At the altar, the marriage officiant announced my sister, Lily, as the bride. Just as I was about to step forward and protest, my boyfriend stopped me. "The officiant made a mistake. Don't make a scene. Just let Lily walk the aisle for you to get it over with." My parents chimed in beside him. "You and Ethan are signing the papers at City Hall next week anyway. In the eyes of the law, you'll be husband and wife. This ceremony is just a show. Let Lily have her moment today." I swallowed my tears and stood aside, watching Lily wear the wedding dress I had carefully chosen, while Ethan slid the ring onto her finger. They shared a passionate kiss under the cheers of the crowd. Before the reception toast, someone asked Ethan in the hallway. "Aren't you worried Chloe will get mad and break up with you over this?" He flicked his cigarette ash. "She is crazy in love with me. She'd never actually get mad. Besides..." "...I'm the only one who can cure her severe insomnia. She can't survive without me." I didn't argue with him. What he didn't know was that my insomnia had been cured long ago. I didn't need him anymore. And what he knew even less was that I was the one who told the officiant to change the bride's name to Lily. I was gambling. I wanted to see if, just this once, he would choose me. But I lost. He and my parents would always choose Lily over me. Always. So I turned around and replied to a text message. "I lost the bet. Let's go to City Hall and get married next week."
I was about to leave when Ethan called out to me. "Chloe, we are short-staffed right now. Why are you just standing there instead of helping the guests find their seats?" A moment later, my parents waved at me with champagne glasses in hand. "Chloe, come here and help us greet the guests!" Behind them, Ethan was gently holding up the train of Lily's dress. Standing on the sidelines, my heart swelled with bitterness. "I don't want to go." Ethan's face darkened. "Chloe, look at the time. Can you stop throwing a tantrum?" My mother shoved a glass into my hand. "Lily is your sister. If you don't back her up, how are we supposed to save face?" I gripped the glass so hard my knuckles turned white, raising my voice. "This is my wedding!" The people around us turned to look, whispering. My parents quickly dragged me to a quiet corner. "Why are you being so difficult? A wedding is just a wedding. Does it really matter whose name is on it?" Ethan stroked my hair, trying to pacify me. "Babe, even if I had to go through the ceremony with Lily because of a mix-up, you're the one I love." "Besides, we're getting our marriage license soon. Just view this ceremony as a game." Lily walked over in her reception dress, the wedding ring on her finger painfully eye-catching. So the wedding I spent a year planning was just a "game" to them. It didn't matter who the bride was. I froze, my eyes stinging with tears. It felt like an iron band was tightening around my chest, suffocating me. Seeing this, Lily walked over with a sheepish look. "Chloe, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." Ethan immediately pulled her behind him. "Why are you apologizing? The officiant got the name wrong. It's not your fault." No, it wasn't her fault. And it wasn't Ethan's fault either. I was the one who changed the name to Lily on purpose. I wanted to see if he would stand up for me. But Ethan didn't choose me. Clearly losing his patience, Ethan's face completely fell. "Chloe, can you grow up? Everyone is waiting to celebrate. If you want to throw a fit, do it when we get home." In his eyes, my feelings were never as important as Lily's. When I had a 102-degree fever, he was out helping Lily look for her lost dog. When I was stranded in a downpour after work without an umbrella, I called him, only for him to say he was busy fixing Lily's broken showerhead. No matter what happened, big or small, I was always his last priority. My heart completely died. "Ethan, let's break up." "Break up?" He was taken aback, then let out a scoff. "Over this?" Right then, my phone buzzed with a Snapchat notification. "I told you he wasn't the one. Since you've agreed, how about we go dress shopping and take wedding photos next week?"
Not far away, my mother waved at Lily. "Sweetheart, come here! Let your uncle get a good look at the beautiful bride." Lily hesitated, clutching Ethan's sleeve. "Maybe we should leave first." He didn't move. He smiled warmly at her. "Go ahead. I'll join you in a second." Lily walked away, but I still hadn't backed down. Ethan thought about my breakup threat. He folded his arms, looking me up and down. "Can you actually live without me?" he asked casually. "Even if something did happen between Lily and me, you're just throwing a tantrum. You'll crawl back to me in a couple of days anyway." Looking at his smug, confident face, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. Then I turned and walked out of the banquet hall. Inside, the lights were dazzling, and everyone was happily playing along with Lily's "accidental" wedding. Standing in the cold wind, my hands shook as I typed a reply. "No need for photos. Let's go straight to City Hall and register this Monday." I went back to my apartment and started packing. We had just bought a new house for our future marriage. Thinking of it now, a wave of desolation washed over me. The light purple wallpaper, the crystal chandelier, even the cream-white nightstand... The entire house was decorated exactly to Lily's taste. When the house was being renovated, Ethan had warned me, "Honey, don't go to the new house yet. I'm worried about the paint fumes and formaldehyde. It's bad for your health." For a whole year, he had spent his time decorating a house tailored entirely to Lily's preferences. On the bed lay a worn silk pajama set—Lily's style and size. I took a photo and sent it to Ethan. He replied casually: "Lily used our shower on a rainy day last week and must have left it there." The house I worked tirelessly to save up for was first occupied by Lily. I didn't reply. My phone exploded with a flurry of messages from him. I threw the phone onto the bed and looked around the room. On the windowsill were the wind chimes and knickknacks that Lily loved. And then, there was a photo wall. I walked closer. Every single photo was of Ethan and Lily on trips together. There were dates written underneath. December 25, 2025. Last Christmas—which was also my birthday. Ethan had told me he had an urgent business trip, but he had actually taken Lily to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. Valentine's Day, 2026. He said he had to go back to his hometown for a family emergency. But he was actually at the beach with Lily. A drawer was slightly open. I knelt down and pulled it open. Inside were four plane tickets for an international flight. The names on them read: Ethan Carter, Lily Miller, and my parents. In their future plans, I was never even considered. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. "Chloe!" I spun around. Ethan rushed in, with Lily trailing behind him. His face was livid, and he was out of breath. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming to the house?" I choked back my tears. "Did you plan on moving in here with her?" "Lily spent days helping us prepare for the wedding! She's just staying here for a bit. Can you stop making a mountain out of a molehill?" "For me?!" The emotions I had bottled up for years finally erupted. "But you ended up having a wedding with her!" Ethan scowled and groaned. "Chloe, why do you have to be so relentless?" I looked at him, the love in my eyes completely gone. I let out a self-deprecating laugh. "The name 'Lily' on the wedding welcome board? I was the one who wrote it."
Ethan's breath hitched, and he froze. "Chloe, are you insane? I worked so hard on this wedding, and you treated it like a sick joke?" Lily stood behind him, looking timid but still chiming in. "Chloe, how could you hurt Ethan like this? He loves you so much. He just said he would plan an even bigger wedding for you." He loves me? For a second, I felt a wave of daze. Five years ago, Ethan had traveled to over ten cities with me just to accompany me for my exams. He had set off fireworks for me at midnight on my birthdays. He had made so many promises when he loved me most. Now, hearing the word "love" from their mouths felt incredibly cheap. I pulled a used pregnancy test out from behind my back. "Then explain this." Lily's face turned as white as a sheet. I locked eyes with her. "I found this in the trash can. Lily, you don't even have a boyfriend, do you?" Ethan snatched the pregnancy test from my hand and snarled, "Chloe, who gave you the right to dig through the trash? This is her private business. What does it have to do with you?" Lily sobbed, her voice pleading. "Chloe, I'm an adult. Can you stop interfering in my life?" "So you admit it's yours?" I pulled out my phone. "Fine. If you don't want me to interfere, I'll let Mom and Dad handle it." Ethan slapped the back of my hand, sending my phone flying across the room. "I slept with Lily." A sudden wave of dizziness hit me, and my ears rang. "Ethan... how could you?" Hearing this, Lily looked at me in panic. Ethan grabbed her hand. "I got drunk at that gala last month and mistook her for you. We slept together." He pointed at the silk pajama set on the bed. "She was wearing that." My fingernails dug deep into my palms, but I couldn't feel any physical pain. Just as I raised my hand to slap Lily, my mother burst through the door. She violently pushed my hand away. "Chloe! How dare you try to hit Lily!" Ten minutes ago, I had caught a glimpse of my parents standing outside the door. They had been quietly watching everything. They only rushed in to stop me the moment I raised my hand against Lily. My parents fussed over Lily, wiping her tears with tissues. I was left standing there like an outsider. After a long silence, my mother walked over and sighed. "Chloe, since what's done is done, stop being so petty." "Go sign the papers with Ethan. Let Lily have the baby, and you can raise it as your own." Ethan chuckled, a playful smirk on his face. "Babe, once we're married, we'll be family. You can't honestly be jealous of Lily, can you?" I looked down and opened a video on my phone. It was security footage showing Ethan and Lily passionately kissing the moment they stepped out of the elevator, all the way until they unlocked the apartment door. He looked perfectly sober. He even shielded her head with his hand so she wouldn't bump into the doorframe. Below the video was a text from a friend: "Don't let them gaslight you. I pulled the hallway security footage for you." I saved the video and sent a quick reply to Julian. "See you at City Hall on Monday morning at 8:00 AM."
I forced my tears back. "Ethan, we're over. I'm marrying someone else." A second later, Ethan let out a mocking laugh. "Break up with me? Who else would want you?" "Do you think you're still a virgin like Lily? I've slept with you countless times." The stinging pain and dizziness intensified, blurring my vision. Realizing he had crossed a line, Ethan's tone softened slightly. "Chloe, I didn't mean it like that." "Ethan, Lily is carrying your baby. Give her a proper wedding." I left him with an enigmatic smile. Before leaving, I heard their voices coming from the living room. I stood right outside the door, listening. "Ethan, will Chloe really not break up with you?" Ethan lit a cigarette and tilted his head up. "She has severe insomnia. She'll never leave me." "But she'll get cured eventually, right?" Lily pressed, skeptical. Ethan sneered, completely confident. "She'll never get cured." My heart shuddered at his words. "I switched her sleeping pills with vitamins a long time ago. They do absolutely nothing." My knees buckled, and I almost collapsed. Inside the room, my mother gasped in admiration. "Ethan, you're brilliant! Tomorrow we'll take Lily to the hospital to see if it's a girl or a boy!" I stumbled away. Not long after, Ethan sent me a text. "I'll give you one day to cool off. Monday morning at 9:00 AM, I'll be waiting for you at City Hall." I blocked him. For the next two days, I vanished from their lives. Ethan assumed I was just throwing another tantrum. He had no idea that I had already signed my marriage certificate. On Monday morning, Ethan didn't see me at City Hall, so he sent me a final ultimatum. "If you've cleared your head, come sign the papers. Wednesday morning..." Suddenly, his phone buzzed. It was a call. His childhood friend, Marcus, laughed on the other end. "Congrats, bro! But this is pretty wild. Who holds the wedding ceremony first and signs the papers later?" "What?" Ethan was utterly confused. "I saw your wife post her marriage certificate on Snapchat. Why didn't you post anything?" Marcus sent over a screenshot. Chloe's Snapchat story showed two official marriage certificate covers. The caption read: Hoping this time, it's the right person. Ethan's face drained of color. If it wasn't him... who on earth did she marry?
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "NovelMaster" app ? search for "463139", and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster