Fiancé Cheated with My Sister, I Left

Three nights before my wedding, I called my fiancé, Garrett. A version of him from five years in the future answered. I couldn't keep the happiness out of my voice. "Are we happy together? Has your mother finally accepted me?" A long silence hung on the other end before a low, tipsy chuckle came through. The laugh was faint, the kind you'd use to humor a naive child. "Vivi, in the last five years, you've asked me for a divorce more times than I can count." I froze. "...What do you mean?" "It means you found out about me and Kiera." My breath caught. I couldn't believe it. "My sister? I thought you couldn't stand her." He let out a quiet sigh. "Vivi, saying I couldn't stand her was just my way of hiding how I really felt." "Don't worry, I won't divorce you. We made our vows at the altar, after all." A chill ran through me. I wanted to press further, but a lazy little giggle drifted through from the other end. "Garrett, who is it?" He murmured something in response and hung up. A second later, a message from Garrett popped up on my phone. [Vivi, our wedding is almost here. You're happy, right?] [I'll be good to you for the rest of my life. If I ever break that promise, I don't deserve to live.] Chapter 1 My fingers went slack, and the phone dropped onto the carpet. I clamped my hand over my mouth, terrified the dying sob building in my throat would escape. The reason Garrett had made such a grave vow was because I had nearly given my life for him. The night of the International Ballet Grand Prix final, he was driving me to the theater. Halfway there, the brakes failed. In the split second before we hit the guardrail, I threw myself over him on instinct. My right leg slammed into the dashboard, and I never made it to the final performance. Because I missed the mandatory final performance, the committee disqualified me. The title passed to the next-ranked dancer instead: my sister. It was Kiera. Garrett was consumed with guilt at the time, and he promised to spend the rest of his life making it up to me. Then the truth clicked into place... All of it... had been one massive conspiracy! My chest felt so tight I couldn't breathe. Years ago, his mother had said, "You come from nothing. What could you possibly bring to this family?" I spent ten years fighting to prove her wrong. For that one nod of approval, I had pushed through torn tendons, shredded toes, and injuries that would never fully heal, all to reach the Grand Prix final. All I wanted was to stand beside him with my head held high. And he had planned it all from the start, handing the honor I bled for to my sister. Garrett. When had you decided to do this to me? A dull, needling ache spread through my chest, and my vision blurred. I bent down to pick up the phone, my trembling fingers tapping the call button. "Vivi, what is it?" This was present-day Garrett, speaking in his usual lazy, gentle tone. He sounded nothing like the flippant, self-assured man from the other call. "The wedding is three days away. Where are you?" A brief pause, then Garrett's voice came through, exasperated but indulgent. "I'm picking flowers for the wedding. I'm at a friend's estate, choosing the freshest white roses." Sweet words, but they sent a chill straight through me. His voice was so gentle. Had he really stopped loving me? Then a coy little giggle floated through the phone. "Garrett, my nose is so itchy. Do you think it's the pollen..." Every muscle in my body locked up. I knew that voice... Garrett seemed to fumble to cover the receiver, clearing his throat. "Vivi, I have to go." The line went dead. I stood alone, frozen in place. He was with my sister Kiera right now. I gripped the phone so tightly my palm ached. Ever since we were children, anything I loved had always been snatched away by my sister, who knew exactly how to play the victim. She took our parents' attention, everyone's affection... All because she supposedly had to try harder to match my achievements. Now, the man I had loved at the cost of half my life was no exception. The phone rang again, shrill and grating. This time, it was the future Garrett calling. "What, crying?" His voice was cold, dripping with haughty irritation. "Where's that fire you had when you were demanding a divorce?" "If you can't stand losing me, you shouldn't have made a scene in the first place." I held back my tears and forced a slow smile, but my voice was shaking. "Garrett, you're blaming me for making a scene?" "You know I danced until my body broke, and every injury I carry is because I wanted to be with you!" "You know that for ten years, I gave up everything I had to win your mother's approval. Why did you lie to me like this!" Silence. Then Garrett's voice returned, laced with a nonchalant weariness, as if the answer were obvious. "Compared to you, Kiera has it worse." "You're so talented at ballet, always in the spotlight, while she's been living in your shadow. She was on the verge of depression." "Vivi, I only kept it from you because I was afraid of hurting you." My heart stuttered. I had paid for every ounce of that excellence with years of pain, and somehow Garrett had turned it into a reason to pity Kiera. I swallowed the metallic taste in my throat and asked, ice in my voice. "If you were really afraid of hurting me, how did I find out about you two?" Garrett sighed, as though I were quibbling over nothing. "These five years, you kept picking fights because I was too busy with work and never took time off to be with you." "But the truth is, Kiera's old dance injuries kept flaring up, and she needed me to take care of her... That's why I took every Tuesday off." My nails dug into my palms. I understood what he wasn't saying. Even after we were married, he had never stopped seeing Kiera. Garrett let out a slow breath and finished. "One Tuesday, you were supposed to go out, but you came home instead. And you saw the two of us... in bed..." "I tried to explain so many times that I was just massaging away her pain, but you wouldn't believe a word of it. You screamed for a divorce like a lunatic." The tears behind my eyes surged harder, but I forced them down and kept my voice cold. "You had her pinned to the bed. What is there to explain?" "Garrett, you can lie to yourself all you want. I won't." A stunned pause. Then his mask shattered, and raw anger bled into his voice. "Vivian, do you have to be so extreme?" "Think about how broken your body is. Even if you actually divorced me and left the Whitmore family, what would you have?" "Stop being so stubborn. The only one who'll suffer is you." I slammed the phone down and leaned against the wall. A laugh escaped me. What had I really gotten out of any of this? Before, I could at least comfort myself that I had his love, and that made it all worthwhile. But now he had torn apart the delusion I'd been clinging to. I dialed a number I had saved long ago, my voice hollow with exhaustion. "Madame Laurent, I'll take the teaching position abroad. I can leave within three days." "But on one condition: help me leave under a new name, and make sure no one back home can trace me." Chapter 2 After receiving a brief confirmation, I hung up. Before the screen could go dark, a Facebook post caught my eye. It was Kiera. In the photo, she was pouting at the camera with the ballet trophy that should have been mine cradled in her arms. [Guess winning takes a little luck, too. Thanks for the assist, sis. Love you.] A needle, sharp and sudden, drove straight into my heart. Expressionless, I scrolled down and saw Kiera's sharp-tongued best friend, Brooke Hayes, teasing in the comments. [Careful. Aren't you worried Garrett will see this and give you a lecture?] Kiera had replied with a tongue-out emoji. [Fine, I'll take it down. Hope Garrett isn't mad at me.] I drew a deep breath, about to block her account. Then Garrett's reply popped up. [The eternal runner-up finally won something. Why delete it? Flaunt it if you want.] There was a time I would have naively read that as him mocking Kiera. But now I realized that Garrett's favoritism had always been obvious. I suddenly remembered how, back during our competition days, Kiera would throw a fit every time Garrett bought me new ballet shoes, demanding a pair for herself. Garrett would act annoyed, but he always had someone deliver her an identical pair, sometimes even finer than mine. I once asked him why he always indulged Kiera. He tapped me on the head with a resigned smile. "Silly, I'm just keeping her from making your life difficult." Footsteps on the stairs snapped me out of my thoughts. Garrett pushed the door open and frowned slightly when he saw me, a hint of reproach in his expression. "Why weren't you waiting downstairs? I've been looking everywhere for you." Once, I would have rushed to the door at the slightest sound. At the first sign of tiredness on his face, I would have fussed over him endlessly. But now I just stood still, my gaze drifting to his neck. The concealer there had been smudged away, exposing a vivid red hickey. So Kiera's provocations had already become this brazen. Seeing me silent, Garrett reached out to pull me into his arms. "Vivi? What's gotten into you today? Still upset about the competition?" "It's all right. Losing the Grand Prix is a shame, but you still have me. Once we're married, I'll make it up to you." The words "make it up to you" hit me like a fist to the chest. I sidestepped his hand. My voice came out colder than I recognized. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. My injuries from the accident have healed. I'm going to file an appeal with the committee to have the competition results reviewed." Garrett's head snapped toward me, his eyes wide with shock. "You can't do that. The award's already been given to Kiera..." The moment the words left his mouth, he seemed to realize he had lost his composure. He covered it with a cough. "Vivi, even if you've healed, jumping back in too fast could be dangerous. Why put yourself through that again?" I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms. "I didn't go through ten years of suffering just so I could marry you. I'm not willing to let all of that be for nothing." "Why are you so against this? Is it because you can't bear to see Kiera get hurt?" Garrett's expression darkened, his voice dropping. "Why are you dragging Kiera into this?" "The decision is final. Why do you insist on stirring things up?" "Besides, we're getting married in three days. You want to compete now?" I let out a bitter smile. "Cancel the wedding, and I can." Garrett's pupils contracted. He stared at me in disbelief. "Vivian, have you lost your mind? Marrying me has been all you've ever wanted since we were kids." "Now you're throwing our wedding away over a trophy?" "I'll chalk this up to you being overwhelmed today, but don't let it happen again!" With that, he turned and slammed the door behind him. As expected, the moment anything threatened Kiera's interests, his mask came off. And I had been blind enough not to see it until now. I took a deep breath and collapsed onto the bed, all strength drained from my body. Chapter 3 The next day, Garrett didn't come home. The old me would have been frantically texting every mutual friend to find out where he was. But now, I couldn't summon the energy to even look for him. My phone buzzed with a text from our friend Ethan Cole, urging me to come to the pre-wedding party. I didn't want to see Garrett, but I refused to let him make me look pitiful. I pulled myself together and forced myself to go. But the moment I stepped into the banquet hall, I froze. On the giant screen at the center of the hall, bold letters read: "Celebrating Kiera Ashford's Grand Prix Win." Before I could process what I was seeing, Ethan spotted me and waved me over. "Vivi! I'm so sorry. I thought this was your pre-wedding party too, but it turns out Garrett organized it just for Kiera." My heart clenched. Across the room, Garrett stood at Kiera's side, never more than a step away, laughing with her. His expensive suit jacket was draped neatly over Kiera's shoulders. I used to think the future Garrett's cruelty came from having me and knowing I wouldn't leave. But now I understood he had never changed. The old me had been too obedient for him to need any tactics. The moment I stopped obeying, he punished me. Just then, Kiera's sharp-tongued friend caught sight of me and raised her voice deliberately. "Everyone says you two don't get along, but here you are, going all out for Kiera when it matters." "You're about to get married, and you're still running around planning Kiera's party. Anyone who didn't know better would think you two were the couple!" Kiera giggled coyly. "Don't be ridiculous. Garrett and my sister are the real couple." "Our families even used to joke that Garrett and I would end up together. Everyone just forgot about it." Her friend gasped on cue. "Oh my God! You two really are meant to be!" "So... doesn't that make Vivian the one who came between you?" My head snapped up. My nails broke the skin of my palm. I was about to speak, but Garrett cut in, his expression perfectly indifferent. "Vivian is my responsibility. Kiera is the woman I was meant to find." "Sometimes the person you're meant for... matters more than duty." A single offhand sentence, and ten years of our history were severed. The room went silent for a beat, then erupted in suggestive cheers. I was the only one standing there, rigid and numb. I drew a deep breath, turned, and walked out without looking back. I barely made it a few steps before hurried footsteps caught up behind me. Garrett grabbed my arm. His face was cold and hard. "What's with the tantrum? Everyone's still in there, and you just leave without a word?" "I didn't mean any of that. Today is Kiera's event. Of course I played along." "I thought you'd understand, but apparently you're still just as stubborn." I stopped short, nearly laughing out loud. "I'm stubborn?" Garrett's brow furrowed. "Kiera just won the award yesterday, and you're already talking about filing an appeal and calling off the wedding. What would you call it?" "Kiera is finally happy for once. You should let her have this." There it was. Everything always circled back to that trophy. I looked at him and felt nothing but contempt. "That was mine. Why should I give it up?" "And over this one thing, you denied my entire existence by your side for ten years, in front of everyone?" Garrett hesitated, about to respond, but Kiera's soft voice floated in from behind him. "Garrett, where did you go?" Garrett's expression tensed. He let go of my arm and turned to leave. He left me standing there alone. Chapter 4 The next day, Garrett still didn't come home. I knew he was still angry. But inside, I felt as still as a grave. I started clearing away every trace of him, one by one. The ballet shoes he had laced for me. The custom-made dance costumes he had commissioned. The thick notebooks we had filled with love notes to each other... I stuffed them all into a cardboard box, sealed it, and set it by the door. The front door swung open and Garrett walked in. We stood face to face in the foyer, the box in my arms between us. And in his arms was a drunk Kiera. The box slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a thud. I stared at him in disbelief. I never imagined he would bring her here so openly. Garrett's eyes were flat and unreadable. "Kiera is too drunk to be out on her own. Of course I brought her back." "If you don't like it, go to your room." Without waiting for a response, he carried Kiera past me, settled her on the couch, slipped off her shoes, and draped a blanket over her. I took a deep breath, bit down on my lip, and started up the stairs. But Kiera's voice called after me. "Sis... I feel terrible. Can you make me some tea?" I paused, then kept walking. Garrett's head appeared from the kitchen doorway, his voice hard and cold. "Vivian, she's still your sister. She doesn't feel well. Would it kill you to make her a cup of tea?" My knuckles went white. But then again, fighting with him would only delay my departure. I forced myself to turn around and brew the tea. Carrying the hot cup to the couch, I held it to Kiera's lips. "Drink." Kiera didn't take it. She just smirked at me. Then, in one swift motion, she grabbed my wrist. The scalding tea poured down, splashing across her face and burning my hand. "Ahh! It burns!" Kiera shrieked, clutching her face. Before I could react, a violent shove sent me crashing to the floor. My knees slammed against the hardwood, and blinding pain tore through my old injuries. My vision went black. Garrett scooped Kiera up, rage barely contained in his eyes. "Vivian, how could you do this to her?" Cold sweat dripped down my face, but I gritted my teeth. "I didn't..." "First you go after Kiera's trophy, and now, the second I turn my back, you're taking your jealousy out on her!" He spat the words through clenched teeth. "You disgust me." He stormed out the door with Kiera in his arms, not once looking back. Not once did he look down at me. Not once did he ask if I was hurt. Blood seeped through my clothes and spread across the floor. After a long while, I was struggling to stand when another message from Garrett lit up the screen. [Once Kiera's healed, you'll apologize to her.] [You brought this on yourself. Don't disappoint me again.] I stared at those words for a long time. Then a bitter laugh slipped out. I blocked his number and deleted it. Limping back to the bedroom, I pulled out my suitcase and didn't look back. I walked out of the mansion, called a cab, and headed straight for the airport. As the plane climbed into the sky, I closed my eyes. This time, it was truly over.