The Pick-Me Girl Ruined My Honeymoon, So I Ruined Her Life

The day after we got legally married at the courthouse, I was waiting at the airport for my new husband, Ethan, holding two plane tickets.

He finally showed up, but his childhood best friend, Serena, was trailing right behind him.

Babe, Serena just went through a really bad breakup. I brought her along so she could clear her head, Ethan explained, his voice tentative and cautious.

Serena was wearing the exact same beach dress as me. She flashed me an apologetic, sweet smile.

"Chloe, sweetie, I hope Im not intruding. I just wanted to bask in your newlywed happiness."

I looked down at the third ticket in Ethans hand, which was sandwiched right next to mine.

Seat 16B.

My seat was 16A, and Ethans was 16C.

He had deliberately placed Serena right between us.

Standing there, a sudden surge of pure fury rushed from the soles of my feet straight to my head.

I dragged Ethan to the side, keeping my voice low and dangerous.

"Send her home, or Im leaving."

Ethan looked utterly put out, sighing helplessly. "Babe, can you please not be so unreasonable?"

"Serena told me shes terrified of being alone right now. She just wanted some company and a little distraction."

"Besides, weve known each other since we were kids. Its just a vacation. Its no big deal..."

I cut him off.

"If you don't make her leave, were getting a divorce."

Ethan reached out to grab my hand, but I stepped aside, dodging him.

"Can you stop throwing a tantrum over such a tiny thing?" His tone softened, turning into a coaxing, placating murmur.

I said nothing, only staring at him with cold, dead eyes.

Unable to hold my gaze, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine. Ill tell her. Ill ask her to leave."

He raised both hands in a mock surrender.

"Happy wife, happy life. Is that what you want?"

With that, he turned around and walked over to Serena, whispering something to her.

Serenas shoulders slumped instantly.

She looked up, her eyes turning red in a split second.

"Ethan... does Chloe hate me?"

"Did I do something wrong? Im just so heartbroken, and I wanted to be around some happy energy."

As she spoke, she threw a pitiful, aggrieved glance in my direction, then turned back to Ethan, clutching his arm tightly.

"Ethan, I know Chloe is misunderstanding us."

"But you already explained it to her. Does she still not trust you?"

That face again.

Those exact, manipulative, innocent words.

My brain buzzed with anger.

Two months ago, Serena showed up at our brand-new apartment dragging two massive suitcases.

She had made that exact same face.

That day, Ethan held me close while looking at her with pure pity.

"Babe, Serena just got dumped, and her landlord kicked her out. Shes all alone in this city, and its so heartbreaking."

"Lets just let her stay with us for a bit. As soon as she finds a job and a place, shell move out."

And what happened? Once she moved in, she never mentioned leaving again.

Then, two weeks before we got married, at our pre-wedding party.

In front of everyone, she looked at Ethan with teary eyes.

"Im so jealous of Chloe. She gets to marry such an amazing guy."

"My ex didn't treat me even half as well as you do."

Our friends started hyping them up, telling her to take a sip from Ethans drink.

Ethan hesitated.

But Serena immediately wrapped her arm around his.

"Come on, Ethan. Consider it an early toast to your marriage."

He half-resisted but ended up drinking it anyway.

Later, when we took group photos, she literally shoved me out of the way, pressing her face almost flat against Ethans cheek.

That night, I had the biggest fight of our relationship with him.

"Ethan, do you even know what boundaries are?"

"Babe, youre overthinking. We were just messing around. Weve always been like this since childhood."

I was shaking with rage.

We didn't speak for a whole week.

I had already packed my bags, fully prepared to end the relationship.

The night before we went to the courthouse, he held me tight, crying and apologizing.

"Babe, I was wrong. I promise Ill keep my distance from her from now on."

"I swear, this was the absolute last time."

Looking at his bloodshot eyes, I believed him.

But now, standing in the airport lobby, his promise felt like a sickening joke.

The look in his eyes as he stared at Serena was pure, aching concern.

And that concern wasn't for me.

He walked back to me, his face written with exhaustion.

"Babe, look at how hard Serena is crying. How about..."

I didn't let him finish. I spun on my heel and walked toward the exit.

"Then Im leaving. Enjoy your honeymoon."

Panicking, Ethan ran after me and grabbed my arm, canceling Serenas ticket right then and there.

He held up his phone, showing me the cancellation confirmation while begging for forgiveness.

Serena stood not far away, watching us with tear-rimmed eyes.

I stared at Ethan, warning him coldly that this was his absolute last chance.

With that, I shook off his grip and marched straight through airport security.

Once on the plane, I put on my sleep mask, wanting to block everything out.

Before long, I heard the faint, rapid tapping of a phone keyboard beside me.

I pulled off my mask and glanced over.

He was typing furiously in a Snapchat chat window with a contact named "Little Raindrop."

[Don't cry. It's all my fault.]

A cold chill washed over my entire body.

Sensing my gaze, he hurriedly tried to hide his phone.

"Who are you texting?" I asked coldly.

"Nobody, just a client." He didn't dare look me in the eye.

I let out a harsh laugh. "A client named 'Little Raindrop'?"

His face went entirely pale.

"Babe, dont misunderstand. Im just worried she might do something stupid to herself."

"And if she does, are you going to die with her?"

My voice was loud enough that the people in the row ahead of us turned around to look.

"Keep your voice down," he muttered, his face tightening with embarrassment and growing impatience.

"We finally made it to our honeymoon. Can you please stop bringing her up?"

"Am I the one bringing her up, or are you the one who cant let her go?" I retorted.

He frowned deeply.

"Were just friends. We grew up together. Why can't you just trust me?"

"Can you just be a little more understanding?"

There it was again. That phrase.

I closed my eyes, refusing to waste another single word on him.

When the plane landed, the hotel shuttle was already waiting.

He tried to hold my hand, but I snatched it away.

The car door slid open. I was about to step inside when I froze solid.

Serena was sitting inside the car, beaming at me.

Next to her sat Ethans two childhood buddies, Zach and Tyler.

"Chloe! What a coincidence!"

I whipped my head around, glaring death at Ethan.

His expression was incredibly guilty.

Serena hopped out of the car, immediately locking her arm through Ethans, and stuck her tongue out at me triumphantly.

"Chloe, Ethan actually texted me privately to come. He said the more, the merrier, and that youd definitely love it."

"Youre so petty, but Ethan still cares about me."

"Serena, shut up," Ethan stammered, completely flustered.

Inside the car, his friend Zach chimed in loudly.

"Ethan, why are you acting? Youre the one who Venmoed us the money for the plane tickets!"

Looking at Ethans pale, frozen face, I suddenly smiled.

The little drama at the airport... what a flawless performance.

Once we got to the hotel room, he followed me inside, still spinning his pathetic lies.

"They insisted on tagging along! Zach borrowed the money from me. I had no idea Serena was coming too!"

I watched him perform in silence.

"Are you done?"

He blinked, startled.

"If youre done, get the hell out." I pointed straight at the door.

Using every ounce of my strength, I shoved him out of the room.

I slammed the door and locked it.

I slid down against the door, burying my face in my hands as the tears finally spilled over.

Outside, I could hear Serena and the guys telling him to let it go, mixed with Ethans non-stop knocking.

I ignored all of it.

Two hours later.

I changed my clothes, planning to head out for some fresh air.

The moment I opened the door...

I saw Ethan standing right outside.

And Serena, wearing a skimpy bikini that barely covered anything, was rubbing herself against him.

"Ethan, lets go for a night swim! Just like we used to do back in college."

She shot a provocative glance at me, her eyes filled with challenge.

Ethan looked torn, his eyes darting around. "But Chloe..."

"Chloe is so open-minded, she definitely won't mind. Right, Chloe?" she chirped innocently.

I walked right up to them, staring Ethan down.

"Are you going?"

"Babe, I just want to help her unwind a bit," he stammered, still trying to justify it.

"If you take one single step out of this room, we are completely over."

Ethan immediately shoved Serena away and blurted out, "Im not going."

Serena stumbled back from the force of the shove. She stared at him in utter disbelief, her eyes welling up with tears instantly.

Giving me a deeply aggrieved look, she turned and ran off.

Ethan let out a sigh of relief.

"Babe, see? I made her leave. Can you stop being mad now?"

There wasnt a shred of actual remorse in his voice.

I didn't even have the energy to fight him. I brushed past his hand and went back into the room.

I climbed into bed and pulled the duvet over my head.

He thought I had fallen asleep.

After some time, the buzzing of a phone woke me up.

It was Ethans phone, sitting right on the nightstand.

The screen lit up with a notification from "Little Raindrop."

[Ethan, did your wife make things difficult for you again?]

I picked up his phone. There was no passcode.

Wow, he really trusted me, didn't he?

I opened Snapchat and scrolled up.

The screen was filled with messages between him and Serena from while I was supposedly asleep.

Serena: [Im so sorry, Ethan. I caused another fight between you and Chloe.]

Ethan: [Don't overthink it. That's just how she is. Shes dramatic, petty, and narrow-minded. Just ignore her.]

Dramatic, petty, and narrow-minded.

So that was what I was to him.

Serena: [Its all my fault. I shouldn't have insisted on coming.]

Ethan: [Its not your fault. Im the one who wanted you here.]

Ethan: [Youre still the best. Not like some people who only know how to ruin the mood.]

It felt like an icy hand was squeezing my heart, making it impossible to breathe.

They even started reminiscing about their college trips together.

[Those were the days. Just the two of us.]

It turned out I was the third wheel all along.

With a cold face, I grabbed my own phone.

I took clear photos of every single line of their chat history.

Then, I placed his phone back exactly where it was.

A short while later, Ethan walked back into the room.

He forced a smile. "Babe, youre awake?"

I flinched away from his hand. That hand had probably just been stroking Serenas hair moments ago.

I asked, "Where are you going?"

"Zach and the guys invited me to the hotel bar. They said they wanted to apologize to me."

His eyes darted away guiltily.

I locked my gaze onto his. "Ethan, we are on our honeymoon."

He glared back at me, losing his patience.

"Honeymoon, honeymoon! Can you give me a break?"

"Whats wrong with hanging out with friends? Do we have to be glued to each other's faces 24/7?"

With that, he slammed the door and stormed out.

I waited two minutes, then quietly followed him.

At the hotel's outdoor lounge bar, I spotted them immediately.

They were playing Truth or Dare.

The bottle spun and pointed directly at Serena. Zach cheered, telling her to pick Dare.

"I dare you to unbuckle Ethans belt!"

Serena giggled coyly. "You guys are so bad!"

Yet, she was already kneeling right in front of Ethan.

Ethan casually wrapped his hand around her waist.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, she reached out, parted his unbuttoned shirt, and let her fingers slide provocatively across his abs.

Then, her hand slid lower, unbuckling his belt.

Ethan stared down at her the entire time, a self-satisfied, indulgent smirk on his face.

I waited until she was completely finished before walking straight over to their booth and sitting down.

The smirk on Ethans face froze. He instinctively let go of Serena, scrambling to put some distance between them.

He clearly hadn't expected me to follow him.

The atmosphere turned painfully awkward for a few seconds before Zach laughed it off.

"Hey, Chloes here! Come join the game!"

I didn't say a word. I just picked up a glass of alcohol in front of me.

Someone nervously spun the bottle again to keep the game going, asking Serena: "Who's your favorite person here?"

She shot a shy, longing glance at Ethan.

"My favorite is definitely Ethan."

With that, she buried her face right into Ethan's chest.

Ethan looked at her with pure adoration, reaching out to gently ruffle her hair.

The table erupted in cheers and catcalls.

Then someone else asked, "And who do you dislike the most?"

Serena put on an innocent face, her voice dripping with mock sadness as her eyes locked directly onto me.

"Oh, I don't dislike anyone! Im just a little scared of people who are miserable and want to make everyone else miserable too."

The people at the table laughed along.

Just then, the bottle spun and landed on Ethan.

"Ethan! Dare! Kiss Serena!"

Serena protested weakly, "But his wife is watching..."

Yet she pressed her body even closer to Ethan, tilting her face up, her eyes full of anticipation.

Everyones eyes locked onto him.

Ethan picked up his glass and took a sip.

He didn't move.

His buddy Zach stepped in to smooth things over. "Okay, let's change it. Truth instead."

He stared at Ethan, drawing out his words.

"Ethan, if you weren't married, would you have married Serena?"

Ethans throat bobbed. He quickly downed a massive gulp of his drink.

"Zach, youre drunk. What kind of BS question is that?"

He tried to brush it off.

But the chanting around the table only grew louder.

Ethans expression grew more and more strained.

He didn't look at me. Not once.

"Alright, guys, stop it," he muttered.

Serena, however, wasn't letting it go. She giggled and wrapped her arm tightly around Ethans.

"Don't be mad, Ethan. Zachs just curious."

She turned her gaze to me.

"Chloe, don't blame them, okay? Weve known Ethan since we were kids. We joke around like this all the time."

"Unlike you. I bet youve never even stepped foot in a cool bar like this before, right?"

As soon as she said that, the entire booth burst into laughter.

Ethan said absolutely nothing. He just picked up his glass and took another drink.

Tyler stood up, swaying slightly with a full pint of beer in his hand.

"Hey, Chloe, let me buy you a drink. Don't be mad, alright?"

As he spoke, his foot "slipped."

The entire glass of ice-cold beer poured directly over my head.

My white dress was instantly soaked through, clinging to my skin.

"Oh my god, Im so sorry, Chloe! It was a total accident!"

He apologized with his mouth, but his eyes were gleaming with cruel amusement.

Ethan frowned slightly. "Tyler, what the hell?"

His tone was completely flat, lacking any actual reprimand.

My stomach churned with disgust. I couldn't stand looking at them for another second.

"Have fun. I'm going back."

I spun around to leave.

As I passed Serena, a foot slyly shot out.

I tripped and pitched forward, my knees slamming hard against the wooden deck.

The pain was so sharp that my vision went black for a second.

"Oh my gosh, Chloe!"

Serena shrieked dramatically.

Ethan frowned.

"Why can't you watch where youre going?"

He bent down, attempting to help me up.

"Don't touch me."

I slapped his hand away, pushing myself up off the ground.

Zach, the loyal lapdog, jumped in to smooth things over again.

"Since Chloe had a little fall, let's play a game to make it up to her!"

The empty bottle spun rapidly on the table.

Finally, it stopped, pointing directly at me.

Serena clapped her hands in delight.

"Chloe! How about you crawl around the table on all fours like a little dog and bark twice? Well call it even, okay?"

Everyone at the table stared at me like they were watching a circus act.

I looked at Ethan.

His eyes darted away. His face was filled with anxietynot for me, but because he was terrified I would make a scene and embarrass him.

"Babe," he coaxed gently.

"Its just a game. Don't take it so seriously."

"Just do it so we can move on."

They wanted me to crawl on the floor like an animal to entertain this trash?

I picked up a full glass of wine from the table and downed it.

"I don't crawl."

Serenas smile faded. She pouted, tugging at Ethans arm.

"Ethan, look at her. Shes such a buzzkill."

Then, her eyes flicked toward the small stage in the center of the bar.

"Well, how about Chloe goes up on stage and dances for us instead? That counts too."

"With a body like yours, Chloe, I bet itll be a real show."

On stage, several scantily clad women were dancing provocatively.

I heard her whisper to Zach in a voice she clearly intended for me to hear.

"Look at her acting all high and mighty with that resting bitch face."

"Today, I'm going to make sure she knows exactly who belongs by Ethan's side."

Zach chuckled.

"Good one. Lets see her act classy now."

So that was the plan.

I slowly turned my head and looked at Ethan.

He was whispering something back to Serena, a soft, indulgent smile on his face.

He didn't even notice me looking.

To him, I was probably just some uptight, annoying chore.

I reached down, picked up a glass overflowing with red wine, and started walking toward the stage.

Thinking I had surrendered, Serena let out a triumphant smirk.

"Glad you came to your senses, Chloe! Go ahead, were all waiting!"