After we both divorced at the same time, the two brothers regretted it
Chapter 1
The night before my wedding, my fiancé’s childhood sweetheart, accidentally, or maybe not so accidentally, ran me over, leaving me bleeding out.
My best friend, Kiki, called, but my fiancé, Zach, hung up.
He left only one text: “Rhonda has a cold, I can’t leave her.”
Kiki then called her boyfriend, a mega-famous celebrity with tons of connections.
He said, “Rhonda’s sick. I need to be with her.”
After a night in the ER, Kiki and I looked at each other in the hospital room and said the same thing at the same time:
“I’m not marrying him.”
We didn’t expect both men to go completely ballistic when they got our cancellation notices.
A whole week later, Zach finally called.
It wasn’t a gentle conversation. He exploded.
“Chloe, what the hell is wrong with you? Both families have set the date and venue, and you just call it off? What are you trying to do?”
I tried to speak, but he cut me off with a torrent of accusations.
“I’ve told you a million times, Rhonda’s health is fragile. A cold can easily become life-threatening, I have to be there for her, to make sure she’s safe! How can you be so jealous, so heartless?”
Heartless… I couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly.
The night before, I was alone, finalizing wedding details. On my way home, a speeding truck hit me.
Before losing consciousness, I frantically called Zach, but only got a cold, impersonal busy signal.
Twice.
It wasn’t until I was unconscious, my blood-stained phone screen displaying a new message, that he finally texted.
[What?! Tell me quickly!]
Seeing no immediate response, he followed up with:
[Are you sick? Do you have to interrupt me comforting Rhonda at this time? Don’t you know how delicate her condition is?]
Even after I woke up, Zach didn’t stop blaming me.
Then Kiki burst into the room, snatching my phone.
“Zach, are you insane?! Chloe was in a car accident last night! The driver deliberately ran her over twice! If she hadn’t gotten to the hospital in time, she’d be dead! Can’t you tell the difference between a cold and a car crash?!”
Zach scoffed on the other end.
“You’re lying to a professional, Kiki. You two are seriously overestimating your intelligence!”
He hung up.
Kiki’s jaw clenched, her knuckles white as she held the phone.
Before I could comfort her, her phone rang. It was her fiancé, also Zach’s best friend, Ethan.
“Kiki, what are you two doing? Do you realize that because of your jealousy and lies, Rhonda was so upset she almost had a relapse?!”
“If Zach and I weren’t there, what would’ve happened to Rhonda? Can’t you see a life is at stake?! My family won’t let a malicious woman like you marry into it, so you can keep this engagement or not!”
Kiki was about to unleash a torrent of profanity, but Ethan had already blocked her.
“I’ll be damned…”
I grabbed her hand.
“Don’t be angry, Kiki. They aren’t worth it.”
Kiki, looking at the medical equipment attached to me, started to cry.
“Chloe, are you still in pain?”
I shook my head, smiling weakly.
It was over. The pain stopped the moment Zach hung up.
Chapter 2
To lift our spirits, Kiki put on a reality show.
We munched on popcorn, making snarky comments.
“He’s so ugly, a classic comedic actor.”
“That scene is so fake, it’s clearly scripted.”
But our laughter died quickly.
Ethan, the mega-celebrity, appeared on screen.
Kiki’s face fell. She muttered about bad omens and wanted to change the channel.
But Ethan’s voice filled the room. The show reached its sentimental moment.
Ethan looked directly into the camera, his eyes filled with longing.
“My biggest regret is not confessing my feelings to a girl back then…”
The other cast members teased him, urging for details. Kiki’s grip tightened.
I patted her arm reassuringly, my heart aching.
Even though Ethan was engaged to Kiki, he never went public with their relationship.
He claimed it would affect his image and career.
Even though Ethan came from a wealthy family and acting was just a hobby.
If Kiki mentioned it, he’d explode, accusing her of not understanding him, of not supporting his career.
But he didn’t see how tirelessly Kiki worked on his PR, handling negative press, and promoting his shows.
Kiki once said she knew acting was Ethan’s dream.
She was willing to do anything to help him reach the top.
But in Ethan’s eyes, everything Kiki did was just a ploy to keep him, a tool in her jealous games.
He firmly believed that only Rhonda, his and Zach’s mutual childhood friend, truly understood him.
Seeing my worried gaze, Kiki forced a smile.
“It’s okay, Chloe. We decided to call off the weddings, didn’t we?”
“After we notify our parents, it’s over. We’ll be free.”
I nodded, tears welling up.
But then, in the evening, Zach called again.
His voice was sharp and unpleasant.
“Chloe, why are you being so unreasonable? Rhonda had a cold, I was just helping her! Why do you have to think the worst?! You didn’t even show up at the engagement party because of this?!”
“Both families are there, waiting for you! Chloe, I urge you to be reasonable. Don’t make me come get you!”
Normally, Zach’s cold tone would leave me heartbroken.
But now, his angry accusations only brought a weary sigh.
“Zach, since I’m calling off the wedding, there’s no need for me to go.”
My words reignited his fury.
“Do you know how irrational you are being?! Chloe, I never knew you were such a shrew! I’m calling you, trying to smooth things over, and you make it so difficult?!”
“Everyone’s waiting! How long do you intend to make a scene?! You have to come! Tell me where you are, I’m coming to get you!”
Looking at my hospital gown, I felt utterly exhausted.
“I’m at St. Anne’s Hospital. Come get me.”
Chapter 3
After a two-second pause, a cold laugh echoed through the phone.
“Chloe, you really don’t even bother to think through your lies. You just want me to beg you, so you make this up?”
I closed my eyes, a bitter smile playing on my lips.
I knew how this would end.
I knew that no matter what I went through, Rhonda’s well-being would always come first for him.
Even knowing that, I still held onto a sliver of hope.
A wave of nausea washed over me, and I leaned over the bed to vomit.
Zach remained oblivious, his tone still arrogant.
“Don’t drag Ethan’s girlfriend into your tantrum! They were supposed to meet the parents to set a wedding date, and now they can’t even see each other!”
“You can’t handle your relationship, and you’re influencing others. You’re even using your life as an excuse. Chloe, aren’t you being malicious?! I’ll appease you this time, but what next? Will you self-harm to manipulate me again?”
Yes, no matter what happened, Zach would assume I was the mastermind, using his pity for manipulation.
Even last year, at a party, Rhonda slipped an allergen into my food, causing a high fever that almost killed me.
He simply looked down on me, cold and detached.
“Chloe, it’s disgusting how you lie to people.”
“Don’t you just want to marry into the Zhao family? You already tricked my parents into agreeing to our engagement, why are you acting like this now?”
In Zach’s eyes, I was a vicious woman, repeatedly hurting myself to drive a wedge between him and Rhonda.
Before, his words would’ve shattered me.
But now, I was just tired.
Too tired to even try to salvage things.
I said calmly,
“Zach, I’m calling off the wedding. When I’m better, I’ll explain to your parents. I won’t be going to the party.”
I hung up.
But Zach actually came.
Seeing me in the hospital bed, he frowned.
Before he could speak, Rhonda walked in behind him.
She instinctively clung to Zach’s arm, practically clinging to him.
Rhonda looked at me, a possessive glint in her eyes, but forced a pathetic expression of sympathy onto her face.
“What happened? What’s wrong with Chloe?”
“I’m so sorry, Chloe. I really wasn’t feeling well that day, so Zach went to see me. Don’t be angry with him. Both families are at the hotel waiting for you! This is so embarrassing for them!”
Before she finished her insincere apology, Zach cut her off.
He looked at her with adoration.
“Rhonda, you don’t need to explain to her! Chloe! You’re going too far! Do you think this act will make me give in? You must apologize to Rhonda! Apologize to both families!”
“This is your last chance! Otherwise, forget about marrying into the Zhao family!”
I scoffed.
“Zach, we’re over. Please get out of my room, you and your girlfriend!”
Seeing me mention his beloved Rhonda, Zach flew into a rage.
He raised his hand, and a powerful slap landed on my face.
