A week before my wedding, I went camping in the snowy mountains with Jeremy Hayes. But his childhood sweetheart insisted on sleeping between us. After I refused, she ran crying out of the tent. Jeremy, anxious, chased after her and disappeared into the snowy night. Worried, I thought about following them. That's when Jeremy's group chat with his friends lit up. He sent a message there: “Everyone, no need to worry. I’ve found Alice, we won’t be back tonight.” The picture attached was a hotel at the foot of the mountain. Alice and his clothes were scattered on the floor beneath the bed. Alice’s playful voice message followed closely: “It’s all Jeremy’s fault for being too rough, I can’t even get out of bed.” “But I still need to drain Jeremy dry, I wouldn’t want Emily to have all the fun on our wedding night.” The group immediately became lively, someone asking what I would do. Jeremy casually replied: “Don’t worry about her, she can’t live without me. I’ll just sweet-talk her tomorrow morning.” My worry instantly vanished. I dialed a number. “The wedding is still on, but we need a different groom.” Jeremy didn't know what he had just ruined. It was the Hayes Group’s last lifeline. … After hanging up, I contacted my chauffeur to pick me up and take me home. The next day, I was woken by a barrage of calls from Jeremy. He angrily and worriedly demanded: “Emily, where did you go? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in the tent?!” I pulled open the blackout blinds, my tone flat: “Home, of course.” Jeremy froze: “Why did you go back early? Weren’t you going to camp with me?” Before I could reply, Alice’s passive-aggressive voice cut in. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? She’s probably mad you left her to find me last night, so she deliberately ran home to make you coax her.” “Sister Emily’s a spoiled princess. How will she ever be a good Mrs. Hayes? We need to set her straight now before she gets married, can’t pamper her!” Jeremy immediately flared up, coldly scolding me: “If you hadn’t made a scene last night, letting Alice sleep between us to keep warm, would I have gone looking for her? You’re the one who pushed me to her.” “If there were really something between us, you wouldn’t have a chance. Don't bother with this camping trip, just go home and reflect.” The two spoke with righteous indignation, as if I were truly being unreasonable. But anyone with eyes could see Alice liked him. I merely did what a rightful girlfriend should do. However, since last night, his affairs no longer concerned me. I calmly told them: “Then I wish you both a pleasant time.” The call had just ended when the group chat lit up again. Alice posted a photo of her and Jeremy kissing on the snowy mountain. “It’s great when certain people aren’t around. I can finally be openly with Jeremy.” The group instantly exploded. “In my heart, you two are the most compatible. Emily can’t hold a candle to Alice!” The first to speak was Vance, who always exaggeratedly called me his sister-in-law whenever he saw me. The second was Sterling. “Emily just acts high and mighty because she’s from an equally wealthy family. All that ‘no pre-marital cohabitation’ nonsense, but she probably plays around more than anyone in private. Jeremy, remember to check if she bleeds on your wedding night.” Yet, usually, whenever I was at a gathering, he’d suggest no drinking, no going to clubs, and no dirty jokes. All because my family was strict, and he worried I’d be corrupted. The third was Leo, known as the perfect boyfriend who doted on his girlfriend. But his words were exceptionally harsh: “When it comes to women, you have to choose someone who’s open-minded and fun. An old-fashioned type like Emily is fine as a trophy wife, but in bed, you need someone like Alice.” Alice, flattered, looked quite pleased: “Don’t compare me to someone like Emily. My future is free; I absolutely won’t be trapped in marriage. Let Emily endure the hardships of marriage; I’ll just enjoy myself.” The people in the group were all having fun at my expense, quite a lively scene. And Jeremy said not a single word in my defense, until his friends’ remarks grew increasingly crude. Only then did he stop the farce. “Alright, stop talking. It won’t look good if this gets out.” I was so angry I laughed. Years of genuine devotion, now felt like stinging slaps to my face. Even half a month ago, when Mr. Hayes approached me about the Hayes Group’s economic crisis and their need for the Tao family’s help, I, to spare Jeremy’s pride, even proposed to him, using our marriage as a way for my parents to assist the Hayes Group. Suddenly, Sterling tagged me. “Who’s this? Why haven’t they said anything? Is this one of your alt accounts?” Everyone’s attention fell on me. Jeremy spoke first: “Not mine.” The others also said it wasn’t theirs. The group was silent for two seconds. Vance couldn’t help but say, “Could it be Emily?” “No way. With her personality, if she saw the chat history, she’d definitely break up with me,” Jeremy said without hesitation. “Besides, I’ve never shown her my phone; she doesn’t know this group exists.” Alice also chimed in: “How could her pea-brain sneak in unnoticed? I checked her profile; she doesn’t even have an avatar. Probably a zombie account, just kick her out.” “Even if it’s not, who would dare spread our business? Unless they have a death wish.” Their words clearly soothed the others’ emotions; the confidence that had just faded was now back. They promptly kicked me out of the chat. But they didn’t know that the owner of that account was the very person they had been so freely critiquing. Two days ago, I borrowed Jeremy’s laptop and found his WeChat logged in. I trusted him enough not to invade his privacy. But just as I was about to shut down the computer, Alice sent a message in their group chat. “That idiot Emily actually thought the red marks on Jeremy’s neck were mosquito bites. Those were clearly my love bites.” “If he found out Jeremy has my nickname initial tattooed on his… well, you know, would she think it’s hers, hahahaha?” Alice’s nickname was Yi. My blood instantly ran cold; I froze. With trembling hands, I scrolled up through their chat history, feeling something shatter inside me. It was then I learned that Alice wasn’t just unrequited love; she and Jeremy had been casual partners for ten years. Yet, Jeremy and I had only known each other for five years. During our relationship, what happened in the library in 30 seconds was happening all the time. On our first anniversary, Alice claimed to have a fever, and Jeremy left me to spend the night with her. Afterward, he told me the company had an emergency and he worked overtime all night. When I had a car accident and called him thirty-one times with no answer, he was busy helping a drugged Alice. Even when accompanying me to buy clothes, he was still instantly replying to Alice’s messages. It was as if they were the real couple, and I was the other woman. So, I created a dummy account and joined the group through an account search. I wanted to see their true colors completely. Three days later, Jeremy, uncharacteristically, called me. “Emily, we’re back from camping. Let’s have dinner with my friends tonight.” I refused: “Why should I? If you want to, you invite them.” Jeremy frowned: “We agreed to go camping together, but you came back early. Not only did you make me lose face in front of my friends, but you also completely ruined the atmosphere. It’s only right for you to treat everyone to dinner.” “I’m doing this for your own good. If you don’t handle these social niceties now, you’ll be a better Mrs. Hayes once you marry into our family.” I wanted to tell him our engagement was off. But before I could speak, he hung up. To clarify things with him, I went to the restaurant at the address he gave me. No sooner had I opened the door than I was splashed with wine. Alice’s eyes gleamed with triumph as she surveyed me, taunting, “Sister Emily, you’re late. This is your little punishment.” I looked at my stained dress, wiped my face, then slapped Alice across the face. Alice gasped, covering her face and burying it in Jeremy’s embrace. Jeremy shoved me hard, coldly snapping, “Emily, what’s wrong with you?! Apologize to Alice immediately!” He completely ignored my wine-splashed face, as if I were being utterly unreasonable. Alice, feigning hurt, whimpered, “Sister Emily, I know you’re jealous of my good relationship with Jeremy, but driving me out of the tent during camping was bad enough. Now you’re hitting me? Isn’t that going too far?” “Although Jeremy and I have slept in the same bed since childhood, bathed each other, and consider each other family, if you keep targeting me like this, I think I’ll just cut ties with Jeremy.” At her words, Jeremy’s friends immediately grew angry. Sterling extinguished his cigarette, glaring at me with displeasure: “And Alice was even thinking of you during the camping trip, worried we’d dislike you, so she specifically gave you a chance to treat us. And you repay kindness with ingratitude!” “With your petty personality, how will you ever be our sister-in-law?!” Vance roared in agreement, “Sister Alice is our group’s favorite! If you dare bully her, you’re picking a fight with us!” Leo pushed away his girlfriend, who was trying to mediate, and fumed, “Apologize to Sister Alice immediately, or you can forget about being our sister-in-law!” With the wedding imminent, I would soon be the Hayes family’s daughter-in-law, and the three of them had already taken on the role of in-laws. Their usual gentleness was discarded; their true colors were exposed. Alice, hands in pockets, looked at me triumphantly. This dinner party was undoubtedly her way of asserting dominance. I suppressed my anger, saying coldly, “I can apologize, but what about Alice splashing me?” Jeremy’s face darkened completely. He walked over, grabbed my hand tightly, and snarled, “Haven’t you made enough of a scene?! Aren’t you embarrassed enough?!” “My friends are already very unhappy about you leaving the camping trip early. If you keep making trouble, you won’t get their approval. Apologize to Alice now! Maybe you can still salvage something!” I scoffed, my last flicker of hope for him extinguished. I violently pulled my hand away from his, saying, word for word, “Who do they think they are? Why should I apologize?” “I came here today to tell you: we’re breaking up! I’m not marrying you!” Jeremy’s expression turned panicked at my words, but I didn't bother to watch his reaction, turning and leaving. That night, Jeremy called me many times. I didn't answer a single one. I never expected to run into him at the bridal shop. The night I left the snowy mountains, I had asked the bridal shop owner to custom-make a new groom’s suit. It was finished today, and I was there to pick it up. Jeremy first froze when he saw me, then sneered, “Didn’t you act tough yesterday, wanting to break up with me? In the end, you still rushed to pick up your wedding dress.” I wanted to tell him I was there to pick up the groom’s attire, but I was interrupted by Alice’s sudden appearance. She walked out wearing a magnificent wedding dress, not at all surprised by my presence. Instead, she provocatively said to me, “Sister Emily, Jeremy was worried he’d be too nervous and make mistakes during the wedding, so he asked me to try on your wedding dress and rehearse with him. You don’t mind, do you?” The wedding dress she was wearing was custom-designed by a chief designer I had hired at a high price; the diamonds alone embedded in the skirt cost hundreds of millions. Alice’s figure was fuller than mine, and the wedding dress had already been altered by her, so now only she could wear it. I couldn’t be bothered to get angry at her. I turned to the shop assistant and said, “Take off the wedding dress she’s wearing.” Jeremy’s face changed dramatically. He stepped in front of Alice to shield her. “Emily, are you ever going to stop?! Alice was kind enough to help you rehearse for your wedding; you should be grateful!” Alice, feigning hurt, said in a high-pitched voice, “Sister Emily, you’re becoming increasingly unreasonable. We initially allowed you to be with Jeremy because we thought you were sensible and wouldn’t be jealous like other women.” “Now it seems I was wrong. You’re more petty than any of them. If you keep being so unreasonable, be careful I don’t ask Jeremy to call off the engagement with you.” “From what I understand, your Tao family is experiencing internal strife leading to an economic crisis and desperately needs the Hayes family as a lifeline. I advise you to be smart and not do anything that harms your family’s interests.” I was a bit surprised that Alice knew about this. However, it wasn't my family experiencing the crisis, but the Hayes family. Before I could correct her, Jeremy stepped forward and warned me, “If you still want to save the Tao family, you’d better behave. Otherwise, even if you are my girlfriend, I won’t give your Tao family a single cent!” I was so angry I laughed. To protect his self-esteem, I never mentioned the Hayes family’s predicament to him. Yet, he was now threatening me based on a few provocative words from Alice. This reminded me of how carefully he used to ask me when he was pursuing me. “Emily, I love you. Can you give me a chance to be your boyfriend?” “I promise I’ll only be good to you my entire life, and never let you suffer any harm. Our entire Hayes family is yours.” I suddenly felt tired and didn't want to argue with them anymore. I stepped aside, clearing a path for them. “Then please, go ahead.” Jeremy thought I was scared, a look of relief on his face, as he turned and carried Alice out. Alice continued to provoke me with silent mockery. I didn’t care in the slightest, simply instructing the shop assistant: “Charge that wedding dress to Alice Zhao.” I wanted to see if the Zhao family could afford a wedding dress worth a billion dollars. That night, I received a video from Alice. In the video, she was pinned against a car hood by Jeremy, her legs wrapped around his waist, making continuous sounds of pleasure. The wedding dress was spread out like a carpet, soiled with dirt and filth, utterly unusable. Alice also sent a provocative voice message: “I used your wedding dress first, and your fiancé too.” I felt no anger, just a slight chuckle, then forwarded the video to the Hayes family group chat, where Jeremy’s parents were members. Everything, it was time for it to end. …
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