The Bride Was My Frigid Fiancée

My best friend, Zach Taylor, was complaining to me again. He said his girlfriend had a crazy high sex drive and he could barely keep up with her in bed.

I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Because my own fiance, Chloe Vance, was completely ice-cold. She absolutely detested intimacy.

Years ago, Chloe was assaulted, leaving her with severe psychological trauma. Ever since, she panicked whenever a man touched her.

I loved her, so I respected her boundaries and locked my own desires away.

Today was Zach's wedding day.

He asked me to take the ten-carat diamond ring he'd prepared and deliver it to his bride in the bridal suite.

As I walked in, I saw a familiar back sitting in front of the vanity mirror, wearing a stunning white lace wedding dress.

When my eyes locked onto the butterfly tattoo on her shoulder blade, my entire body went numb.

I could never mistake it. Zach's bride was none other than my frigid fiance, Chloe.

Sitting next to her was our mutual friend, Ashley. "Chloe, are you really going through with this? If Ethan finds out, he's going to lose his mind."

Chloe paused, a flash of pain crossing her eyes before instantly vanishing. "He's in New York, thousands of miles away. My assistant locked down all the media channels. He won't hear a single rumor."

Ashley panicked. "But you can only have one legal husband! What about your five years with Ethan?"

"We won't divorce because Ethan and I never legally registered our marriage at City Hall. The papers we signed were fake."

Chloe's voice was bone-chillingly cold.

I leaned against the hallway wall, clutching the ring box so hard that the metal edges cut deep into my palm.

Drip. Drip.

Fresh blood splattered onto the marble floor.

She admitted it. Our marriage was a lie.

What did those five years of romance, surprises, and devotion even mean to her?

Chloe's expression softened into something tender as she continued. "Years ago, when I was drugged at that party, I ended up in Zach's bed by mistake. I got pregnant with his child. I couldn't let our daughter grow up without a father."

I moved, slipping the ring box into my pocket.

The two people I trusted most in this world had been sleeping together behind my back, and they had a four-year-old child to show for it.

I wanted to storm in. I wanted to tear those two cheaters apart.

But Chloe's next words stripped away any right I had to complain.

"When Victoria found out about Zach and me, I thought she would hate me for betraying Ethan," Chloe murmured, her eyes shimmering with emotion. "But instead, she thanked me. Because of this, she found her biological son. Zach is the real heir to the Reynolds family. Ethan has been living high on the hog in Zach's place for over twenty years, while Zach was suffering out there. Zach was the one who was supposed to be my childhood sweetheart. He was the one who was supposed to live this luxury life with me."

Ashley was stunned. "Then what about Ethan? You're just going to throw him away like trash?"

"He only got to be with me because he stole Zach's identity. All I feel for him now is a bit of pity..."

As Chloe's voice drifted off, I clenched my teeth so hard they nearly shattered.

The words *child of a fraud* and *thief who stole a life* echoed relentlessly in my head.

I turned and walked out of the wedding venue. Behind me, the minister was starting the vows.

I paused, my footsteps dragging.

At our commitment ceremony years ago, Chloe's father had thought she hated the arranged marriage with me and tried to swap the groom. When Chloe realized it wasn't me at the altar, she had thrown a massive tantrum, chasing me all the way to London to beg me back.

It was the same grandeur, the same luxury cars, the same church.

But today, the man she was marrying was someone else.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was a text from Victoria.

*"Ethan, there's something I've kept from you for a long time... You were switched at birth. My real son is refusing to return home. He says he will only come back if you pack your things and go back to your biological parents."*

My throat tightened as I watched the stage. My finger hovered over the screen.

On stage, Zach was sliding the ring onto Chloe's finger.

She held Zach's arm, and as she looked out at the crowd, she finally spotted me. Her face paled, and she quickly rushed down the aisle toward me. "Ethan, don't get the wrong idea. Zach was being forced by his family to marry a twice-divorced, ugly older woman. I only did this to save him. I didn't want you to watch your best friend get miserable."

Her excuse was pathetic.

Seeing her standing up there, softly accepting another man's kiss on her forehead, compared to the countless nights she had recoiled from my touch... It was a sickening joke.

Noticing how white my face was, Chloe dragged me into the dressing room.

She poured some of my heart medication into her palm and held it out. "Ethan, you look terrible. Take this."

I didn't take it. The pills slipped through her fingers, scattering all over the floor.

"Chloe, those nights you refused to sleep in my bed... was it really because of your PTSD? Or did I just disgust you?"

My voice shook violently, my chest heaving.

I wanted an answer. I wanted her to admit she had loved me, to admit her physical rejection wasn't because of who I was.

Suddenly, a little boy rushed out from behind the rack, shoving me hard against the wall. "Bad man! Don't hurt my mommy!"

I stumbled backward, my head slamming hard against the sharp edge of the window sill. A warm liquid instantly flowed down my forehead, staining my white collar crimson.

The little boy sat on the floor, wailing.

Chloe's hand, which had instinctively reached out to catch me, froze. She pulled her hand back and scooped the boy into her arms. "Ethan! No matter how angry you are, you can't take it out on a child!"

I leaned against the wall to steady myself, looking at the two of them. My head had never been clearer.

I tapped my screen and sent the reply to Victoria.

*"I understand. I'll swap back. I'll pack my things and move out within a week."*

Zach rushed into the room, shielding Chloe and the boy behind his back, looking at me with hostile eyes.

But once he saw the blood dripping down my face, his expression faltered. "Ethan... the kid didn't know any better. Don't take it to heart."

"We've been brothers for over a decade," I said, my voice hoarse and raw. "Zach, how long have you two been doing this behind my back?"

"I never knew she had two completely different facesone for you, and one for me."

Zach panicked, his lips trembling.

After a long silence, he seemed to find his courage, raising his chin. "Before I knew I was the real Reynolds heir, I was so jealous of how Chloe treated you."

"But ever since that night she climbed into my bed by mistake, I saw the necklace on Victoria's neck. That's when I knew. I am the real son."

Chloe stepped out from behind Zach, standing firmly by his side.

I took a deep breath. "Even if you hated the universe, why did you have to sleep with my woman? Zach, we've been brothers for so long..."

Zach's eyes turned bloodshot, his emotions boiling over. "Don't give me that charity bullshit! If we hadn't been switched, all of thisincluding Chloewould have been mine! Am I wrong?"

"I would have been the rightful heir of the Reynolds Group, not some guy hiding in the shadows while my son is called a bastard!"

He glared at me, his voice full of resentment. "Ethan, have some conscience. You enjoyed my luxury life for over twenty years. How could you live so peacefully?"

Chloe instinctively reached out to support me as I swayed, but then she looked at Zach with a sigh. "Zach, stop it."

"Why should I stop? Why do I have to be the one who suffers? I should just leave then!" Zach yelled, spinning around and storming out of the room.

Chloe's throat bobbed. She gave me a long, complicated look. "Ethan, I..."

"Just go," I whispered, closing my eyes to hold back the sting.

If his suffering was because of me, I had no right to argue.

But in my heart, I kept asking myself: what did I do wrong? What luxury did I actually enjoy?

For the last twenty years in the Reynolds family, Victoria had trained me ruthlessly to be the perfect successor. Anything I wanted, I had to earn myself.

At seventeen, while my classmates went on European vacations, I was stressing over college tuition, book fees, and living expenses. I had no holidays, no childhood, and even my marriage was pre-arranged.

I thought my life was just a set program. I never expected Chloe to be my only variable.

And now, that variable had turned into a bomb that blew my life to pieces.

As I walked out of the venue, I ran right into Victoria. "Victoria, you..."

"I am not your mother," she interrupted coldly.

My throat felt like it was blocked by concrete. I forced myself to correct my words. "Mrs. Reynolds."

"Where is Zach?" she asked, searching the lobby.

When she saw him across the street, she ran straight toward him without looking back once.

I watched her go.

Across the street, Zach was crouching by a tree, venting his anger. Chloe was half-kneeling beside him, comforting him.

It looked exactly like our engagement party years ago.

Back then, Chloe had stood before Victoria, promising to always stay by my side and love me forever.

Looking at it now, it was nothing but a sickening farce.

My phone rang continuously. I picked it up.

"Is this Ethan Reynolds? This is the National DNA Registry. We've found a match for your genetic profile. We need one more blood sample to confirm. Once the results are out, we will notify you immediately."

"Okay. I'll send it as soon as possible."

I hung up, walking aimlessly down the street.

Suddenly, Chloe ran up and grabbed my arm. "Ethan! I'm not going to leave you just because of your identity. Can you please be reasonable? Don't make things difficult for me."

If I didn't know our marriage was a sham, I might have actually believed her. I might have pitied her.

I looked up, barely dodging a speeding car.

Seeing my silence, her tone softened. "The Reynolds Group is holding a press conference tomorrow to announce Zach's return. He's feeling very insecure right now. Since you two used to be close, I need you to be there to support him and show the media there's no bad blood."

I nodded slowly, my body swaying in the cold wind.

Through the corner of my eye, I saw Chloe reach out to steady me, but Zach pulled her back from behind.

I averted my gaze.

These things never belonged to me anyway. Giving them back was only a matter of time.

"Fine. I'll be there."

The day of the press conference arrived.

The reporters were all waiting to see the downfall of the once-proud Ethan Reynolds. They wanted to see the imposter fall from grace.

But in the very last minute of the countdown, the entire venue erupted into chaos.

I snapped my head around to look at the giant screen.

The embarrassing photos of Zach's wild past had vanished. Instead, they had been replaced by compromised, highly inappropriate photos of meeach one ten times more humiliating than anything Zach had ever faced.

A flood of abuse immediately came crashing down on me from the crowd.

"I knew this Ethan guy was trash! He was afraid the real heir would take his spot, so he leaked these to ruin him!"

"How malicious! The real heir is the victim here!"

"Put Ethan in jail! Get him out of here!"

The press conference was abruptly canceled, and the room descended into madness.

Zach clutched his head, looking like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He glared at me with pure hatred. "Ethan! How could you do this to me? I never wanted to hurt you, but you're trying to drive me to suicide!"

I opened my mouth to explain, but a barrage of plastic water bottles slammed into my face and chest, cutting off my words.

I shielded my head. Through the gaps of my arms, I saw Chloe quickly ushering Zach out of the hall.

"I didn't do this! Chloe! Do you really think I'm that kind of person?" I screamed.

But before I could take a step, my feet swept through empty air. Someone had shoved me violently from behind.

I fell off the two-meter-high stage, my vision instantly going black as the insults continued to rain down.

When I woke up, I was in a damp, dark basement.

A harsh light turned on, revealing me tied hand and foot, kneeling on the cold concrete.

Chloe stood half-hidden in the shadows. She dragged me up by my collar. "You did it."

Her voice was filled with absolute certainty.

"I didn't! Chloe, is this really who I am in your eyes? I told you, I would never do something so pathetic!"

I desperately tried to explain, but she didn't listen to a single word.

"Set up the cameras," she ordered coldly.

Several burly men walked in. They dumped a bucket of filthy sewer water right over my head. Their grip was brutal and ruthless.

*Click. Click. Click.*

The camera shutters went off. I reeked of filth, my face pressed hard into the muddy floor.

Every shred of my dignity as a man was crushed to dust.

My eyes burned red. "Are you insane? I have proof that it wasn't me!"

But I knew Chloe. Once she set her mind on something, she was merciless.

Just like when a major shareholder had insulted me years ago, she had ruined his career within a day, making sure no company in the country would ever hire him.

Now, she was doing the same to meto protect Zach.

"Zach is on the verge of jumping off a building, yet he still begged me not to punish you!" Chloe said, her face twisted with anger. "He suffered for twenty years, and all he wanted was some security. How could you hate him this much?"

"Do you want to see him dead?"

I shook my head violently, spitting out the dirt. "I... didn't... do... it..."

"Liar," Chloe sneered. "You used to tell me everything. If you didn't do it, why didn't you show me the proof earlier?"

I let out a bitter laugh.

I used to throw tantrums because I knew she loved me. Now? I was nothing to her.

She waved her hand.

Two bodyguards stepped forward, tightening the ropes around my neck and arms until they bruised. They forced my head up to face a large monitor.

It was Chloe's phone screen, being mirrored. Without a shred of hesitation, her finger tapped the screen, uploading hundreds of compromised photos of me online.

Within minutes, it trended to number one on social media.

With every refresh, my dignity was dragged deeper into the mud.

The negative posts about Zach were instantly buried by the scandal surrounding me.

Thousands of people screenshotted, shared, and insulted me. The most disgusting slurs flooded my Instagram and SnapChat.

"Turns out the fake heir took those photos himself to frame the real one!"

"He's a designer, right? I bet all his work was plagiarized too!"

I watched in horror as the design portfolio I had worked on for over a year was reported and taken down. My social media accounts were permanently banned.

I was held down, unable to even lower my head.

Shame burned through my body like a hot iron, from my scalp to my toes.

My vision blurred, and right before I passed out, Chloe's soft voice drifted into my ears.

"Ethan, be good. You owe this to Zach."

The same Chloe who used to shield me from Victoria's demands was now forcing me to submit.

I managed a smile that was uglier than crying.

I regretted everything. I cursed myself for ever holding onto a shred of hope for her.

When I woke up again, I was in a warm bed.

I sat up abruptly.

Chloe was standing beside me, holding a glass of warm water and some painkillers. Her face was incredibly gentle.

It was as if the woman who had stripped me of my dignity yesterday didn't exist.

"Ethan, are you hungry?"

She tucked the blanket around me. Her every movement was filled with the devotion of the old Chloe.

It felt like the humiliation of yesterday was just a nightmare.

My body trembled as I pushed her away, getting out of bed and walking out of the room.

But when I stepped into the living room, my breath hitched.

Hanging right in the center of the wall was a massive wedding portraitof Chloe and Zach.

I froze, looking around the penthouse.

Every corner of this room was filled with things I had once dreamed of.

I remembered holding a picture of a limited-edition graphics cardone of only ten in the worldand smiling at Chloe. "This is a masterpiece, but it's impossible to get. Chloe, do you think you could find one for me?"

Chloe had snuggled into my chest back then, whispering, "I'll get the whole set for you, I promise."

I had waited for a long time, but she never mentioned it again, so I assumed she forgot.

I never managed to get my hands on it.

But here, in Zach's apartment, the entire set was proudly on display.

The high-end gaming setup, the custom ergonomic chair, even the small collectible figurineseverything I had ever begged for was sitting here.

She had given all of it to him.

Chloe's phone rang, and she quickly hurried out of the apartment to take the call.

A moment later, Zach walked out of the bedroom, holding a plate of my favorite food.

I silently took the plate and started eating, mouthful by mouthful.

Tears silently streamed down my face.

Honestly, I had never hated him.

We had been brothers for over ten years. We had eaten cheap street food together and shared expensive dinners. I never expected us to end up like this over the same woman.

"Zach, do you still hate me..."

Before I could finish, a sharp, agonizing pain flared in my abdomen, forcing the words back down my throat.

I doubled over, cold sweat instantly drenching my back as my knees crashed onto the floor in front of him.

"Zach... call an ambulance..." I gasped.

But instead of helping, Zach lunged forward, his hands gripping my neck as his boot slammed hard into my lower abdomen.

"I'm sorry, Ethan," he hissed, his face contorting with malice. "But I have no choice."

"If you can still have kids, Chloe will never let you go. She'll stop taking her birth control pills and try to have another baby with you."

"She's pregnant with my child right now. I won't let anyone threaten my baby's future."

I shook violently, the pain in my gut turning into a white-hot scream.

But Chloe and I had never...

Unless... Zach was telling the truth.

The excruciating pain in my lower abdomen intensified.

That night wasn't a dream.

Chloe had slept with me, but she had treated me like Zach. And then, she took the morning-after pill.

I had thought it was just a fever dream.

But it was real.

She had fallen for Zach a long time ago.

That was why our child would never be born.

My mind flashed back to Chloe's first pregnancy, how carefully I had cared for her.

But when one of my business rivals sought revenge, Chloe had miscarried at seven months upon hearing the news.

The hospital floor had been covered in blood that day.

I had held her tight, her hot tears soaking my neck as she whispered, "It's okay, Ethan. We'll have another baby. As long as you're safe, nothing else matters."

I slammed my fist into the floor, the physical pain bringing back a sliver of my sanity.

I wanted to fight back, to save what was left of my pride.

But it was useless. Zach's hands clamped over my mouth, suffocating my screams. "I've been sleeping with Chloe this whole time. Since I'm the real heir, she wanted to make it up to me. She wanted to give me the life she promised you!"

"Every time I talked to you about my 'secret girlfriend,' I was laughing inside, wondering how you'd react when you found out it was Chloe. You stole my life, so you deserve to suffer."

His face twisted with sick satisfaction. "Don't blame me, Ethan. I have to destroy you before she starts feeling pity for you again."

"You enjoyed my life for over twenty years. You don't get a happy ending."

My consciousness began to fade.

In my haze, I remembered the first time I pressed my ear against Chloe's belly to listen for a heartbeat.

She had told me our life would be perfect, that we had a bright future, and that she would always be on my side.

Then, the scene shattered.

Chloe's cold face appeared, telling me how disappointed she was, asking how I could live so peacefully after stealing someone else's life.

I shook my head violently.

*Chloe, how could you believe him?*

But she didn't move. She only drifted further and further away into a sea of red.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a cramped, pitch-black space. It was completely sealed.

Through a tiny ventilation slit, my eyes locked onto the words on the wall outside: *CREMATION CHAMBER 4*.

My heart stopped.

I was still alive!

I kicked the metal walls of the container frantically, screaming at the top of my lungs.

I didn't want to die!

My mind was terrifyingly sharp. If no one heard me, I was going to be burned alive.

Suddenly, the heavy metal lid was yanked open.

Fresh air rushed into my lungs. I gasped, grabbing the jacket of the person standing over me. "Help me..."

The two workers stared at me in absolute horror.

"He's alive! Oh my god, this guy is still alive!"

They used my phone to call Chloe, and I was taken to the waiting room to recover.

When Chloe arrived, Zach was hovering right behind her, his face dark.

But the moment Zach saw me, he immediately put on a confused, innocent act. "Chloe... I really didn't mean to. Our son's dog died, and I wanted to cremate it... I didn't know Ethan would hide in there because he was throwing a tantrum..."

Chloe glanced at me, the panic in her eyes instantly replaced by cold irritation. "Ethan, if you're done throwing your tantrum, come home with me."

Her very first words were an accusation.

"Zach was just stressed. He's been having a hard time lately. Don't hold a grudge over a misunderstanding."

I had been locked in a coffin, nearly burned alive.

And she dismissed all of it as me "throwing a tantrum."

Before I could speak, Victoria rushed into the room. She bypassed me completely, throwing her arms around Zach. "Oh my god, Zach! Were you terrified?"

I turned my head away.

Twenty years of being her son, twenty years of calling her mother. Even without blood, I thought there was some affection.

But she didn't care about my burns or my trauma. She only cared about the monster who tried to kill me.

Chloe was busy whispering comforts to Zach.

The three of them looked like a perfect, happy family.

"Ethan, since you're fine, let's drop this. Zach can't handle any more stress."

I clutched my phone, my knuckles turning white. "Drop this? I almost died, and you want me to just drop it because I'm 'fine'?"

"Chloe, look at the security footage! See for yourself if he did it on purpose!"

I thrust my phone in front of her, my finger tapping on the video.

*Smack!*

"Enough!"

Chloe slapped the phone out of my hand.

Her high heel came down hard, crushing the screen of my phone into pieces. Her eyes were icy. "I don't need to watch it. No matter what the camera shows, Zach didn't mean it."

"Ethan, you didn't use to be this petty. When are you going to stop this?"

I looked up at her, my heart completely turning to stone.

Petty?

If Zach was hurt, Chloe would tear the world apart to get revenge for him. But when it was me, she didn't even want to see the proof.

Zach took a deep breath and suddenly dropped to his knees in front of me. "Ethan, please, I beg you. Don't make things hard for me. Aren't we brothers?"

"I just wanted a family. I just wanted someone to love me. I've been alone for so long."

Victoria's eyes welled with tears as she comforted him, while Chloe pulled Zach back to his feet.

It was laughable.

Victoria and the woman I loved were both shielding him.

What else did Zach want from me?

"My life was so miserable before this. Watching you live in luxury made me hate you. I couldn't help it. It was my fault," Zach sobbed.

"If my existence makes you this unhappy, I'll leave. I'll go back to the gutter and never bother you again."

The last bit of hesitation in Chloe's eyes vanished. Her voice carried no warmth. "Take Ethan and make him experience everything Zach had to go through."

Zach looked up, our eyes meeting.

*Is this what you wanted?*

*Did you almost kill yourself just to put on this show?*

My silence was deafening.

Zach stiffened, quickly looking away.

Our ten years of brotherhood died right then and there.

On that very day, I decided to let go of the two women I had loved most.

...

For the next three days, I was subjected to Chloe's version of "penance."

I was dragged to a shoe factory, forced to squat in front of mountains of foul-smelling leather, polishing shoe after shoe until I felt like vomiting, but I wasn't allowed to stop.

On the second day, her bodyguards took me to a convenience store in the slums.

I was forced to stock shelves and work the register for over sixteen hours straight. My legs swelled so badly that every step felt like dragging lead blocks.

The moment I sat down to rest for a minute, Chloe's cold calls and Victoria's screaming texts would flood my screen.

By the third day, my legs were so swollen I couldn't even stand.

The injury in my lower abdomen had flared up, throbbing with a sickening heat.

Only then did Chloe order them to stop. She had me thrown into the slums, into the dilapidated apartment where Zach used to live.

I thought it would be a decent place.

Instead, it was a damp, moldy, rat-infested basement.

Zach really hated me.

But when he was struggling, I was the one who skipped meals to save money from my strict allowance to help him pay rent.

I was the one who used my first business profit to pay off his student loans and fund his first startup.

The room was tiny, the walls peeling, the air thick with mildew.

The betrayal cut deeper than any physical wound.

Back then, during summer break, I was worried Zach wouldn't have money, so I hired him as Chloe's assistant, paying him three thousand dollars a day.

I made up business trips just so Chloe and I could take him to travel all over Europe with us.

And this was how he repaid me.

I wiped the sweat and tears from my face.

My SnapChat buzzed with a friend request.

*"Hi Ethan. I'm Beatrice. I'm your biological mother."*

A lump formed in my throat. I typed a long message.

*Why did you take so long? How did they mix us up? Why...*

But before I could hit send, a deafening roar shook the building.

I looked out the window. A massive demolition excavator was tearing down the building next door, and it was heading straight for my unit.

The walls began to crack, and dust rained down.

Without thinking, I quickly sent my location to Beatrice.

*"Come get me."*

As the excavator's metal claw reached the window, my phone rang. It was Chloe.

I tried to scramble out of the window, accidentally hitting accept on her call.

"Ethan, everything is settled. I talked to Victoria. You can stay in the family."

"Zach and his kid won't threaten your position. Just be good, and I'll come pick you up."

"Ethan? Hello?... "

I didn't hesitate. I jumped out of the second-story window.

My phone slipped from my grip, the screen still showing the active call as it smashed onto the concrete