Foster Brother Loses True Love

After my foster brother, Wren, stumbled drunkenly into my bed, he missed a crucial call from his first love, Daniella. That night, she was killed in a car accident. When Wren heard the news, he murmured about fate’s cruelty.

Later, I found out I was pregnant, and my parents naturally suggested Wren and I marry. For all those years, I believed he genuinely cared for me. But on our wedding night, he drugged my entire family and set our estate ablaze. Amid the dancing flames, he glared at us with hatred.

"You took my beloved Daniella from me, and now you're after my family's wealth," he snarled. "Let's all go down together!"

Suddenly, reality snapped back as I lay on the floor, recalling Wren's abrupt departure. The sharp ache in my arm reminded me this was a second chance at life.

Wren threw me a disdainful look before racing out of the hotel, frantically dialing his phone. In my former life, at that party, he’d drunk too much with friends. Afraid he’d feel awful the next day, I brought him coffee to sober him up. When I opened the door, he drew me into a heated embrace, whispering that he liked me.

I realized he’d been drugged and hesitated before responding. Meanwhile, Daniella had her fatal accident. The next day, he seemed unaffected by her death.

A month later, upon discovering I was pregnant, my parents were overjoyed, urging us to marry and strengthen family bonds. Wren agreed without a second thought. But I never imagined he’d betray us on our wedding night, maliciously insisting he had always loved Daniella.

Saying I’d ruined his happiness, he wanted my family to pay the ultimate price. Although he’d ended things with Daniella long before, he seemed haunted by her memory.

Daniella was the daughter of our neighbor, Rowan. He favored sons over daughters and often mistreated her—a fact my parents witnessed multiple times. Out of compassion, they often took her in when she was thrown out, urging me to befriend her because she was "so alone."

Still, I never liked Daniella. Even as a child, I sensed she wasn’t genuine. Later, I caught her bullying classmates and mistreating animals. I told my parents, and they tactfully distanced themselves from her.

I thought that was the last I’d see of her until I discovered Wren’s growing attachment to her, the affectionate gaze he reserved for her. When I confronted him with her misdeeds, he dismissed them.

"Daniella is kind, diligent, and incredibly helpful," he insisted. "She couldn’t possibly be the person you’re describing."

It took my father compiling a detailed dossier on her to finally open his eyes. Wren was silent the entire night but broke up with her the next day. Our family celebrated his freedom from her, never suspecting Wren’s heart was still tied to Daniella.

I sat in a guest room all night. At dawn, a message from Wren arrived: "Come to the estate, or else."

I stared at the text, a chill running through me as Wren’s burning gaze remained vivid in my memory. I slowly got up, took a cab to the estate, and found the door code changed, my fingerprint access revoked. The winter wind was bitter, though it couldn’t match the coldness in my heart.

Since Wren was adopted, he’d always doted on me. We were inseparable growing up. He often vowed to marry me when we were older, promising I’d be the happiest bride. In high school, I confessed my feelings, and he didn’t reject me.

Wren used to call this estate our secret haven, the place for our future together. Now, I wasn’t welcome. Tears burned in my eyes, a dull ache in my chest.

I called him repeatedly, each call unanswered. Defeated, I stood shivering in the cold for nearly two hours until the door finally opened, and I stepped inside.

As I entered the living room, Wren stood on the stairs in a bathrobe, his chest marked with suggestive traces. I froze, staring at the marks, while he glared at me.

"The only woman I love is Daniella, and I plan to marry her soon!"

I swallowed my bitterness. After my family’s tragic end, how could I still love him?

“Keep your twisted plans to yourself,” he warned coldly. “I’ll let it go this time, but if you try anything again, don’t blame me for kicking you out of the house!”

His disdain cut deep, the pain in my heart sharp and relentless. I managed to ask, “What plans have I supposedly devised?”

“I haven’t done anything!” I insisted.

Wren’s sneer grew. “Still playing the innocent card?”

“Can you honestly say you didn’t drug me for my inheritance or try to harm Daniella?”

My mind buzzed at his accusation. Drug him for his inheritance? I loved him openly and honestly, never resorting to such measures.

“That hotel is under your name. Who else could have drugged me?” he demanded.

His mocking disbelief left me speechless, my heart aching from betrayal. After nearly twenty years together, didn’t Wren know my character at all? His love for Daniella blinded him, even at the cost of his own life.

Just then, Daniella emerged from a bedroom, wearing my pajamas, looking at me with feigned terror.

“I’m sorry,” she pleaded. “Please don’t hurt me.”