My best friend and I got married at the same time.
She married her childhood friend, now a domineering CEO, while I married my lifelong sweetheart, a professor.
Coincidentally, these two men are brothers, so my best friend and I became sisters-in-law. I thought marrying my childhood love would bring happiness, but our married life turned out to be far from ideal.
Her husband was often rumored to be involved with his secretary, while my professor husband was known to be quite the ladies’ man.
One day, we met up and came to the same conclusion.
“I’m getting a divorce!”
“Me too!”
We left our divorce papers behind and went on an international trip together, accompanied by several incredibly fit male models.
However, just as I was about to spend the night with one of these models, I was caught red-handed.
My husband gritted his teeth and said, “You have me, yet you’re still interested in others?”
——
When I tried to find Simon Foster (my husband), I was blocked and humiliated by his business partner, who said I wasn’t good enough for Simon and couldn’t help his work at all.
Meanwhile, my friend Bella Key tried to see Cyrus Foster (her husband) but was stopped at the door by his secretary, who accused her of lacking ambition and only caring about love, thus interfering with the CEO’s management of the company.
These brothers wouldn’t answer our calls and would read our messages without replying.
This wasn’t the first time it had happened.
People in our social circle often said that childhood sweethearts often end up in business marriages. They claimed the Foster brothers were clever, keeping up appearances at home while having affairs outside.
Supposedly, they both had someone else in mind but couldn’t marry them due to social status, so they married us as a cover.
Whenever these rumors reached the brothers, they never denied them – which was as good as admitting it.
Their cold attitude towards us after marriage seemed to confirm this.
After meeting at the Foster home, Bella and I had the same thought.
We discussed it and both decided, “Divorce!”
We were both daddy’s girls who had never been so insulted before.
The way people around our husbands treated us reflected how our husbands viewed us.
We figured, “One hole in the ground is as good as another. We can live without them.”
Although we were angry, we didn’t lose our heads.
I quietly contacted a lawyer, while my friend researched travel routes.
For the time being, we kept our plans to ourselves.
That evening, Simon came home with my favorite pastries.
He was affectionate as usual, complaining about his tiring day at the lab and how annoying the old scholars were.
Then he buried his big head in my lap, nuzzling me.
His voice and expression seemed normal, but what he didn’t know was that I knew him too well.
Whenever he felt guilty, his ears would twitch slightly.
He was trying to gauge if I was angry.
If he had just explained himself directly, I might not have been so upset.
But he insisted on this charade.
Indeed, people change as they grow up.
No exceptions.
For the first time, I lay beside him in bed but couldn’t sleep.
Listening to his breathing and looking at the night sky outside the window, my heart felt heavy and painful.
Simon and I had grown up together.
Our families were equally influential.
In school, he was always first, and I was second.
We were always the kids other parents bragged about.
When we finally got together and married, everyone said it was a perfect match.
I thought so too.
But after marriage, I realized I was wrong.
Besides me, he was always surrounded by many women – Ms. Sue today, Ms. Yates yesterday, Ms. Lewis the day before…
Although there was nothing substantial, he treated them as close female friends, which was enough to make me sick.
I’ve confronted him about this many times, but each time he brushed it off.
“They’re just work relationships.”
“Don’t overthink it…”
“You’re the only one in my heart…”
“Be good, Yara. Don’t make a fuss. I’m tired.”
He never truly addressed the issue.
It’s rather sad, isn’t it?
What else is there to hold onto?
My best friend and I were shopping for suitcases when we bumped into Cyrus’ secretary.
She was browsing rings and smirked when she saw us.
“Ms. Key, hope you didn’t fight with the CEO after our last encounter,” she said with faux concern.
“Men have their careers, and we women should know our place. Wouldn’t want to be replaced by someone younger and prettier, right?”
Her thinly veiled insults and hints about her relationship with Cyrus were infuriating.
Such provocation was intolerable.
Before my hot-headed friend could react, I stepped in and slapped the secretary hard.
“Pretty bold for a homewrecker,” I snapped.
“What makes you think you can flaunt yourself in front of the wife?”
I noticed the secretary’s affected manner and fleeting glances, sensing something was amiss.
Sure enough, footsteps approached from behind.
Just then, Cyrus appeared.
He checked his secretary’s face and glared at me.
“Simon’s spoiled you rotten,” he growled.
My friend tried to explain, but Cyrus cut her off.
“Still defending her? I know what I saw.”
“What’s gotten into you two?”
His condescending tone made my blood boil.
If I could have taken him in a fight, I would have slapped him too.
My friend, even angrier, gripped my hand tightly.
“You don’t get it, Cyrus!” she yelled.
“You used to notice my every mood. Now you’re CEO, and you’re blind to how I’m being treated!”
“Watch it,” Cyrus warned.
My friend took a deep breath.
“Fine. Fire her, and I’ll behave. Or don’t – I know you’ve got plenty of secretaries.”
Cyrus slapped her hand away hard.
“Enough with the jealousy,” he snapped.
The blow left her hand swollen.
Cyrus seemed to regret it for a moment but said nothing.
“Keep this up, and we’re getting divorced,” he threatened before leaving with his secretary.
As they walked away, my friend collapsed into my arms, sobbing.
“He wasn’t always like this,” she choked out between tears.
My best friend and Cyrus have known each other longer.
They’ve been together since kindergarten and share a bond forged through life-threatening experiences.
Unable to retaliate directly against the Foster family, their enemies targeted Cyrus, who was still in kindergarten.
Disguised as servants, they abducted him.
My friend sensed something was wrong and insisted on going along.
En route, she realized the danger and secretly alerted the police using her smartwatch. The police tracked the watch’s location and apprehended the kidnappers.
As a child, Cyrus was particularly clingy towards my friend.
As they grew older, he became less overt but started approaching her subtly.
He even secretly intercepted guys who wanted to confess to her.
Simon told me about this later.
I thought their relationship would be even more stable than mine and Simon’s, given its storybook beginning.
I never imagined it would end like this.
We bought suitcases and returned to the Foster house.
The butler curiously asked what we were up to, but I brushed him off with a casual “We’re going on a trip.”
My family’s legal team had already quietly drafted divorce papers for me. Since we both wanted a clean break, we weren’t planning to take any of his assets.
We married with nothing and would leave the same way, not taking even a cloud with us.
After signing the papers and leaving them on the table, we started packing.
We took what we could and arranged for our own butler to collect the rest.
By the time the Foster family’s butler realized something was amiss, my friend and I were already out the door with our suitcases.
Before boarding the plane, we called our families to briefly explain our marital situation.
My friend and I get along so well because we come from similar backgrounds and are both the cherished daughters of our families.
I also have an older brother.
When my brother heard why I couldn’t continue the marriage, he was furious.
“That scoundrel Simon! You’re right to leave him, sis. If you didn’t, you’d end up with a forest growing on your head,” he exclaimed, referring to being cheated on.
He then suggested, “I manage a team of male models. There are plenty of good-looking, obedient guys. Since Simon likes to have ‘female confidants,’ we can arrange for some handsome companions on your trip…”
His wife immediately scolded him, “Don’t corrupt your sister!”
However, the idea of the male models joining us wasn’t scrapped.
As soon as we landed, our phones were flooded with hundreds of calls from Simon and his brother.
I ignored them all and blocked their numbers.
After resting at the hotel for a night, my brother’s model team arrived.
They ranged from “wolf-dog” types to “puppy” types, cool and aloof to charming and seductive.
Six or seven men, all as handsome as the Foster brothers, but with an added bonus: they were obedient.
They carried our bags, introduced us to local cuisine and attractions, and even acted as tour guides.
They were truly all-round talents.
Most importantly, they were sweet-talkers.
“Miss Yara, you should try this dish. If you don’t like it, I can cook for you during our trip.”
“Miss Bella, you shouldn’t eat spicy food right now. I know a bit about medicine, and I sense you’re a bit irritable lately. If anything’s bothering you, please tell me…”
They were attentive and considerate, far superior to those two.
With such pampering, my anger, which had been at full blast, was reduced by at least 30%.
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