I Gave My Cheater to the Stand-In

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Ethan and I had been together for five years, and he'd always been devoted.

But right before our wedding, he suddenly cheated.

The woman was named Mandy Smith, a pretty college student who looked like I did when I was younger.

Afterward, his buddy asked him how it was.

He smacked his lips and said:

"Way more tender than Mira."

He sighed. "If I'd known young girls these days were this sexy, I wouldn't have been so loyal. What a waste of those five years."

I accepted it all calmly.

Then privately contacted that Mandy.

On the wedding day, Mandy replaced me, putting on the wedding dress and walking onto the stage.

The instant Ethan turned around, he lost his mind on the spot.

After we set our wedding date, Ethan and I both got busy.

I was busy planning the wedding, while he had to handle work matters in advance so he could take half a month off for our honeymoon.

That day, I'd chosen two venue decoration proposals and went to his company to show him.

Before knocking, I heard his disdainful voice.

"Women really do lose their appeal when they get old."

"Someone like Mandy, now that's just right."

I was confused, but vaguely felt that the old woman he mentioned was me.

I pressed against the door crack to keep listening, and things gradually became clearer.

"I stayed faithful to Mira for a whole five years. Now the wedding's all set, but she still won't let me touch her. I'm starting to regret marrying her."

His buddy laughed mockingly, using an extremely sleazy voice to ask him.

"Since you think old women are boring, how was your little girlfriend?"

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly, his index finger rubbing the tip of his pen, savoring it for a moment.

"Very tender. Way more tender than Mira. Can't get enough every night."

He sighed. "If I'd known girls out there were this fun, I wouldn't have been so loyal. What a waste of those five years."

Through the door crack, I saw his eyes filled with messy, unsatisfied desire.

Completely different from his usual restrained appearance.

Right now, he was like a pool of watertoss in a pebble and it would ripple endlessly.

I clenched my fists, feeling my heart slowly drowning.

Just as I gathered the courage to burst in and confront him.

Mandy appeared.

Mandy came out of Ethan's private rest room.

She wore a white shirt and pleated skirt, her face still carrying the lazy look of someone who'd just woken from a nap.

Looking closely, she actually resembled how I looked back in my college days.

"Ethan, you guys are still talking about the project?" The girl's voice was sweet.

Ethan didn't answer, but his sticky gaze remained on her the whole time.

"I need to get back to class, otherwise I'll fail my finals and have trouble graduating."

"Mm, I'll have the driver take you."

Ethan wrapped his arm around her waist, naturally dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"Not like this, your friend is still here."

Though Mandy was shy, their waists and legs pressed close together.

They say online that this kind of body language often represents physical attraction.

Besides that, there were their reluctant gazes, hands that couldn't separate, the goodbye with three backward glances.

So sweet.

If only I weren't Ethan's fiance.

When Mandy came out, I was sitting at Ethan's assistant's desk.

She saw me, wary and confused.

"Didn't Ethan say no one could come up without his permission?"

I smiled and said: "The driver's out on an errand. Ethan asked me to take you back to school."

She relaxed and followed behind me, getting into my car.

"Wow, you drive such a nice car for an assistant?"

The girl probably hadn't seen much of the world.

Though this car had a Mercedes logo, it was only worth about three hundred thousand.

But I didn't call her out on it.

I said, "Ethan's generous. Work for him long enough, and everyone gets good benefits."

"You've been with Ethan for a long time?"

"Five or six years. We used to be classmates. He thought I was capable, so he kept me on."

I looked at the girl's curious eyes through the rearview mirror.

The next second, she leaned forward as expected, asking me more private questions.

"Then you must have met his wife."

I answered flatly, "Ethan doesn't have a wife yet. That person is his fiance at most."

The corners of the girl's mouth curved up in delight, and she asked again, "So what's his fiance like?"

"Which aspect do you mean?"

"Age, education, family, job."

"She's twenty-eight, bachelor's degree, single-parent family, teacher."

"Sounds pretty ordinary."

She pouted. "Plus she's almost thirty, already past the optimal childbearing age. How's she supposed to give Ethan children later?"

My hands on the steering wheel suddenly tightened.

I hadn't expected such words to come from a college student's mouth.

Apparently reproductive education still needed further promotion.

After a few seconds of silence, I continued the conversation.

"She probably won't have children for Ethan."

Mandy's full, plump lips opened and closed, letting out an exclamation.

"Why not!"

"Because of you. Knowing Ethan as I do, he likes you so much, he might not marry that fiance after all."

"Really! Can you keep me updated on this?"

"Sure." I said.

When Mandy got out of the car, she deliberately took off her jacket.

Only then did I see the red marks all over her neck and arms.

Perhaps my gaze was too intense, because Mandy embarrassedly put her jacket back on.

"Mira, stop looking. It's embarrassing."

I withdrew my gaze and asked gently: "Does it hurt?"

She looked aggrieved, pursing her lips.

"It hurts a lot. He's always so rough, and I don't dare refuse him."

"Next time Ethan does this, bite his shoulder and tell him you're uncomfortable. That way he won't force you."

"How do you know all this?"

I leaned close to her ear and smiled. "His fiance told us when we were gossiping."

Mandy covered her mouth and giggled.

"Mira's so nice~ I'll try that at home next time."

After dropping off Mandy, I sent Ethan a message telling him to have dinner on his own tonight.

Then I switched back to my Bentley and headed straight to the wedding house Ethan and I shared.

I wanted to see if the "home" Mandy mentioned was this place.

Ethan had decorated the wedding house a year ago.

He kept refusing to tell me the password, saying he wanted to surprise me on our wedding night.

970613, my birthday. "Beep, incorrect password."

950831, Ethan's birthday. "Beep, incorrect password."

200225, our dating anniversary. "Beep, incorrect password."

...

For the last attempt, I tried the birthday I'd just gotten from Mandy.

051113. "Beep, door unlocked."

Even though I'd already guessed the outcome, when it was confirmed, I still felt pain so intense I could barely breathe.

When I lifted my foot, my steps were messy, and I collapsed beside the entrance cabinet.

Two pairs of slippers were neatly arranged there. By the looks of it, they came here often.

I wandered around the house for a long time. Matching toothbrushes, matching pajamas, matching toyseverything you could want, warm and romantic.

Entering the master bedroom, I discovered the bedroom actually had a mirrored ceiling.

I remembered once watching a foreign romance film with Ethan.

The male lead's bedroom had a similar design.

At the time, he'd leaned on my shoulder, breathing in my ear, begging me to try it with him someday.

"Doing it in bed while looking in the mirror, wouldn't that be interesting?"

I'd always been cautious about these things, but thinking that Ethan and I would become husband and wife, this kind of activity could add some spice.

That time, I'd rarely given in.

I just never expected he'd still remember, and actually made it into a surprise for me.

The mirror overhead reflected the devastation in my eyes.

It was strangeit should have been the most pleasant autumn weather, but staying in this room, I felt damp and sticky. I could even smell the salty, fishy scent lingering in the air.

I almost threw up. My brain warned me I needed to leave immediately.

But just then, the door suddenly opened.

Heavy panting flooded the entire house as the door opened.

In my panic, I could only hide in the study off the master bedroom.

The study only had a desk. Ethan was highly sexual; he'd never waste time in here.

"Ethan, isn't today a bit too much~"

"Don't talk."

Mandy immediately went silent, even her moans sounding suppressed.

After just a few moments, she cried out in pain.

"I'm sorry Ethan, it hurts too much."

Ethan didn't stop. He kept going.

One minute, two minutes.

My stomach churned even worse, and my head felt dizzy.

I bit down hard on my own arm, keeping myself conscious, also punishing myself for being so pathetic.

I couldn't understand what made me choose to trap myself here.

From the moment they walked through the door, I should have caught them in the act.

One slap each to vent my fury.

But that seemed too easy on them. Or perhaps my feelings for Ethan made me afraid to face his betrayal directly.

After all, because I insisted on refusing premarital sex, he'd willingly stayed faithful for five years.

Amid the intense sounds of collision, Ethan suddenly hissed.

"Who told you to bite me!"

"Ethan, I'm uncomfortable. Can you be gentler~"

Mandy's voice was soft and tender, the kind that would make anyone's heart soften.

Ethan was no exception.

He paused, then said gently, "Whatever you want."

That familiar tone, that familiar inflection.

Ethan hadn't said those words to me in a long time.

I vaguely remembered the last time he said this to me was half a year ago.

That time, Ethan had been drugged during a business negotiation.

To prevent himself from doing something wrong, he called me to his side to watch over him.

He soaked in the bathtub's cold water, his body trembling constantly, yet his complexion was flushed unnaturally.

I went to the bar to get him water. When I turned around, Ethan pounced on me like a wild beast out of control.

I knew he couldn't control himself, but I didn't want to compromise either.

In my panic, I bit down directly on his collarbone.

Blood mixed with water dripped down, spreading across the white carpet.

Ethan's eyes were bloodshot, his pupils suddenly contracting.

"I'm sorry Mira, I wasn't thinking straight."

I got dressed and pushed him back into the bathtub.

Seeing me remain silent, he apologized to me over and over.

"I'm sorry, Mira, I didn't mean to."

"Mira, don't ignore me. I can't control myself."

Like a killjoy parent, I once again emphasized my aversion to premarital sex.

He looked like a drowned dog, lightly hooking my hand and saying those words.

"Whatever you say."

"I'll do whatever you want."

...

I didn't know when the sounds in the bedroom stopped.

I heard the front door open and close twice, one after the other.

Following that was Ethan's message.

"Mira, where are you? I miss you."

Mandy also gave me feedback.

"Mira, what you said really worked! The way Ethan looked at me was completely different."

I replied to her, "Really? Guess the rumors are true."

"What rumors? That Ethan wants to call off the wedding to marry you."