I attended my best friend's mother's funeral, only to find my wife there—the same wife who was supposed to be on an overseas business trip. She was standing by his side, greeting the guests as if she were his wife. When she saw me, panic flashed across her face. She quickly pulled me to a quiet corner and whispered: "Tyler’s mom always wanted to see him settled down before she passed. I’m just helping him fulfill her dying wish. Don't overthink it, Ethan." My "best friend" even put his arm around my shoulder. "I just needed Chloe’s help to play the part, bro. Respect the dead. You’re not that petty, are you, Ethan?" I sneered, brushing his hand off my shoulder, and shoved my wife right into his chest. "Of course not. In fact, why don't you two celebrate a wedding alongside the funeral today?" The lobby fell into dead silence. The surrounding guests, completely clueless about what was happening, turned to stare at us. Chloe stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Ethan, do you even hear yourself? This is Tyler’s mom's funeral! How can you be so incredibly disrespectful?" Me? Disrespectful? I almost laughed out loud. Just two days ago, she told me she had an urgent business trip. I was the one who packed her bags. If I hadn't come to pay my respects today, I would have never known that her "business trip" was actually her playing the lady of the house at my best friend’s place. No wonder she adamantly refused to let me drive her to the airport the other morning. The whole thing was a lie from start to finish. How did she have the nerve to turn around and accuse me of being disrespectful? Seeing my cold silence, Chloe probably realized she was in the wrong. She walked over and grabbed my arm. "Ethan, please don't be like this. We can talk about this when we get home. But right now, we have to respect the dead. Tyler is your best friend. We're just helping him out. It's not like it's hurting you." Oh, right. It wouldn't hurt me. Even if the two of them slept in the same bed tonight, it wouldn't physically hurt me! I violently shook off her hand. My heart felt like ice. I stared into her pleading eyes and asked, one slow word at a time, "I’m asking you one last time. Are you coming home with me right now?" Chloe shook her head without a second thought. "The service just started. How can I leave now?" I nodded. Fine. If that was her choice, then we were done. "I’ll have my lawyer draft the divorce papers and send them to you. I wish you two a long and happy life together." With that, I turned to leave. Tyler ran out after me. Dressed in a black suit, his eyes slightly red, he looked at me with deep sorrow. "I'm so sorry, Ethan. I know I didn't think this through. But it was an emergency, and I didn't have time to discuss it with you. Please don't take it to heart." "If you want to blame someone, blame me. It has nothing to do with Chloe." Chloe frowned in annoyance and muttered, "Why are you explaining things to him? Do you think he'd even believe you?" "Getting jealous over your own best friend... you really are one of a kind." She grabbed Tyler’s arm and pulled him back inside. "Ignore him. Let’s go back in." Watching them pull and push at each other, I almost wanted to applaud. So now, I was the unreasonable one? My eyes locked onto Chloe’s hand holding Tyler’s arm, and memories started flooding back. For instance, I hated seafood, but Tyler loved it. Chloe's signature dish was seafood paella. She’d always make a huge batch, tell me not to let it go to waste, and ask me to bring Tyler over for dinner. Back then, I thought she was just being kind. I didn't realize I was the idiot. Stupid enough to invite the wolf right into my home, handing my wife over to him on a silver platter. Whenever I went on business trips, Tyler would always say he’d look after Chloe for me. "A brother's wife is my own family. Just let me know if she needs anything," he’d say. But was she really just "family" to him? They were practically a couple, and I was just the annoying third wheel! Tyler patted Chloe’s hand and stepped back in front of me. He gave me a deep bow. "I'm really sorry, Ethan. I didn't think this through. If you're uncomfortable, I'll go inside right now and clear things up with everyone." "Even if it upsets my mom's spirit, I can't do this to my best friend!" He said the right words, but I didn't see a single shred of genuine apology in his eyes. "Sure, go ahead."
Anyone can talk a big game. I wanted to see if Tyler would actually tell everyone the truth just because I said so. The moment the words left my mouth, Tyler froze in awkward silence. "Ethan, I..." He stammered, but before he could finish, Tyler's Aunt Brenda walked over. "Tyler, Chloe, what are you two doing out here? And who is this?" The hallway fell quiet, and several guests turned to look at us. Chloe spoke first. "Just a friend. He heard about Evelyn's passing and came to pay his respects." A friend? I almost laughed. It turned out I truly held no place in Chloe’s heart. Aunt Brenda nodded, completely oblivious, and even invited me to stay for lunch. Before I could speak, Chloe quickly declined on my behalf. "He's super busy. He has a ton of work back at the office, so I don't think he can stay." I nodded, playing along. "That's right, I'm very busy. But I can always make time for important events. Like your wedding, for instance. Make sure to send me an invite so I can prepare a nice, fat check." Chloe’s face instantly fell. She looked like she wanted to scream at me, but with her relatives watching, she bit her lip and kept quiet. Aunt Brenda, totally clueless, smiled warmly. "Tyler and Chloe make such a beautiful couple. We all support them. It's just a shame about his mother. Out of respect, Tyler really should wait at least a year before they marry." Ignoring her chatter, I turned and walked away. Seeing me leave, Chloe panicked. "Ethan..." But before she could take a step, Tyler grabbed her arm. "Chloe, please stay and help me light another candle for my mom. I need you by my side." As I turned the corner, I saw Chloe stop. Without another glance my way, she followed Tyler back into the memorial hall. In that moment, my heart turned completely numb. Maybe I had lost the moment I chose to hope.
When I got home, I barely got my shoes off before a fluffy Ragdoll cat trotted over and rubbed against my leg. Cleo was a stray Chloe and I had rescued from our neighborhood when we first started dating. She had followed us all the way to our door. Chloe said it was a sign of good luck, so we brought her inside and named her Cleo—hoping she’d spend the rest of her life surrounded by love. I sighed softly and picked Cleo up. My marriage was dead, but Cleo would always be a precious baby who deserved to be loved. Sensing my mood, Cleo let out a soft meow and began kneading my chest with her tiny paws. The heavy weight in my chest instantly lightened. I smiled, stroking her head. "What’s wrong, sweetie? Hungry?" Just as I was about to fill her food bowl, the front door clicked open. I looked up to see Chloe walking in. The moment she saw me holding Cleo on the sofa, her forehead creased in irritation. "Ugh, why is that cat on the sofa? I just bought those covers! What if she claws them?" Without warning, she rushed over, grabbed Cleo by the scruff of her neck, and flung her to the floor. There was a dull thud. Terrified Cleo was hurt, I leapt up to check on her. That was when I noticed Tyler walking in right behind Chloe. "Hey Ethan, I was just dropping Chloe off. I figured you hadn't eaten, so I brought you some food." He walked over to the dining table and started unpacking a takeout bag as if he owned the place. He was so comfortable, it was like he was in his own house. I watched him coldly, cradling Cleo in my arms. My voice was ice. "Aren't you in mourning? Isn't it incredibly disrespectful to barge into someone else's home right after a death?" "Instead of taking care of your guests, you seem very focused on taking care of another man's wife." Tyler's face stiffened. But Chloe was the one who blew up. She marched over and glared at me. "Ethan Miller, I've tolerated enough of your attitude today! Why are you being such a jerk?" "He was nice enough to bring you food and drive me home. What are you even jealous of?" "Stop acting like you're the king of the house. Just shut up and eat!" I glanced at the greasy takeout boxes on the table. Inside was seafood fried rice. Tyler watched with a smug, mocking look. "Chloe made this herself. Most people don't get to taste her cooking. Don't be mad, Ethan. Come eat." Suddenly, he let out a loud sneeze and took two steps back. "Ah, I almost forgot. I’m allergic to cat hair." Chloe immediately rushed to his side, looking extremely worried, asking if he was okay and if he needed to go to the hospital. Cleo whimpered, trembling in my arms, terrified by the tension in the room. I found the whole thing hilarious. Seafood fried rice? "I have a severe seafood allergy. Eating this could literally kill me. Do you not know that, or are you just pretending? Or maybe you're just hoping I’ll die so you can marry Tyler?" Chloe's eyes went red with fury. She lunged forward to slap me. "Ethan, that's enough!" Tyler stepped in, pretending to play the peacemaker. "Hey, don't fight because of me. It's my fault for coming over, and I crossed the line at the funeral too. Ethan, I don't want this to ruin our brotherhood, okay?" I scoffed, ignoring him. But then, Chloe suddenly snatched Cleo out of my arms and threw her to the ground. Cleo shrieked in pain and terror. Chloe scoffed in disgust and kicked her. Cleo's head slammed hard against the coffee table. She collapsed onto the floor, completely motionless. "Chloe! What the hell are you doing?!" I never expected her to hurt Cleo. With a furious roar, I shoved her aside. I rushed over, gently scooping Cleo into my arms. When I felt her shallow breathing, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. But Chloe stood there, completely unbothered, showing no remorse whatsoever. "Stray cats are ungrateful beasts anyway. I told you we should have never brought her home!" Ungrateful? If you ask me, the cat wasn't the ungrateful one here. Sometimes, human hearts are far more vicious than animals. I stood up with Cleo in my arms, staring coldly at Chloe. Seeing the icy fury in my eyes, her smug attitude faltered slightly. But she still muttered under her breath. "I'm not wrong. Strays carry all kinds of diseases." "None of your business." I stormed out of the house, holding Cleo tight.
Fortunately, after a thorough checkup at the vet, Cleo didn't have any life-threatening injuries. But she was severely traumatized. Fearing what Chloe might do to her if I brought her back immediately, I decided to leave her at the clinic overnight. I drove back home alone. But as I unlocked the front door, I froze. Soft, breathless moans echoed from inside the living room. My hand paused on the doorknob. I couldn't believe my ears. Even if Chloe and Tyler were completely shameless, this was still my home. And Tyler’s mother had literally just been buried today. No one could be that sick and twisted. But when I pushed the door open... I saw two bodies tangled on the sofa. Chloe's clothes were disheveled, her eyes glassy with lust, pinned beneath Tyler. In that instant, my brain went entirely numb. The final thread of my sanity snapped. They actually did it. Hearing the door open, they both spun their heads toward me. When our eyes met, Chloe froze. She scrambled to shove Tyler off her, frantically fixing her clothes as she sat up. But the more she panicked, the more she fumbled. Tyler, on the other hand, remained dead silent. He stood up, adjusted his clothes, and kept his head down. "Ethan... why are you back? Weren't you at the vet clinic with Cleo?" I stared at her blankly. "What? Am I not allowed in my own house?" She wrung her hands nervously. "I didn't mean it like that." A suffocating silence filled the room. Tyler took a step forward, trying to sound apologetic. "Ethan, what you saw... it's not what it looks like. Chloe and I..." Before he could finish, Chloe pointed a trembling finger at him and shrieked, "It’s him! It was all him!" "He drugged me! I didn't want this! None of this was consensual!" She sobbed, lunging to throw her arms around me. "Ethan, thank God you came back when you did! I don't even want to think about what he would've done to me!" Listening to her crying, I didn't open my arms. I shoved her away with everything I had. Drugged? Thank God I came back? Did she seriously take me for a fool? Did she think I’d just blindly believe whatever lie slipped through her teeth? Stumbling back from my shove, Chloe looked up at me in utter disbelief. "Ethan, you don't believe me? I'm the victim here! How could I ever betray you? How could I throw away our years of marriage for your best friend?" Hearing this, Tyler's expression turned incredibly dark. But he remained silent, willingly taking the fall for the absurd accusation she threw at him. Honestly, I was a bit surprised. Tearfully, Chloe reached out to grab my hand, but I dodged her easily. "Chloe, listen to yourself. Do you actually expect me to buy that garbage?" "I have eyes. And I trust what I see." She opened her mouth to argue, but I didn't give her the chance. I slapped the newly printed divorce papers right onto her chest. "Sign it. I'm done with this marriage. I’m out."
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