Betrayed by My Fiancé and Sister

"Ms. Eternity, I'm afraid it's advanced breast cancer... You might have only six months to a year left..." Six months... maybe a year at most... I leaned weakly against the wall, clutching the test results in my hand, the word "terminal" echoed in my mind like a thunderclap, leaving me reeling. With trembling hands, I dug through my bag for my phone and dialed Fred's number. The moment the call connected, my heart leapt into my throat. "Mmm... oh... Fred, go easy..." I froze, wondering if I had dialed the wrong number. "Fred's handling something urgent in the bathroom, please hold..." A sweet, lazy voice chimed in immediately, unmistakably Haley's. My half-sister! My fingers turned white as I gripped the phone, my heart felt like it was being crushed, leaving me breathless. "What do you want? I'm busy. If it's not urgent, I'm hanging up." Fred's impatient voice came through the receiver, like a bucket of ice water extinguishing my last glimmer of hope. "Fred, who is it? Interrupting our fun!" Haley's coquettish voice rang out again, and my vision blurred, almost causing me to collapse. "Beep... beep... beep..." The call was disconnected, and I slid helplessly onto the cold floor, tears blurred my vision. "Has Fred betrayed me?" "Didn't Haley despise him?" Questions swirled in my mind, each one a dagger tearing at my heart. Why? In that moment, I didn't know whether to be crushed by Fred not saving my number or furious at his cozy attitude towards Haley. I clutched the test results tightly, my nails dug into my flesh, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. Fred and I had been together for six years, engaged for one. I chose him because he was driven, more straightforward than other men. I still remember Haley's sharp-tongued criticisms of Fred in front of me. "Sis, how could you fall for him? He's clueless, broke, and dumb." I shot back with conviction, "An honest man like him won't change his heart. You just don't get it." Haley looked at me like I was crazy, exclaiming in an exaggerated tone. "Oh my God, sis, living with a guy that 'honest' would drive me nuts!" "Sis, maybe you should rethink this. He's really not right for you!" As Haley's jabs at Fred became more relentless, Fred, overhearing them, would angrily vent to me. "Babe, why's she always tearing me down? If she wasn't your sister, I'd have told her off ages ago." I can still see Fred's face, flushed with indignation, every time Haley belittled him. With shaky hands, I grabbed my phone, ready to fire off a message to Fred on WeChat to get some answers. But every time I typed my questions, doubt made me erase them, only to start again, and again, until courage slipped through my fingers. What if my ears had played tricks on me? As I lingered in uncertainty, a notification lit up my Weibo feed. It was from my special follow list—Haley. "My Love." The post featured a Cartier women's wedding ring. By some cruel twist, it was the exact ring I had hinted Fred should get for me. I zoomed in, and despite her clumsy attempt to blur it, the familiar cufflink peeked out from the edge. It was the cufflink I'd splurged half a month's salary on for Fred's thirtieth birthday. I stood in the pouring rain, obsessively zooming in, confirming the betrayal over and over. Reality twisted into a cruel farce, with me as the hapless clown at its heart. In a trance, I stumbled to Fred's office building, rain-soaked and shivering. Through the glass, there was Haley, her right hand raised flirtatiously as she charmed Fred. Though too distant to catch the words, I read her lips clearly. She mouthed: "Brother-in-law, I love you." Sweet memories of Fred and me played like a film reel, each cherished moment now a dagger, stabbing my heart. Frozen in place, the icy rain lashed my face, its chill burrowing deep into my bones. The rain-drenched test results and payment slips in my grip were now a soggy, unreadable mess. A delivery scooter whizzed by, the driver swerving wildly to miss me, yet the force still sent me sprawling. Muddy water splattered over me, leaving me drenched and pitiful. Every bone felt shattered, the pain wrenching gasps from my lips. Office workers, drawn by the commotion, peered out, pointing and murmuring. With effort, I raised my head, rain-blurred vision meeting Fred's gaze from his second-floor office. His face was a cocktail of shock, panic, and a flicker of... guilt? He pushed Haley away as she leaned in for a kiss, murmuring my name in disbelief, "Ode." Fred bolted down the stairs, with Haley hot on his heels. Her face was a flawless blend of surprise and concern, as if she hadn't just been snuggled up with Fred in the office. Fred's face turned crimson with embarrassment as he dragged me into the building. The reception staff gawked at me with curious eyes, and I felt a scorching shame, unable to meet their gaze. "Sister! Are you okay?" Haley appeared genuinely concerned, swiftly draping her coat over my shoulders and tugging me away from Fred. "Is he blind? Don't worry, sis, I won't let him off the hook!" "Sister, today marks your and brother-in-law's engagement anniversary. I just reminded him to take you out for a proper celebration." Haley turned to Fred, her tone playfully teasing. "We've been together forever, what's the big deal about celebrating?" Fred brushed it off with a casual wave, affectionately patting Haley's arm, "Don't think your sister is as dull as you." Haley feigned annoyance, playfully swatting Fred's arm, "Oh, you big oaf, you wouldn't know romance if it hit you." Their colleagues watched their playful banter without a hint of surprise, clearly accustomed to their closeness. Haley's affectionate gestures made her seem more like Fred's partner than I, his actual fiancée. It felt like something had slammed into my chest, leaving me breathless. The pain felt sharper than before, or else why were my tears streaming again? I battled the urge to cry, my hands trembling as I lifted Haley's hand, the one adorned with the ring. "The ring, the one I chose, why is it on her finger?" I fixed my gaze on Fred, searching for any flicker of guilt or unease on his face. But there wasn't a trace. "It's just a ring, Haley liked it, so I bought it," he said with a shrug, as if it were the most mundane thing in the world. "Sister, can't I wear it? I thought it was just an ordinary ring, and I liked it, so I asked brother-in-law to get it for me," Haley said, gazing at me with innocent eyes, a hint of hurt in them. "My birthday is just around the corner, and brother-in-law was planning to get me a gift anyway, so I asked for this." "Sister, don't read too much into it." As she spoke, she tugged on Fred's sleeve, looking anxious, "Come on, brother-in-law, explain it to my sister!" Fred's eyes flashed with something I couldn't quite pin down. "It's her twentieth birthday. I wanted to give her something meaningful. She liked it, so I bought it." As he spoke, Fred and Haley exchanged a glance, a silent exchange that hinted at secrets I couldn't fathom. I was teetering on the edge of a revelation. But their words hit me like a cold shower, snuffing out the flicker of doubt in my heart. With a pale face, I recalled the sounds from the phone call—the intimate whispers, the jarring moans. I yearned to confront them, to rip off their masks. Yet, in that instant, I knew that speaking up would only make a fool of me. Haley removed the ring and handed it to me, "Sis, if you don't want me to have it, I'll take it off." Her voice quivered, but before I could respond, Fred made the call for me. "It's yours now, no need to return it," he said, his tone brooking no argument, making me feel like the unreasonable one. Haley's tears turned into a smile as she slipped the ring back on, her grin was almost mocking. But looking closely, her eyes brimmed with feigned innocence. She waved at me, "Alright, I won't intrude on your couple time. I'll get back to work!" "Fred, you never used to give Haley gifts." Fred, walking ahead of me, suddenly stopped and spun around, his voice laced with barely controlled anger, his brows knitted, "Odera, what exactly are you trying to say?" I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the impatience in his voice, and asked with a trembling voice, "That ring was meant to be our wedding band. You knew that, so why give it to Haley?" Fred paused for a moment, then let out a dismissive laugh, unconcerned, "It's just a ring. Why make such a fuss?" Each word twisted the knife deeper into my heart. "Fred, is there something going on between you and Haley that you're not telling me?" I caught a fleeting glimpse of surprise in Fred's eyes. But the next moment, he erupted in anger, shouting, "What on earth could be going on? Odera, remember, it was you who insisted Haley work at my company!" He cut me off sharply, as if his kindness to my sister was a burden. "Odera, you were the one who told me to look out for your sister," he accused in a low voice, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I stared at him, disbelief etched on my face, my lips quivering, words failing me. Fred's anger ignited like a wildfire when I stayed silent, "Odera, since when did you start acting so unreasonable?" He shot me a look of disappointment, then turned on his heel and stormed off, leaving a determined silhouette in his wake. "Go home and chill out, you're driving me nuts." His voice trailed off, finally vanishing down the hallway. I stood there, shell-shocked, unable to fathom how Fred could pin all the blame on me. Tears cascaded down my cheeks, unstoppable. After nine years with Fred, I never imagined that the man who would surrender at the sight of my tears, the one who promised he'd never let me cry, could now ignore my sorrow so completely. I clutched my chest as sharp pains stabbed like daggers, slicing through my heart inch by inch. I bit my lip hard, struggling to stifle my sobs, but the tears flowed like an unbroken string of pearls. I had no clue how I stumbled back home, drifting like a lifeless marionette. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to tell Fred about my terminal breast cancer. "Hissss—" The wound on my calf throbbed with sharp pain, a glaring injury that my once attentive Fred completely overlooked today. Back then, his eyes saw only me. When we first got together, a simple cough would send him into a frenzy, buying every cold medicine under the sun as if money were no object. During our sophomore year, someone spread vicious rumors about me online. Fred tirelessly worked day and night for days, eventually hunting down the instigator. Before reporting them, he gave them a thorough thrashing, nearly getting expelled in the process. When I dragged him to the hospital and scolded him for being reckless, he just chuckled and said he had no regrets. Back then, I found his foolishness endearingly charming. After graduation, he launched a business, and I poured all my savings into it. That's when Haley discovered him and called me a fool for emptying my savings for a man. "Sis, look at you, making a mess of yourself. Is it really worth it?" She said I should ditch a guy like him and go after one of the wealthy suitors chasing me. When Fred caught wind of what Haley said, he promptly registered the newly purchased house in my name, grumbling, "Honey, don't listen to her. The house is yours, and so is the money." I tried to mend the rift between them, singing Fred's praises to Haley while cautioning Fred to treat her kindly. But all my efforts were in vain. Haley kept looking down on Fred until his company signed a rising star she adored. When she heard the celebrity was looking for a manager, Haley grabbed my hand, her voice dripping with pleading, "Sis, can you talk to Fred and get me in?" Her eyes sparkled with eager anticipation. "I can keep tabs on him for you while I fangirl over the stars. With so many female artists around, who knows what might happen?" I laughed it off, saying it wouldn't be necessary. But Haley's relentless persistence eventually wore me down, and I convinced Fred to let her join his company. They started spending more and more time together, and sometimes Haley knew Fred's whereabouts better than I did. I couldn't help but have my doubts. Yet, the thought of them being my sister and fiancé made me feel guilty for even considering it. The more I dwelled on it, the more I craved answers. I called Fred again. No answer. I redialed relentlessly. Finally, with my phone battery dwindling to 20%, he picked up. "What?" Fred grunted, and I could swear I heard a faint, telling breath. The suspicion gnawed at me, echoing louder and louder in my mind. I clutched the phone so tightly that my nails dug into my palm, nearly breaking the skin. "Fred, did you sleep with Haley?" I heard a sudden clatter on the other end, like something had been knocked over in a panic. "Odera, are you crazy?" "I'm out here working my butt off, and that's what you think of me?" Fred's voice crackled with indignation. The more he protested, the more the truth screamed at me. My heart sank. After a long pause, Fred finally spoke, sounding defeated. "Odera, stop this nonsense." He didn't deny it. A bitter laugh escaped me, as tears flowed uncontrollably. "Fred, I have breast cancer. It's terminal." I delivered the brutal truth with a tone dripping with vengeance. The line went silent. I could almost hear his breath catch in shock. After what felt like an eternity, he finally found his voice, tinged with disbelief and panic. "What did you say?" I let out a bitter chuckle, "I said, I'm dying." "Just wait a bit longer, and you can be with Haley guilt-free." With those words hanging in the air, I slammed the phone down, allowing it to slip from my grasp and crash onto the floor, its screen flickering out.