom and Dad's house. It wasn't long before Mom and Dad went in, too. Kieran and Vivian were right on their heels. The courtyard soon came alive. I walked over and stood on the other side of the wall from them. The light inside was warm, filled with continuous laughter and cheerful voices. I stood beneath the incandescent streetlight, feeling like a clown spying on their happiness. Mom's voice was gentle, but her words sliced right through me. "The moment we saw this little house was up for rent that day, we rented it right away. From now on, whenever Hugo visits Kat, he can just tell Bri that he's coming over to see us." Vivian clapped her hands excitedly. "That's a great idea!" Right after saying that, she sighed. "I just feel bad for Kat. She'll have to limit how often she goes out while living here, or she might run into Bri." I caught a hint of heartache flash across Hugo's face through the gaps in the fence. "I'm so sorry to put you through this, Kat." Katalin shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't mind, as long as I can be with you." She forced a smile that clearly broke Mom's and Dad's hearts. "Kat's so sensible, unlike Bri…" Both of them sighed, yet it struck me like a sledgehammer, leaving me breathless. Realizing the mood had grown heavy, Vivian hastily changed the subject. "Look, I bought so many things for my goddaughter!" The excitement on her face and the sparkle in her eyes took me back to the nights we used to hide together under the covers. After learning that Hugo and I were a thing, she had poked me in the waist. "It's a deal, okay? In the future, I'm going to be your daughter's one and only godmother!" "Who knows, it might be a boy." My answer overlapped with Katalin's. Vivian looked visibly shaken for a moment. She shook her head briskly before schooling her expression and beaming. "I'll love them either way!" With that, she shifted her attention to Hugo. "Have you decided on a name for the baby?" Hugo's gaze rested on Katalin's lower abdomen, and he nodded gently. "Yeah, Nadia Cavill." My eyes widened, and the last taut thread in my mind finally snapped. Two years ago, Hugo and I had a child, too. But after learning of his affair, I miscarried. That was the name I had chosen for my unborn child. Everyone's expression shifted slightly in the courtyard, but no one made a sound. Wood splinters from the fence dug into my palm as I shoved the gate open. After a brief silence, everyone instinctively shielded Katalin. The color drained from Hugo's face. "Bri, what are you…" He paused for a beat, and his voice began to tremble. "So, you've found out." The others' expressions changed as well. Yet, every single one of them eyed me warily. It felt as if a fire was burning inside me, scorching me with unbearable pain. "That bastard in her belly doesn't deserve to share a name with my child!" I rasped, pointing at Katalin. Hugo's pale face hardened as he gazed at me coldly. "Watch your tongue, Brianna!" Chapter 4 Brianna's POV I chuckled, though it sounded more like a sob. "What, did you think that was harsh? I haven't even started!" I pointed at Katalin, gritting my teeth so hard that it felt like they might shatter. "I sponsored her for three years and brought her out of the countryside the moment she graduated from high school. I introduced her to my family, my friends, and my boyfriend, and how did she repay me? By shamelessly fucking with—" Before I could finish speaking, I was slapped across the face. My head snapped to the side. The dull ache slowly spread from my cheek to the base of my ear. For a moment, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears. I turned my head in utter disbelief. Dad's face flushed crimson, and his hand was still hanging in the air. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving with rage. All of a sudden, I remembered how, when I was a kid and fell off my bicycle while learning to ride, he had been so heartbroken that he cried. I lowered my gaze and noticed that his hand was trembling too, but his voice was cold. "Can't you see, Brianna? Hugo and Kat are genuinely in love. They only kept it from you out of consideration for your health!" I locked eyes with Hugo. I wanted to ask him. I wanted to hear the truth from his own lips. Yet, all I saw was him carefully wrapping his arms around Katalin and gently covering her ears with his hands. Kieran frowned and sighed. "That's enough, Brianna. Hugo will still treat you the way he always has, for the sake of your health." Vivian closed the distance between us, her tone softening. "Why don't you just forget about what happened today, Brianna? Come on, I'll take you home." Their words were as light as feathers, yet as they rained down upon me, they tore my heart to shreds. It hurt. It hurt so damn much. That voice in my head surfaced again. My gaze landed on the knife on the table. It was the knife they had just used to cut Hugo and Katalin's wedding cake. I picked it up and gripped it tightly in my hand, pointing the tip of the blade at Katalin. Everyone's expression changed again. This time, it was sheer terror. "What do you think you're doing, Bri? Hurry up and put the knife down!" As soon as the words fell, someone kicked my knife-wielding arm with all their might. The searing pain sent black spots across my vision. I collapsed onto the ground, my wrist bent at an unnatural angle. Vivian's voice was especially shrill. "Brianna's condition has deteriorated. She just pointed a knife at Kat. Now, she won't just hurt herself; she'll hurt other people too!" With that, she grabbed me by the collar and dragged me backward. My wrist scraped against the ground, and the pain made me break out in a cold sweat. Hugo's voice was ice-cold. "Tie her up before she has another episode." In the past, he had never said I was sick. He used to tell me he was the one who had done something wrong, causing me to feel insecure. Yet, now, the way he looked at me was no different from how one looks at a mental patient. Worried that Vivian couldn't handle me on her own, Kieran came over and pinned my legs to the ground. The coarse hemp rope wound around me again and again. My eyes were bloodshot as I thrashed wildly. Vivian rushed into the house, brought out a basin of ice water, and poured it over my head. "Snap out of it, Brianna! Get a grip on yourself." Just then, a cool breeze swept past, and the wet fabric clinging to my skin made me shiver. Katalin approached me with a blanket, her face filled with sympathy. I watched her with a stoic face as the corners of her lips curved into a smile. Then, she suddenly lost her footing and fell to the ground. Curses and screams instantly blurred together in my ears. I was forcefully shoved. My chair overturned, and my forehead slammed into a protruding stone in the yard. Warm liquid trickled into my eyes. The last thing I saw was everyone rushing out of the yard with Katalin in their arms. No one noticed that the overturned chair had knocked over the candle on the table. The candle set the tablecloth on fire, and the flames rapidly spread along the spilled liquor. … Third-Person POV Two hours later, the group returned from the hospital. As soon as they stepped out of the car, they saw soaring flames and thick, black smoke billowing from the neighborhood. When the security guard spotted them, he rushed over. "You're the ones renting Residence 6, right? It just caught fire. You'd better go take a look!" Recalling that Brianna was tied up in the courtyard, all of them blanched.