My Earbud Spoiled Your Fake Wedding

On the eve of our wedding, I accidentally connected to Natalies Bluetooth earbud.

I was about to disconnect when I heard her voicebut she wasn't talking to anyone in the room. She was speaking to her future self, ten years down the line.

Do not marry Lester Davis! the voice warned, a frantic, desperate whisper in my ear. "Hell find out the marriage certificate is fake. It won't just destroy youitll kill your first child with Jared, and he'll throw acid in Jared's face!"

My mind went entirely blank, a sudden, deafening static roaring in my head.

The Jared she was talking about was Jared Parker. My best friend. My brother.

Just minutes ago, Jared had slapped Natalie across the face in a fit of rage because she had forgotten to adjust my tie before the rehearsal dinner. To the outside world, they were water and oil. They couldn't stand being in the same room.

Trembling, I looked out toward the balcony where Natalie was standing, her silhouette framed by the city lights.

She murmured into her phone, her voice chillingly casual: "Don't worry. This time, Ill be careful. I won't let Lester lose his mind, and I won't let Jared suffer a single second of pain. I'll protect them both."

When Natalie walked back inside, the faint pink outline of Jared's handprint was still fading from her cheek. My limbs felt leaden, cold. The echoes of her future selfs hatred and venom still vibrated through my head, making it hard to draw a full breath.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

She touched her slightly reddened cheek, offering a tight, dismissive smile. "You worried about me? Then when are you finally going to cut ties with that lunatic?"

Her voice carried the same sharp disgust shed always shown toward Jared. Just minutes prior, Jared had lost his temper when he noticed she had neglected to fix my tie. He had struck her, claiming he couldn't stand her treating me like an afterthought.

For a fleeting second, I tried to convince myself I was having a breakdown. Maybe the voices were a hallucination. Ever since Natalie and I got together, Jared had treated her like poison. He claimed a wealthy heiress like her could never be faithful, that she was just playing with my feelings. Natalie, in turn, accused him of trying to poison our relationship, sparking bitter arguments whenever they crossed paths.

I had spent the last two years caught in the crossfire, playing the desperate peacemaker.

But then, the voice of the future Natalie crackled through the earbud again.

You need to tread carefully! You and Jared were reckless in the restroom just now. If I hadnt warned you to swap your dress, Lester would have already figured it out!

My gaze dropped. I realized Natalie was wearing a different dress than the one shed arrived in.

And Jared had slipped away right after her.

A violent, sour wave of nausea hit my stomach. A cold sweat broke out across my back.

"Lester? What's wrong? Your hands are freezing."

I shook my head, my throat too tight to release a single word.

Natalie quickly draped her cashmere coat over my shoulders. She gestured to the kitchen staff to bring out a bowl of slow-simmered beef broth, my favorite comfort soup.

Her eyes drifted to my ear. "How do the new earbuds feel? I had the research team design them specifically around your preferences."

The memory of the voice in my ear made my chest tighten. Before I could form a response, Jared materialized from the hallway. He reached out, snatched the earbud from my desk, and threw it to the floor.

"What kind of garbage is this? Giving Lester a half-baked prototype?" Jared sneered. "Natalie, if you actually cared about him, you wouldn't try to pacify him with trash."

That was when I noticed Jared had changed his shirt. And just above his collar, partially hidden, was a fresh, dark mark on his neck.

I knelt, picked up the earbud, and slipped it back into my ear.

My voice was flat. "Stay out of my business, Jared."

Jareds face stiffened. "Lester, are you mad at me? Its literally a test model. Shes insulting you."

I didn't answer. I just kept the earbud pressed to my ear.

And the voice returned.

Jared is too soft-hearted. I had the team make his custom set first, but he refused to take them, insisting I give the prototype to Lester to keep up appearances. I already can't give him my name; I couldn't bear to let him suffer even in these little things.

What is Lesters problem? Jared was looking out for him, and he gives him attitude? Does he suspect something?

A flash of panic crossed Natalie's eyes. She masked it quickly, turning on Jared with cold anger.

"Whatever I choose to give Lester is between us. It has nothing to do with you."

Jared's face paled. He stared at me, waiting for me to take his side as I always did. When I remained silent, his expression hardened into bitter resentment.

"Fine!" Jared snapped. "Lester, when she eventually dumps you on the street, don't come crying to me!"

He turned on his heel to leave.

"Look out!" someone screamed from across the dining room, pointing upward.

Above us, the massive crystal chandelier groaned, snapping from its mountings like a falling star.

In my peripheral vision, Natalie, who was standing closest to me, didn't hesitate. She threw her body over Jared, pinning him to the floor to shield him from the impact.

I was thrown backward. The heavy iron and glass structure shattered over my legs and torso. Thousands of sharp, burning shards sliced into my skin.

Blood pooled around me, warm and thick. My vision began to blur.

Through the haze, I saw Jared push Natalie aside. He scrambled toward me on his knees.

"Lester!"

He dug through the piles of broken glass with his bare hands, his desperate, agonizing cries echoing through the high ceilings.

When I woke, everything was sterile and white.

Jared sat by my bedside, his eyes bloodshot, every one of his fingers wrapped in thick gauze.

"Lester? Can you hear me? God, you scared me to death."

The relief and terror on his face looked exactly as they had for the fifteen years wed known each other. But beneath it lay a tiny, flickering shadow of guilt.

A dull, throbbing ache pulsed through my limbs. I stared at him.

"Do you really hate Natalie that much?"

He frowned, his answer immediate and fierce. "Of course I do! You have to believe me, Lester. Shes a snake. Shes unfaithful. Do you know what she"

"Jared! That is enough!"

Natalie kicked the door open, her sharp voice cutting him off.

"How I treat Lester is none of your business. Stop trying to poison his mind!"

I looked at her, then silently touched my ear, turning on the earbud.

Immediately, the future Natalie's voice slithered back into my mind.

Thank god you got here in time! Jared is so incredibly stupid. He thought confessing the truth would save Lester from getting hurt, without realizing that Lester is a ruthless sociopath who doesn't care about old times!

In the future timeline, once I discovered their betrayal, I had lost my mind. I had pushed Jared down a flight of stairs and, in a fit of rage, poured sulfuric acid over his face. Natalie had been the one to send me to prison.

And now, she was stopping him from confessingnot to save my feelings, but to protect him from the monster she believed I would become.

I slowly withdrew my hand from Jareds grip. The last traces of my energy seemed to drain into the thin hospital mattress.

"Natalie," I said softly. "I'm going to ask you one last time. Are we still getting married?"

Natalie looked puzzled, leaning down to stroke my palm. "What kind of silly question is that? If I don't marry you, who else would I marry?"

But her eyes darted to Jared. There was a lingering, heavy look between thema silent dialogue they thought I was too blind to read.

What is Lester playing at? the future voice wondered. The five-million-dollar mock city hall set is finished today. The actors are trained. Does he want to call it off? Or is he just throwing a tantrum because you shielded Jared at the restaurant instead of him?

Natalies expression shifted slightly. She knelt by the bed, her face a mask of frantic concern.

"Lester, about the restaurant... it was pure instinct. I know how much Jared means to you. I knew that if anything happened to him, you would never forgive yourself. I didn't think... I just reacted."

She squeezed my hand. "I promise, from now on, I will always protect you first."

A bitter laugh threatened to choke me.

What a beautiful, twisted lie. To swear love with her mouth while her body instinctively chose someone else.

My mind drifted back to a year ago.

My parents had died in a head-on collision. Within the same week, my firm brought in a well-connected executive to take the promotion I had spent five years working for, and I was let go.

Overnight, I felt entirely erased from the world.

I locked myself in my dark apartment, refusing to see anyone. It was Jared who finally kicked the door off its hinges, staying by my side day and night to keep me breathing. And when my grief turned self-destructive and I reached for a blade, it was Natalie who grabbed my hand, letting the steel slice her own arm instead.

Dont be afraid, Lester, she had whispered, her blood dripping onto my floor. No matter what happens, I will always hold onto you.

And Jared had sworn, If anyone ever tries to hurt you again, Ill be the first to make them pay.

Yet here they were, holding the knives.

My chest burned with a mixture of grief and fury.

Suddenly, Natalie went pale. She gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth, and rushed into the en-suite bathroom.

Jared rose instinctively to follow her, then caught himself, darting a guilty glance at me. But the panic in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Then, the voice in my ear spoke again.

Jared already knows youre pregnant. He knows Lester is infertile, which is why he convinced you not to use protection. He wanted you to give the baby to Lester so hed finally have a family. Jared does everything for him, suffers so much, and Lester doesn't even have the grace to be grateful!

The words felt like physical blows.

I recalled how Natalie had gained a little weight recently, how her stomach had begun to curve gently. She had laughed it off, claiming she was just stress-eating before the wedding.

And I had believed her.

Natalie emerged from the bathroom, her face paper-white. Before she could speak, Jared stepped in to cover for her.

"Her stomach has been acting up lately," he said quickly. "Must have been some bad takeout..."

"Jared," I interrupted, my voice quiet. "Do you remember why I can't have children?"

Jared's face twitched, the color draining from his skin.

The ghost of six years ago rose between us like a wall of ice.

In our freshman year of college, Jared and I had been cornered in an alley by three thugs. When we fought back, one of them pulled a switchblade, aiming straight for Jared's chest. I didn't hesitate. I threw myself over him and took the blade in my lower abdomen.

The internal damage was severe. The doctors told me I would never be able to father a child.

I had never regretted that sacrificeuntil this exact moment.

Jared averted his eyes, his voice choked. "I haven't forgotten, Lester."

Seeing him falter, Natalie rushed over, wrapping her arms around me to steer the conversation away.

"Silly," she murmured. "We don't need kids. A life with just the two of us is perfect. And if we ever want a family, we can always adopt."

But the future Natalie was already sneering in my ear.

Is Lester serious? So what if he cant reproduce? Its not like he lost his life! Does he have to throw his injury in Jareds face every time he wants to guilt-trip him? Jared has spent years punishing himself out of remorse. What more does Lester want from him?!

The resentment in my ear and the tender display in front of me fused into a sickening reality.

I looked at Natalie's forearm, where the faint silver line of the scar shed taken for me still sat. That scar had been the key that unlocked my heart.

And now, she used those same hands to touch Jared in the dark.

A violent shudder ran through my fingers.

Dirty. They were so incredibly dirty.

I pushed her away, pulling my knees to my chest. "I'm tired. I want to sleep."

Natalie nodded softly, adjusting my pillows. "I'll come back tonight to check on you."

Jared stood frozen for a second before silently following her out the door.

The moment the door clicked shut, I called a friend in private security. Ten minutes later, a PDF arrived on my phone.

Natalie Ward. Seven weeks pregnant.

I traced the dates back. It aligned perfectly with the anniversary of my parents death.

While I was kneeling in the rain at their graves, they were tangled in each other's sheets.

A heavy, suffocating wave of grief threatened to drown me. But I took a deep breath and forced it down. I wouldn't become the lunatic the future voice warned about. They weren't worth my sanity.

I saved the files, backed up the screenshots, and waited.

That evening, Natalie returned with a bag of takeout. "I got us wontons from Joe's on 4th Street," she said, setting the bowl in front of me.

But as she leaned over, the faint, warm scent of Jared's woody cologne clung to her sweater.

I forced myself to take a bite of a wonton. The moment the flavor hit my tongue, my throat closed. I spat it into a napkin, coughing violently.

Natalie panicked, rubbing my back. "What's wrong? Eat slower!"

"Natalie," I choked out, wiping my mouth. "These are chive wontons. Not shrimp."

Her face went completely rigid.

I had a severe, life-threatening allergy to chives. She had known this since our very first date. For two years, she had double-checked every menu, terrified of a mistake.

"The restaurant must have messed up the order," she stammered, her eyes darting around. "I'm so sorry, Lester. I'll have someone go back and get a new batch."

Her face looked remorseful. But the earbud told a different story.

Chive is Jared's favorite. You mixed up the bags. Since leaving the hospital, Jared has been a wreck. He won't eat anything. You need to get those wontons to him before his ulcer flares up. He can't starve.

Before I could say a word, Natalie stood up, grabbing her keys.

"Actually, Lester, I'll go myself. I don't trust the delivery guys to get it right."

She swept out of the room before I could even reply.

The steam from the leftover bowl rose slowly into the cold hospital air.

I reached up, wiped a single tear from my cheek, and let my lips curl into a cold smile.

Natalie. Jared.

Since you both decided to discard your humanity, don't look for mercy from me.

On the morning of our scheduled wedding registration, I stepped out of the luxury town car.

Jared walked beside me, his hands deep in his pockets, his face pale and drawn. He kept glancing at me, his mouth opening and closing like he was suffocating.

"Lester... are you absolutely sure about this? Marriage is... it's a massive commitment. Maybe you should take some time."

I brushed his hand off my shoulder, my voice ice-cold. "I've never been surer. Besides, today is a milestone. I invited some old friends to witness it."

Natalie, walking ahead of us, didn't suspect a thing.

The "county courthouse" she had driven us to was bustling with peoplecouples holding hands, families smiling, even a few bitter-looking couples in the divorce wing.

If I hadn't already known the truth, I would have believed it. But this entire building was a hollow stage, populated by actors she had paid to play their parts.

Just as we were about to walk up to the registry window, Jared muttered that he felt sick and headed toward the restrooms.

The moment he left, Natalie's phone vibrated.

The screen read Secretary Parker.

She had hired a new personal assistant named Parker last year. When I had asked about it, she claimed she did it to keep her work life separate from us.

Now, I knew the truth.

Natalie slipped away to answer the call.

I pressed the earbud into my ear and tapped the record button on my phone, capturing the feed.

"Natalie, we have to stop this," Jareds voice pleaded, raw and trembling. "If Lester ever finds out this is all a lie, it will kill him."

"We can't stop, Jared," Natalies voice was firm, completely devoid of her usual sweetness. "Were already legally married. This time, Im giving you and our child the life you deserve. As for Lester... we just have to make sure he never finds out."

Hearing the confirmation of their legal marriage tore a physical ache through my chest.

The betrayal settled into my bones, hardening into a quiet, relentless rage.

Natalie hung up and walked back to me, a radiant smile on her face. "Lester, they're ready for us."

I let her take my hand and lead me to the counter.

In my ear, the future Natalie was still screaming.

Listen to me! Lester is a psychopath! He will destroy Jared's life if you let this go on!

Natalie reached up, gently smoothing the lapel of my suit. "You look so handsome today, Lester. I promise to make you the happiest man alive."

Ahead of us, the clerk signaled for us to step closer.

You can have Lester! the future voice wailed. But I need Jared. I want him safe. He lost everything because of Lester. You cannot let him discover the truth!

Natalie took her seat at the counter, her fingers tightening around mine.

The clerk reviewed our papers and looked up. "Confirming for the record: you are both entering this marriage voluntarily, of your own free will, with no legal impediments?"

"Yes," Natalie said softly.

"Perfect. I will now apply the official seal. Your marriage is legally binding."

The heavy metal embosser came down with a sharp clack, leaving a raised seal on the paper.

Natalie grabbed the document, throwing her arms around my neck. "Lester! Were finally husband and wife!"

Once, I had dreamed of this exact moment.

Now, I peeled her arms off my neck.

I took the red leather-bound certificate from her hands.

I turned toward the entrance, where three of my former college classmates were walking in: two plainclothes detectives and a senior investigative reporter.

"I believe we have all the physical evidence we need now," I said clearly, my voice echoing through the silent room. "Natalie Ward is already legally married. I am filing charges for bigamy."