My fiancée’s childhood sweetheart sprained his ankle, and without a word, she became his personal chauffeur.

When I voiced my displeasure, she went a step further—she let him move into our wedding room.

She even had the nerve to tell me, “You’re so petty. You wouldn’t let me drive Derek to and from work. His foot’s still not healed, and I can’t bear the thought of him walking so far.”

“Our wedding room is near his office anyway. It’s not like we’re using it right now, so it’s just sitting there.”

On the day we were supposed to register our marriage, she stood me up.

“Derek sneezed twice this morning, and I got worried, so I’m taking him to the hospital. The marriage certificate can wait. Let’s reschedule.”

Reschedule my ass.

I called my childhood friend Emily Hart on the spot. “Sophie Bennett, are you still getting married or not? Show up if you are!”

——

I waited at the usual intersection for half an hour. No sign of my fiancée’s car.

Normally, she’d already be parked and waiting to take me to work—rain or shine—for three years now.

I called her twenty times before she finally picked up.

But it wasn’t her voice I heard. It was a man’s.

“Ethan, Vanessa’s driving and can’t answer the phone.”

“This is Derek. I twisted my ankle this morning, so she came to give me a lift to work.”

“Put her on the phone.”

“Vanessa Moore, couldn’t you have called me before going to get Derek? Do you know how worried I was?”

“It happened so fast, I forgot to let you know. And by the way, I won’t be picking you up from work anymore.”

“Derek’s still hurt, so I have to prioritize him now. Okay, I’m hanging up.”

I was seething.

Derek—what a master manipulator. But women fall for guys like him.

I ended up taking a taxi and was two hours late for work.

My direct supervisor, who also happens to be my childhood sweetheart, called me into her office.

“What happened? You’re super late.”

“Don’t even ask. Vanessa picked Derek up without telling me. I waited forever, then went to her place. Took a huge detour.”

“She’s terrible. Don’t marry her. Dump her and marry me instead.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please, I still remember you skinny-dipping in the river.”

Right then, my phone buzzed. A Facebook message from Derek.

“Sorry, Ethan, for making you late today. Did your boss yell at you?”

“I told Vanessa I could take a taxi, but she insisted. Hope you’re not mad.”

I replied, “Thanks for asking. I’m family, so only I get to scold my boss.”

“Also, I’m three years older than you, so don’t call me brother. And I do mind Vanessa picking you up every day. From now on, take a taxi.”

I hit send and instantly felt better.

Then he replied, “Sorry, I assumed you were older based on your appearance.”

“I told Vanessa I’d take a taxi, but she wouldn’t listen. Maybe you should talk to her yourself?”

I showed the message to Sophie. “Look at this! He’s calling me old now!”

“You’re in your thirties and still dressing like a high schooler. Who are you trying to fool?”

Then came the final straw—Derek’s new social media post.

‘My exclusive co-pilot.’

The picture showed him in the passenger seat of my car, head tilted slightly, with Vanessa’s shoulder visible beside him.

The more I looked at it, the more furious I became.

I dialed Vanessa.

“Done dropping off your dear brother Derek? Meet me at the coffee shop downstairs from my office. Now. We need to talk.”

Half an hour later, I met Vanessa at the coffee shop.

“What’s so important that you couldn’t say it over the phone? Why drag me here?”

“How long do you plan on driving Derek Wallace to and from work?”

“A bone takes about a hundred days to heal—at least three months.”

“Alright then, return the car. I’ll drive myself.”

The car Vanessa used belonged to me.

When she first saw me driving the Mercedes-Benz, her eyes lit up. She said she’d never driven anything that nice and wanted to try.

Eventually, she just took the keys and declared she’d be my full-time driver. So I let her have it.

“And why would I return it? So I can drive myself again?”

“My dad gave me that car for commuting. Since you’re not picking me up anymore, isn’t it fair I get it back?”

“Can’t you just take a taxi? You know I need to drive Derek. Why are you being so petty, Ethan?”

“Derek is like a brother to me. His foot’s injured. Isn’t it right for me, as his sister, to help out?”

“Last I checked, you’re an only child. When did you get a brother?”

“Besides, can’t he take a taxi too? And you’re about to get married. Is it really appropriate to drive your fiancé’s car just to shuttle another man around every day?”

I reached my hand out. “Give me the car keys.”

Vanessa pulled a face and stayed silent for a while. Then she sighed. “Fine, I won’t pick him up anymore. I wasn’t thinking. Don’t be mad.”

“That’s more like it.”

Later that night, Vanessa called me. “I can’t pick you up today. I’m helping a friend move.”

“Alright, just don’t be late tomorrow morning.”

After I hung up, I noticed Sophie leaning nearby, watching me.

“What are you looking at?”

“Is your fiancée using that as an excuse to go pick up her childhood sweetheart?”

“No way. She promised she wouldn’t.”

“You sure? Then what if she takes her childhood sweetheart home to care for him?”

“Ridiculous. Don’t be absurd.”

Even though I said that, a sliver of doubt crept in.

Later that night, I video-called Vanessa. “Are you home alone?”

“Of course. Who else would be here?”

“Then take your phone and show me around.”

“What, you think I’m hiding a man in here?”

She walked me through her small rental unit. Sure enough, it was empty.

I finally relaxed.

But just as I was about to sleep, a new post from Derek popped up in his Moments.

A selfie with the caption: “Moved into a new place.”

Behind him, the painting on the wall matched the one from mine and Vanessa’s new home exactly.

A sinking feeling hit me, but I told myself Vanessa wouldn’t go that far.

The next morning, Vanessa came to pick me up, and I asked casually,

“Who did you help move yesterday?”

“An old colleague. We were close at work, so I went over to help when he asked.”

“Really? What a coincidence—Derek moved too. Didn’t he ask for your help?”

“Did he? He never said anything. Maybe he just hired movers.”

She answered smoothly, so my doubts eased.

The weekend came. I bought a few decorations and asked Vanessa to come with me to the new house.

She clearly panicked for a second.

“Huh? Do we have to go? It’s scorching out. Let’s just stay home and watch a movie.”

“A movie? If you don’t want to go, I’ll go by myself.”

She quickly grabbed my arm. “Wait, how about this—I’ll treat you to that Japanese place you’ve been dying to try, and then we’ll catch a movie. My treat!”

Vanessa is usually incredibly stingy. I cover all our dates, and she even asks me to reimburse her for a bottle of mineral water.

On holidays, I give her gifts, and all I get in return is a half-hearted “mm-hmm.”

Today, she actually offered to treat me to Japanese food. The sun must’ve risen in the west.

But I didn’t call her out on it—I just went along, had sushi, and watched a movie with her.

She ended up spending nearly a thousand dollars, which clearly made her uncomfortable.

On the way home, she kept grumbling and reminding me that I owed her a meal next time.

She dropped me off at my place. I watched her car disappear down the street, then immediately hailed a taxi to the new house.

The new place had a password lock. I entered the code several times, but it kept saying “incorrect password.”

Thankfully, I had brought the physical key and used it to unlock the door.

What greeted me inside left me speechless.

The cozy little home I’d decorated to my exact taste had been completely transformed.

The Nordic-style painting in the living room was replaced with a giant Crayon Shin-chan print. The sleek brown leather sofa was now hidden under an ugly plush cover.

My black-and-gold tables, chairs, and cabinets had all been painted white. The entire furniture layout had been rearranged.

I opened the master bedroom door—and saw Derek sleeping soundly on the wedding bed Vanessa and I had picked out, using the silk bedding set my mother had lovingly selected.

I had mentally prepared myself for the possibility that Derek might have moved in.

But I hadn’t imagined he’d completely undo all my careful interior work—and then sleep like a king in my wedding bed.

Startled, he sat up and snapped, “Ethan Carter, why didn’t you knock? Who told you to barge into my house?”

I was so furious I couldn’t even form words.

“This is my house!” I finally said through gritted teeth.

“Vanessa said she’s lending it to me. That makes it my home now. You just trespassed into someone else’s house. Didn’t your mother teach you manners?”

“And did yours teach you to be shameless?” I fired back. “You move into someone else’s home, wreck the place, and then act like you own it?”

I dialed Vanessa. “Get to the new house. Now.”

She immediately caught on.

“It’s just for a while—why are you so mad that Derek’s living there?”

“You refused to let me pick him up, and he’s still injured. I don’t feel right letting him walk all that way.”

“Our wedding house is near his office anyway. We’re not using it, so why let it sit empty?”

Derek grinned smugly. “Even if you call Vanessa, it won’t change anything. She agreed to everything I’ve done here.”

“And you don’t have to get so worked up. I might be the real man of this house.”

I ended the call.

“Then why doesn’t she just marry you? You’ve been childhood sweethearts for years. Seems like it should’ve been your turn. So why am I the one she’s marrying?”

From what I’d seen, Vanessa didn’t choose Derek because she looked down on his background.

He never even finished high school—started working in a factory straight out of junior high, tightening screws.

Both his parents are unemployed, relying on relatives to get by.

I, on the other hand, was born and raised in Los Angeles, graduated from top-tier Las Vegas University, and my family owns a courtyard house.

Any woman would know who to pick.

Derek’s expression shifted. My words struck a nerve. His face turned grim.

“Vanessa just hasn’t faced her feelings yet. You’ll see. The two of you are never getting married!”

Just then, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the apartment.

And instantly, Derek screamed and dropped to the floor.

“Ethan, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have touched your new house! Don’t hit me—please, don’t kill me!”