Spoiler Alert: My Husband Loves My Best Friend

On my wedding day, my best friend Sienna stood on the stage and sang a classic love song dripping with missed chances and crushing regrets, tears streaming beautifully down her face.

I thought she was just overwhelmed by the thought of giving me away, so I rushed forward, wrapping my arms around her trembling shoulders to soothe her.

Then, glowing lines of text abruptly materialized in the dead air right in front of my eyes. [ Can this extra wife just get the hell out of the way?

She's blocking the soulgazing between our sweetie and the male lead. ] [ Lmao, the wife actually thinks our sweetie is crying because she's going to miss her.

Little does she know, she's crying over the regret of not ending up with the male lead.] [ It's fine, it's fine! Just hold on for another 10 episodes.

Once the male lead finds out our sweetie was forced to break up with him back then, he'll instantly kick the wife to the curb and start his groveling era!] [ Ngl, does the wife really not know about the history between the male lead and our sweetie?

She's playing the innocent act so well. Later on, just to keep him from divorcing her, she almost gets our sweetie killed.

Thank god the male lead loves our sweetie enough to bankrupt the wife's family.

Watching her jump off that building and splatter on the concrete was absolute perfection! ] The blood drained from my face, leaving an icy chill clawing up my spine.

My lungs seized. I refused to process the glowing words burning into my retinas. But my neck snapped to the side anyway. My gaze locked onto Vaughn.

His lips were moving, soundlessly mouthing the exact same lyrics. And tears were streaming silently down his cheeks.

Chapter 1 It took every ounce of my willpower to endure until the wedding reception finally ended. Sienna was already blackout drunk.

Her heels were tossed who knows where, and she was stumbling barefoot across the gravel driveway, the sharp stones biting into the pale, delicate skin of her soles until they flushed a raw red.

She treated Vaughn like a sturdy oak tree, draping her entire body weight against his chest, sobbing and giggling uncontrollably. "Wow, this tree isn't rough at all!" she slurred. "You finally found your happiness.

I'm so happy today. I'm really, really, so happy!" For a fleeting second, I almost believed she was genuinely happy for me.

But the glowing text floating in my vision shattered that final, pathetic illusion. [ Can this extra wife just get the hell out of the way?

She's blocking the soulgazing between our sweetie and the male lead. ] [ Ugh, my heart breaks for our sweetie.

She's clearly dying inside, yet she's using her drunkenness as a shield to bless the male lead. ] [ Here we go, here we go! The crucial plot point is finally here!

The male lead is about to volunteer to take our sweetie home.

This is exactly when the extra wife suddenly realizes the weird vibe between them, throws a massive tantrum, and makes the male lead completely disgusted with her! ] [ Why is the male lead still standing there like an idiot!

Can't he see our sweetie's feet are bleeding? Scoop her up already! ] The very next second, Vaughn swept Sienna up bridal style and strode toward me.

A flicker of raw heartache surged in his stoic eyes.

He angled his body slightly, looking at me as the words slipped out of his mouth without hesitation. "It's too late for a girl to go home alone.

Should I take your best friend back?" He asked for my opinion with a flat tone. The picture of a perfect gentleman, fully respecting his wife's boundaries.

My fingernails dug into my palms until the skin turned white. "Are you sure?" My voice came out eerily calm. "Vaughn, tonight is our wedding night.

I can easily find another friend to take Sienna home." I stared dead into his eyes, stepping forward to close the distance without a single inch of retreat. "Or, I'll order an Uber and pay double the tip to get her safely to her doorstep.

Vaughn, the choice is yours, but you need to understand the consequences of walking out that door today." Vaughn's brow creased into a faint frown.

The glowing text scrolled frantically across my vision. [ Lmao, the wife actually thinks saying that will make the male lead stay for her? ] [ Is her wedding night really that important?

Our sweetie is trashed right now. Letting another man take her home would be like carving out the male lead's heart!

How could he bear to let anyone else see our sweetie's adorable drunken state? ] [ Grabbing my popcorn and waiting for the male lead to ruthlessly reject her.

The wife is about to lose her mind, and her crazy behavior will only make our sweetie look infinitely sweeter and more pitiful! ] A fleeting shadow of hesitation passed over Vaughn's face.

After a suffocating silence, he made his choice, offering me a hollow promise. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He spun on his heel, ready to leave.

The corner of my mouth twitched up into a cold, mocking smirk. "Wait." Vaughn whipped his head back, an unmistakable flash of impatience crossing his features. "I already said I'll be back fast." I swallowed the suffocating tightness clawing up my throat, my fist clenched tight as I tossed my car keys directly at his chest. "Take my car." Vaughn frowned, his lips parting to refuse. "She doesn't get motion sickness in my car," I added flatly.

Vaughn fell silent before snatching the keys out of the air.

Before pulling away, he rolled down the window. "Wait for me." I watched his taillights disappear into the dark, pulled out my phone, and calmly booked a moving truck.

I loaded up every single box and suitcase I had moved in just yesterday. Then, I walked out of the house Vaughn and I had paid for in cash. The door clicked shut.

Chapter 2 I didn't meet Vaughn through Sienna. From the very beginning, I had absolutely no idea they even knew each other, let alone shared such an intimate history.

When I first met Vaughn on a blind date, I had been single for seven or eight years. I just hadn't found the right soulmate.

I walked into that dinner with zero expectations, only to end up sitting across from a man who checked every single one of my boxes.

He came from old money, looked like he belonged on a billboard, and possessed an effortless, respectful chivalry.

His only flaw was that he was almost too rational, to the point where he came off as icecold. But he was like that with everyone. Even himself.

A month into knowing Vaughn, he was walking me home after a date when we unexpectedly got cornered by a mugger in an alley.

The guy pressed a switchblade right against Vaughn's throat, yet Vaughn didn't even flinch.

He negotiated with the mugger like he was sitting in a boardroom. "Walk away right now, and I won't call the cops." He stared the guy down. "You're alone.

I can fight you, pin you down just long enough for her to run and get help. There's a police precinct less than two blocks from here." The mugger's eyes went bloodshot.

He didn't take the logical out. Instead, he gripped the handle and lunged, driving the blade straight toward Vaughn's chest. My brain shortcircuited. I didn't think.

I just knew I couldn't let Vaughn get hurt. I threw myself forward, tackling the mugger. The blade buried itself deep into my back.

A blinding, whitehot agony ripped through my nervous system, forcing a jagged gasp from my lungs. Vaughn dragged me into his arms.

He calmly dialed 911 with one hand, stripping off his shirt with the other to press down hard on the blood pouring from my back.

He only asked me one question. "Why didn't you run?" I forced the words through my gritted teeth. "Vaughn, I want to be your girlfriend." For the first time since I met him, Vaughn froze.

A rare crack in his perfect composure.

Then, his brow furrowed slightly. "But I don't know how to love someone." "It's enough that I know how to love you." And just like that, I threw myself headfirst into Vaughn's world.

We started dating. True to his word, he really didn't know how to love someone. But he tried so hard to learn for me.

He learned to order longstemmed roses for our anniversaries, learned to pick me up exactly on time outside my office building, learned to cook my favorite meals.

I foolishly thought that as long as he was willing to learn for me, it meant he loved me.

It never crossed my mind that mimicking the actions of a man in love didn't actually mean his heart belonged to me. Through those glowing lines of text, I finally learned the truth.

Vaughn and Sienna went to high school together. They were high school sweethearts who dated for three years.

Right after graduation, Sienna's mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, forcing her to drop out and return home.

Then, she was robbed blind by her drugaddict loser of a brother who racked up a massive loan shark debt, forcing her to get with a rich sixtyyearold widower just to pay it off.

She wanted to run, but she couldn't abandon her dying mother. So, choking back tears, she broke up with Vaughn. She told him she was tired of waiting for a boy to grow up.

Claimed she had met someone rich and suitable, and decided to marry him instead. From that day forward, Vaughn locked away whatever warmth he had left.

He morphed into the silent, intensely disciplined man I knew.

He got into an Ivy League, breezed through college, cofounded a massive tech startup, and paved a golden road for his life.

Chapter 3 [ If it wasn't for that bitch of a wife getting in the way, the male lead and our sweetie would have gotten back together when they reunited a year ago! ] [ The wife even played the generous card back then, telling them to get along.

Little did she know they already know exactly how many moles are on each other's bodies. ] [ Ugh, my heart aches for our sweetie.

She had such a tragic background, but she carved out her own bloody path. She outlived that old widower, used his money to hustle her way into college.

She is so fiercely independent, a true boss babe! ] [ Ngl, what does the wife even have? So what if she comes from some filthy rich family? So what if she's an Ivy League grad?

She still isn't fit to tie our sweetie's shoes. ] [ Wait, why isn't the wife following the plot?

Isn't she supposed to pick a massive fight with the male lead so he realizes just how gentle and perfect our sweetie is? ] [ You guys know nothing.

This attentionseeking pickme girl is just pulling the whole running away from home stunt! But no matter how much of a tantrum she throws, it's useless.

Our sweetie threw up so badly, the male lead is absolutely going to guard her bedside tonight. There is zero chance he goes home, let alone notices she moved out.

It's a complete joke! ] Vaughn really wasn't coming back. His text lit up my screen: [ An emergency meeting just came up at the company.

I'll meet you at City Hall at eight sharp tomorrow morning to get the marriage license. ] I just closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the seat.

The suffocating weight in my lungs finally dissipated. I was so incredibly thankful that Vaughn and I had chosen to hold the wedding reception before officially signing the papers.

I could still walk away clean. I pulled into my mother's driveway at three in the morning. She didn't ask a single question.

She just stripped the guest bed, laid down freshly laundered sheets that smelled like sunshine, poured me a mug of warm milk, and gently squeezed my shoulder. "Get some sleep." And I actually did.

When my eyes fluttered open, the clock already read one in the afternoon. My phone screen showed two missed calls and two unread texts from Vaughn.

For him, two consecutive attempts meant he was losing control. Yet last night, for Sienna's sake, he had repeated the phrase "I'll be back as soon as I can" three separate times.

A cold scoff slipped past my lips. I tapped open his messages. [ It's eightfifteen.

You're late. ] The second one came five minutes later: [ I only offered to take Sienna home because I thought you were worried about her.

If you're throwing a tantrum over this, I frankly don't understand it. ] I swiped left, deleting the entire thread. I didn't type a single letter in response.

I aimlessly scrolled through Instagram, only to see a brand new post at the top of my feed from Sienna. [ Slept like a baby until eleven.

Woke up to a perfectly poured latte with foam art. How did I get so lucky? ] My grip on the phone clamped down so hard the skin across my knuckles stretched white.

There wasn't a single obvious clue in the photo she posted. Just a mug on a table. But I knew with a sickening certainty that Vaughn had made that latte. Because I loved lattes.

One year, my birthday wish was to wake up every single morning to a homemade latte with foam art. Vaughn had specifically taken a barista class just to learn how to do it.

But he only ever mastered one design: a heart. And the tip of that heart always dragged out into an unusually long, distinctive tail.

Exactly like the one floating in the mug on Sienna's feed. I tapped the likes. Vaughn's username was sitting right there at the top.

The glowing text immediately flooded my vision again. [ Our poor sweetie.

She's been living alone for so many years, and now she finally has the male lead to keep her company. ] [ Lmao, the extra wife is probably still sitting around waiting for the male lead to coax her and beg for forgiveness, right?

Little does she know, by missing her chance this morning, she blew it completely.

If she had stuck to the original plot, she could have at least snagged the title of the male lead's exwife.

Now, the absolute best she'll ever be is an exgirlfriend. ] Chapter 4 I ignored the floating text.

Instead, I tapped the comment box under Sienna's post and typed: [ Too bad Vaughn only knows how to pour that one specific design. ] My phone rang almost instantly.

Vaughn's name flashed on the screen. When I answered, his signature icy tone carried a sharp, accusatory edge. "Sloane, is this really necessary?

You're the one who told me Sienna has stomach issues.

She was blackout drunk last night and didn't eat a single bite, so I made her a coffee to settle her stomach." "First, you ghost our appointment at City Hall.

Then, you post petty comments on her feed.

Since when did you become so unreasonable?" I squeezed my eyes shut, drawing in a sharp breath to shove down the sudden spike of fury burning in my chest.

Before I could even snap back, the rustle of the phone changing hands echoed through the speaker.

Sienna had snatched it. "Vaughn, don't talk to Sloane like that." Her voice dripped with sicklysweet innocence. "It's all my fault.

I shouldn't have drank so much last night and ruined your wedding night." Her voice shifted closer to the mic, laced with feigned anxiety. "Sloane, please don't be mad.

And don't… don't blame Vaughn." I heard her exhale a heavy, dramatic sigh. Her volume dropped to a hushed, intimate whisper. "Please don't misunderstand us.

I swear to you, absolutely nothing is going on between us.

Vaughn really loves you." She spoke with the practiced ease of an insider explaining things to an outsider. "If he didn't truly love you, he wouldn't have stayed with you for so long, and he definitely wouldn't have married you…" Sienna's voice abruptly cut off.

A harsh burst of static scratched against my ear as Vaughn snatched the phone right back.

But in the split second before the call disconnected, his suppressed, agonizingly raw whisper bled through the speaker. "Sienna, is that really what you think?" The line went dead.

A suffocating weight crushed my ribs.

I stared at the darkening screen, the cold metal edge biting into my rigid fingers. [ Omfg, who else is screaming at the male lead's suppressed, passionate love?

I'm shipping this so hard I'm losing my mind. ] [ Having the woman you deeply love misunderstand that you love someone else—who could endure that!

Stop holding back, male lead, confess to our sweetie right now! ] [ The extra wife must be dumbfounded.

She practically begged for attention by running away and throwing a fit in our sweetie's comment section. She actually thought that would work.

Little does she know, his head is entirely filled with our sweetie right now.

Why would he even bother with her? ] [ Lmfao, the wife actually thinks she's so important to the male lead. The reality?

He hasn't even noticed she moved out yet! ] I dragged my gaze away from the empty air. A sharp, hollow laugh tore through my throat.

So, this was what Vaughn looked like when he truly loved someone. He didn't lack the ability to love. He just didn't know how to love me.

I blocked out the rest of the floating comments. Pulling up my contacts, I dialed a real estate agent and immediately listed the house Vaughn and I had bought on the market.

Since it was newly renovated and I slashed the asking price for a quick cash sale, a buyer locked it down within hours.

Following the new owner's strict demands, I hired a removal crew and cleared out every single piece of furniture.

I stood in the doorway, staring into the echoing, hollow shell of the "perfect home" Vaughn and I had spent six painstaking months building from the ground up.

I thought it would break me. Chapter 5 But strangely, the invisible knot tied around my ribs finally unraveled.

It was as if a suffocating weight had finally been lifted from my shoulders. The man who was only playing the role of loving me—I could finally drop him for good.

For the next few days, I didn't reach out to Vaughn. Yet, I tracked his exact movements entirely through Sienna’s Instagram stories. They hit up a viral couples' brunch spot.

They visited the bleachers at their old high school. They even went on a weekend road trip they had promised each other back when they were teenagers.

By the time they returned from their little getaway, my lawyer had already finalized the house sale contracts.

All I needed was one single stroke of Vaughn's pen to sever every tie between us. So, for the first time in days, I initiated a call.

The glowing text instantly exploded across my vision. [ Look look look, the extra wife finally cracked.

She's crawling back to the male lead. ] [ Lmao, what's the point of her looking for him now? The male lead and our sweetie are one breath away from crossing the line!

The wife is still pathetically waiting for him to come home and coax her, while her man got snatched right under her nose. ] [ Right?

She's even staging this whole 'selling the house' drama just to trigger him. Does she really think that's gonna make him panic? ] [ Got my popcorn ready.

Waiting for the wife to use the house sale to throw a massive, unhinged tantrum. The crazier and more Karenlike she acts, the better!

It'll just highlight our sweetie's pure, gentle soul and throw the final spark onto her relationship with the male lead! ] [ So excited!

Our sweetie and the male lead are finally going to get their happily ever after~ ] The call connected.

Before I could even part my lips, Vaughn's voice cut through the line. "Done throwing your tantrum?" A mocking chill flashed in my eyes.

So, all this time, Vaughn had just been waiting for me to crack first. To crawl back and apologize. I wasn't mad anymore.

Simply because I didn't care. "Let's meet, Vaughn," I said, my tone dead flat. A beat of silence hung on the other end.

Then, a low, breathy chuckle rumbled from his throat. "Got it.

I'll be home tonight." "Don't bother coming back," I rejected smoothly. "Let's just meet somewhere outside." Vaughn paused. "Why?" I hesitated for a fraction of a second, deciding it was better to drop the house sale bomb in person tonight. "It's just not convenient." After all, the young engaged couple had already moved into the house.

It wouldn't exactly be appropriate to walk in on them to discuss our separation. But I never expected Vaughn to head back to our socalled "marital home" that evening anyway.

I booked a table at a notoriously spicy authentic Thai spot, texted Vaughn the address, and threw myself into prepping for my new business launch.

By the time I finally checked my screen again, he had sent a string of texts half an hour ago. [ Sienna is grabbing dinner with us tonight. ] [ At the end of the day, she's your best friend, and you really did misunderstand her intentions. ] [ Just give her a proper apology so we can move past this.

Then you and I can go back to living our lives, and you two can go back to being best friends. ] [ Also, Sienna can't handle spicy food, so the Thai place is out.

She offered to cook a few dishes at our house instead. Swing by Whole Foods on your way home from work and pick up these groceries. ] Vaughn fired off a massive grocery list.

Ninety percent of it was seafood. I knew Sienna obsessed over seafood, but I never expected Vaughn to forget that I was deathly allergic to shellfish.

I swiped past the obnoxious wall of text and opened my keypad, about to call Vaughn to stop him from going back to the house. Chapter 6 My phone shattered the silence.

I hit accept. "Sloane," Vaughn's voice was tight with suppressed rage, "if you let your friends move into our marital home, why didn't you run it by me first?! This is our house!

How could you just casually let some random couple move in?" "I'll be right there," I said, immediately ending the call. When I pulled up to the driveway, Vaughn’s face was dark.

He stood rigid, blocking Sienna from view, pulling a hard drag from his cigarette. The young engaged couple who had bought the house was blocking the doorway, fuming.

My gaze dragged downward.

The guy was frantically pulling up a pair of loose gym shorts, while the girl was clutching a messy silk robe around herself, aggressive hickeys clearly visible all over her neck.

The second they spotted me, they stormed over. "Sloane, what the hell is going on? Did you really not tell your husband you sold the house? Is this some kind of joke?

The wire transfer already cleared! If you're trying to back out now, we're suing you for breach of contract! We already called the cops anyway!

We're sorting this out right here, right now!" I apologized profusely. After finally talking the furious couple down, I turned and walked toward Vaughn.

Before I could even part my lips, Vaughn's jaw clenched tightly. "Sloane, if you wanted to let your friends crash here, fine. But shouldn't you have given me a headsup?

Do you have any idea what your friends were doing inside our house?" "When I pushed the door open, they were literally on the couch—" Vaughn cut himself off abruptly.

He sucked in a harsh breath, swallowing whatever graphic details were about to spill out.

Sienna, however, looked scandalized and kept going. "Sloane, no matter what, this is still your and Vaughn's marital home.

Having your two friends openly doing that inside your house… it’s just really inappropriate." Watching the color drain and flush from their faces, a sharp laugh actually escaped my throat.

No wonder the couple was so pissed.

These two idiots had walked in right in the middle of the action. "You're laughing?" Vaughn stared at me, a muscle feathering in his jaw. "Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" I wiped the smile off my face.

Unzipping my bag, I pulled out the finalized property transfer agreement. "My bad. I was planning on telling you at dinner tonight.

I just didn't expect you to bring Sienna all the way back here." I shoved the contract directly at Vaughn's chest. "They aren't my friends.

Strictly speaking, this property is already under their names. I sold the house to them." [ The show is finally starting