After working nonstop for the better part of a year, my wedding was supposed to be my escape—a blissful, week-long vacation. Instead, my new husband Liam’s “little sister” from his graduate program showed up unannounced at our door in the frigid north, wanting to experience life as a “delicate Southern flower who’s never seen snow.” Liam, worried about her staying in a hotel alone, insisted she stay with us. On her first day, she cranked our thermostat up to eighty-five degrees. “Jane, Vivi gets cold easily. Just keep the heat on, don’t touch it.” “Jane, Vivi needs her fruit peeled and sliced. Could you handle that for her? She’s a bit clumsy, and I’d hate for her to cut herself.” “Jane, Vivi doesn’t eat much. Can you find a child-sized bowl for her?” Just like that, Vivian’s arrival transformed me from the lady of the house into the live-in help. 1 I was melting in the living room, my pajamas sticking to my skin with sweat. I retreated to our bedroom and cracked open a window for a breath of fresh air. It hadn't been open for a minute before Liam burst in. “What are you doing? Vivi’s face is pale from the draft!” he hissed, slamming the window shut. “I told you she can’t handle the cold. She’s our guest. Can’t you be a little more considerate?” “I’m in our bedroom. How is my open window bothering her?” Vivian appeared at the doorway, her voice a soft, fragile whisper. “I’m so sorry, Jane. I’ve just been delicate since I was a child. The slightest chill gets to me. Liam is just a little overprotective. I told him I could stay in a hotel, but he wouldn’t hear of it.” She offered a polite, placid smile. “Jane, if you’re really that uncomfortable, maybe… you could get a hotel room?” The words, though spoken sweetly, were a clear provocation. “This is my home. You want me to go to a hotel?” Vivian’s lower lip trembled as she looked to Liam for support. “She has a point, Jane,” Liam said. “If you’re too hot here, a hotel might be more comfortable for you.” I took a deep, steadying breath. “Liam, how long have we been married?” “We just had the wedding, you know that.” “Exactly. We’re newlyweds. And you want your wife to sleep alone in a hotel while you and your ‘little sister’ stay in our marital home?” A flicker of unease crossed his face. He softened his tone. “Jane, come on. Vivi is only here for three days, then she has to go back to work. Just put up with it for a little while. Once she’s gone, I’ll take you to see the Northern Lights. I promise.” The Northern Lights. It was a dream I’d held onto for years, always postponed because I never had anyone to go with. “Really?” “Have I ever lied to you?” My anger subsided slightly. I went to my closet to find some lighter pajamas, but Liam’s voice stopped me. “Oh, and Jane? Could you sleep in the guest room for the next few nights? The master bedroom faces south, so it’s warmer. It’ll be better for Vivi.” “If I’m in the guest room, where are you sleeping?” “I’m scared of sleeping alone,” Vivian chimed in from the doorway. “Liam has to stay with me.” I let out a laugh that was sharp and humorless. “Does being young give you a free pass to act like a clueless child and treat everyone else like an idiot?” “Jane, what are you thinking?” Liam said quickly. “I’ll sleep on the floor!” I inhaled slowly, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. “In that case, why don’t I sleep on the floor in there with you, Vivi? After all, your precious Liam is a married man. It wouldn’t look good if word got back to your university, would it?” Vivian pouted. “No. I don’t know you that well.” 2 I knew there was no reasoning with someone like Vivian. She operated without a moral compass. “Fine,” I said. “But I feel I should warn you, little sister. We have security cameras in the bedroom and the living room.” Her face fell. “Liam, what is she talking about?” “Why would you tell her that?” Liam snapped at me. “I’m just being thoughtful,” I said, my voice dripping with false concern. “She’s a young woman. It would be a shame if the cameras captured her doing something… indiscreet.” Vivian’s expression was thunderous. I didn’t bother giving Liam a pleasant one either. “Here’s the plan,” he finally declared. “Vivi, you sleep in the master bedroom with the door open. Jane, you sleep in the guest room with your door open. I’ll sleep on the floor in the hallway between you. Happy now?” I smirked. “Works for me.” Vivian forced a smile. “If Jane’s okay with it, then so am I.” And so, Liam spent the night on the floor. The next morning, he woke me at the crack of dawn. “Get up. We’re taking Vivi to see the ice sculptures today. Hurry up and make some breakfast.” When I placed a traditional breakfast of millet porridge and steamed buns on the table, Vivian wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Jane, where I’m from, we have coffee and sandwiches in the morning. These buns are so greasy, and the smell is so strong. I’m not used to this kind of food.” I took a slow sip of my porridge. “Vivi, if I remember correctly, you’re from a small town in the Midwest, aren’t you?” “You work in the city for two years and suddenly you think you’re a coastal elite? Aren’t these the same buns you grew up eating? How can you not be ‘used to them’ anymore?” I added, “And just because you’re short doesn’t make you a delicate Southern flower.” Her face flushed a deep crimson. “You don’t have to be so hostile toward me, Jane!” “I’m not being hostile. I’m just stating facts.” The doorbell rang. Liam rushed to get it. “I knew you wouldn’t like the local food,” he said, returning with a takeout bag. “So I ordered something for you.” Vivian shot me a triumphant, sideways glance. “I knew you’d take care of me, Liam.” After breakfast, she pulled a wool coat from her suitcase. “Liam, what do you think of this one?” “It’s beautiful, but it’s ten below zero outside. That coat isn’t nearly warm enough.” “You’re the one who can’t handle the cold,” I muttered from the side. “You’ll freeze to death in that thing.” Vivian shot me a dirty look before turning a sweet, pleading face to Liam. “But it will look so good in pictures. I have to wear this one.” She got her way. As we headed out, she slipped into the front passenger seat before I could. “Jane,” Liam said quickly, “the vents are better in the front. Vivi gets cold, so let her sit there.” “Liam and I always ride like this when we go out,” Vivian added, a smug little smile playing on her lips. “He always said his passenger seat was reserved for me.” I let out a soft laugh. “It’s fine. You sit there.” I was morbidly curious now. I wanted to see just how far Liam and Vivian would take this charade over the next three days. 3 We’d barely entered the ice sculpture park before Vivian started shivering uncontrollably, hugging herself for warmth. Liam immediately shrugged off his own down jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “I told you it was too cold for that coat.” “But you gave me this coat,” she said, her voice trembling. “It cost twelve hundred dollars. I never get a chance to wear it, and I wanted to take some nice pictures to remember the trip.” I froze. “Liam, you bought her a twelve-hundred-dollar coat?” He looked flustered. “Vivi’s just starting out, her salary isn’t high. She’d been admiring it for a long time, so I bought it for her birthday. It’s just a coat, Jane. Don’t make a big deal out of it.” “She doesn’t have a high salary? You don’t have a salary at all! You haven’t even graduated! I’m the one paying for your tuition, your life! You used my money to buy her a designer coat!” His face flushed with anger. “What’s yours and mine? We’re married, Jane. What’s yours is mine. What’s wrong with me using my own money to buy my friend a gift?” “Liam, I never realized you were so shameless!” In our ten years together, the most expensive gift he’d ever given me was a twenty-dollar necklace. He always said that once he finished his Ph.D. and got a good job, he’d buy me anything I wanted. I thought he was being frugal. Now I realized he was only frugal with me. “Oh, Jane,” Vivian said sweetly. “The style is a bit young for you anyway. Otherwise, I’d offer to give it to you.” “Who wants your second-hand trash?” I snapped. Her eyes welled up with tears. Liam’s temper flared. “That was a nasty thing to say, Jane. I was having a good day, and I don’t want to fight with you. Just drop it!” Vivian tugged on his arm. “Liam, you gave me your jacket. Your lips are turning blue.” She took his hands in hers and blew on them. “Is that warmer?” He couldn’t hide his smile. “Much warmer.” “I should give it back. I don’t want you to get sick.” She started to take the jacket off. “I’m a man, I can handle it. You’re the one who’s delicate. You wear it.” “No,” she insisted. “I’d rather get sick myself than see you suffer. If you won’t wear it, then neither will I.” They went back and forth until Liam finally gave in and put the jacket back on. Vivian stood there, shivering violently but insisting she wasn’t cold. Suddenly, Liam’s gaze fell on me. “Take off your jacket and give it to Vivi.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It took me a moment to process his words. “What? Why?” “You’re not the one who’s cold! What do you need such a thick coat for?” “I may not get cold easily, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel it at all!” “Stop arguing and give her the jacket.” He reached for me. I stumbled backward. “What are you doing? I never said I would give it to her! Let go of me!” He ignored my protests, his hands grabbing at the zipper of my coat, trying to pull it off me. I fought back, clutching the fabric desperately. Vivian’s teeth were chattering. “Liam, don’t… don’t make things hard for Jane. I’m fine, really. I won’t freeze to death.” Hearing the tremor in her voice only made Liam more determined. He yanked harder. The ground was slick with ice. In the struggle, my feet went out from under me, and I fell backward, my head cracking against the frozen ground with a sickening thud. Thankfully, I was wearing a thick, padded hat, or there would have been blood. Even so, the impact left me stunned and disoriented. While I was dazed, Liam ripped the down jacket off my body. By the time my vision cleared, my coat was on Vivian. “Liam,” she said, “I think Jane is hurt. Maybe you should check on her.” “People from up here fall on the ice all the time. Besides, she’s tough as nails. A little slip won’t kill her.” He then turned his cold eyes on me. “If you’re cold, you can take a cab home. It’s not like you haven’t seen these sculptures before. I can stay here with Vivi.” 4 Liam wrapped his arm around Vivian, and they walked away without a backward glance. The other tourists stared at me. Some whispered, others pulled out their phones to record. I knew that soon, videos of me would be online, captioned with all sorts of stories. Maybe they’d even call me the mistress, caught and shamed by the wife. But none of that mattered anymore. I struggled to sit up. The ten-degree wind felt warm compared to the ice in my heart. I finally had to admit it. My ten years of devotion, all wasted on a dog. I pushed myself to my feet and walked to the park entrance. It took almost an hour to get a cab. By then, I was numb, my body a block of ice. “Miss,” the driver said with concern, “why are you out in this weather without a proper coat?” “I guess I let a fool make my decisions for me,” I said quietly. If I wasn't a fool, why would I have supported him through seven years of graduate school? If I wasn't a fool, why would I have been the one to buy the ring and propose to him? Back home, I buried myself under a pile of blankets, trying to stop shivering. Liam and Vivian didn’t return until after dark. She was still wearing my jacket. “Jane, I brought you some barbecue. See? I’m not so bad,” Liam said, holding out a greasy bag. “Eat it before it gets cold.” “You brought me your leftovers?” “They’re not leftovers! I saved these for you!” “You know I don’t eat lamb.” His face soured. “The vendor must have mixed up the order.” I wasn’t feeling well. A cough escaped my lips. Vivian gasped dramatically. “Oh no, Jane! You don’t think you have the flu, do you? I heard this year’s strain is really contagious and hard to get over.” Liam grew anxious. “Vivi, your immune system is weak. You can’t get sick.” “What should we do? We’re all living under the same roof.” “Let’s go to a hotel,” he decided instantly. “This whole house is probably contaminated by now.” He grabbed Vivian’s purse and started for the door. “Jane, I’m taking Vivi to a hotel. We’ll be back after you’re better.” “Vivian,” I called out, my voice flat. She turned. “It was Liam’s idea, Jane. I couldn’t stop him.” “Don’t worry, Jane,” Liam added. “We’ll get two rooms.” “Oh? Were you planning on getting one?” He scowled. “Don’t worry, Jane,” Vivian said with a smirk. “Even if we were in the same room, Liam would just be helping me with my thesis.” “I just wanted to tell you one thing, Vivian,” I said, my voice dangerously calm. “I’m a soldier in the United States Army.” She scoffed. “So what? Does that make you better than the rest of us?” Destroying a military marriage, however, comes with a price. I watched them leave, then I called my best friend, Chloe. “Liam took his little protégée to a hotel. Can you find out where they went?” Chloe’s family owned a chain of luxury hotels. Liam, with his inflated ego, would never take Vivian to a cheap motel. It was almost certainly one of Chloe’s properties. Sure enough, a few minutes later, she sent me a location and two room numbers. They had indeed booked separate rooms. I texted Chloe: Keep an eye on them for me. Ten minutes later, my phone rang. “Jane,” Chloe said, her voice urgent. “That little witch just went into your husband’s room!” I was calm. “Are you free right now?” “For you? Always.” “Good. Let’s go catch a cheater.” I raced to the hotel, pulled out my phone, and started a livestream, even paying for a traffic boost. “Hi everyone! My husband is a Ph.D. candidate at the research institute. He’s so hardworking and thoughtful,” I began, my voice bright and cheerful. “We just got married two days ago, and he’s already pulling an all-nighter at a hotel with his junior colleague to work on their thesis.” A comment popped up immediately: Are you sure they’re working on a thesis and not… something else? “Of course!” I laughed. “He’s only doing it at a hotel because I have a little cold, and he didn’t want to disturb my rest. Besides, he’s about to graduate and has a prestigious position waiting for him. Any misconduct would get him expelled and ruin his career. Seven years of hard work down the drain. He would never risk that.” “Also,” I added casually, “I’m an active-duty soldier, and his colleague is actually a well-known influencer. I trust them. They know the law. They wouldn’t jeopardize their futures.” The chat exploded, asking for the influencer’s name. I gave them Vivian’s handle without hesitation. She had a few hundred thousand followers, all built on a carefully crafted persona of a smart, independent woman who didn't need a man. “I bought them their favorite cupcakes to surprise them,” I said to my phone. “Let’s go, friends! I can’t wait to see the look on my husband’s face.” Chloe used her master keycard. The door clicked open. I burst into the room, phone held high. “Surprise, honey!” The two figures tangled on the bed froze in horror.
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