Vows of Deception Chapter 1

One hour before my wedding, I scrolled across an anonymous gossip post.

[Spilling the tea on my sister's "debt-repayment" wedding: The groom says marrying the older sister is paying off a debt, but his true love is the younger sister.]

The main post was a photo: in the reflection of a hotel vanity mirror, the profile of a back wearing a wedding dress looked seventy percent like mine.

Caption: [Is there anything more thrilling than swapping the bride on the wedding day?]

My fingers trembled as I zoomed in on the photo.

On the vanity, clearly placed, was the iris brooch I had personally prepared for my bridesmaid.

There were already hundreds of comments downstairs.

The original poster posted a close-up of holding hands in the latest reply.

There was a familiar old scar on the man's ring finger, exactly the same as the mark left by my fiancé Ethan's car accident.

Someone asked for details, and the poster only replied with one sentence.

[The older sister accompanied him in starting a business for ten years; he said marriage is a repayment. But tonight, I will look into his eyes and say: I do.]

There was a knock on the door.

Chloe walked in, lifting the hem of her dress.

She leaned in close to my ear, her voice as sweet as honey: "Sis, the ceremony is about to start. Look, is my brooch pretty?"

* * *

I forced a smile: "Yes, it's pretty."

She took my arm and chuckled secretly: "Sis is the pretty one, Sis is the prettiest bride today, let's go quickly, don't keep the groom waiting."

I took a deep breath and pushed open the side door of the hall.

The music was soft, the guests filled the seats.

Ethan stood in front of the altar, his back straight.

The officiant came up, face full of smiles.

"Ms. Sarah, there's a small adjustment at the end of the schedule, did you see the note?"

I took the paper he handed me.

In the original schedule, the bridesmaid only needed to hand over the rings.

Now there was an extra handwritten line added: "Bridesmaid's Speech (2 minutes)."

The handwriting was elegant, I recognized it.

"Who added this?"

The officiant lowered his voice:

"Mr. Sterling specifically instructed this morning, saying he wanted to add a heartwarming segment."

"Your sister's writing must be very good, Mr. Sterling praised the speech several times."

I pinched the edge of the paper tightly.

"I don't agree to this segment."

"This... there might not be time to adjust, the guests are all waiting."

The officiant looked troubled and glanced towards the altar.

Ethan turned his head at this moment, meeting my gaze.

He gave me a slight nod, barely managing to pull a smile at the corner of his mouth.

I didn't say anything more and walked to the reserved seat in the first row.

My mom pulled me to sit down and whispered: "Chloe prepared a speech, saying she wants to thank you for taking care of her these years. This child is so thoughtful."

The music changed tune at this moment.

The officiant's voice came through the microphone: "Next, let's welcome the bride's sister, today's bridesmaid Ms. Chloe, to send her blessings to her sister."

Applause rang out.

Chloe took the microphone, her gaze sweeping over the audience, finally resting on Ethan's face.

"Thank you everyone, today is my sister's most important day. As a younger sister, I should have said some words of blessing."

She paused, her fingers gently rubbing the microphone.

"But I found out that if I don't say some things today, I might never have the chance."

There was a slight commotion offstage.

Ethan's body obviously stiffened.

Chloe's voice began to tremble:

"These years, I've watched my sister and Ethan walk along the way."

"I know how much my sister has given, and I also know... some feelings were misplaced from the very beginning."

She raised her eyes, looking straight at Ethan.

The light hit her face, and I saw tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes.

She spoke word by word, her voice choked but clear.

"Some loves are destined to cross boundaries. Even if it means bearing the infamy of the whole world, there's no way to pretend it doesn't exist."

The hall fell into dead silence instantly.

Then, whispers spread like a tide.

"What does she mean by that?"

"Oh my god, is this a confession?"

"The bride is still sitting right there!"

My mom suddenly grabbed my hand tightly: "What nonsense is Chloe talking about!"

I withdrew my hand, my gaze nailed to the stage.

The color drained completely from Ethan's face.

His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Chloe continued: "I know I shouldn't, but I can't control it. Ethan, I..."

Ethan didn't step forward to stop her, just kept looking at her.

The officiant hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over: "The bridesmaid is a bit emotional, we understand this deep sisterly bond, haha! Next let's..."

I didn't hear clearly what came after.

My gaze fell on Ethan's hand hanging by his side.

My gaze froze.

The position and shape of that scar were exactly the same as the hand resting on the vanity in the photo.

My phone vibrated in my palm.

I looked down, the screen lit up with the latest reply from the anonymous post.

The poster posted a new picture.

And at the edge of the frame, a platinum wedding band was being gently pushed into the lens by another hand.

I looked up, looking at Ethan's hand again.

That wedding band, and the ring being pushed into the lens in the photo, were the same style.