Chapter 4

Vivian said it so naturally.

Standing in the hallway, I felt like a clown.

This was my family home. My mother was planning a wedding for my girlfriend, and my brother was blushing at her side.

"Great. Then I hope tomorrow's engagement goes smoothly, and next week's wedding is a smash hit. May you all live happily ever after."

My mom shot me a sideways glance, clearly picking up on the venom in my voice. But she was in too good of a mood to care.

"Glad to see you being sensible for once," she waved a dismissive hand. "Anyway, if you don't feel like sleeping here tonight, go get a hotel room. Just make sure you're back tomorrow for the engagement lunch. You can't miss your brother's big day."

I didn't answer.

I turned around and pulled the front door open.

As I stepped across the threshold, my mom’s voice echoed behind me:

"Come here, Julian, sit closer to Vivian. Let Mom take a picture of you two!"

Then came Julian’s soft giggle, clear and delighted.

Ever since we were children, my mom had always favored Julian.

He was born premature, weighing barely three pounds. He spent over a month in the neonatal ICU before his life was out of danger.

He grew up sickly, in and out of clinics constantly. My mom never let him lift a finger, shielding him from every hardship.

And me?

I was the older brother.

I had to be easy to raise.

I had to yield to my brother.

When I was eighteen, my SAT scores were high enough to get me into top state universities. My mom told me the family couldn't afford two college tuitions and forced me to go to a cheap community college instead.

All so she could save the money to pay for Julian's private college tuition.

When I said I could just take out student loans, my mom slapped me across the face in front of every relative at family dinner, calling me heartless and ungrateful.

In the end, I went to community college.

The summer I graduated, I cried in my rented room for weeks, thinking my life was ruined.

But I refused to stay down. I worked full-time while grinding through night classes for another three years just to finally earn my bachelor's degree.

By the time I graduated, I was twenty-four. People my age were already finishing their master's programs, and I had just scraped together an undergrad degree.

Luckily, I had drive.

I joined my current company at the bottom, taking every overtime shift, going on every business trip, tackling the hardest clients, and handling the dirty work nobody else wanted.

Within three years, I worked my way up to project manager. I had a team of seven or eight people under me. The salary wasn't insane, but it was enough to live with dignity in this city.

Then, I met Vivian.

She was the technical lead at a partner firm, two years older than me.

After we got together, I thought fate had finally thrown me a bone.

It gave me someone to build a quiet, steady life with.

I bet all my hopes for the future on that relationship.

And the result?

She chose Julian.

Growing up, Julian never had to do a damn thing. All he had to do was stand there, squeeze out a couple of tears, and effortlessly take everything I ever wanted.

My mom’s unconditional love belonged to him. The relatives' doting belonged to him. And now, even my woman belonged to him.

What a tragic joke.

The elevator hit the ground floor with a chime.

I pulled out my phone and checked the time.

Almost ten o'clock.

I slipped my phone into my pocket and hailed a cab on the street.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"Nearest hotel, please," I said.

At the hotel, I checked in, entered the room, shut the door, and crashed face-first onto the overly soft mattress.

Five years with Vivian.

Recently, she started staying out late all the time.

I genuinely thought she was swamped with work. I never snooped through her phone or checked her messages.

I knew all her passwords, but I never invaded her privacy because I trusted her.

And yet, she saw Julian's picture on my phone.

She secretly added him on SnapChat.

And behind my back, they became a thing, leaving me completely in the dark, still happily planning our wedding.

I closed my eyes and buried my face into the pillow.

Mother, brother, girlfriend.

Not a single one was reliable.

In the end, I only had myself.