I Married My Ex’s Brother

At the engagement party, Ethan suddenly didn’t show up. No matter how many times I called, he never picked up. In the end, he only sent a cold message: “Something came up.

I can’t make it.” Just like that, I was stood up in front of all my family and friends. That made all the people who had never believed in me gossip about me even more.

But then, I got photos sent by his first love. Mia was lying halfnaked in Ethan’s arms. Ethan was sleeping soundly beside her. So he had never wanted to marry me at all.

But this time, I didn’t scream or make a scene like I used to. I just went home quietly, packed my bags, and moved out.

It just so happened that the person I really wanted to marry wasn’t him anyway. At the engagement party, I got photos from Mia.

In the photos, both of them had bare skin covered in red marks. The girl’s lips were swollen, and a thin mist blurred her eyes.

Anyone could tell they had gone hard the night before. But what really stung was the diamond ring she had made sure to show off on her hand.

I still remembered when Ethan first started his business, he would come home at midnight every day. Once he got busy, he always forgot to eat dinner.

So every day, I would make him a meal before he got home. After I finished cooking, I would lie on the couch and wait for Ethan to get off work.

Because I was so tired from working during the day, I couldn’t really hold on. So before I knew it, I had fallen asleep against a pillow.

In my sleep, I felt someone fiddling with my fingers. When I opened my eyes and saw Ethan’s panicked expression, I couldn’t help laughing.

I guessed he was measuring my ring size to propose to me.

So I teased him and said, “Ethan, are you up to something bad?” He didn’t dare look at me, lowered his head, and said softly, “Don’t worry about it.

It’s a secret.” After saying that, he ruffled my hair and got up to eat the dinner I had specially made for him. The next day, I got a text from a friend.

She told me Ethan’s first love, Mia, was back. Mia had also been my best friend once. She had even helped me plan how to win Ethan over.

I never expected her to end up with Ethan later. But they broke up soon after. The reason was that Mia was going abroad to study and didn’t want to keep playing around with him.

Ethan then turned around and confessed to me. I guessed he was trying to make Mia mad. But I still said yes, because I really liked him.

I believed time could heal everything, and I believed I could make Ethan truly like me. Even though I had already been with Ethan for three years.

When I heard Mia was back, I still felt worried. After work, I sat at home waiting for Ethan to come back, distracted and uneasy.

It wasn’t until the door opened that I snapped out of it. Ethan staggered over and then collapsed against me. When I smelled the alcohol on him, I couldn’t help frowning.

I asked worriedly, “Why did you drink so much?” Ethan hardly ever drank. Usually, he only drank when something big had happened, and then he would get completely wasted.

Thinking about what my friend told me today about Mia coming back, I couldn’t help connecting the two. “Bang!” Before I could ask anything, something suddenly fell to the floor.

I settled Ethan on the couch, then lowered my head to look for it. It was a ring box. Inside was a beautiful onecarat diamond ring.

I carefully picked it up and slipped it onto my finger. When I found that the size fit perfectly, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

So it really was for me, and he really did want to marry me. Thinking back on my wild thoughts all day, I laughed in relief.

I took the ring off, put it back in the box, and stuffed it into Ethan’s pocket. I pressed a kiss to his face. Then I waited happily for the proposal to come.

But now that ring was on Mia’s hand. I had forgotten that we were about the same size, and our ring sizes were almost the same too.

Coming back to my senses and looking at the photo, I only found it ridiculous. Before I could even reply to Mia, Ethan suddenly called me.

He finally remembered me. “Where are you?” I asked as soon as I picked up, my tone calm. “Lily, I don’t like it when people question me,” he said unhappily.

That line sounded so familiar. Every time he lied, he liked to use that line to shut me up. In the three years I had been with Ethan, he had secretly gone to see Mia many times.

Every time he disappeared, it was for a week. For that whole week, he didn’t answer calls or reply to messages. It was as if he wouldn’t let me interrupt his alone time with Mia.

When he came back, his neck was covered in red spots. I angrily asked him where they came from.

At first, he would casually placate me and say they were mosquito bites, and not to overthink it. But if I asked a second question.

He would start getting angry too and say, “Lily, I don’t like it when people question me!” He knew that once he got angry, I would back down.

Seeing that I still hadn’t answered, his tone softened too. “Lily, I really couldn’t get away from work.

I didn’t stand you up on purpose.” “When I have time, I’ll make it up to you with another engagement party, okay?” “I already ordered the latest bag.

It should be delivered any minute now.” As soon as he finished speaking, a coy female voice came through. “Babe, why did you buy her the same bag as mine?” As if to cover that voice, Ethan quickly said, “First let me—” “Ethan.” I cut him off and called his name.

Usually, unless something was really serious, I wouldn’t call him by his full name. He clearly paused. “One more star today. The jar is almost full.” I continued.

That was the promise between us. There were two glass jars at home. One had a blue ribbon tied around it, and the other had a red ribbon.

The glass jar with the blue ribbon held my happy moments. Every time Ethan did something that made me happy, I would fold a little paper star and put it in.

When that jar was full, I would marry Ethan. The glass jar with the red ribbon held my sad moments.

Every time Ethan did something that made me sad, I would fold a little paper star and put it in. When that jar was full, I would leave Ethan.

Back then, Ethan had held me and said, “I won’t let you fill that jar.” “In other words, I won’t let you leave me.” I leaned against his chest and said with a smile, “I believe you.” I just never expected the redribbon jar to fill up so fast.

While the blueribbon jar had barely changed at all. Sometimes I even lied to myself. It was clearly a tiny gesture.

So tiny that when he took out the trash on his way out, I would fold a star. So tiny that when he got into bed, he would turn off the lights.

I would still fold a star and put it into the blueribbon jar. Just so I could marry him a little sooner. Yet even when it was a huge gesture.

So huge that during one fight, he left me alone on the highway.

So huge that when I had a fever at home, he was out with his friends at some party hanging out with girls, and when he came back, he even blamed me for not preparing dinner and waiting for him like I used to.

I still couldn’t bear to fold a star and put it into the redribbon jar. Just because I didn’t want to leave him.

After he reacted, he sounded a little impatient. “It’s just this little thing. Do you really love clinging to that broken jar that much?” I didn’t answer.

I lowered my head and laughed out loud, almost like I was mocking myself. “Lily, don’t make trouble. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” “I love you, be good,” Ethan coaxed.

He also knew that as long as he softened up, I couldn’t bear to put another star into that jar. But this time, I wouldn’t. My love wasn’t a getoutofjailfree card.

I didn’t respond to what Ethan said at the end.

I also didn’t act cute like before and say, “Fine, I forgive you this time, but next time I’m really adding a star!” Instead, I quietly hung up.

Then I went back to our home and smashed both glass jars.

After I finished packing, I sent Ethan one message: “This ends here.” After sending it, I deleted every way he could contact me. It was time for me to start over.

Only after I returned to my own little place did I finally feel truly relaxed.

At last, I didn’t have to keep up a perfect image on purpose, and I could be myself without holding back.

After showering, I put on a red bodycon dress and did a soft, innocentbutsexy makeup look. I bought this dress and never wore it. It had just sat at the bottom of the closet.

That was only because Ethan said he liked me best in white dresses, looking pure and innocent. So I kept up the whole sweet, innocentgirl image.

But after pretending for so long, I was tired too. Once everything was ready, I called a friend and asked, “Want to go to a bar?” “I’m in.

That’s a first!” “Lily, do you know how long it’s been since we went out together?” When she said that, I felt guilty and bit my lower lip.

Ever since I got together with Ethan, I had centered my whole life around him.

I spent every day worrying about whether he slept well, whether work was tiring, and whether he had eaten. And I had neglected my friends. We only chatted online.

Meeting in person felt like ages ago. I was just about to apologize when she suddenly got excited. “Hurry up and come out. I haven’t even taken off my makeup yet.

Same old place!” I smiled and agreed. She was still the same as always, not changed at all.

When I got to the entrance of the bar, I lowered my head and played on my phone while waiting for her.

All of a sudden, someone slapped my butt from behind, and I jumped and turned around. “Sophie!

I knew it was you!” “હીehee, you finally stopped acting like a sweet little innocent girl. Do you know you look amazing like this?” “Come on, strike a pose.

I’ll take a picture of you.” I complained with my mouth, but my body honestly pretended to fix my hair.

Only after seeing the photo did I realize how beautiful and captivating I looked in this style.

Sophie pulled me inside, and once we sat on the couch, she ordered a ton of stuff from the server. Then she took out her phone and showed me her Ins.

She had posted the photo she just took of me on Ins. In just five minutes, it already had over a hundred likes. Most of them were compliments from girls.

There were also old classmates. “Haven’t seen Lily dress like this in so long. She looks seriously stunning!” There was also one especially annoying comment.

It was from Ethan. “Tell her to call me back.” He was still acting all superior. I cursed him in my head: What an asshole. Before long, everything arrived.

Snacks, alcohol, and male models. I stared at her in shock.

She only draped an arm over my shoulder and said, “Your boyfriend finally let you out today, so shouldn’t we have some real fun?” “We broke up,” I said casually, spearing a piece of fruit and putting it in my mouth. “He dumped you?” Her voice got so loud it nearly drowned out the music. “I dumped him.” I rolled my eyes in annoyance. “Nice.

You finally woke up.” She looked at me like a proud mother whose daughter had finally grown up. “So now I want to find someone rich,” I said, pushing her face away. “Love can be fake, but money is real,” I joked. “I think I’m pretty rich.” A deep male voice rang out.

Sophie and I both turned to look. The man had his legs crossed and was lightly swirling the wine glass in his hand. It was Ethan’s brother, Adrian. “So, how about considering me?”