Three of Us

I was the Harrington familys designated bride. But at eighteen, forced to choose between the brothers, I was paralyzed. Christian was ice-cold; Ashton was pure wildfire. Ready to flip a coin, glowing text suddenly invaded my vision:

[Why is this annoying side character hesitating? Both brothers despise her.]

[She only throws her weight around because of that 'chosen bride' title. Nothing like our sweet female lead.]

[The main trio would be perfect without this stupid side character ruining it.]

[At least she dies in childbirth. Main characters get their happy ending. Otherwise, I'd puke.]

Gasping, I looked up at my childhood friends. Beneath their calm masks, I saw itfaint, repressed disgust. Aunt Beatrice urged me gently. Chaos reigned in my mind until new text appeared:

[Forget the brothers! Look at the incubus uncle!]

[He hides his feelings because of the age gap.]

[Pick him, and you skip the tragic death. You'll be living your best life in his bed!]

Panicked, I glanced toward the quiet corner. There sat the man with hawk-like eyes, staring intently right at me.

Sisi, Christian and Ashton both grew up with you. Their feelings for you are unquestionable.

But this is about your lifelong happiness. Who do you want as your future partner?

Aunt Beatrices gentle voice cut through the silence, and instantly, everyones eyes locked onto me. They were holding their breath, waiting for my decision.

Because this decision would determine the future heir of the Harrington empire.

I was originally the daughter of the Harringtons' housekeeper.

When I was five, my mother died saving Aunt Beatrices life. On her deathbed, her weak, sorrowful gaze had lingered on me.

Ma'am, I don't regret saving you, she had whispered, struggling to speak. I just... I can't bear to leave my little girl behind.

Aunt Beatrice had immediately clasped her hands, tears streaming down her face as she promised: Do not worry. From this day on, Sisi is my own daughter. She will be my future daughter-in-law.

The Harrington family will cherish and protect her for the rest of her life.

With those words, my mother closed her eyes in peace. And just as Aunt Beatrice had promised, I became the jewel of the Harrington household. From that day on, I lived a life of luxury, showered with affection.

Aunt Beatrices twin sons willingly became my knights, shielding me from the world. The three of us were inseparable childhood friends.

But now, I had to choose one of them to be my partner for life. Choosing one meant hurting the other.

It was an impossible choice.

I hesitated, my gaze shifting between the two brothers. Just as I was about to suggest a round of rock-paper-scissors to let fate decide, dense rows of glowing comments erupted before my eyes.

[Wait, why does this annoying girl look so conflicted? Is she seriously picking between them?]

[Does she actually think the male leads are head over heels for her? If Mrs. Harrington hadn't forced them into this, they wouldn't have pretended to tolerate her for so many years.]

[Exactly. Shes been acting like she owns the place just because of her moms sacrifice. Shes not half as cute or endearing as our female lead.]

[Ive been waiting forever to see the relationship between the three main characters, and shes ruining it.]

[Thank goodness she dies during childbirth in the end. Otherwise, I would have lost my mind!]

The floating comments were vicious and biting, filled with nothing but hatred and contempt for me.

I pinched my arm hard. It stung.

This wasn't an illusion. If this was real, then according to these comments, I was merely the villainous side character in a reverse-harem romance novel.

A girl who used her mothers sacrifice to force an engagement on one of the male leads. A girl who, after marriage, would be neglected by her husband, eventually dying a miserable death on the operating table during childbirth.

Nothing but a tragic stepping stone in the sweeping romance of the main characters.

I couldn't believe it; my tragic end, and the revelation that my two childhood friends actually loved someone else.

We had spent over a decade together. I had felt their genuine care and protection. How could it all be a lie?

But when I turned to look at the brothers, my confidence shattered.

The older brother, Christian. The younger brother, Ashton.

They shared identical, striking features, yet their vibes were entirely different. Christian was cold and reserved; Ashton was wild and untamed.

But right now, without exception, both of their dark eyes held a deeply buried flicker of annoyance. Yes, it was disgust.

A cold chill washed over me.

Seeing my prolonged silence, Aunt Beatrice couldn't help but urge me again: Sisi? Have you made up your mind?

[Oh my god, the dark moment is finally here!]

[Who is this annoying girl going to choose? Don't tell me she wants both of them?]

[Shell probably choose the older brother. Thats what happened in the original story.]

[And then Christian completely ignored her after the wedding. She kept lying to herself, thinking he was just being considerate because of her weak health, while he was actually hooking up with the female lead behind her back.]

[Hahaha, talk about a clown!]

Staring at the glowing words, my eyes widened in shock.

In my memory, Christian was always steady and calm, rarely showing extreme emotions. Was he really that wild with the so-called female lead in private?

And what about Ashton?

[As for the younger brother? With Christian taking one for the team, Ashton was free to be with the female lead.]

[But the female lead missed Christian so much she kept waking up from nightmares. To comfort her, Ashton actually agreed to act as Christian's stand-in, letting his brother slip in to meet her.]

The details in the comments grew more bizarre and shocking by the second.

Ashton was incredibly proud, and he had hated being compared to his brother since we were kids. Yet, for his beloved, he was willing to become his brothers body double.

Sisi?

Aunt Beatrices gentle voice called me back to reality. I shook off the shock, looking at the brothers one by one.

The moment Ashton met my gaze, he quickly looked away. He was terrified of being chosen.

Christian was more subtle. He simply lowered his eyes without a word.

But his complete, quiet rejection stung my heart. So, our engagement was nothing but a burden to them.

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the bitter ache in my chest. I turned to Aunt Beatrice, biting my lip as I spoke hesitantly:

Aunt Beatrice... can I... choose neither?

Aunt Beatrice froze. Why, sweetheart?

Then, seeing the conflict and struggle in my eyes, she seemed to have a sudden realization and lightly tapped her own forehead.

Oh, how silly of me. I should have realized.

The three of you grew up together. You care for both of them equally. Forcing you to choose one over the other must be so difficult.

In that case, lets leave it to fate.

Butler, bring the drawing straws!

Throughout my life, Aunt Beatrice had perfectly filled the role of my mother. Even now, she was trying to find a way to spare my feelings.

But vicious comments began to flood my vision:

[Is this girl for real? She can't even make a choice, so shes forcing Mrs. Harrington to play the bad guy?]

[No matter who draws the short straw, theyre going to resent their mother for it.]

[Seriously, the girl's mom was just as annoying. Saving a life is fine, but using it to guilt-trip a wealthy family for generations is just cheap.]

[If her mom hadn't dumped this burden on them on her deathbed, the brothers wouldn't be in this miserable position.]

They weren't just insulting me anymore; they were dragging my late mother into it. That crossed the line.

I swallowed the tears threatening to spill over and raised my voice: Aunt Beatrice, theres no need!

Actually, I don't love Christian or Ashton. Im already in love with someone else!

My words were like a sudden thunderclap, shocking everyone in the room. But to my surprise, the strongest reaction came from the twins.

Ashton snapped his head toward me, his eyes locking onto mine as he snarled: Youre lying!

You spend every single day with us. You don't even have the chance to meet outsiders.

How could you possibly be in love with someone else?

Ashtons presence was always intense, and his current fury genuinely startled me.

I shrank back slightly, my voice trembling with a hint of tears. I... the person I like... is also a Harrington...

Hearing this, the harshness in Ashtons eyes softened into a mocking sneer.

A Harrington, huh?

Id love to hear who this is.

Who could possibly have more charm than my brother and me to make your heart flutter like this?

His eyes were filled with amusement, completely convinced I was making it up.

Even Christian, who had remained silent, slowly raised his eyes to stare at me, demanding: Who is it?

Suddenly, the pressure in the room felt suffocating. I clenched my hands tightly, my eyes darting around the room as I desperately searched for a suitable candidate.

The Harrington family was an absolute empire, controlling a massive portion of the country's business landscape. But because of the immense wealth, the different branches of the family fought viciously behind closed doors.

As a result, the younger generation had been competing since childhood. They didn't dare target Christian or Ashton, so they chose me, the easy target, to bully.

Almost every cousin in my age group, boy or girl, had secretly mistreated me at some point. Because I was timid, I never said a word.

Eventually, the twins discovered the bruises on my arms and, defying family rules, fought back on my behalf. From then on, everyone knew one absolute truth: the quiet daughter of the housekeeper was the twins' red line. Cross it, and you pay.

So Ashton knew I would never be foolish enough to fall for any of the cousins who had bullied me.

But now...

[What is she doing? Playing hard to get? Is she trying to use this pathetic method to get the twins' attention?]

[Using such a cheap trick to make them jealous? How pathetic.]

[Can the person above shut up? I've tolerated you for so long. If she chooses a male lead, you complain. If she doesn't, you still complain.]

[Wait, does she really not like the twins anymore? Then look at our gorgeous incubus uncle!]

[He heard her say she likes someone else, and now hes practically dying to confess to her!]

[Oh my god, hes actually been in love with her for years, but he was too insecure because of the age gap, and because she was supposed to be his nephews' girl, he never dared to say a word.]

[If she picks him, she won't end up on an operating table; shell be thoroughly spoiled in his bed.]

As the side character, even doing nothing was considered a crime. I expected another round of insults from the comments.

Instead, a few strange comments defending me popped up. But the direction of these comments was getting incredibly wild.

The seductive uncle was in love with me? Spoiled in his bed? Each comment was more scandalous than the last.

And the only person in the family who fit the description of "uncle" was Gideon Harrington, my grandfather's youngest son.

He liked me? Was that even possible?

Highly skeptical, I turned my head toward the corner.

There, sitting elegantly on the sofa, was the refined and handsome man. His dark, intense eyes were fixed on me like a hawk. Deep within those dark depths, a storm of repressed, burning passion was swirling, threatening to break free.

[This is the burning, silent love of our incubus uncle.]

The floating comment summarized it perfectly. In an instant, my heart skipped a beat.

It was as if I could actually see the molten lava of his love rushing toward me from his deep eyes. Unable to handle the intensity, I hurriedly looked away.

Meanwhile, Christian pressed on, his voice dripping with cold authority: Sisi, tell me. Who is it?

I didn't understand. Since he and Ashton already loved someone else, wasn't it a good thing that I didn't want to marry them? Why were they pushing me so hard?

Seeing my hesitation, Aunt Beatrice spoke with deep concern: Sisi, did someone threaten you? Just tell me, and I promise Ill handle it.

As she spoke, she swept a warning, dangerous gaze over the cousins from the other branches of the family.

I quickly shook my head. No! Aunt Beatrice, its not that.

I was just... too afraid to say it because the person I like is far above me in both age and family rank!

I clenched my teeth, throwing caution to the wind. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the worst, too terrified to see anyones reaction.

In the dead silence that followed, a sweet, innocent voice suddenly shattered the quiet:

Oh my goodness! Sisi, you don't mean... youre in love with Mr. Harrington, are you?

I opened my eyes.

A slender, beautiful girl was standing at the entrance of the villa. She looked utterly shocked, as if she had just stumbled upon a scandalous secret, her hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide with surprise.