Vanessa frowned, arms crossed.
“That night was different. Daniel said there was thunder and he was scared. So, I went to comfort him.”
My anger snapped. “A grown man—scared of thunder?” I slammed my fist on the table. “And what about your birthday, when I was out of town? You were hugging and kissing him in a private room. Did you think I was dead?”
Her face stiffened. She recovered quickly, voice rising.
“Who’s spreading rumors? That never happened!”
I didn’t waste words. I pulled out my phone and tossed it onto the table. The video played in plain sight—Daniel and her tangled together, lips pressed, arms wrapped tight. He had even posted it himself.
Vanessa’s face drained of color. She scratched her head, then snapped in frustration.
“Enough! Why are you so relentless? I hate this side of you! Always nitpicking, always acting like a male chauvinist. If you had even a shred of Daniel’s understanding, I wouldn’t have to argue with you!”
She jabbed a finger at me, her tone sharp as a blade.
“Adrian, listen carefully. You will apologize to Daniel. If you don’t, the wedding is off! And if there’s no bride at tomorrow’s ceremony, let’s see how your family saves face!”
Her words crashed over me like icy water. Just then, her phone rang. Instantly, her tone shifted. She snatched it up, her voice honeyed.
“Where are you? Don’t be scared, I’ll come find you right away.”
The screen glowed with the caller ID: Daniel Baby.
Without another glance at me, Vanessa slammed the door behind her and left.
Moments later, my phone buzzed. Daniel had sent me a video of him at a bar, glass in hand. Vanessa entered and within seconds, the two of them were locked in a hungry kiss. Then came the photos. A string of them, her body pressed against his.
Finally, a message:
[Oops, my hand slipped. Sent to the wrong person. Adrian, you don’t mind, do you?]
I blocked him instantly, bile burning my throat.
I went to the bedroom, ripping open her drawers, pulling out her things. A locked box sat on the nightstand. With a screwdriver, I pried it open. Inside were handwritten letters. Vanessa’s neat script danced across the page:
If Adrian weren’t rich, I couldn’t stand him.
Another note from Daniel:
Baby, if I kidnapped you away, would you come with me?
Her reply:
Of course I’d go with you! But I haven’t gotten the Whitmore family’s money yet. Just wait a little longer, Daniel…
My vision blurred. My chest heaved with fury.
So, this was the truth. Vanessa had never loved me. She had only been waiting… waiting to strip me and my family of everything.
Fine. If she thought she could play me, she was mistaken. She wouldn’t get a single cent.
That evening, my parents called, asking about the rehearsal.
I told them calmly, “Everything is fine. Just one change. Tomorrow, the bride will be someone else, the one who’s followed me since childhood, calling me ‘big brother.’”
If Vanessa had her male best friend, then I had my own female best friend. Tomorrow, she would be the one standing beside me at the altar.
