Time Call Brought Bitter Truth

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I participated in a viral Snapchat trend, pretending to make a space-time call to my 17-year-old self.

Filled with hope, I whispered into the phone, Ethan, what is our life like at twenty-eight? Are we married? Are we... happy?

There was a long silence on the other end. Then, Ethans exhausted voice came through:

"Not great."

"Chloe, Ive wasted my entire life on you."

"Do me a favor. In your parallel universe, just let me go."

I froze, almost believing I had misheard him.

When I finally snapped out of it, I called my mom, crying hysterically.

"Mom, I"

"I know," my mom interrupted, letting out a gentle, pitying sigh. "You're seventeen-year-old Chloe right now, aren't you?"

"Ethan hasn't had it easy. He and Sienna have been deeply in love for ten years. Because of you, they've had to suppress their feelings all this time."

"Chloe, take my advice. In the next life, just let him be with Sienna."

The tears dried instantly on my cold face. My hands shook as I made one last callto my sister, Sienna.

On the other end of the line, she was in the middle of a passionate, breathless tryst with Ethan. She let out a muffled, trembling sob:

"Chloe, please forgive me. Just tonight. He only belongs to me tonight."

"I won't fight you for him in this life. But I beg you, in the next life, please step aside for once."

With tears streaming down my face, I hung up the phone. My heart was completely dead.

Forget it.

No need to wait for the next life, or some parallel universe.

In this life, I would set them free.

Ethan didn't come back until the next morning. He brought with him the faint scent of rose body wash, and the tips of his hair were still damp.

As he took off his coat and hung it on the rack, he cast a casual glance at me.

"Why are you up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep," I replied calmly.

After a brief pause, I spoke again.

"Ethan, let's call off the wedding."

He stiffened, turning his head to meet my slightly swollen eyes.

"Are you... kidding me?"

"I played a game last night," I said, looking straight into his eyes. "A viral challenge. A space-time phone call."

Ethans hand froze. As he stared at me, his expression gradually shifted.

"Chloe, are you testing me?"

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. I hadn't expected that his interrogation would come even before any explanation.

"If I didn't, would I have spent the rest of my life being kept in the dark like an idiot?"

"Ethan."

My eyes turned red.

"Are you two not disgusted by yourselves?"

With a sharp *slap*, my face was whipped to the side.

I held my burning cheek, utterly stunned.

Ethan stared at his own hand, also frozen. It seemed he hadn't expected himself to actually hit me.

He pursed his lips tightly, drew his hand back, and looked down at me with a dark, warning gaze.

"Chloe, if you have bitter words, direct them at me. I won't tolerate anyone calling her names."

All the blood in my body rushed to my head.

With tears of anger in my eyes, I raised my hand and slapped him back with all my might.

"How dare you hit me!"

"Ethan, not even my parents have ever laid a hand on me since I was a child!"

But before my hand could land again, Ethan grabbed my arm in a death grip.

He let out a cold sneer. "Your parents?"

"Your parents know everything about me and Sienna. Did you know that?"

"Last Thanksgiving, when you came home, before you could even sit down, your mom rushed to take you shopping, and your dad claimed he had to go buy pumpkin pie."

He leaned down close to my face, his tone dripping with mockery.

"Your entire family was helping cover for us."

It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me. I snapped my head up, staring at him in utter disbelief.

He released me with a contemptuous smirk.

"Wake up, Chloe."

"If I were you, Id use whatever guilt I still have left for you as your future husband."

"After all, even your own parents don't love you."

I collapsed heavily onto the floor, tears pouring down my face.

"Why..." I gasped, struggling to lift my head. "Why do this to me?"

"Ethan," my voice shook violently. "I'm not a desperate clinger."

"If you really wanted to be with Sienna, I could have accepted it! I could have broken up with you, cancelled the wedding, and let you marry her!"

"Why did you have to hide it from me? Why did everyone have to conspire to keep me in the dark!"

"Go be with her! Why do you still want to marry me?!"

I screamed in despair, my heart aching so intensely it felt like I was dying.

He looked down at me from his height.

After a long silence, he let out another cold laugh.

"Why else? Do you actually think it's because I love you?"

He bent down, wiping the tears from my chin, making a clicking sound of pity and disdain.

"Sienna is your older sister. She's a single, divorced mother, and she already has a hard life."

"I don't want her to suffer any judgment from others."

"If our wedding is called off and I immediately end up with her, how do you think our relatives will look at her?"

"So..." He gripped my shoulders, his voice sweet but incredibly cruel. "Chloe, I can't bear to let her suffer, so I have to make you suffer instead."

I stared at him, my whole body turning ice-cold.

"So your plan is to use our marriage as a cover-up so you can secretly sleep with my sister?"

"Smart girl," he said, playfully pinching my nose. "So you'll cooperate, right?"

I slapped his hand away violently and yelled in rage:

"Ethan, what makes you think I will just sit here and let you guys manipulate me?"

"Oh, you will," he smiled, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket and laying it in front of me.

"Your checkup from last week. You're pregnant."

"Chloe, this is our child. Our first baby. You conceived when you were still full of hope for our marriage, when you loved me the most."

"You wouldn't want him to grow up without a father, would you?"

"Besides, you love me so much. Weve been together for ten years. You gave me your entire youth. Can you really bear to cancel this wedding?"

"Even if you do, who would want a single, pregnant woman?"

I picked up the pregnancy report, my hands shaking so much I could barely hold it.

Tears poured down, blurring my vision.

Suddenly, I burst into laughter, my tears dripping onto the paper.

"Ethan, you really are ruthless."

He smiled, gently stroking my hair with a mix of warmth and absolute malice.

"Good girl, Chloe. You don't have a choice."

"Just remember, don't let Sienna know you found out about this. I don't want her to carry any psychological burden, understand?"

I stared at his threatening, protective expression, feeling as if I were seeing him for the very first time.

He stood up smoothly and walked right over me without a backward glance.

I rushed into the bathroom and threw up violently into the toilet.

A wave of intense nausea surged up from my stomach.

I couldn't tell if the burning pain was coming from my heart or my gut.

I knelt on the cold floor, trembling all over, laughing and crying at the same time.

Finally, with mechanical movements, I took out my phone, stopped the voice recorder, and saved the entire conversation.

Then, I booked the earliest appointment for an abortion.

Ethan was wrong. I did have a choice.

As long as I was more ruthless and reckless than him, I could choose.

The next day was supposed to be the day we went to City Hall to sign our marriage license.

Ethan called me repeatedly, but I didn't answer.

Eventually, Sienna called me.

"Chloe," her voice was gentle, laced with a bit of sisterly playfulness. "Today is the day you sign the license. How can you throw a tantrum and not show up?"

"Did you and Ethan have a fight? I'll scold him for you, okay? Just be a good girl and come get registered."

I listened to her voice in a daze. She sounded like an entirely different person from the woman who was moaning in Ethan's arms the other night.

For a moment, I wished that night had just been a terrible nightmare, and that once I woke up, Sienna would still be my loving sister, and Ethan would still be my dependable fianc.

But alas...

Leaning against the hospital bed, I spoke in a hoarse voice:

"I'm sick. I can't make it."

"Tell Ethan we'll do it another day."

I hung up immediately and opened the dashcam app on my phone, which was synced to Ethans car.

The video stabilized. It showed Ethan and Sienna inside the car.

Sienna looked worried. "Ethan, what's wrong with Chloe? Why is she acting up out of nowhere?"

"Do you think she found out about us..."

"No way," Ethan leaned over to kiss her lips. "She's too stupid to notice anything."

"Even if she did, she wouldn't dare do anything," he said with absolute confidence. "Sienna, I won't let anyone hurt you."

Sienna still looked anxious. "But if she doesn't sign the license, how are we going to..."

"Then we won't sign it. The wedding ceremony will still go on as planned anyway, just for show," Ethan said lazily.

Suddenly, he looked at Sienna with deep intensity. "Sienna, let's get married."

Sienna gasped. "What did you say?"

Ethan pulled her into his chest.

"I'll give her the ceremony, but I'll sign the license with you."

"From now on, you will be my only true wife."

On the other side of the screen, my breath caught.

I already knew they were dirty.

But seeing the man I once loved with all my heart look at another womanmy own sisterand say those words still pierced my heart like a dagger.

On the screen, Sienna's eyes welled with tears.

She nodded instinctively, then shook her head rapidly.

"No, we can't. We've already wronged Chloe so much. This... this is too cruel to her."

"And isn't it cruel to reject me?" He leaned closer. "Sienna, are you going to choose your sister over me?"

Sienna struggled, her face twisted in pain.

Finally, as if making a monumental, tragic decision, she nodded.

"Okay. We'll sign the license."

"Even if we have to annul it or divorce later, I don't care."

She looked at him with tears in her eyes, as if she were a martyr sacrificing herself.

"Ethan, in this life, we can at least say we were husband and wife once."

They gazed into each other's eyes, locked in a deep, passionate kiss.

On the other side of the screen, my tears fell like rain.

This was the sister I thought loved me most, and the man I thought was my soulmate.

Blood ties, sacred vowsall of it was a joke.

And I was the biggest joke of all.

I closed my eyes and let the nurses wheel me into the operating room.

Three days later, on the morning of the wedding.

I sat in front of the vanity mirror, watching my mom gently style my hair.

Her expression was warm and loving, showing no sign of guilt whatsoever.

Suddenly, I spoke up. "Mom, do you think I'll be happy?"

My moms hand paused. She looked up to meet my eyes in the mirror, her gaze a mix of irritation and helplessness.

"Chloe, you're marrying the man you love most. How could you not be happy?"

"Think about Sienna..."

She stopped herself, unable to finish the sentence.

The corner of my mouth twitched.

If I didn't know the truth, I would have assumed she was referring to Sienna's failed past marriage.

But now, I knew all too well what she meant. She meant that I had stolen Sienna's happiness. I had taken her lover.

My parents had always favored Sienna. I knew that.

They always said having an elder daughter and a younger son was the perfect family structure, but since I was a second daughter, I was just an extra.

But I never imagined their favoritism could go this far.

To help their eldest daughter cheat with their younger daughter's fianc.

Without a shred of remorse, they even blamed me for stealing their eldest daughter's happiness.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm marrying the man I love most."

"But does he love me the same way?"

"Mom," I tilted my head to look at her. "Do you love me as much as I love you?"

My mom froze. For a split second, I clearly saw a flash of panic in her eyes.

But she quickly recovered her composure.

"Of course," she smiled warmly, her mask flawless. "A mother always loves her children more than anything."

"It's just that Sienna wasn't as lucky as you, so I can't help but look out for her a bit more."

My heart turned to stone.

Watching me marry a treacherous man, conspiring with everyone to deceive me, and yet she called me "lucky."

Meanwhile, Sienna, who had secretly signed the marriage license with Ethan and was legally his wife, had to hide her relationship to avoid public scandal. And that was called "unlucky."

How could a parent's heart be so twisted?

"Chloe," she said with a loaded tone, "I want to remind you that nothing in this world is perfect, and no marriage is flawless."

"Sometimes, being content with what you have and not being too greedy is the key to a peaceful life, okay?"

I curled my lip in mockery.

Was this a mother's blessing?

Or was it a pre-emptive warning?

She was telling me that even if I discovered something in the future, I shouldn't make a scene. I should just shut up and live with it.

I lowered my gaze, hiding the coldness in my eyes.

"I understand."

Satisfied, my mom smiled and went downstairs to greet the guests.

I slowly opened the drawer and gripped the USB drive in my palm.

Outside, the wedding party had arrived, and the car horns were blaring.

The bridesmaids laughed and swarmed toward the door of the bridal suite to playfully block the groom.

Only Sienna remained still, standing quietly by my side.

I looked at her eyes. Her makeup was slightly smudged; she had been crying.

She was wearing a long, white lace dress. Unlike the other bridesmaids, she looked more like a bride.

Outside, the groomsmen laughed and shoved, finally pushing the door open.

Ethan walked in, looking triumphant. He took large strides forward.

And then, bypassing me entirely, he scooped Sienna up in his arms.

The bridesmaids gasped.

The groomsmen, completely oblivious, burst into laughter and patted his shoulder.

"Wrong bride, Ethan! Wrong bride! Your bride is sitting on the bed!"

"We know Sienna looks like Chloe, but you can't just carry her away!"

Everyone laughed off the awkward moment.

Ethan slowly let Sienna down, looking at her with lingering affection.

"Ah, my mistake."

He turned to look at me, his eyes narrowing with a subtle threat.

"Chloe, you don't mind, right?"

I stared at him, my fingernails digging deep into my palms.

Only I knew what he really meant: marrying me was his mistake.

He hadn't carried the wrong person. From the very beginning, the only one he wanted to hold was my sister.

"I don't mind," I said, my voice so calm it surprised even myself.

The corner of his mouth ticked up, clearly pleased with my compliance.

When it was time to leave, I held up my wedding gown and went toward the back seat of the limo.

Ethan, already sitting inside, glanced at me and ordered:

"Go sit in the front passenger seat. Let Sienna sit in the back."

I paused, looking up at him.

Having a bridesmaid sit with the groom in the back while the bride sat alone in the front was unheard of. He was intentionally humiliating me.

"Why?" I clenched my fists.

"Do you really need a reason?" he sneered. "Sienna gets carsick easily. Is that enough?"

Carsick? Everyone knew that sitting in the front passenger seat was better for motion sickness.

Several of the groom's relatives who came to assist with the wedding gave me amused, mocking looks.

My parents stood nearby, completely ignoring the situation as if they hadn't heard a thing.

Ethan leaned in closer, lowering his voice.

"Baby, for the sake of the baby in your womb, just bear with it. I promise you're still the main event today."

"But you can't expect to get me without paying some price, right?"

The baby. He was still using the baby as leverage.

I looked into his eyes and smiled coldly. "Sure."

I silently picked up my skirt, got out of the back, and sat in the front passenger seat.

And my sister, without saying a word or looking at me, naturally slid into the back seat next to Ethan.

She even playfully bumped my shoulder as she walked past, as if she were throwing a childish tantrum.

Between her sister and a man, she always chose the man.

When they slept together, when they signed the license, and now.

The bridal motorcade set off toward the venue.

In the rearview mirror, I saw the two of them secretly holding hands, their fingers tightly intertwined.

Siennas face was solemn, her head turned to the window as she fought back tears.

Ethan stared at her with eyes full of heartache.

What a pair of tragic lovers.

I coldly looked away.

Why cry? I'll set you free in a moment.

...

Finally, it was time for the ring exchange ceremony.

Sienna held the ring box, walking down the aisle with grace and poise.

The guests on both sides whispered among themselves.

"Why is the maid of honor wearing white? Isn't that clashing with the bride's dress?"

"Yeah, if I didn't know better, I'd think she was the bride."

"Probably just wants to steal the spotlight..."

But it was only minor gossip; no one truly cared.

Ethan took the female ring and went to slide it onto my ring finger. It was loose and clearly didn't fit.

I stared at the ring and suddenly spoke aloud: "This isn't my ring."

Ethans brows furrowed in annoyance.

"Chloe, don't make a scene. We're in the middle of the ceremony."

I looked up at him, raising my voice so everyone could hear:

"I said, this isn't my ring."

In the next second, I grabbed Siennas hand and slid the ring onto her finger.

The camera feed instantly projected a close-up on the giant screen.

Everyone could see clearly that the wedding ring fit Siennas ring finger perfectly.

The crowd gasped in shock.

Sienna's face went pale. She tried to pull her hand back, but I held on tight.

Ethan glared at me with a furious expression, whispering through gritted teeth:

"Chloe, have you lost your mind?"

"Think about your baby! Do you want him to grow up without a father?"

"Do you want to be a pregnant, rejected woman that nobody wants?"

He sneered, confident he had me trapped.

"You'd better use your brain before you do something stupid."

"Ruining this wedding does no good for either of us."

"You mean it does no good for *you*," I corrected him gently.

"What?" He was stunned.

"You're the one who needs this marriage as a cover-up, not me."

"And that baby won't grow up without a father."

"Because," my smile turned ice-cold, "he's already gone."

His expression shattered. "What did you say?"

"What do you mean? Chloe, make yourself clear! What happened to the baby?!"

I smiled and remained silent.

Suddenly, the big screen went black. Then, my mom's voice echoed through the entire hall from the speakers: