At Bestie's Wedding, I Exposed Affair

My best friend Sophia was schemed against by her scumbag ex-husband and forced to leave the marriage with nothing.

I took her into my own home.

I took her traveling everywhere, got drunk with her, and even gave her a credit card to spend freely.

My boyfriend Ethan kept frowning about it:

Charlotte, are you Sophia's lapdog? You love serving her that much? She's so dramaticno wonder men dump her.

I rarely got angry:

"She's my best friend. Without her, I wouldn't be where I am today. So please show her some respect."

Later, I went to England for business. I video-called Sophia every day,

watching her gradually emerge from her depression and start a new job and life.

Until three months later, when I came home with my luggage,

I saw Sophia lying on the couch while Ethan skillfully fed her strawberries.

The room fell into a moment of deathly silence.

Only the laughter from a variety show on TV filled the air.

Sophia was the first to react.

She scrambled up from the couch and walked toward me, her face pale.

"Charlotte... when did you get back? Why didn't you tell us ahead of time? I... I could have picked you up."

Ethan stood quietly behind her, saying nothing.

Sophia's smile looked forced.

"You must be tired. Let me get you some water."

She turned around frantically, grabbed a glass from the coffee table,

and in her flustered state, knocked over the water pitcher, spilling water all over the floor.

Ethan frowned and pulled out tissues to clean up.

"Stop making things worse. You don't know how to do this kind of thing anyway."

Though his tone was scolding, the intimacy in his words was unmistakable.

The last trace of hope in my heart vanished completely.

My hand gripped the handle of my bag unconsciously, leaving a deep mark on my palm.

"When did this start?"

Sophia froze and instinctively turned to look at Ethan.

He remained calm, sweeping his arm to shield her behind him.

"It has nothing to do with her. It's my fault."

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about the weather.

Ethan had an aloof personalitydecisive and cold in business, composed and self-controlled.

People always said he was unapproachable, that only with Charlotte Smith would he ever show emotion.

I used to think I was his only exception.

Until this moment, when he stood on the opposite side from me,

using the calmest, coldest words to completely shut me out.

Sophia looked panicked.

"No... Charlotte, let me explain. We're not..."

I stood there quietly as she stammered but couldn't come up with any explanation.

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"Can't even come up with a decent excuse?"

Sophia's face went even paler.

Ethan held her trembling hands and said in a low voice,

"It's okay. I'll handle this, all right?"

He stepped forward and took my luggage.

"Charlotte, let's go outside and talk."

I looked at his face. In just three months, it had become so unfamiliar.

Fighting back the sting in my eyes, my voice trembled slightly.

"Ethan, this is my home. You're telling me to leave?"

He fell silent for a moment, his voice carrying a hint of pleading.

"Charlotte, I'm asking you as a favor. She caught a cold yesterday and isn't feeling well. Let her rest early, okay?"

I pressed my hand hard against my chest.

There was no visible wound, yet the pain felt fatal.

Ethan picked up his coat from the back of the chair and spoke gently to Sophia.

"Be good and go to sleep. Leave the rest to me. I'll bring you pizza when I come back."

I rushed out the door before they could see the tears streaming down my face.

In the hotel suite,

Ethan sat politely and distantly on the far couch.

He quietly smoked two cigarettes before speaking in a low voice.

"This is my fault. Whatever compensation you want, I'll give it to you."

"I was the one who fell first. Don't blame her."

I dug my fingers into my palm and took a deep breath.

"Why?"

Ethan lit another cigarette and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Charlotte, you're smart, calm, and capable. But Sophia is different. Without me, she can't survive."

Through the dim red glow of his cigarette, I saw his face and found it utterly ridiculous.

Before, as my best friend, Sophia was someone Ethan looked down on completely.

He said she was dramatic and out of touch with society, a parasite living off others at home, a clinging vine that could only survive by latching onto someone else.

Three months ago, when I had to go to England for business,

I begged him repeatedly before he reluctantly agreed to help her occasionally when she needed it.

Back then, he had been unusually childish, biting my face fiercely.

"Charlotte, I'm not even married to you yet, and I already have to deal with your family affairs. You're leaving me with this messyou'd better compensate me well."

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his lips, promising him

that once I finished the project in England, we would get married.

Now, in just three months, everything had changed.

Ethan stood up, pressed his lips together, and his expression grew complex.

"I've wronged you. For the projects we've collaborated on before, I'll give you 20% of the profits. If you need my help in the future, just ask."

"I only have one requestyou're very important to Sophia. She doesn't want to lose you as a friend."

I looked up at him as if I'd heard the biggest joke in the world.

Even my tears came out from laughing.

Three months ago, I had used this very reason to ask him to take care of my best friend.

Three months later, I had become the one being asked.

I heard my voice trembling slightly.

"Ethan, don't you two think you've gone too far?"

"What makes you think I, Charlotte, deserve to be trampled on by you? I'll expose everything you've done to the public. If you dare do it, you should dare own it."

Ethan took a step back and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Charlotte, don't throw a tantrum. You built everything from nothing and got to where you are today through hard work. Don't destroy yourself over a momentary impulse."

His voice carried a hint of warning, making me shiver.

Ethan looked down at me from above, completely adopting the posture of someone in power.

People often said Ethan was cold and ruthless.

I never agreed.

But now I suddenly realized the rumors were true.

He had simply given his tenderness to me before, and now he'd given it to someone else.

"I'm going back. Without me, she won't sleep well at night."

"I'll take her away tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience tonight."

The door closed, and I finally collapsed onto the pillow, sobbing uncontrollably.

Outside the window was the bustling city landscape.

I had rushed home after a long journey, only to be placed in this cold hotel.

A few hundred meters away, the two most important people in my life

were being intimate in my home, in my bed.

How ironic.

The next day, I covered my swollen eyes with sunglasses

and parked my car outside a dessert shop.

Sophia wore her work uniform. When she saw me, her eyes lit up at first, then she lowered her head dejectedly.

She brought me coffee and sat down across from me.

Her smile was forced as she spoke carefully.

"Charlotte, I know you're angry with me. I'm sorry. I know you've been good to me. All these years, thanks to you..."

"Look, I'm working now. Everything I owe you, I'll definitely pay back..."

I couldn't help but sneer as I looked at her.

She was just a baker, yet she wore jewelry worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"Pay me back? With your current job?"

Sophia froze.

She had gotten married right after graduation and became a housewife.

Her former husband had treated her decently, indulging her every whim.

Combined with my unconditional support, Sophia's life had been smooth sailing.

Until six months ago, when her husband cheated with his secretary.

Within two months, he had divided their assets and kicked her out.

If I hadn't arrived in time, she might have starved on the streets.

She wanted to start a new life, but years of being disconnected from society made it hard for her to handle ordinary jobs.

Fortunately, as a housewife she had enjoyed studying baking, so she applied to be a baker at this dessert shop.

I said nothing, just gestured with my hand.

The shop manager walked over respectfully and stood before me.

"Ms. Smith, you're here."

Sophia's face went white, her eyes widening.

I removed my sunglasses and spoke coolly.

"After your divorce, you had a breakdown until you said you wanted to work and start a new life."

"Sophia, you're not stupid. Why didn't you wonder why you kept getting rejected everywhere, but then this dessert shop just happened to hire youa baker with zero work experience?"

"I gave you everything I had. Is this how you repay me?"

Sophia's eyelashes trembled as tears fell. Her voice shook badly.

"I didn't know... I didn't know..."

She suddenly grabbed my hand.

"But he's good to me. He loves me. Charlotte, you're so capableyou'll be fine without anyone. But I can't."

"You said before that you'd share everything you have with me. I don't want anything else anymore. I just want him, okay?"

I looked at her quietly. We'd known each other since we were threetwenty-five years of friendship.

In this moment, it became unrecognizable.

"Since childhood, I've given you whatever you wanted."

"But Sophia, taking without askingthat's stealing."

When Ethan arrived, he saw Sophia nearly kneeling at my feet, crying hysterically.

His expression changed. He strode over quickly

and without a word pulled her up and shielded her behind him.

His face was iron as he looked at me, almost grinding his teeth.

"Charlotte, I told you if you have a problem, come at me. Don't make things difficult for her."

"How much has she spent of your money all these years? Name your price. I'll settle it all at once."

I looked at him and laughed coldly.

"Mr. Hayes, you really are wealthy and generous. Unfortunately, what you two owe me can never be repaid in this lifetime."

Ethan's face changed. He opened his mouth to retort,

but then Sophia suddenly shouted,

"Enough!"

Her body trembled slightly, yet she lifted her head to look at me.

"Charlotte, you owe me this. I don't care if you resent me or hate meI won't give up. From now on, between you and me, we're even."

She took off her work apron and took Ethan's hand.

The two of them left without looking back.

I sat by the window. Outside, two girls in school uniforms passed by sharing an ice cream cone,

laughing and chatting happily.

Something felt cool on my face. I reached up and realized I was crying without knowing when it had started.

Sophia and I met when we were three and had been inseparable from elementary school through college.

Ever since I could remember, my parents had been in constant fights.

They never divorced because they couldn't agree on terms.

Neither wanted to be burdened with me.

Every time they smashed the house to pieces, Sophia would quietly push open the door to help me clean up the mess,

then pull me away without a word and make me sit at her family's dinner table.

The year I graduated, Sophia sold her gold bracelet to scrape together my tuition.

She licked her ice cream carelessly.

"Hey, my grades aren't great, but yours are so goodit'd be such a waste if you didn't go to school."

"Don't cry, Charlotte. I could tell long ago that you're exceptional. When you get rich someday, just remember to buy me ten gold bracelets."

In my teenage years, Sophia was my first hero,

the most important person in my life.

When I got home, all traces of them were gone.

I stared at the empty house in a daze.

When I bought this place, I had set aside a room for Sophia.

Back then, Ethan had been a bit unhappy about it.

I just smiled and said it was my promise.

At her wedding, I was the only bridesmaid.

After catching the bouquet, I made her a promise:

As long as I was here, she would always have a home to return to.

But now, the one without a home was me.

Ethan's things were still in the house, things he hadn't taken with him.

Our competition certificates from college.

Photos from our trips together.

Matching toothbrushes in the bathroom.

The blanket left on the couch and the unfinished book on the coffee table.

When I closed my eyes, I could almost see how the two of them had rolled around on this couch together.

I covered my mouth and rushed to the bathroom to dry heave, as if trying to empty my insides.

Looking up at myself in the mirror, I looked haggard and unfamiliar.

Ethan was my college classmate and teammate in entrepreneurship competitions.

The day he confessed, his usually cold face was unusually flushed.

"Charlotte, you're the smartest and strongest girl I've ever met. Give me a chance to take care of you."

After graduation, I gained experience at a listed company, then quickly seized opportunities to start my own business.

Ethan had helped me tremendously.

He was my comrade-in-arms, my intimate lover.

Because of him, I tried hard to move past my childhood trauma

and attempted to accept and build a family.

I had truly planned to spend my life with him.

I looked at the face in the mirror and slowly clenched my fist.

They had once been my reason for living, the goal I fought for with everything I had.

Yet they had dealt me the most fatal blow.

Why?

So I took out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't contacted in a long time.

Three days after making that call, Ethan stormed into my office in a rage.

He slammed the door with earth-shattering force.

"Charlotte, did you go to Sophia's parents?"

"Her mother called last night and scolded her for a full hour, saying she's ungrateful, saying she's wronged you. Sophia cried on the phone until she nearly fainted. Are you satisfied now?"

I laughed lightly.

"You two dare to do it but are afraid of others knowing?"

Yet my heart ached sharply.

I had always remembered how good the Morrison family had been to me. Over the years, I'd earned money and paid them back ten, even a hundred times over.

Mrs. Morrison had apologized to me on the phone, her voice trembling with anxiety.

But the person who should apologize most had said nothing.

Ethan took a deep breath and suddenly calmed down.

"Charlotte, I'm giving you one last chance. Apologize to Sophia right now, and I can pretend this never happened."

I felt like I'd heard the world's biggest joke.

"Apologize? I'm not the one who should be apologizing."

His face went cold.

"Starting today, I'm terminating all cooperation with you. The East District project you're pushing forwardthe partner happens to be my contact. You know that without me, that project won't go through."

"I'm giving you three days to think about it. Charlotte, you've been smart your whole life. Don't be stupid now."

I watched his retreating figure, and the last trace of warmth in my heart vanished without a trace.

When Ethan was good to someone, he'd offer them all the treasures in the world.

But once he turned his back, he was truly ruthless.

He did exactly what he said. Overnight, all partners withdrew their funding. The project stalled. The entire company was in turmoil.

But I didn't beg him.

Ten years ago, I had no parents and clawed my way to success on my own.

Ten years later, I could still carve out a bloody path forward.

A month later, I received a message from Sophia.

[Charlotte, Ethan and I are getting married next month. You're the most important person in my life. I hope to have your blessing. I know I've wronged you, but I'm begging you, one last time, okay?]

I glanced at it and continued with my meeting without replying.

On the wedding day, I still showed up on time.

Sophia stood beside Ethan like a delicate bird, her eyes full of sweet happiness.

When they saw me, both their faces changed color.

The hall full of guests suddenly fell silent.

My relationship with Ethan over the years had never been a secret.

In just six months, the bride had changed.

Ethan instinctively moved in front of her, his eyes guarded.

Sophia looked at me, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Charlotte... I..."

I looked at the two of them and smiled softly.

"Don't be nervous. I promised I wouldn't miss each other's most important moments."

"So today, I came to give you a wedding gift."

Behind me, the large screen playing sweet wedding vlogs suddenly went black.