The Game Was Rigged

The night before I officially registered my marriage, my friends convinced everyone to play a "mystery box game." The female guests each placed a gift into a box, and the gifts were randomly given to the men at the party. Everyone said it was the fairest way. When I opened my box, there was only a thin card inside. It said, "Thanks for participating." The entire room instantly went silent. Some people couldn't hold back their laughter. My fiancée, Charlotte Kilbourn, reached over and straightened my collar. "Your luck is still terrible." Lyra Sharpe, my childhood friend who grew up with me, whispered, "Just smile. Don't make people think you're a sore loser." Meanwhile, Connor Winfield got the hidden prize in the same round. Inside were a limited-edition mechanical watch personally chosen by Charlotte, a couples' island vacation package I had dreamed about for three years, and a handwritten note from Lyra that said, "We'll always protect you." I forced myself to laugh along, then placed the card back into the empty box. I thought winning a game was just about luck. But when I went to the restroom, I overheard the host checking the prize list in the lounge. "Ms. Kilbourn, you didn't give out the prizes wrong, did you? The hidden prize went to Mr. Winfield, and the participation prize went to Mr. Rayner." Charlotte answered calmly. Lyra laughed and added, "That's right. He won't take it seriously." Standing outside the door, I suddenly remembered the night I turned 18, when I stood in the rain waiting for the midnight fireworks at my debut party. Charlotte and Lyra had given the only umbrella to Connor. Then they turned back and told me, "George, you're closer. Just run a few steps and you'll be fine." That night, after I walked home soaked in the rain, I still believed I was just unlucky. But tonight, I finally understood the truth. They had never planned to give me that umbrella from the beginning. So this time, I tore the card into pieces and canceled my marriage registration appointment. I didn't want to play a "lucky game" they had already planned for me anymore. Chapter 1 When I got back to the private room, Connor Winfield was surrounded by people taking pictures with him. A luxury mechanical watch was on his wrist. Under the lights, it stood out even more. Someone laughed. "Charlotte, that grand prize is seriously expensive. Anyone who didn't know better would think Connor is the one you're proposing to tonight." Connor's eyes instantly turned red. "Please don't say that. George will be upset." As soon as he spoke, everyone looked at me. Charlotte Kilbourn looked surprised when she saw me come back. "Why are you just standing there? Someone might think you've been bullied." I suddenly wanted to laugh as I looked at her. I was the one who got hurt. But even staying silent somehow made me look like I was causing trouble. So I didn't move. Charlotte frowned a little. Lyra Sharpe stood up and walked over to me. She had a gentle face. She always looked like she was smiling whenever she looked at someone. Until I was 18, I had believed Lyra would never do anything to embarrass me. But now she looked up at me and lowered her voice. "George, please don't embarrass Charlotte at a time like this." I looked at her. "Did I say anything?" Lyra froze for a second. Connor held the watchband as tears rolled down his face. "George, maybe I should give the watch back to you. I shouldn't have accepted it in the first place." The moment his fingers touched the clasp, Charlotte said, "Keep wearing it." Then she looked at me. "Whoever won it gets to keep it." I let out a soft laugh. The whole room fell silent. Charlotte's eyes turned cold. Lyra frowned. "George, we were just playing a game. Why do you have to make things so awkward?" Then she stepped in front of Connor. Her voice stayed gentle, but her words carried a warning. "Connor has always been insecure. He's finally happy today. Can't you just let him have this?" She said those words again. I couldn't help looking at Connor. Tears still hung in the corners of his eyes, but he stood beside Charlotte and gave me a look full of contempt. Charlotte immediately walked over to me. She carried the cool scent of cedarwood. I had picked that perfume for her. Back then, I said the clean, cool scent suited her. But she thought it was too light. Later, Connor said he liked it, and she wore it for the next three years. Like always, she reached out to straighten my collar. I turned my head and avoided her hand. Someone in the room gasped. Charlotte's expression finally darkened. "I'll go with you to try on the wedding outfits tomorrow." I looked at her. "You still remember?" She stared at me in disbelief. "I've never forgotten a promise I made to you." Just then, Connor gave a soft cough. Charlotte immediately turned around. "What's wrong?" Connor shook his head. "Nothing. My wrist feels a little itchy. I'm probably just not used to wearing this watch." Charlotte picked up her coat from the couch and draped it over his shoulders. Lyra looked at me and sighed. "George, don't overthink it. Charlotte is marrying you tomorrow. We only think of Connor as a little brother." I looked at her. "Would a little brother accept a matching watch that my fiancée personally picked out?" Lyra's smile slowly faded. "Why do you have to talk like that?" Charlotte turned back to me. Her voice was low and icy. "George, don't push it too far." Suddenly, I didn't want to say another word. In this room, even after I was humiliated, I still had to laugh and joke, "Guess I have the worst luck." After the party ended, Charlotte drove Connor to the hospital. There was only a small red mark on his wrist. Lyra stayed behind to take me home. When we reached the door, she handed me her coat. "The wind was pretty strong earlier. Don't catch a cold." I looked down at the coat. She always gave me a little comfort just when I was about to lose all hope. Then, the very next second, she pushed me right back where I started. After helping me pull the coat around my shoulders, she said exactly what I expected, "George, don't take today to heart. You know Charlotte. She talks tough, but she's soft inside. Tomorrow she'll go with you to try on your wedding clothes. The day after that, you'll officially get married. You've already won, so stop arguing with Connor." I looked at her. "What exactly did I win?" Lyra froze. She wanted to say something, but no words came out, because even she couldn't answer that question. Chapter 2 The next morning, I went to the bridal shop alone. When the sales associate took the main wedding outfit out of its garment bag, she looked surprised. "Mr. Rayner, this suit looks amazing on you. Will Ms. Kilbourn be coming today?" I hesitated. "She'll be here." It was the last time I was willing to believe Charlotte without question. But even by 10:00 a.m., she still hadn't shown up. At 10:30, her assistant sent me a message. "Mr. Rayner, Ms. Kilbourn had an emergency. She probably won't make it today." I called Charlotte. She finally answered, but I could hear Connor trying to hold back tears in the background. "George, I'm at the hospital." I asked with concern, "What happened?" "I'm fine. Connor had an allergic reaction to the watch he wore last night. His wrist is swollen." I looked down at the suit I was wearing. The waist was pulled so tight that I could barely breathe. "Today was supposed to be the day we tried on our wedding outfits." Charlotte was quiet for a few seconds before letting out a soft sigh. "George, please don't hold this against him. Tomorrow we'll get our marriage certificate. You'll be standing beside me at the wedding too. Connor is just sick. Can't you let me stay with him for a little while?" I wanted to say something, but no words came out. Just then, a sales associate walked over carrying a box. "Mr. Rayner, Ms. Kilbourn just had someone deliver this for you." Inside the box was a pair of black dress shoes. The soles were soft, and there were heel cushions inside to keep them from rubbing. A card beside the shoes read. "Your heels blister easily. Don't wear shoes that are too stiff." I held the card tightly, my heart aching. So she still remembered. When I was 18, the first time I wore dress shoes, my heels had been rubbed raw until they bled. She asked softly, "Did you get the shoes?" I simply answered with a quiet "Yeah." She spoke gently, as if she were comforting me, "Be good. I'll come back tonight, and we'll have dinner together, okay?" Before I could answer, Connor's voice came from the other end. "Charlotte, is my wrist going to leave a scar?" Charlotte immediately replied, "No, it won't. Let me take a look." After I hung up, I looked down at the shoes. They fit me perfectly. But the person who gave them to me never came. Lyra arrived at 3:00 that afternoon. By then, I had already finished trying on every outfit. She pushed open the door, and when she saw me, she paused. "You look great." As she walked closer, she looked down at my feet and immediately frowned. "Your heels got rubbed raw again?" She crouched down and took a box of bandages out of her purse. "Don't move." Her movements were gentle, just like they had always been. After putting the bandages on my heels, she looked up at me. "Does it still hurt?" I didn't answer. Lyra stood up and helped support me. "Come on. Get in the car first. It's cold outside." It was still raining. She tilted the umbrella toward me, and soon half of her own shoulder was soaked. I followed her to the car. Just as I was about to get in, I noticed a brand-new pair of sneakers sitting in the front passenger seat. The shoebox was white, and even the shoelaces had already been carefully tied. I stopped walking. Lyra froze for a second. Then she calmly held the car door and said, "You can sit in the back." I looked at the sneakers. "Can't those shoes go in the back instead?" She hesitated. "George, don't do this. Connor has been waiting all afternoon for those." "So I sit in the back, and the shoes get the front seat?" She sighed. "George, you're different. You're stronger than he is." I suddenly wanted to cry. But in the end, I gently pushed her hand away. "Lyra, I don't want to be the strong one today." She wasn't as gentle anymore. "Please don't make this harder for me." I laughed quietly. "Every time, you tell me to be the mature one. So why do you never ask him to grow up?" Lyra was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Because he really would lose it." I nodded. "And I wouldn't." I hugged the garment bag to my chest and turned away. The rain was pouring down. After only a few steps, my heels were already burning with pain. I never looked back, and Lyra never came after me. But it didn't matter anymore. 20 minutes later, Connor posted a photo on social media. The picture showed the new sneakers placed neatly beside his hospital bed. The caption read. "Someone brought these to me in the rain. She said she couldn't stop worrying until she knew I was okay." I stood by the side of the road, holding my suit and accessories. My heels hurt so much they had gone numb. The sales associate ran out and handed me a paper bag. "Mr. Rayner, you forgot your tie." I reached out and took it. But at that moment, I suddenly didn't want to get married anymore. Chapter 3 But the next day, I still went to City Hall. I just wanted to see if Charlotte would really show up. At 9:15 a.m., I saw her car pull up across the street. The moment she opened the car door, I finally let out a breath. I even straightened my cuffs without thinking. Honestly, if she had just said, "George, I'm here," I might have been able to let last night go. But then her phone rang, and she answered it. I didn't know what Connor said, but her expression changed immediately. She got right back into the car. The sound of the door closing was soft, but it still hurt more than I could describe. Ten minutes later, Connor made a post on Facebook. "I told her I didn't want to be alone, and she really came back." The photo showed Charlotte holding his hand while he was hooked up to an IV. At 9:40 a.m., Lyra rushed to City Hall. She looked exhausted when she got out of the car, as if she hadn't slept all night. "Stop waiting. Charlotte isn't coming today." I looked at her. "I saw her." Lyra froze for a second before speaking, "Connor's allergy flared up again last night. He can't handle any emotional stress right now." I asked, "So I'm the only one who's supposed to handle it?" She frowned. "George, why do you always talk like that?" She walked over, speaking as if she were trying to comfort me, "You're the one who's going to marry Charlotte. You'll be her husband, and you'll become part of the Kilbourns. Connor only has a few friends like us." I put my documents away and turned to leave. Lyra grabbed my arm. "Where are you going?" "The wedding planner's office." She let out a sigh of relief. "You're going to confirm the schedule?" I answered with a casual "Yeah," and she finally relaxed. "That's better. Don't make things more complicated. Otherwise, you'll only embarrass yourself in the end." The wedding planner looked uncomfortable as she slid the welcome display designs toward me. The photo on the screen had been taken at Connor's birthday party last year. Charlotte stood in the middle, while Connor and I stood on either side of her. Dressed in a white suit, Connor was holding Charlotte's arm. He looked more like the groom than I did. I stood beside them, holding the knife to cut his birthday cake. Even the welcome message had been changed. "Thank you for celebrating our ten years together." But why our ten years? Wasn't it supposed to be Charlotte and me? Or did that somehow include Connor too? I kept reading through the plans and realized everything had been changed. The wedding vows even included a section thanking Connor. I looked at the planner. "Who approved all this?" She answered carefully, "Ms. Kilbourn did." When Lyra noticed my expression darken, she quickly interrupted. "It's only the welcome area, not the main ceremony. Connor has never really had a family. He just wants to feel like he's part of it." I looked at her. "This is my wedding. Why does he need to feel included?" Lyra lowered her voice. "George, don't be so mean." Just then, Charlotte called. The moment I answered, she asked, "Did you see the wedding plans?" "I did." "Connor cried all night. He said he felt like an outsider, so I asked them to add a few more photos." After hearing that, I asked, "Do you really think that's appropriate?" She answered impatiently, "What's inappropriate about it? He's the best man, and he's our friend. You're marrying me tomorrow, not a few pictures." I kept scrolling until I reached the accessories page. Then I stopped. A note read. "Silver cuff links to be worn by Mr. Winfield during the pre-wedding video shoot." Those silver cuff links had belonged to my dad. Before he passed away, he told me he hoped I would wear them on my wedding day. I asked, "Why did you let Connor wear the cuff links my dad left me?" Charlotte fell silent for a moment before trying to explain. "He was only trying them on..." I cut her off. "My dad left those to me." "I know." I laughed in disbelief. "Then why did you let him wear them?" Just then, I heard Connor choke back a sob beside her. "Charlotte, forget it. I won't wear them. George probably hates the idea anyway..." Charlotte immediately said gently, "Don't say that." But when she spoke to me again, her voice turned cold. "George, Connor was only helping you test them for the video. Why are you being so harsh?" I answered without hesitation, "Give them back." Charlotte didn't respond. Then Lyra suddenly spoke, "George, if your father were still alive, he wouldn't argue with a little kid over something like this." I whipped my head toward her. The meeting room fell completely silent. Even after seeing the look in my eyes, Lyra kept talking, "Am I wrong? He would want you to be more generous. If he knew you were making such a scene over a pair of cuff links, he wouldn't be happy either." Slap! I slapped her across the face. Charlotte's cold voice came through the phone. "George, how dare you!?" Lyra turned her face away in disbelief. "George, you've changed!" I picked up my bag and walked out. But I could still hear Charlotte yelling through the phone. "If you leave now, don't expect me to come home tonight!" I stopped for a second before replying casually, "Whatever." Chapter 4 By 11:00 that night, Charlotte still hadn't come home. I sat alone in the living room of our new house and read through the entire wedding plan. In the whole schedule, my name appeared only twice. This didn't feel like a wedding between Charlotte and me. At 1:00 a.m., I heard the front door unlock. When Charlotte walked in, she still carried the smell of the hospital with her. She frowned when she saw me still awake. "Why aren't you in bed yet?" I looked at her. "Where are my cuff links?" She froze for a second before explaining, "Connor still needs them tomorrow morning for the video shoot, so I left them with him for now." I stood up. "I want you to get them back. Right now." Charlotte had already run out of patience. "George, you're the one I'm marrying tomorrow. What more do you want?" I answered without hesitation, "I want my things back." Charlotte suddenly let out a cold laugh. Her voice was full of arrogance. "Connor is only borrowing your cuff links for a little while. Is that really enough to upset you? George, don't be so greedy." I stared at her in shock. So asking for the keepsake my father had left me made me greedy in her eyes. Just then, Lyra called in a panic. "Charlotte, something's wrong. Connor says the cuff links are missing." I froze. Half an hour later, Charlotte and I rushed backstage at the hotel. Connor sat in front of the makeup mirror with Charlotte's coat around his shoulders. His eyes were red from crying. The makeup table was a complete mess. The only thing missing was the silver cuff links my father had left me. I looked at the makeup artist. "Are there security cameras here?" She lowered her head. "The cameras stopped working this afternoon." What a coincidence. I looked at Connor. "Please give my things back." Connor immediately burst into tears. "George, I really didn't take your things." "Then let's call the police." The moment he heard the word police, Connor's face turned white. He suddenly ran toward the wall and tried to slam his head into it. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have touched George's things! I deserve this!" Charlotte quickly grabbed him. Lyra rushed over to support him too. The two of them stood protectively around him. Charlotte turned back to me, her face icy. "You need to apologize to him." I thought I had heard her wrong. "What did you say?" She looked at me seriously. "I want you to apologize to him. He's already falling apart. Why do you keep pushing him?" I looked at her. "Charlotte, he lost the keepsake my dad left me." "He already said it wasn't on purpose." "And you just believe him?" "Do you have any proof that he did it on purpose?" I didn't know how to answer that. Lyra lowered her voice and tried to persuade me too. "George, just admit you were wrong. You've already won. Why do you still have to embarrass Connor?" I looked at both of them, completely drained. Connor was obviously the one who had everything. Yet everyone kept saying he was the one to pity. So I nodded. I didn't want to argue anymore. I just wanted to get away and calm down. "Fine." Charlotte frowned, as if she hadn't expected me to agree so quickly. Lyra froze too. I looked at Connor. Tears still filled his eyes as he hid behind Charlotte. I said to him, "I'm sorry." Lyra looked at me, wanting to say something. "George..." I didn't look at either of them again. I took off my engagement ring and gently placed it on the makeup table. "The wedding can go on as planned tomorrow. Don't let me ruin everyone's mood." I turned and walked away. Charlotte looked like she wanted to stop me, but Connor suddenly grabbed his wrist and said in a trembling voice, "Charlotte, it hurts so much..." Charlotte instinctively turned back to him, and Lyra immediately looked at him as well. At that moment, I walked out of the backstage area. By the time they looked back again, the door had already closed. And I never looked back. That night, I returned to the house and canceled every wedding reservation. The wedding planner answered my call in the middle of the night and asked nervously, "Does Ms. Kilbourn know about this?" "She doesn't need to." Before sunrise, I dragged my suitcase away and left everything behind. The wedding had been scheduled to begin at 10:00 that morning. Charlotte personally went to the jewelry store and quickly picked out a men's wedding band with space for an engraving inside. Looking down at the ring, she said quietly, "He's liked this style ever since he was 18." Lyra was holding a black umbrella with a curved handle. My name was engraved on it. She smiled. "Mine will work too. He's remembered that rainy day from when he was 18 all these years." Charlotte glanced at her. "You actually knew about that?" Lyra's smile faded a little. "Of course I knew." She paused before adding, "He apologized way too quickly last night." Charlotte let out a quiet laugh. "I think he was just tired. After making such a fuss all night, he needed a way to end it." Lyra nodded. "You're probably right." She smiled again. "George has a soft heart. You'll give him the ring, and I'll give him the umbrella. Once he sees them, he'll forgive us." When the two of them arrived at the hotel, the manager was directing workers to take down the decorations. Charlotte stopped walking. "Who told you to take everything down?" The manager looked surprised when he saw her. "Ms. Kilbourn, wasn't the wedding canceled already?"