I Thought It Was Stress—It Was Betrayal

A week before the wedding, my fiancée, Gracie Howell, suddenly starts gagging at the sight of food. I figure it's just pre-wedding stress. I bring it up to my younger brother, Luca Norton. He glares at the warm soup on the table and sneers. "Some women claim they're child-free, but they secretly want kids all along! She probably got knocked up behind your back and is gonna pin it on you!" I hand him the bowl with no green onions. "Nonsense. Gracie isn't like that." "The hell she isn't! The other guy could be standing right in front of you, and you'd still be smiling, serving him soup!" He acts all righteous and protective, like a loyal guard dog. I just shake my head and smile. Luca is wild and rebellious, while Gracie is quiet and traditional. They've always rubbed each other the wrong way, clashing every single time they meet. I'm used to it by now. Three days later, I take time off work to decorate our new home, only to find the front door ajar. The familiar bickering drifts out, laced with heavy, breathless panting. "You're about to be a dad, and you're still out doing reckless drag races? Keep it up, and I'll buy a chain to lock you to the bed." Gracie makes an empty threat. Luca scoffs, thrusting his hips with a cocky grin. "Worry about yourself, Gracie. After all, you're carrying my baby, while your dear fiancé thinks you're just stressed out and is dying of concern for you." The white roses slip from my hand and fall to the floor. I stand at the threshold, frozen. Who knew that all their bitter bickering was just a cover for passion? In that moment, the woman who promised to love me until we were a hundred is dead to me. Chapter 1 Jared's POV I stood frozen at the doorway for a long time before taking a step inside. Two familiar bodies were tangled together, stark naked right in front of me. "How far along… are you?" At the sound of my voice, they both whipped around. My fiancée, Gracie Howell, scrambled off the bed. She nearly slipped on a stray condom wrapper while pulling her dress up. It was nothing like her usual calm demeanor. "Jared? What are you doing here?" The wall lamp was still glowing with a soft, warm light. It illuminated the sweet wedding photo of Gracie and me while also casting light over the bright red scratch marks across my younger brother Luca Norton's chest. Seeing him cowering in the corner, I picked up the quilt off the floor and gently tossed it over him. "I came to decorate the house. But I guess…" I came at the wrong time. A faint, bitter smile tugged at my lips as I looked down, laughing at myself. Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd ever taken time off work. And it was all for the wedding I had been looking forward to so badly. On the drive over, my head was bursting with excitement, spinning with plans. Where to hang the wedding banner, how many floral garlands to drape along the windows, and what kind of centerpiece and refreshments to set out at the reception area. I'd even bought a few of the pricier suits for Luca, knowing he was a fashion influencer and wanting him to look great on the big day. I never imagined the two people I loved most would prepare a surprise like this for me. It felt like a massive fist had slammed into my chest, squeezing tight. My breath hitched violently. I turned to bolt from the room, accidentally knocking a glass off the table. A sharp crash rang out. The sound of it shattering made me flinch. "Jared! Your hand is bleeding!" Noticing the blood on the floor, Gracie rushed over to grab my hand. I yanked it back instantly. "Don't touch me." "I've looked after you all these years! Who else would take care of you like I do?" Gracie held my wrist in a vice grip. She looked so genuinely frantic and concerned, as if she still loved me. She used to rent an apartment near my company just so I could sleep ten minutes longer. She would cook breakfast for me every single morning. The fridge was always stocked with my favorite drinks, my clothes were always freshly washed, and my phone was always fully charged before I left for work. Everyone called her the ideal girlfriend. So why had she suddenly changed? While I was out of it, Gracie had already picked the glass shards out of my palm. Her eyes were filled with concern when she saw me wince. "I'm sorry, Jared. Luca and I are really nothing. We were just messing around. You know he's just an annoying brat. He gets on my nerves more than anyone." I looked at the gentle, attentive woman in front of me and felt a chill go down my spine. Getting pregnant with someone else was just "messing around" to her? And to make it worse, that someone else was my younger brother. Chapter 2 Jared's POV A cold numbness hollowed out my chest. Before I could say a word, Luca casually leaned against the doorframe while wearing the exact shirt I'd picked out for him. A circle of bite marks flared red around his exposed wrist. It was obvious just how lost in the moment Gracie had been. "Is that right, Gracie? Didn't you just tell me yesterday that you planned on being child-free forever, but being with me made you feel like having a baby might not be so bad after all?" He laughed arrogantly. Then he threw a provocative glance right at me. "Jared, you're the smart one. Help me out here. Does Gracie actually like me, or does she hate me?" Looking at the younger brother I had raised with so much care acting like such a snake, I stood up in complete disbelief. My clenched fists shook violently. Gracie's face instantly darkened. She pushed a reluctant Luca out of the house. "Get out. Stop pushing Jared!" "I'm just telling the truth!" His low shout was cut off as the door snapped shut. The living room plunged into a silence so heavy we could hear each other breathe. But the silence was far more stifling than any screaming match. "Honey, didn't you say you wanted to decorate the place? Are the decorations still outside? I'll go grab them right now." Trying to sound casual, Gracie picked up a box and walked into the bedroom. I looked up and stepped over. I reached for the lock, turned the key, and locked the door from the outside. Then I pulled the key out of the lock. "Jared Norton! What are you doing? Luca's your brother! And I'm carrying his baby! I won't let you hurt him!" The last drop of her forced composure vanished, replaced by wild screams as she slammed her weight against the door. I left our home without a single expression on my face. I crossed the hall and knocked on the neighbor's door. "Hey, Jared. Done talking already?" Luca still had that innocent grin on his face, holding a bowl of the soup I'd packed for Gracie that morning. Suppressing the fury surging in my throat, I forced the words out past a tight chest. "How could you… do this to me?" "Pfft!" Luca doubled over laughing and wiped a drop of soup from the corner of his mouth. "Jared, you've always been so good to me. What's the big deal if I get a taste of your woman? Besides, you only have yourself to blame for this." I frowned in disbelief. "Blame myself?" "Well, yeah." Wearing the designer slippers I'd bought him, he strolled lazily over to the dining table. He picked up his phone, pulled up a dense stack of text logs, and tossed it to me. "You've been telling me everything since we were kids. Cool toys you found, staying up late for work, random weirdos you ran into on the street… Honestly, I never cared about any of it. Except… Gracie." His eyes gleamed, sly as a fox. "You kept saying how she solved all your problems, how she backed you up in life and work, and how she was the most perfect girlfriend in the world and would never cheat. "I just couldn't bring myself to believe it. So I started dressing up flashy and acting provocative, deliberately trying to get her attention. Turns out, she was easy. Oh, and here's a fun little secret. You fell asleep on your birthday, so you didn't know this, but we actually broke the living room couch." Luca perched on the edge of the table, tilting his head with a sweet, harmless smile. Meanwhile, my face was drained of all color. This was the brother whom I had cherished since the day he was born. When he was little, he couldn't fall asleep unless I was in the room. When he got into pop stars in his teens, I scoured the entire city just to track down out-of-print cassettes for him. Even in high school, when he casually mentioned his classmate's limited-edition sneakers looked cool, I skipped my tuition to wait in line for him all night. Luca used to tell me I was the best brother in the world, that he wanted to follow me around forever. I never imagined that the first thing he'd do when he grew up was steal my fiancée. Shaking with rage, I grabbed his arm, my eyes bloodshot as I dragged him toward the exit. "We're going home. Right now. We're telling Mom and Dad, and we'll see if you still have the nerve to act like this!" A soft chuckle came from behind me, followed by his familiar, spoiled whine. "Mom and Dad? Oh, Jared, they already know. Where do you think I got the money to buy the place right next door to yours? They gave me the wedding money Gracie had set aside for you." Chapter 3 Jared's POV I froze, and my eyes widened. "Luca Norton, what the hell are you talking about?" "I'm not making this up. If you really want to know, just take a look at Gracie's Instagram." Luca winked playfully. A horrifying suspicion began to take shape in my mind. Right then, Gracie kicked open the locked bedroom door and bolted out in a frenzy. The second she saw me gripping Luca's arm, she shoved me back without a second thought. "I told you, if you have a problem, take it out on me! Don't touch—" Caught completely off guard by the shove, I stumbled hard into the wall. A sickening crack echoed in my chest as a rib snapped. Gracie's face paled for a split second. She instinctively reached out to steady me, but Luca immediately pulled her back and laid a protective hand over her stomach. "Jared was acting like a total lunatic just now. I was so scared." "Are you okay?" Her focus shifted to him instantly. Fighting through the agonizing pain twisting inside me, I reached out with a trembling hand, cold sweat trickling down my face. "Give me… your phone…" Gracie's pupils shrank tight, as if she already knew what was coming. "Jared, there's nothing on there worth looking at—" "I said give it to me!" I screamed at her, breaking down like a wounded, cornered animal. She hesitated for a few seconds before finally passing the phone over. The lock screen passcode was still my birthday, and the wallpaper was still our wedding photo. But her most liked post on Instagram was hidden from only one person—me. "To all my family and friends, I'm going to be a mom!" Above it was a clear ultrasound scan. She was six weeks along. Even though Gracie hadn't announced who the father was, everyone commenting already knew the truth. "Wonderful news! I knew all that child-free talk wouldn't last. I'm finally getting a grandchild!" "Just don't tell Jared about this. All he cares about is money anyway. You two just focus on living happily next door." Those were from my parents, whom I'd brought over from the countryside. Just over two weeks ago, I had pinched every penny to clear their 50-thousand-dollar debt, and they had called me the best son in the world. "Huge congrats! True love wins in the end! Just keep an eye out for that old-fashioned Jared. Remember to ask me to cover for you when you go for checkups!" This was from Theo Mitchell, my best friend since childhood. Years ago, when he had nearly fallen for a honey trap while drunk, I fought off a crowd of guys to drag him out of that hotel room, getting beaten black and blue in the process. "Make sure to invite me to the baby's one-month party! I'll buy a flight back home right away! If Jared hadn't talked me out of it, I would have come back ages ago!" This was from Jodie Roberts, the underprivileged student I had sponsored. A year ago, when her father tried to marry her off to an old man for money, I had secretly called the police to save her and paid for her to study abroad. The spine I had kept straight for so long completely gave out. A hollow laugh escaped me as I slumped against the wall. Every single one of those people was someone I had cared for with all my heart. And every single one of them had known about Gracie and Luca, while keeping me in the dark in complete unison. They had watched me run around, happily preparing for the wedding and telling me I'd be the happiest groom in the world. But behind my back, they saw me as a joke, a clown, a total idiot being played for laughs! I opened Gracie's Instagram profile again and deleted the pinned proposal video. As I recalled how earnestly she had promised to love me forever, it all felt like a sick joke. "We're over," I said before standing up with a vacant gaze. Luca had a bigger reaction than Gracie. He lunged forward to grab my wrist just like the clingy shadow he used to be. "Jared, is this really necessary? Once the baby's born, it can just call you Dad too." I looked up at him with vacant eyes and calmly but firmly pulled my hand free. "Don't touch me! From now on, you and I are strangers." A deafening rumble shook the sky. Outside, wind howled, and rain poured down in torrents. A flash of lightning illuminated their stunned faces. Neither of them ever expected that the brother who had always taken care of everyone would be the first to sever ties. "Jared, when you were in that car crash, you put your life on the line to protect Luca. How could you…" I curled my lips in a pitiful smirk. So my devotion was nothing more than their license to tear me apart. Before Gracie could finish her sentence, Luca collapsed right beside her. She caught him and let out a furious roar, "Luca! What's wrong, Luca? Call an ambulance! Now!" Chapter 4 Jared's POV The ambulance arrived in no time. Drenched to the bone, I sat all alone in the hospital hallway. Rain dripped down my pant legs onto the floor, but I couldn't feel the cold. My eyes were fixed blankly on Gracie. I watched her carefully help Luca onto the hospital bed, speak to the doctor with an uneasy look on her face, and take the thermometer with slightly trembling fingers. "Don't worry, Luca. I'll stay right by your side." Gracie kissed the corner of his lips with so much gentleness. Just a few days ago, when I had a high fever, she said the exact same thing to me. That night, I had held her in my arms, muttering how cold I was through my haze. She had sprung out of bed immediately, frantically digging through the first-aid kit. Our home was always stocked with fever medicine, a thermometer, and the sugar-free ginger tea I loved. Through the hot steam rising from the mug, I had seen her anxious face and truly believed I was the happiest man alive. It turned out she could offer that same tenderness to me and to Luca just as easily. I didn't know how long I sat there before Gracie finally stepped out of the room. Seeing my clothes plastered to my skin, she grabbed a blanket just like she used to and wrapped it around me with a look of heartache. But the words that came out of her mouth were like cold iron spikes driven straight into my ears. "Jared, apologize to Luca." I pushed her away, forcing a raspy voice out of my throat in pure disbelief. "What did you just say?" "You threw a tantrum and said those horrible things just because you found out he's the father. Apologize to him right now." A wave of overwhelming absurdity swept over me. I pointed through the glass at Luca, who was sitting there with a provocative smirk, and screamed at her, "Have you lost your damn mind? He's the homewrecker who seduced you! Why the hell should I apologize to him—" A sudden slap cracked across my face, snapping my head to the side. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my parents standing there, fuming with rage. "Why? Because he's your little brother! What's wrong with backing down for him for once?" Theo hurried over right then and let out an impatient scoff. "Jared, that's enough drama for one day. You can't just let your family line end with you, right? Go apologize to Luca, and stop saying all that bullshit." I raised my head and slowly looked at every single face in front of me. Their eyes were filled with disgust, as if I were some unforgivable villain. I let out a bitter laugh and looked straight at Gracie. "And what if I refuse?" Her gaze landed on me, cold to the point of absolute zero. "Then I'll report you to your company and tell everyone you tried to steal your brother's wife. Wherever you go, I'll report you there. "Your parents will testify too, saying you were the homewrecker. Let's see how you explain yourself then. Without a job or any savings, you won't survive without me." With that, she turned and walked away. The whole crowd scrambled to squeeze into the hospital room. As I stared at their heartless backs, that single line echoed endlessly in my mind. "You won't survive without me." Fine. Then I wouldn't. Like a lifeless puppet, I climbed the stairs one step at a time until I reached the roof. While they were huddled around Luca, showering him with concern, I took a step off the ledge and plunged into the open air with a smile. As my body plummeted past the window, Gracie's face froze instantly. Before her brain could process it, her body lunged toward the window, both hands slamming helplessly against the cold glass. "Jared, no!" Everyone in the room whipped around at once and rushed to the window.