After His Betrayal, I Became His Sister-In-Law

I had been friends with Harry for twenty-six years. Being of opposite genders, he was a hopeless romantic who never quite learned to take care of himself. Whenever he fell in love, I would step back and cut contact entirely.

On my twenty-seven birthday, perhaps exhausted by his familys pressure to settle down, he appeared on my doorstep at dawn.

Alice, why do not we just give it a try.

I was about to snap at him, but he held up a hand.

I am serious.

It was the first time he had ever crossed the line, offering me his hand. I studied him for a few seconds.

Harry, I warned, if we become a couple and it ends, do not expect me to remain your friend.

He laughed, that lazy, careless grin of his playing on his lips.

It will not end. I could never bear to lose you.

I took his hand. And just like that, we gave it a try. That try lasted three years.

At our engagement party, Harry slipped onto the balcony with some friends to smoke.

Harry, I heard Cole ask from the shadows, you were so afraid your grandfather would come after Sera, you begged Alice to play the role and cover for her, but today I noticed, Alice actually seems to be all in. You did not tell her it was a performance, did you?

The hazy smoke obscured Harrys face as he answered, his voice cold and indifferent.

It happened too fast that day. I just forgot.

My steps halted at the corner. I was holding the flu medication I had brought for him.

Cole let out a sharp curse, calling him a monster, before leaning closer.

Then what is your plan with Alice? Are you really going to marry her or not? I saw Sera texting you last night. You were at her place in a bathrobe making late night snacks the night before your engagement.

Harry laughed. Sera is my girlfriend, obviously. As for Alice, she is just a family arrangement. Whether we actually marry or not makes no difference. I knew she was into me years ago. Giving her a good marriage and a title is the least I can do.

The glass in my hand burned my palm. I lowered my head, feeling a sudden, crushing helplessness. The medication was already melting into a sticky sludge in my hand. But the real burn was on my face. The agonizing shame of my unrequited love being laid bare and mocked.

Alice is quite foolish, you know? I have been in the dating game for years, Harry bragged. Who actually gets breathless and cannot make eye contact with a family-arranged partner? She always acts like she does not care and tries to be so cool, but she is so incredibly patient. She humors me in everything.

He took a slow drag of his cigarette, his tone radiating self importance.

Two days before the engagement I told her I had a work emergency. She never doubted a word and even packed my bags. Last night I was goofing around with Sera at the window and came home with a headache, and since her medicine had expired, she ran out in her pajamas and a winter coat to buy me fresh medicine. She brewed ginger tea, tucked me in, and every half hour throughout the night she would wake up and check my forehead in case I spiked a fever. She probably has no idea how much she loves me.

Cole let out a grim sigh. Harry, she has been so good to you over the years, I do not believe you feel absolutely nothing for her?

I stood there, feeling like the punchline to a terrible joke. My eyes stung with tears, burning fiercely, yet I could not walk away. I needed to hear the rest.

Harry answered without the slightest hesitation, dripping with sarcasm. What a stupid question. Of course I do not. We have known each other for thirty years. If we were meant to be, we would have been together a long time ago. I am drawn to the type of girl who is wild yet innocent, the captivating sweetheart. She is just a cold and tough rock. Nothing like my type. Love is about that instant spark. I do not believe in love growing over time. Even in thirty years, I will never love her.

He took a deep breath, speaking with absolute entitlement. But Alice is my lifelong friend. She will be family. Even though I do not love her, I will never treat her poorly. I will have them both, Sera and Alice.

My heart twisted, yet I found myself wanting to laugh. What did Harry take me for? A toy he could pick up when he was bored and discard when he was done? How small had I made myself for him to believe that marrying me was an act of benevolence.

On the balcony, Cole sighed and clapped Harry on the shoulder. Let us go, the party is starting. Just to confirm, Sera is still playing the role of your cousin tonight, right?

I turned and went back down the stairs, slipping into the restroom where I violently dry-heaved. The tears fell faster than I could wipe them, ruining the makeup I had spent hours perfecting. The affection I had nurtured over the years felt like a rotting swamp, dragging me under, choking me, filling my soul with nausea.

My phone continued to buzz with notifications in the group chat.

The party is starting! Where are the guests of honor?

Harry and I will be there in a moment, and my cousin is coming too.

Since when did you have a cousin? Where is Alice? She is so quiet tonight.

I found an empty room. I washed my face and applied a light layer of makeup. Whenever Harry had dated someone else in the past, I had made it a rule to cut contact. I wanted to see what his darling was like. As for him and I I pressed a cotton swab against the corner of my eye to soak up the tears, making sure not to ruin my face.

Harry probably thought that when I told him friendship was over if we broke up, it was a joke. But I never run out of friends. And I certainly refuse to waste another second on someone who does not love me.

Darling, why are you just now arriving? The moment I sat down Harry whined and leaned into me. I still have not taken my medicine, my cough is getting worse.

He blinked up at me, rubbing his face against my shoulder, shedding every shred of the cold indifference he had displayed on the balcony.

The friends around us catcalled. Oh get a room you two, take this romance elsewhere!

They are stuck to each other like glue. If they were not such a perfect match and Harry was not my best friend, I would have kicked them out of the chat years ago!

Now this is what I call a happy ending! Childhood sweethearts, meant to be! Harry was a reckless playboy for twenty years, and look at him now, completely tamed by our Alice. It makes me believe in love.

The sticky, ruined syrup of the medication still stained my palm. I suppressed the nausea and offered a soft smile. I leaned forward slightly, reaching for the champagne on the corner of the table, putting physical space between us.

Where is Cole? I asked.

Harry, who had been trying to lean in again, froze at my question. He shifted back onto the sofa.

He went to pick up his sister. Oh, here they are now.

Cole walked in alongside a slender girl in a white dress, sitting them down half a meter away.

Man you are so lucky, your sister is gorgeous. You need to introduce her to the single guys in here. A friend teased.

Cole shot a guilty look at Harry and replied. This is my sister, Sera. She has not been out much. She is shy, so do not overwhelm her.

Amidst the cheerful laughter I studied Sera, and noticed her wet, longing eyes fixed on Harry. The man who had been pressing against me earlier now casually drifted away, settling comfortably onto the far side of the sofa.

Hazel, my best friend, noticed my gloom. She laughed brightly. Do not look at him little girl, he is getting married soon.

Seras face flushed red. She looked away and laughed with an awkward embarrassment. I am sorry, I have a boyfriend.

Harry laughed, though his voice held a sharp, protective edge. Hazel, you like to play around, but not every girl is like you.

Hazels temper flared. She stood up, ready to lunge at Harry. I held her back and smiled at Harry. It sounds like you are such a saint, but Hazel has never cheated on anyone.

Harry was stunned. He instinctively dodged my gaze, but forced a confident, casual laugh. I did not either darling. Why are you snapping at me?

Seeing my dark expression, Harry downed a glass of alcohol. My apologies, I spoke out of turn. Let us move on.

In the chatter, I saw Sera gazing at Harry with profound heartache, as if I were the villain torturing their tragic, star-crossed love.

Alright, let us play a game! How about we scroll through our photo albums? Cole suggested, acting as the peacemaker. Be sure to hide anything embarrassing, do not terrify everyone. Let us set the date. May seventeenth, two thousand and twenty-three!

Everyone pulled out their phones. If it landed on you, you had to open that date and show the room what you were doing.

The spinning bottle stopped on me. My screen was mirrored onto the big projector. The beach, a candlelit dinner, and a screenshot of a delivery locker confirmation code.

That was your birthday trip! You two went to the beach together that year, right? Hazel teased, leaning into my shoulder, lowering her voice. I asked you once if, after twenty eight years of celibacy, a mans embrace was worth it?

I smiled at Hazel. The beautiful memories mirroring on the screen now tasted like ash. A friend with sharp eyes pointed at the screen and asked Harry. You two ordering delivery at two in the morning? What kind of food? Was it you know what!

Everyone erupted in laughter. Harry, usually the life of the party, could not bring himself to smile. He glanced at the pale, fragile face of Sera. Not that, just some medicine. Do not jump to conclusions.

A sudden malice swelled in my chest. Buying medicine, I said with a gentle, honeyed smile, was that not because you hurt me that night?

I ripped my own wounds open to poison the air. You were so aggressive, I do not know what you were so excited about. That dress was very expensive, I only wore it once. Harry, it is as if you had never been with anyone before, your technique is so terrible. Did the girls you liked before not let you touch them?

As the group laughed and teased, I saw Sera wipe away tears, and saw Harrys face twist in suppressed, agonizing frustration. Despite laughing out loud, I felt a suffocating, crushing ache in my chest.

Next! Cole wiped the sweat from his forehead and spun the bottle. It landed on Sera. She managed a fragile, wounded smile. My album is not really worth seeing.

Hazel looked at her, then at me, her gaze sharpening. If you cannot play, why sit at the table, little girl?

Harry frowned. Before he could speak, I took his hand. I leaned into his flustered face, positioning us so it appeared as though we were about to kiss. Puppy, I am a little hungry. Would you mind ordering some food for me?

Harry paused for a few seconds before standing up to use the tablet at the service counter. I watched Sera and heard her sharp intake of breath. She was glaring at me through teary eyes. It was the first time she had made eye contact with me all night, her gaze dripping with a desperate, naked hatred.

The projection screen flashed with a screenshot of a chat.

Are you sleeping with her? You said your relationship with her was a marriage merger, you promised you would never touch her!

But my heart is only with you, Sera.

I would love some fries, Alice! A friend shouted for their order, their voice perfectly syncing with the final words on the chat.

The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. I finished the order and handed it to the waiter. I placed my trembling hands under the table and smiled. Such a coincidence. But from what I am reading, it seems Sera is the mistress here.

Alice! Harry suddenly shouted. Meeting my calm gaze, he forced a grotesque smile. Please do not speak so harshly to her.

Before I could reply, Seras voice rose. I am not a mistress. She stared at Harry with a fierce, stubborn defiance. We were first loves, our first kiss, our first time, everything was each other. His family was just stubborn and would not allow it, or we never would have separated. Their relationship is just an open merger, his girlfriend has an unrequited crush, his parents forced them together!

The girl vented her emotions, swiping through her screen. The day before May seventeenth, we spent his birthday together. His flight was at eleven, but he dragged his feet until nine the next morning to go to the airport, almost missing his flight. He bought me flowers before he left, we ate cake, and we were intimate for hours. This is the birthday gift he gave me, she said, holding up a sparkling sapphire ring. I just looked at it once on his phone, and he bought it for me. He said I was the only one he would ever buy rings for.

I froze. I had been at that auction, I had wanted that very ring, but an anonymous bidder had bought it. Harry told me he would buy me an even more beautiful one. But now, as we were already engaged, I looked down at my bare fingers.

Harry never bought me a ring.

Sera swiped back to the seventeenth on her phone. I looked at the chat screenshots. While he was at my side, Harry had been texting Sera until late that night. She had photos of the beautiful views, the beautiful jewelry Harry had noted in his calendar to have couriered to her.

There was a photo of a birthday cake, and in the shadow, I could see my clothes and my chin. I had my hands folded, eyes closed, wishing to spend the rest of my life with the man I loved. At that time he was right beside me, yet messaging Sera.

This cake is delicious, I will have to buy it for you soon.

It was repulsive. I rested my hand on Hazels leg. The moment she saw the photo, she reached for her wine glass. That is that is!

Do not rush, I smiled at Hazel. She had tears of fury in her eyes, quietly cursing him as a fool, a scum. The air in the room was suffocatingly still.

Is that it for you, Miss Sera? Then let us move on to the next round. I spun the bottle smoothly. I want to look at April second, two thousand and twenty-five. Anyone want to play?

Harry lost his composure for the first time. He suddenly draped his arm around my shoulder. Darling, my head hurts. I had some medicine today and I should not drink. Let us go to the hospital.

I pulled his hand away inch by inch and smiled. No.

I opened my phone first. The screen displayed the sterile walls of a hospital room. Photos of post operative care records. Medical notes. Screenshots of my messages to my mother.

The doctor says I might not be able to have children again.

Mom, the hit and run driver has not been found.

Let us postpone the legal marriage registration.

April second was five days after the accident. It happened on the day Harry and I were on our way to register our marriage. A car suddenly swerved in front of us. There was plenty of distance to brake safely. Harry was a racing driver, yet he was so anxious that he violently jerked the steering wheel, slamming my side of the car into the guardrail.

The child, who had just gained a heartbeat, was gone. I was critically injured and spent three days in the ICU. When I woke, Harry was on his knees by my bed, having lost so much weight. He told me he did not care about children, but he had to marry me, he had to have me.

Let us not look, Alice, Harry gripped my hand, panic seeping into his eyes. I really do not feel well, let us go, please.

Sera hesitated, wanting to put her phone away, but Hazel snatched it. Hazel scrolled mercilessly to that day, landing on a selfie of Sera in a playful set of lingerie, and a video panning over a filthy, messy ground. In the background of chaotic panting, I heard Seras weeping.

Why are you here if you hate me so much and never want to see me again?

The man kissed her aggressively while calming her, saying, Sera, it is my child, you know she might never get pregnant again.

I can have children for you! Seras voice was so wronged. If you want to compensate her, just give her our child.

Harry sighed. I love you too much to let you lose our child. Let it be, it is something we both owe her.

I sat through this pathetic drama, finished my last glass of wine, and set it down. It felt as though thirty years of entanglement had melted away.

Harry, let us break up.