I Became My Brother's Substitute

My wife, Linda, didn't come back until one a.m. She started crying as soon as she hugged me.

I couldn't help but ask her, "Did you fight with him?"

She paused for a moment and nodded.

I comforted her gently, saying, "Stop crying. Couples will argue often and make up quickly. You two will be fine tomorrow."

I used to think that she would never fall for someone else. After all, she almost severed ties with her family to marry me back then.

But I didn't know the truth until my childhood friend returned from abroad.

"What bullshit love. She did all this for my face."

At one a.m., Linda finally came back.

She started crying as soon as she hugged me.

After a long time, I woke up from my dream.

Seeing her crying so painfully, I couldn't help but ask, "Did you fight with him?"

She stopped crying for a moment. Sniffing, she nodded heavily.

She held me tighter.

Seeing her crying so painfully, I couldn't help but say, "It's okay. Stop crying. Couples fight and make up soon. You two will be fine tomorrow."

With my comfort, she finally fell asleep.

Standing beside her, I let out a sigh of relief.

I was devoid of sleepiness.

I walked into the bathroom and washed my face repeatedly.

The first year of my marriage with Linda Dunlap was not like this. We had been married for three years.

She used to be sincere to me. Unknowingly, she started to be indecisive and disregarded my feelings.

Every time we attended a party, her friends around her made fun of me, but I didn't mind.

After all, she was my wife.

I didn't expect her to get tired of me so soon.

Now the boy by Linda's side was a fresh college graduate.

He, who was emotionally unstable, liked to throw tantrums, but it seemed that Linda was tolerant of him. She often did something outrageous for him.

Standing in front of the Dunlap family's mansion, I was mentally tense. I had been standing for a long time.

I hated coming here the most. I would never forget how Edward Dunlap had humiliated me three years ago.

When my family went bankrupt, Linda insisted on marrying me despite her family's opposition.

She ran away from home and attempted to commit suicide.

I felt sorry for her. I couldn't bear to see her suffer with me.

Seeing that she was determined, Edward had someone invite me here.

Looking stern, he said, "I can agree to your marriage, help you pay off your debts, and provide you with startup capital. No matter what happens in the future, you can't initiate a divorce."

At that time, I was full of enthusiasm. Although Edward helped me out of mercy, I gained Linda's love and agreed.

Linda's sincerity to me did not last long.

"But I don't believe that the girl, who dared to commit suicide for me back then, doesn't love me so easily now."

I heard laughter coming from inside as soon as I reached the door.

It was Linda and that boy. Edward had been observing my reaction.

"If he wants to humiliate me, he miscalculates it. I no longer have any illusions."

I saw the boy for the first time today. I strangely found him a bit familiar.

As soon as I entered the room, the boy stood up and greeted me. He said, "Hello, my name is Troy Malone."

I finished a meeting before arriving here. I was wearing formal attire.

I nodded at him and walked straight towards Edward, who looked teasing.

Linda was like him, both in appearance and attitude towards relationships.

They never noticed any signs of sadness in me. I found it a bit boring, so I got up and left.

I checked the time and asked Linda, "Are you going home tonight?"

She didn't speak. Instead, she lowered her head as if thinking about something.

Everyone in the room was watching the show.

"Linda is with another man in front of me. How should I react?"

My futile questioning and resistance had been ineffective two years ago.

I left without waiting for her answer.

When I reached the door, Troy chased after me.

He was dressed casually with a hint of youthfulness in his eyes.

His tone, actions, and behavior all highlighted his immaturity.

Smiling, he spoke with his tone carrying a hint of threat. He said, "Brian, you're not young anymore. Linda said you were boring. I didn't believe it."

"I believed it after meeting you today, Brian. You can't be in a relationship like this. Moreover, hurry up and get a divorce. Don't keep Linda waiting. The one who is not loved is a mistress."

His words made me laugh. "Being young is great. He can speak without thinking."

Leaning against the car door, I asked, "Did Linda tell you that I'm dragging her and I refuse to divorce her?"

He nodded.

I had a clear understanding in my heart. "It seems that Linda doesn't take him seriously either. I guess they'll break up in another two months. Linda will tell him that I don't agree to divorce her."

"Troy. Do more of Linda's work and make her more determined to divorce me."

Saying no more words, I drove away.

"Linda is so impressive. I used to be an indifferent person. Many friends said I was boring."

"When she pursued me aggressively, she said she liked me being serious. In her opinion, others were too childish."

"At that time, she probably wanted to make a change and targeted me, but I took it seriously."

My friends gathered to hold a welcome party for my childhood friend, Lamar Cash.

Linda had to attend the party with me. After all, I wanted to maintain some dignity in front of my childhood friend.

I specifically told her not to bring Troy with her, saying she could do whatever she wanted, make a scene, or have fun at other times.

I arrived at the party early. Lamar had changed a lot during his years abroad.

We briefly exchanged a few words.

One of our friends suggested, saying, "Lamar and Brian are becoming more and more alike."

My hand holding the cup suddenly paused. I looked up at the speaker.

The corner of my mouth twitched. I forced a smile, saying, "Do you think I look like Lamar?"

"Yes, you do look alike. You two looked alike in college," he said.

I stared at Lamar, who was smiling.

"Yes, we do look alike. We are fucking alike."

I stared straight at him, furrowing my brows. I clenched my fists, making them turn white.

"Troy looks like him. He is like a young Lamar."

The door to the private box was pushed open.

Linda walked hand in hand with Troy without any hesitation.

Everyone looked at me, intentionally or unintentionally.

I felt uncomfortable and painful all over my body.

I had an urge to cry. Intense and suppressed emotions filled all over my heart.

"It hurts me even more to find out that Linda has someone else for the first time."

"Have I been deceived all these years?"