In their world, I would always be the outsider who didn’t belong.

My hands trembled, my chest tight. I resisted the urge to smash the phone and instead saved screenshots of their chat.

By the time Daniel walked back in, I had already put his phone down.

He picked it up, hesitated, and muttered,

“Babe, these people act like they’ve never seen the world before, but they insist on tagging along. Just stay home and wait for me.”

I calmly picked up my bag. “Ethan Walker has been my friend for over ten years. This project—I’m coming too.”

Daniel froze, then reached out to block me.

“You don’t get along with them anyway. Better if you don’t come, saves you feeling left out.”

With that, he turned as if to leave.

I grabbed his arm, staring into his eyes. “Today is my birthday.”

I didn’t say more. It was his last chance.

From the doorway came Sophie’s impatient stomp.

Daniel’s face immediately twisted with irritation. He shrugged me off hard.

“Why are you acting like my mom? Always the same old routine. What’s so special about a birthday?”

The back of my hand slammed against the doorframe; the pain seared my chest.

“Tsk!” Sophie tiptoed and playfully tapped Daniel on the head.

“What did your daddy teach you? Treat girls gently. Honestly, I think Anna being dramatic and sensitive makes her cute. Be grateful, son!”

Daniel snorted. “That’s just how she is—always picking fights. If she’s not making drama, she’s not happy.”

Ignoring me, he slipped an arm toward Sophie’s waist. “Who just called me ‘son’? Watch your manners!”

Sophie spun around laughing. “Oh my god, you almost grabbed your dad’s chest. You perv!”

Daniel’s lips curled as he went ahead and groped her. “Really? Looks more like little dinner rolls to me.”

The group burst into laughter as they all filed out together.

I stood frozen, as if the air had been sucked from the room.

Watching them disappear behind the elevator doors, I dialed Ethan.

“I’ll meet you at the Mountain View Campground.”

He didn’t waste words. “Okay.”

Having grown up together, I knew the difference between friendship with boundaries and the opposite.

Two years of dating, three years of marriage.

I needed to see with my own eyes how humiliatingly my marriage to Daniel would end.

The campground was far from the city, the early autumn wind crisp and cool.

Beside the white tents, a group of young men and women cheered.

Ethan found me a spot at the edge of the grounds and pulled over a chair.

Across an artificial lake, I watched as a group of men surrounded Sophie.

Blindfolded, dressed in a camisole and shorts, she groped forward and landed straight in Daniel’s arms.

The crowd roared, “Danny lost! Truth! Truth!”

“Say it—do you like Sophie?”

Sophie looped her arms around Daniel’s neck, laughing as she scolded them.

“Oh, you guys are so annoying!”

Someone shouted louder, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Or better yet, switch to a dare. Sophie, you’ve already bitten Danny’s ass once—do it again and show us!”

Amid the laughter, Sophie threw Daniel a sultry glance.

“I think that sounds fun.”

Before the words faded, she reached for his belt.

“Hey! Stop it!” Daniel laughed as he dodged, but half-heartedly.

Then Sophie slipped. Daniel immediately caught her, and they tumbled together onto the soft grass.

In the chaos, her skirt was pushed up to her waist.

Daniel wrapped one arm tightly around her waist while the other hand possessively shielded her bare thigh.

Their eyes locked, tension thick in the air, neither willing to let go.

The crowd’s deafening chant of “Be together!” stabbed into me like knives, slicing my heart open.

In that moment, I felt like a thief, watching from the shadows as my husband tangled intimately with another woman.

Beside me, Ethan’s face had darkened with fury. He was about to charge forward when I grabbed his arm to stop him.

My hand shook as I dialed Daniel’s number.

Through blurred vision, I saw him pull out his phone, visibly annoyed by the sudden ringing.

Once, twice, three times…

He stared at the screen flashing “Wife” and never answered.

Sophie lazily draped herself across his chest, letting out a contemptuous snort.

“Your nagging wife checking up on you again?”

She quickly hit the decline button, then tapped his nose with a smirk.

“Don’t go choosing a woman over your brother, or we won’t be brothers anymore.”

“Don’t say that,” Daniel chuckled, pulling her tighter into his arms. “A wife could never be more important than a brother.”

With a swift motion, he powered off the phone, tossed it aside, and rolled with Sophie across the grass again.

Yes. A wife could never be more important than a brother.

What else did I need to understand?

The cold wind made me shiver violently. Pointing at the laughing pair, I whispered,

“Ethan, is there a camera covering that spot?”

He immediately caught on. “I’ll make sure it’s saved.”

It felt like my heart had burst open, bleeding out uncontrollably.

Daniel, if you’ve already made your choice…

Then the outcome is clear: your complete disgrace.

Not far away, the group had settled around a barbecue, drinking heavily, words spilling freer with each glass.

Sophie lifted her bottle and sighed dramatically.

“This reminds me of Daniel’s wedding day. I was so heartbroken, I went to the Hudson River and drank alone. Posted it on Facebook too.”

She giggled. “Guess what? He ran out to me in his tux, and we sat by the river like idiots, watching the stars all night.”

My throat tightened. I remembered that night.

Daniel had said an urgent matter came up, and I spent my wedding night waiting alone on the bed.

“And that’s not all,” Sophie continued. “Later I told him I never wanted to marry, but I did want a child. Guess how this fool answered?”

She paused, savoring the suspense, then burst out laughing.

“He actually said super seriously, ‘Fine, I’ll donate. If you’re having a baby, it has to be mine!’”

The crowd erupted—“Now that’s real brotherhood!”—as Sophie nudged him playfully.

“Well? You’re so loyal. But what about Anna?”

Daniel’s gaze dropped, his tone calm, almost casual.

“I’ve been slipping her birth control. I don’t want kids anyway.”

“What the hell!” Ethan blurted, horrified. “And you can live with that?”

The sunlight seared my eyes. I could only laugh—until tears rolled down my cheeks.

“Funny, isn’t it? He once said he wanted us to be DINK, just the two of us forever.”

For three years I had tried and failed to conceive. I thought something was wrong with me.

But he—so considerate, so gentle—had told me:

“Anna, it’s fine. We’ll be childfree. You’re my everything.”

And now, I realized I was nothing but a pathetic joke.

Sophie’s laughter still rang in my ears.

“Having a good brother is a thousand times better than getting married. No nagging wife, no drudgery, and I get all the benefits. God, what kind of blessing did I earn in my past life?”