I dated my brother's best friend in secret for three years, until his non-biological sister returned from abroad. I immediately decided to break up and, turning right around, agreed to the marriage arranged by my family. The engagement party didn't invite any outsiders; it was just our own relatives. Right as I was serving tea and formally changing how I addressed my future in-laws, my brother's phone rang. He answered and joked playfully: "You're not even coming to Chloe's engagement? She used to follow you around calling you 'brother' all the time when she was little." The other end of the line suddenly went dead silent. It took several seconds before Arthur's hoarse voice came through: "Whose engagement?" 1 "What's up, did you split with your mysterious boyfriend?" My brother, Liam's, tone was irritatingly smug, clearly enjoying the drama. No wonder. For these past three years, I had adamantly refused to make my relationship public. He had warned me long ago: "A man who doesn't even have the guts to come home with you to meet your parents, what kind of responsibility can he have? You'll break up sooner or later." Back then, I wouldn't listen to a word of it, firmly believing that true love would last forever. As a result, reality slapped me hard in the face. My tone was flat: "Yeah, we broke up." Hearing how decisive I was, the other end of the line was quiet for a good while. "Did he bully you?" I hadn't felt much of anything anymore, but that question suddenly made my nose sting. I took a breath and shook my head at the empty air: "No, it was an amicable split." "Fine. If he dares to bully you, I'll definitely teach him a lesson." "Chloe, there aren't many men you can rely on. If you really want to get married, it's better to find someone from a family that matches ours. At least it's solid." "Okay, you set it up. I'll come back the day after tomorrow." Just as I hung up. Arthur pushed the door open and came in: "Who were you on the phone with?" Afraid he'd see I'd been crying, I didn't turn around: "A classmate." "Hmm." He walked right past me and went into his study. Together for three years, and he'd always been this cold. I used to always think that was just his personality, that he couldn't act affectionate with anyone. Until last night, when I came back early from a business trip. I originally wanted to sneak in and surprise him. His study door was always shut tight, but that day it was slightly ajar. Warm yellow light spilled through the crack. I leaned in, about to knock, but saw Arthur inside with a pained expression. His eyes were fixed on his phone, one hand moving beneath the desk. I froze on the spot. The person on the screen wasn't just anyone. It was his family's adopted sister, Lily. He was so engrossed he didn't even hear me open the front door and leave. I sat in a hotel room all night, thinking a lot. And finally understood. Arthur’s coldness towards me these past three years wasn't because of his personality. His refusal to make our relationship public wasn't because he was afraid my overly protective brother would give him trouble. It was all simply because— He didn't like me at all. He just needed a smokescreen to cover up his feelings for that "sister." So, I, who had chased after him, was the perfect shield. That night, Lily posted a status update: "Coming back to the US tomorrow, hurry and come welcome me~" 2 After finishing the call with my brother, I took a cab back to the villa I shared with Arthur. There were still some things I needed to pack and take away. He was eating breakfast. Looking up and seeing me, he flatly told the housekeeper to make another portion. "Didn't know you were coming back at this hour, didn't prepare yours." I nodded: "Okay." It's not that he didn't know; he just didn't want to know and couldn't be bothered to ask. Arthur's movements paused. He looked up from his phone, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes. Yes, if it were the past, I would definitely have squeezed in next to him and snatched his breakfast. Saying, "Who told you not to prepare mine? Then I'll just eat yours." Or hugged him from behind, pinched his ear, and asked if he forgot me because he didn't love me anymore. Arthur was smart; of course, he could instantly notice my change. But he didn't say anything more, just nodded: "I'm going to the office, eat slowly." He took the suit jacket the housekeeper handed him. Hesitated for a moment. Just as I thought he might be waiting for me to bounce over and help him put it on like usual... He put the suit jacket on himself. The sound of his footsteps and the door closing vanished together. The housekeeper asked me: "Ms. Miller, what would you like to eat?" I shook my head: "I'm not eating. Help me find a few cardboard boxes, I need them today." I took my suitcase back to the bedroom. When the housekeeper brought the boxes, I packed up my clothes and daily necessities. Then I went to Arthur's walk-in closet. Over the years, I had given him quite a few ties, cufflinks, clothes, watches, and things like that. But he rarely used them. Unless I forced him to wear them, those things barely saw the light of day. Just like me as a girlfriend, only meant to be hidden in the dark. I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and packed the things I gave him into the boxes one by one. It took a long time to finish packing. I sat on the edge of the bed to catch my breath. My phone received a message from Arthur: 【I had the driver go pick you up, he'll be there in half an hour.】 Concise and to the point, couldn't even be bothered to give context. He was so sure I would never refuse him. I smiled self-deprecatingly. Fine, it was time to tell him we were breaking up. 3 The lights flashed erratically in the club. This used to be one of my favorite places to go, too. I was spoiled growing up, with a fiery personality. My friends all joked that I was the little spitfire of our social circle. At the anniversary celebration for my brother's university, I saw Arthur for the first time and was attracted by his icy demeanor. I beat around the bush asking my brother if he had a girlfriend. My brother rolled his eyes: "With that iceberg face of his, who would dare get close to him?" My heart leapt with joy. He was cold, I was hot. A perfect match. I started chasing him relentlessly behind my brother's back. I even changed my college application from New York to Miami, where Arthur was. When my brother found out I changed my choices, he was so angry he yelled at me. But despite the yelling, he still cared about me and called Arthur, asking him to look out for me. I secretly rejoiced: everything was going according to my plan. Back then, I thought I was so smart, that I had calculated both Arthur and my brother. Now I know, I was pathetically stupid. The waiter led me to the door of the private room. It was lively inside. Someone was jeering and asking: "Arthur, you keep that little girlfriend of yours hidden tight, rarely bringing her out to meet the guys. Now Lily's back, and this is your favorite sister. Gotta ask you, who's more important, the girlfriend or the sister?" I stopped in my tracks. Held my breath, waiting for the answer. Arthur took a sip of his drink, saying nothing. Lily stomped her foot and pouted at him: "Brother!" Only then did Arthur smile. His glass clinked against the marble table. His cold, clear voice rang out: "You can always get a new girlfriend, but I only have one sister. Who do you think is more important?" "Ooh~~ so cheesy." The group jeered. Lily stood up triumphantly, pointing at more than half the people in the room: "You, you, and you, you lost the bet, pay up." Arthur didn't understand: "What's going on?" Lily explained: "They made a bet with me, betting on whether you cared more about your girlfriend or me. The losers each have to transfer me a thousand dollars." Amidst a chorus of wails, everyone pulled out their phones to transfer the money. Arthur looked at their exaggerated reactions and chuckled: "Serves you right!" I raised my hand and knocked on the door. 4 The lively atmosphere from a moment ago suddenly stopped. Arthur looked over; there was an empty seat next to him. He hadn't brought me to meet his friends many times. But each time, he gave me enough face. When I was chasing him to the point of almost giving up, he actually offered to take me to meet his friends. That time, his friend said to me: "Sister-in-law, besides Lily, Arthur has never brought another girl here." At that time, I only saw Lily as his sister. Didn't think much of it. I even foolishly thought that Arthur was just cold on the outside, but actually cared about me inside. Thinking about it now, he was probably just putting on a show, or it was purely good upbringing. To him, it was a zero-cost method to make me even more dead-set on him. Back to reality. I ignored the empty seat next to Arthur. And sat in the corner furthest from him. Arthur's face darkened: "Chloe?" I smiled, saying nothing. Lily picked up a glass of wine and walked towards me: "You must be Chloe, right? I'm Lily, Arthur's..." She paused, as if not knowing how to say it. Arthur filled in: "Sister." Lily frowned, a bit impatient. She handed me the wine, saying as if out of spite: "Right, sister. I just got back to the States. Chloe, here's a toast to you." Without having to think much, I immediately felt Lily's hostility towards me. That was definitely not the attitude a sister should have towards her brother's girlfriend. So, Lily also liked Arthur. Thinking of Arthur masturbating to her photo in the study. I only felt it was absurd. I smiled faintly: "Welcome back, but I'm not feeling well, so I won't drink." The corners of Lily's mouth turned down: "Chloe, aren't you being a bit disrespectful? I came all this way back, and this is my welcome party, and you won't even drink a toast from me?" "I said I'm not feeling well." Lily became even more unhappy, turning back to look for Arthur: "Brother, does she not like me?" Arthur's eyes were icy, and his tone had no warmth: "Chloe, stop making a scene, drink it." I almost laughed coldly out loud: "You called me here just to make me drink?" He lifted his eyelids and said flatly: "Lily wanted to meet you." So, it was just because Lily wanted to see me. Just to make both of them wake up and stop having fantasies about each other. Using me as a tool. I stood up: "Now that we've met, can I go?" Probably sensing that I was exceptionally uncooperative today. Arthur's eyes darkened. I knew he was angry. But I didn't want to coddle him anymore. "What exactly have you been making a fuss about all day?" The atmosphere in the room grew cold because of his lowered tone. I looked into his eyes, smiling meaningfully. Arthur, I know all about your little secret. I'm not playing along anymore. I turned to leave, but Lily grabbed my wrist: "Chloe, I'm the main character today. I haven't agreed to let you leave yet." I slapped her hand away and slapped her across the face: "No parents to teach you manners, is that why you're so unruly?"
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