On the eve of Valentine's Day, my fiancé, who works for a classified military intelligence unit, sent me a text. [Babe, I'm so sorry. The team got hit with an emergency deployment. My wedding leave was just canceled.] The moment I received that message, I was standing less than thirty feet from the security gates of his agency. I watched with my own eyes as he wrapped his "bro," Riley Brooks, tightly inside his heavy tactical coat. "Just to satisfy this sick fetish of yours, I've bailed on Chloe six times already." "This is the last time. Next year, no matter what, I am marrying her." Riley laughed, lifting her half-empty iced coffee to his lips. "Didn't you just buy the new mattress for the bridal suite? I’m gonna go help my future sister-in-law break it in." "You don't even have to thank me. Consider it an early wedding gift." Hearing this, I dug my fingernails so hard into my palms that they almost bled. I pulled out my phone and dialed his parents. [Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, let's gather everyone tonight and decorate the new house early.] [Yes, exactly. I want to give Liam a massive surprise.] Since he didn't care about his dignity. Then he couldn't blame me for burning everything to the ground. …… [Let's keep the fact that we're all in Virginia a secret from Liam for now.] [Okay, I'll wait for you guys downstairs by the apartment lobby.] After hanging up the phone, I opened the app for the hidden security cameras I had installed just yesterday. On the screen, I watched them stumble through the entryway, aggressively making out all the way into the master bedroom. I saw the silver St. Michael’s medal—the one I had spent hours on my knees praying over at the cathedral to keep him safe on his deployments. Right now, it was lying completely abandoned amidst a filthy pile of discarded clothes. My body went completely rigid, letting the freezing winter wind bite through my coat. It didn't take long before both our families and closest friends arrived. Before they even reached me, my parents hurried over, their faces full of concern. "How is it, Chloe? Did you see that idiot Liam?" "Don't worry," my dad sneered. "Your Grandpa already made a call to his commanding officer at the Pentagon." "Even if the sky was falling tomorrow, his unit wouldn't be calling him in for an emergency deployment." I forced down the devastating urge to break down and scream. I squeezed out the most convincing smile I could muster. "Okay." "Chloe, didn't you say you wanted to give Liam a surprise?" "What are we standing around for? Let's go up and start decorating!" Looking at the bright red balloons and wedding ribbons in my family's hands, my nose stung fiercely. I let the tears spill silently over my eyelashes. I had known Liam for ten years. We had been dating for eight. We had been engaged for six. Six years ago, exactly one month before our wedding. He said he was applying for a highly competitive Captain’s slot, so I agreed to postpone the wedding for a year. Three years ago, exactly one week before our wedding. He said he was selected for a black-ops mission, and I agreed to postpone the wedding once again. Until this year, when both sets of parents finally lost their patience. Three days ago, we brought all our relatives and friends to the city where his base was located, arriving early to prep the final wedding details. But I never, in my wildest nightmares, could have imagined this. The bridal home I had spent six years meticulously designing and furnishing... Every piece of furniture, every inch of the hardwood floors... Had already been defiled and claimed by his "tomboy bro," Riley. Thinking about it made my stomach violently churn. I rushed to a nearby trash can and dry-heaved for a long time. I wanted so badly to tell them. To tell everyone. That just half an hour ago. Liam had personally texted me to announce that our wedding—scheduled for tomorrow morning—was being delayed for another year. I wanted to tell my parents that Liam had betrayed me. That over the last six years, every single time he claimed his leave was canceled due to national security. He was actually just screwing his "bro," Riley Brooks. But I realized my throat felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't squeeze out a single word or make a sound. As we walked into the apartment building, I chugged a bottle of ice-cold water. Liam. It's time for you to taste exactly what it feels like to be played for a clown. The moment everyone stepped off the elevator. We immediately saw the tactical boots and a woman’s lace top scattered in the hallway. Seeing my face flush with "embarrassment" as I quickly kicked the clothes against the wall, Liam's mother covered her mouth to hide a knowing smirk. Assuming Liam was inside prepping a romantic surprise, she excitedly unlocked the front door. At the exact same moment, unspeakable, filthy moans echoed loudly from the master bedroom. "Damn, your bed is comfy..." "If you do it with Chloe here later, are you gonna think about your bro?" "You should swap the sofa for leather though. This fabric is chafing my skin." Hearing this, everyone’s expressions froze. It was as if a freezing spell had been cast over the entire group. No one stepped closer to see what was happening. No one dared to make a sound. I forced my legs—which felt like they weighed a thousand pounds—to move forward. I reached down into the pile of discarded bras and shirts and picked up the St. Michael’s medal. It had been stepped on and cracked. Even though I had mentally prepared myself for this. Actually standing in the room, I felt as terrified and cowardly as a child who had done something terribly wrong. I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted copper, letting the blood fill my throat. "Liam Hayes! Get your ass out here right now!" "Liam, do you hear me?!" "You actually dared to betray my daughter?! You must have a death wish!" My dad lost his mind and charged toward the master bedroom. He pounded his heavy fists against the solid wood door. Just as he was blinded by rage, raising his leg to kick the door off its hinges... Liam slipped out through a crack in the door, hastily wrapped in a towel. "Mr. Vance, Dad, Mom, cousin..." "Why... why are you all here?" "Why didn't anyone tell me..." Before he could finish his sentence, my dad delivered a brutal right hook to his jaw. "You soulless piece of trash! You have the nerve to ask us that?!" "Our Chloe waited for you for six agonizing years!" "Did she wait just to see how creatively you could betray her?!" Before Liam could even recover from the shock of the punch. My mom had already stormed into the kitchen and grabbed a heavy cast-iron skillet. "Where is that little bitch?! How dare she ruin my daughter's marriage!" "I'm going to kill her! I'm going to smash that homewrecker's face in!" Just as she raised the skillet to storm the master bedroom, Liam lunged forward, desperately grabbing the pan and tossing it to the floor. "Mr. and Mrs. Vance, you’re misunderstanding!" "My original plan was to leave the base tomorrow morning at 0700 to go home." "But I wanted to give Chloe a massive surprise! That's why I came back early." "I was just taking a shower and changing clothes, and suddenly you're all here!" While he was speaking, my cousin had already kicked the bedroom door wide open. "Liam, if you really cheated on my sister, I will literally end you." But the moment the door swung open... The bridal bed was immaculately made. Scanning the entire room, there was absolutely no sign of a second person. Seeing this, Liam's mother immediately jumped in to control the narrative. "See? I told you! There’s no way our Liam would do something like that." "Looks like we all just completely misunderstood him." "Chloe, really, you should have just waited upstairs with him." "What, were you afraid we'd get lost finding the apartment with this many people?" She rolled her eyes, picking up Liam's tactical jacket from the floor and tossing it at him. "And you! If you're going to take a shower, take a shower! Why the hell are you blasting cheap porn on your phone?!" "Now look what happened. You made everyone misunderstand!" Liam's cousin quickly chimed in from the side. "Honestly man, did you and Chloe already go at it before we got here?" "You didn't even clean up the battlefield before making everyone come decorate your bridal suite." "Seriously, way to treat us like we aren't even guests." Having quickly thrown on a t-shirt and sweatpants, Liam seized the perfect excuse and ran with it. "Talk about terrible luck." "Who gets caught 'cheating' by their entire family just for watching a little video in their own house?" He faked an awkward, embarrassed cough. "Since everyone is already here, why don't we all go out to a nice steakhouse?" "Chloe, what do you think?" Seeing that I was standing there completely motionless, he walked straight up and pulled me into his arms. "Weren't you just cuddling in my arms a few minutes ago?" "Why are you acting so shy now that everyone is watching?" As he said this, he lowered his head, pressing his lips to my ear to whisper. "Let's just take everyone out to dinner first. I'll explain the video to you later." "It's not what you think. Trust me." "Say something quickly. Everyone is waiting." Heh. Was he afraid that everyone was waiting? Or was he terrified of keeping the person hiding in the master bedroom waiting? Having been together for ten years, Liam knew exactly how to manipulate me. He knew that every time he and Riley crossed the line using the excuse of being "bros," I would always painstakingly swallow his excuses and believe him. But what he didn't know was that the moment I found out he had been faking canceled military deployments for six years just to be with this so-called "tomboy bro"... I had absolutely zero desire to marry him anymore. But I didn't want to just rip the band-aid off and let them walk away easily. I wanted to watch with my own eyes as they choked on the consequences of their own filthy actions. I let out a cold laugh, slipping smoothly out of his embrace. "What just happened really was a huge misunderstanding." "It's our fault for not being more careful. Sorry for making a joke out of ourselves." "Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes... since it took so much effort to get everyone together tonight, why don't we just order a massive spread of food here? It’s the perfect way to warm up the new house." "No!" The moment the words left my mouth, the three members of the Hayes family objected simultaneously. Seeing my feigned look of confusion, Liam's mother was the first to explain. "There are no groceries in the new house! If we just order cheap takeout here, wouldn't we be disrespecting our guests?" "Plus, it's getting late. We don't have time to wait for a delivery." "Liam's mom is right. Let's just all go out to a nice restaurant," my mom agreed. "Yeah, Chloe, Mr. Vance, Mrs. Vance, let's just go out to eat," Liam quickly added. In the entire room. Only I and the three members of the Hayes family knew the truth. Behind the hidden bookshelf door in the master bedroom was a private en-suite bathroom. They wanted to use dinner as an excuse to get me and the rest of the family out of the apartment. So Riley could sneak out undetected? Keep dreaming! I completely ignored the forced, panicky looks in the Hayes family's eyes. I grabbed my parents and dragged them onto the plush living room sofa. "Oh, come on! Everyone is exhausted from traveling all day. Let's not drag everyone back out into the cold." "I just put in a massive DoorDash order from that high-end Italian place down the street. It’ll be here in twenty minutes." "Garlic bread and extra parmesan for everyone, right? Cousin, you don't like spicy marinara, right?" "Perfect. It's already paid for." Though their faces were twisted with immense reluctance, the Hayes family had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit down. While I was in the kitchen brewing a large pot of tea for everyone, Liam cornered me, looking incredibly distressed. "Chloe, did you get my text earlier? I was originally trying to surprise you with the deployment thing, but I guess I totally screwed it up." I pretended nothing was wrong, looking at him casually. "What text? Did you text me?" "Sorry, I was so focused on decorating the bridal suite I haven't even looked at my phone." I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone, but he immediately grabbed my hand to stop me. "It's better you didn't see it! The wedding is proceeding exactly as planned. After tomorrow, you will officially be my legal wife." I smirked coldly and pushed past him. I walked back into the living room, warmly entertaining our family. While we waited for the food to arrive. Everyone got to work. Some were taping up wedding decorations. Others were inflating balloons. And the task of decorating the master bedroom... Fell to the two of us—the bride and groom. I walked up to the bridal bed, fully intending to pull back the duvet to scatter the traditional red dates and peanuts. But Liam instantly grabbed the duvet and the fitted sheet, violently ripping them off the mattress and throwing them onto the floor. Seeing my suspicious glare, he explained with a deeply awkward expression. "It's been empty for so long, I was worried it was dusty." He scrambled to the closet and pulled out a brand-new set of luxury sheets. "You just sit down and rest. I'll change them." "Chloe, I know how incredibly hard you've worked organizing this wedding by yourself all these years." "Don't worry. Once I get my Major's leaf next month, I'm putting in my papers to transfer to a civilian desk job." "Then, we can finally live that normal, nine-to-five, peaceful life you've always wanted." I was too disgusted to listen to his lies. I raised my hand to push open the hidden door leading to the en-suite bathroom. Instantly, he lunged from behind and wrapped his arms around my waist in a death grip. "Wait!"
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