Married Your Girl Bestie as a Dare? Congrats You're Stuck with her now novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Every corner of this place had once been arranged by my own hands.

The abstract painting on the living room wall that we had bought together at an art exhibit.

The gardenia on the balcony that was just about to bloom.

Even the ergonomic chair in his study, the one I had carefully picked out to ease the strain on his neck.

When we first moved in, Mason had lifted me up and spun me around in the still-empty living room.

“Chloe,” he said, “from today on, this is our home. Our home for life.”

Back then, I believed him.

Later, traces of another person began appearing in this apartment with unsettling frequency.

Harper Lane’s laughter. The hair ties she casually left behind. Even the fridge slowly filled with the fruit-flavored sparkling water she loved.

The first time I voiced my discomfort was on our third anniversary.

I had booked a restaurant and prepared a gift. I waited until the place was about to close before Mason finally called.

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dn’t leave her alone.”

“Chloe, I’m sorry. Harper got dumped today.

Through the phone, I could vaguely hear Harper’s tearful voice, soft and apologetic. “Mason, am I interrupting your plans? This is all my fault…”

Staring at a table of cold food, I said quietly, “It’s fine. Go be with her.”

I told myself to be generous. To be understanding of what he called brotherly loyalty.

But my understanding only taught them how far they could push me.

Last winter, I caught a severe cold. In the middle of the night, my fever spiked to nearly one hundred and two degrees. I was shaking uncontrollably.

I called him, hoping he would come back and take me to the hospital.

The call went through, but the background noise was deafening. It was karaoke, voices howling off-key.

“Chloe? What’s wrong?” His tone sounded impatient.

“I have a fever. I feel awful. Can you come back and take me to the ER?”

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He went quiet for a few seconds. Then Harper grabbed the phone, her voice tipsy and sweet.

“Chloe, you’re being kind of unreasonable, don’t you think? Today’s my birthday party. Mason came specifically to celebrate with me. You can’t expect him to leave just because of a small cold.”

Laughter erupted on the other end.

A moment later, Mason took the phone back, irritation slipping into his voice. “Just call a car yourself. We’re all adults. I can’t leave right now. Harper and her friends are here. Stop making a fuss.”

The call ended.

That night, I sat alone on the cold infusion chair in the ER, watching the IV drip fall one drop at a time. With

each drop, my heart grew colder.

From that day on, I understood. Between Mason and me, there had always been a Harper standing in the

middle. One I could never step around.

All my compromises and silent endurance had never been kindness to them. They had simply taken it as

something I owed.

The tide of memories receded.

By the time I closed the door behind me and the late-night wind hit my face, Mason still hadn’t sent a single message. He hadn’t called even once.

Maybe in his world with Harper, I, his fiancée, had long since become insignificant.

I pulled my suitcase forward and didn’t look back.

Goodbye, Mason. And I sincerely wished you a happy marriage.