At the wedding rehearsal, my husband’s so-called “female bro” suddenly raised her glass for a toast.

“The first toast is to the groom. Dude, you’re married now, so quit sneaking my lingerie when you watch those adult movies!”

His groomsmen burst into loud laughter, and that “female bro” collapsed into my husband’s arms, giggling.

Noticing my sour expression, she deliberately raised her glass again, provoking me:

“The second toast goes to the bride. She looks all pure and innocent, but in bed she’s wild—Ryan Parker really hit the jackpot!”

Ryan Parker wrapped his arm around her, covering her mouth with a doting smile.

“You crazy girl, is that all you ever think about?”

She poked her head out from Ryan’s embrace.

“Come on, little sister, we’ve been tight since childhood, just like real bros. You’re not mad, are you?”

—

I gave a light smile.

“Why would I be mad? We’re all ‘bros,’ right?”

Everyone looked shocked at my words.

Ryan pulled me closer, teasing me with a playful brush across my nose.

“Emily Summers, you’re surprisingly obedient today! I thought you were one of those dramatic girls.”

Vanessa Reed chimed in:

“Exactly! Ryan’s ex-girlfriends were all super uptight. None of them could handle us groomsmen, so in the end, we always had to convince him to dump them.”

She smirked.

“What’s that saying again? Bros before hoes, right?”

As she spoke, Vanessa began pawing at Ryan again.

“Ryan, do you want to run around naked or end up losing an arm and a leg? Don’t forget, I still have those photos of your bare butt from when we were kids!”

Ryan laughed, pushing her hand away.

“Quit touching me! My wife’s right here!”

Vanessa rolled her eyes.

“Oh please, you used to practice unhooking bras on me. Didn’t hear you say that back then! And I had a real boyfriend at the time!”

Then she clung to my arm.

“Little sis, you’ve got to back me up! He ruined so many of my bras—he owes me compensation!”

I tightened my grip on her arm.

“That toast you just gave—are you planning to say the same thing at tomorrow’s real ceremony?”

Vanessa froze, clearly caught off guard.

Yes, today was only the rehearsal.

According to tradition here, both sides of the wedding party had to pick someone to give a toast. Everything had been running smoothly until Vanessa suddenly raised her empty glass to speak.

“So what, you’re saying I shouldn’t talk like that?” She smirked, then slammed her empty glass down hard on the table.

Thud.

The room fell silent.

“Ryan, your little wifey really can’t take a joke, huh? What part of what I said was wrong? I was only speaking the truth!”

Ryan glanced between us, then finally squeezed my hand and smiled at Vanessa.

“Bro Vanessa, you’re like my big brother. My wife is your sister-in-law now, so don’t take her words too seriously.”

Hearing this, Vanessa stomped her foot in fury.

“Ryan, I’ve spoiled you all these years for nothing! You’re not even married yet, and already you’re siding with your woman!”

Ryan turned to me.

“Emily, go on, apologize to Bro Vanessa. She’ll change her toast, and we’ll be done with this.”

He gave me a little shove toward her.

The rest of his groomsmen quickly echoed him.

“C’mon, sis, just apologize to Bro Vanessa. Make her happy, then you can marry Ryan.”

“Yeah! Everyone knows Ryan listens to Vanessa the most. If you want in with this crew, you’ve got to pass her test first!”

Vanessa laughed and punched one of the guys in the chest.

“Jason Miller, how many times do I have to tell you—I’m basically one of the guys. Call me Bro Vanessa!”

Jason bobbed his head, bowing and scraping.

“Yes, yes, Bro Vanessa! My mistake!”

The groomsmen roared with laughter again, completely forgetting I was still standing there as the bride.

Finally, Vanessa turned her attention back to me, pointing at Jason and me both.

“You two both owe me apologies, but I’m not taking just words. Here’s the deal—each of you chug a bottle, and we’re square.”

Ryan was the first to clap.

“Perfect! Bro Vanessa, you’re always so generous!”

The rest clapped along, while my face grew colder.

The waiter soon brought over two bottles of beer.

Vanessa poured herself a glass first and toasted Jason.

“Jason, I know your health’s not great. I’ll help you out.”

She downed the glass, earning cheers and applause.

Jason, near tears with gratitude, finished the rest of the bottle.

“Thanks, Bro Vanessa. Brothers for life!”

After their little performance, all eyes turned to me.

“Your turn, sis!”

Ryan slipped an arm around my waist, claiming ownership.

“Quit calling her sis—she’s Mrs. Parker now!”

“Right, right, Mrs. Parker! Drink up!”

Ryan leaned close to my ear, whispering,

“Emily, just drink it. Do it for me.”

I stared back at him with no expression.

“Ryan, I’m allergic to alcohol.”

He froze, then seemed to remember.

Back in college, Ryan had gotten blackout drunk at a client dinner. When I went to pick him up, the greasy middle-aged men wouldn’t let him leave unless I drank.

To get him out, I downed a full glass of vodka in one go.

Ryan was only drunk that night, but I ended up in the ER, nearly suffering full organ failure. The doctor said if we’d been any later, I might not have survived.

The day I was discharged, Ryan’s eyes had turned red as he swore to me:

“Emily, I’ll never let anyone force you to drink again.”

And now? For the sake of entertaining this so-called female bro, he wanted me to chug a whole bottle.

Seeing my displeasure, Ryan lowered his voice, coaxing:

“Emily, don’t make a scene. All my groomsmen are watching. Besides, it’s just beer, low alcohol. You can just go throw it up afterward. It won’t hurt you.”

Looking at him then, I wondered whether this marriage was worth going through with.

Someone urged me on.

“Mrs. Parker, come on! We’re waiting on you!”

Vanessa burst out laughing, cutting in:

“Oh, what’s that saying again? Dumplings are the tastiest, fun is the best… Anyway, don’t you dare hit on Mrs. Parker, guys, no matter how wild she is!”

My brow furrowed, and I turned to Ryan.

“What does she mean by that? She’s been publicly slandering me all night—does she plan to keep going?”

Vanessa quickly covered her mouth, feigning sudden realization.

“Oh no, did I just say what I was really thinking? Silly me!”

She tapped her temple in mock cuteness, acting all coy.

Ryan actually fell for it.

He grabbed Vanessa’s hand, chuckling.

“Alright, alright. You’ve always been slow. Don’t make yourself look any dumber.”

Vanessa pouted, pinching his waist.

“Who are you calling dumb, huh? If I’m the pig, then what does that make you—Piglet?”

Seeing them flirt again, I snatched up a beer bottle.

“So, you want me to drink to apologize? Fine, I’ll drink.”

Vanessa’s face lit with smug satisfaction.

“Great, sis-in-law. Chug this whole bottle and I’ll forgive you.”

I raised the bottle with a smile.

“But you drank half for Jason earlier, right? Guess you can drink the other half for me.”

Then I upended the bottle over her head.

Screams erupted in the banquet hall.

Beer drenched Vanessa from head to toe, but I ignored the chaos. I walked straight out, drove home, and found myself surrounded by the glaringly red wedding decorations.

A stabbing pain pierced my chest. I clutched the wall, slid down, and felt tears fall before I realized it.

Ryan and I had been classmates at NYU.

At first, I dated him because he was handsome. But soon after, my family’s company faced bankruptcy.

Ryan didn’t leave. Instead, he handed me all the savings he’d been putting away since childhood to help my parents.

When he saw I couldn’t afford my usual designer bags, he worked a summer job to buy me a small branded wallet.

I still remember him sweating inside a mascot costume, shyly handing me that wallet. In that moment, I thought: This is the man I’ll marry.

Thankfully, my family survived the crisis and I remained the Summers heiress.

After graduation, my parents disapproved of Ryan’s average background. But I was convinced he was the man who’d stand by me through thick and thin.

So they relented, granting Ryan control of a Summers subsidiary in New York and buying us a luxury condo in Manhattan.

Tomorrow was supposed to be our wedding day. And today, his groomsmen had staged this humiliating circus.

Nausea rose in me like worms crawling in my stomach. I rushed to the bathroom to vomit.

Soon, Ryan came storming in, furious.

“Emily! Who gave you permission to treat Bro Vanessa like that?”

While I was still heaving, his first reaction wasn’t to check on me—it was to defend that woman.

This marriage, I realized, truly wasn’t worth it.

I lifted my tear-rimmed eyes and sneered.

“Bro Vanessa? So does she have something between her legs, or do you not? Is that why you two are the same gender now?”

Ryan’s face flushed with rage as he raised his hand.

“Emily, shut up!”

Tears burned my eyes, sorrow and anger flooding me.

“What now? You’re going to hit me for her?”

Ryan dropped his hand and sighed, softening his tone.

“Come on, baby, don’t be mad. Vanessa’s been my bro since childhood. There’s nothing between us. And tomorrow’s our wedding—your parents spent so much on it. You don’t want their efforts wasted, right?”

He reached out, trying to hug me with that infuriating grin.

I shoved him away.

“Are you threatening me?”

He shrugged.

“Just stating the facts. Besides, Vanessa’s one of my groomsmen. Can’t exactly have the lineup missing someone, can we?”

I laughed bitterly.

“Funny, I’ve never heard of a female groomsman before.”

Ryan scowled, impatient.

“You’ve never heard of plenty of things. This is nothing.”

“Nothing?” I snapped.

“On Valentine’s Day, I booked the best restaurant in Manhattan six months in advance. One phone call from your female bro and you ditched me for the entire night. That was ‘nothing’ too?”