[Brianna, can you stop making a scene? Can you please know your place?]

At that moment, a strange sense of relief washed over me, knowing Sebastian hadn’t answered the phone.

I couldn’t even fathom the venomous words he would have thrown at me, each one a cruel reminder of the wreckage between us.

I didn’t respond, choosing instead to stay in bed, drained until I found the strength to move.

When the sunlight poured in, I decided to step out and headed for the rooftop garden, seeking warmth. Unexpectedly, I ran into Sebastian’s brothers.

Each of them held a fruit basket or bouquet, but their eyes weren’t kind. They circled me like predators, mocking my hospital gown.

"Yo, so you knew Sebastian was here with his girlfriend, huh? Playing the pity card now?"

"It’s just a little blood donation. Why act so fragile?"

"Not bad, though. The makeup looks pretty natural. No awkwardness at all. I always said you were a scheming girl, but Sebastian never believed it..."

Sebastian’s brothers always thought I wasn’t good enough for him.

If it hadn’t been for him forcing them to call me "sister-in-law," they would have never accepted me.

But now, with Sebastian by their side, they could speak their minds freely, no longer held back by the pretense.

When Sebastian walked downstairs to join them, he froze for a moment when he saw me, his brows knitting together.

"Brianna, is this really necessary?"

"I’ve already agreed to marry you and now you’re bribing the doctor to pretend to be sick and spy on me? Is this some kind of joke to you?"

"Do you have any idea how suffocating this makes me feel?"

"I’ll be honest with you: if you keep acting like this after we marry, it won’t be long before we end up divorced."

"No need to make it so complicated. I don’t need you to marry me!"

For six years, he had lived free.

Whenever he wanted a drink, I silently accompanied him, never pushing him to change.

If I didn’t fit into his plans, I’d simply pick him up the moment he called.

When he was drunk, I cared for him; he had no complaints, just a quiet presence.

When he wanted to travel alone with his brothers, I’d organize everything, buying tickets and planning the whole trip.

Even when he handed me his phone without hesitation, I never once thought to check it.

I loved him and feared repeating the tragedy of my mother, whose controlling nature had driven my father away.

I thought I had always kept the balance right between us.

At least, that’s what I believed before this incident, when everything seemed perfect, our relationship burning bright with passion.

But now, it hit me: my love had suffocated him.

So, was this the real reason he pretended to be sick, seeking some kind of thrill?

When our eyes locked, there was nothing left of the affection I had once seen.

The question that almost slipped from my lips was swallowed by silence, heavy and suffocating.

Sebastian, noticing my gaze, furrowed his brow, his impatience evident.

He snatched a lily from one of his brothers and shoved it into my arms with forced finality.

"Enough, stop pretending to be so virtuous. Take the flowers and leave!"

He thought I was still the same girl, easily pacified by a simple gesture, content with a token gift.

He didn’t believe that I, the one who had always vowed I would only marry him, could truly refuse him now.

I handed the flowers back to his brother, my voice steady but distant.

"This is for your girlfriend. It wouldn’t feel right for me to keep them."

"Donating blood was my choice. You don’t need to force yourself to marry me."

Sebastian’s face paled, his panic creeping up like a tide he couldn’t stop.

Wasn’t Brianna supposed to be thrilled by this?

Why was she suddenly insisting that I didn’t need to marry her?

Could it be that she was actually angry?

A flicker of confusion flashed in his eyes and he stammered. "Brianna, I..."

Before he could finish, his brothers all coughed in unison, signaling him to backtrack.

He quickly recovered, his voice laced with an edge of desperation.

"Brianna, I always keep my promises."

But I only smiled.

"Hurry up and go be with your girlfriend!"

"I’ll handle the discharge papers now!"

Hearing my calm response, Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat.

There was something different about me today, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

He hesitated as if on the verge of saying something, but his brothers casually pulled him away.

"Enough, stop staring. Eliza will get jealous if you don’t hurry up! It’s the usual act: play the pity card and then pretend to be hard to get. Women always play those games and you’re just too naive to see it!"

"Yeah! Look at the mess you’ve made. You’re no kid anymore. How could you let her bleed so much? Lucky for you, Eliza’s generous and doesn’t fuss about it, unlike some people who donate blood and then start pushing for marriage..."

Their loud words were clearly meant for me, but I didn’t feel the heartache I expected.

Instead, a coldness crept into my bones.

The sunlight outside couldn’t warm me.

Watching them leave, I moved forward with the discharge process.

With Sebastian gone, I called a housekeeper to help pack my things.

The housekeeper froze when she saw the newly decorated wedding home, her voice full of surprise.

"Miss, all of this brand new wedding stuff and you’re just throwing it all away?"

"Hmm, the groom’s gone. It’s all useless now."

The housekeeper’s face softened with regret and she quickly apologized, trying to comfort me.

To prevent me from breaking down, the housekeeper started with the wedding photos and the dozens of albums filled with memories of Sebastian and me.

Within hours, the home I had so carefully decorated lost all remnants of celebration, slipping into an eerie silence.

The atmosphere turned cold and empty and I couldn’t help but feel the same way inside.

The housekeeper sighed softly, shaking her head as she looked at the ten or so bags filled with reminders of love.

"Miss, you need to move on."

I nodded, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.

When the housekeeper left, I made sure there were no traces of me left in the house. I deleted my fingerprints from every surface and grabbed my suitcase.

Instead of heading to the apartment Sebastian had rented for me, I checked into a secluded confinement center.

The receptionist, sympathetic to my miscarriage, kindly assigned me to a quiet, secluded floor.

I spent a few peaceful days there until, one day, a notification from the surveillance system pinged on my phone.

I had completely forgotten to cancel the monitoring account for the wedding home.

Out of curiosity, I clicked on the notification by accident.

What I saw froze me in place: Sebastian passionately kissing his girlfriend as they entered the house. The image burned into my mind as though mocking me.

As soon as Sebastian saw the state of the house, he shoved Eliza away in alarm.

"What’s going on here?"

He pulled out his phone, intent on calling me. But before he could press the dial button, Eliza snatched it from his hands.

"Enough! We’re together now. Why are you still thinking about your ex? Focus on me!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands slipping beneath his shirt, skillfully drawing him closer.

Unable to hold back any longer, Sebastian pressed her against the wall, kissing her fiercely as though he needed to consume her completely.

Even when we’d shared our first night, he had never been this reckless. In a matter of moments, their clothes were strewn across the floor, forgotten.

"Sebastian, I just got out of the hospital. You have to be gentle today!"

"Little demon, I’ve been holding back for so long. Take the lead this time."

With a playful tilt of her chin and a seductive pout, Eliza teased, "That depends on how well you perform."

"Who do you love more, me or your ex?"

Sebastian’s breath hitched and his eyes instantly turned cold.

"Brianna is my fiancée," he snapped. "Who do you think I love more?"

"When we started, we agreed to take what we needed from each other. If you weren’t so fragile, you wouldn’t even be here serving me now."

Eliza immediately pulled away from him, her face twisting with emotion as she began to cry.

"I almost died serving you! If you can’t appreciate me, then go find someone else!" she sobbed.

Sebastian’s greatest fear was always a woman’s tears. So, without hesitation, he pulled Eliza into his arms, kissing her gently, trying to soothe her until she was left gasping for breath.

I stood there, numb, as they moved from the sofa to the master bedroom and then to the bathroom. The realization hit me again: Sebastian never loved me.

After his accident, I’d silently wiped away my tears every day, careful to hide my swollen eyes.

Yet, he never noticed. Instead, he scolded me for being “pretentious,” accusing me of trying to manipulate him with my tears.

He openly embraced every woman who crossed his path, telling me that, although he’d once loved me, it didn’t matter anymore. He was free to enjoy himself with no debt to me.

I was oddly grateful that I hadn’t kept the child. With his obsession with Eliza’s body, I knew that even if we had married, he would’ve still found his way back to her.

After all, I could never be like Eliza, trapped in her web of seduction.

When the sounds of gasping returned, I immediately exited the app and deleted the account, shutting it all out in one decisive motion.

The following morning, I was jolted awake by a phone call from Sebastian.

It was the first time he’d reached out to me since his accident and the shock of it hit me hard. But there was no reason for us to stay connected anymore, so I let it ring, ignoring the call.

Frustrated by my silence, he sent me a message.

[Brianna, what’s going on? I agreed to marry you; why did you throw away everything we bought for the wedding?]

I couldn’t bear the thought of facing any more of his accusations, so I crafted a quick lie.

"I bought a seaside villa. The wedding house didn’t suit us, so I decided to move there."

Just as I hit send, a new notification popped up: Eliza’s profile picture. Without hesitation, I rejected the friend request.

But Eliza wasn’t easily deterred. A message followed.

But she persisted, leaving a message claiming she had an intimate video of me and Sebastian.

I reluctantly accepted her friend request and within moments, Eliza sent the video, a grainy, intimate scene of her and Sebastian.

Just as the two minutes were about to expire, she deliberately sent a crying emoji.

[Oops, sorry, sister, I accidentally clicked the wrong one. I can’t take it back now; what should I do?]

She followed it up with a smug comment.

[I thought that passionate moment was between you and Sebastian. I was so confused; how could Sebastian be so obsessed with my body? Turns out I’m the main character after all!]

Then, she added insult to injury with a bitter remark.

[Sister, if I were you, I’d spend some money learning how to please a man, or else you wouldn’t have lost your husband!]

Not content with just words, she transferred $10,000 to me.

[This is your payment for the blood you donated. If money can solve everything, I’d rather not trade my husband for it. Wait for our wedding invitation!]

Her blatant humiliation and mockery felt like a slap in the face. But I wasn’t about to be dragged further into her web. I immediately returned the transfer.

"Consider this an early wedding gift for you both. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!"

I blocked Eliza without a second thought and for the next half month, life flowed quietly. My body recovered and I felt a sense of peace.

But the moment came when I bought a plane ticket, only to realize, without warning, that it was for the day of their wedding.

I was on my way to visit my best friend, so I decided to stop by a jewelry store to pick out a gift for her.

It was then that a sudden thought struck me: I hadn’t picked up the wedding ring I had ordered with Sebastian.

It was a design I had poured my heart into and now, it was time to take it back and let go.

But when I asked the staff to check the records, she hesitated and then told me that Sebastian had already picked it up.

The pity in her eyes spoke volumes and I understood. I left the store without another word.

As soon as I stepped outside, I nearly bumped into Sebastian, casually shopping.

The wedding ring I had designed for us now gleamed on his hand, entangled with Eliza’s.

I couldn’t help but stare at their hands and before I could stop myself, I spoke, my voice colder than I intended.

"You two look great together."

I turned, not waiting for a response and started walking away.

He rushed after me, but Eliza stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.

"Sebastian, didn’t you promise to go with me to try on wedding dresses today?"

I quickened my pace, my steps firm and unwavering.

Before long, the day I had dreaded arrived; it was their wedding day.

I left the confinement of my thoughts, took a taxi and made my way to the airport.

At the same time, Sebastian’s brothers, accompanied by a makeup artist and carrying a custom-made wedding dress, arrived at the house he had rented, hoping to find me.

They rang the doorbell for what felt like an eternity, but when no one answered, their loud chatter caught the attention of the neighbor across the hall.

"This place has been empty for a while. Are you sure you’ve got the right door?"