Deceit Behind Her Marriage [English]

CHAPTER 2

Lauren didn't know how to resolve the problem. This might have been one of the most significant challenges she had ever faced in her life. She had sought help from close relatives who had once been revered when her family was affluent and living an extravagant life. However, now, no one was willing to offer support.

She had already asked for her mother's forgiveness for her actions and promised they wouldn't sell the house. The mere notion of her mother's disappointment weighed heavily on her heart.

Lauren had spent a week at their house, visiting several relatives, when she received an invitation from her high school classmate. Their batch was scheduled for a school reunion the following week, so she was also deliberating whether to participate.

She received her education from prestigious schools, and the likelihood of someone lending her money was relatively high. Nevertheless, Lauren's main worry revolved around how she could repay it.

Whatever it may be!

She was sitting on a swing in a garden, lost in thought, when her phone rang, disrupting her reverie. She saw on the screen that her friend Brett was the one calling.

"Hello?" she answered with a hint of weariness.

"Hey, hey! Why does it seem like the heavens and earth conspired against you when you answered my call as if you didn't want to talk to me?"

"I'm sorry! I've just returned from my dad's cousin's house but couldn't secure a loan from him."

Brett took a moment before responding, audibly exhaling before continuing. "I'll be there tonight to meet you, alright?"

"You're coming here? Do you not have the training, or what about Kori? Don't you have plans with your girlfriend?" Lauren mentioned his long-time girlfriend.

Her friend frequently dedicated himself to basketball training and regularly attended the gym to uphold his physical well-being. While Lauren was aware of their longing for each other, she was reluctant to encroach on Brett's private moments—moments that ought to have been set for someone else. She couldn't help but observe the frequency of her friend's visits to their home.

"I've ended things with Kori," Brett revealed on the other end.

"What? Why?" she inquired with a sense of bewilderment. She couldn't believe what he was saying. It was because she had always been jealous of Kori, Finn's best friend.

Finn?

Lauren shook her head. While remaining in the country, she deliberately avoided potential encounters with her former fiancé. From the moment she exited his room six years ago, Lauren had also abandoned her emotions for him. A mere week after their last encounter, she departed for America and ceased all communication. The tears she had shed for him had been sufficient.

But did she truly forget about him?

"Lauren? Lauren?" her friend called out to her on the other line. She didn't hear what he said.

"Sorry, I-I was just caught up in something to read," she explained.

"I'm near your place; I'll come to you."

She decided to let it go because she needed his support. She had borrowed two million from Brett on her second day back, but her mother had already repaid the debt to some friends.

Lauren yearned for the notion that perhaps it was merely a dream, a chance for their lives to revert to their former state, back to their childhood days, where she and her brother Kael played carefree in the garden. Those precious moments swinging on the old swing with Brett, their laughter echoing with pure joy.

"Miss, your friend has arrived," the housemaid informed her.

"Just let him in," she replied.

It didn't take long before she felt an embrace from behind, near the sliding door. Simultaneously, Brett planted a kiss on Lauren’s cheek.

"Ew, gross!" she exclaimed, wiping her cheek with a grimace. "Take a seat on the other swing," she gestured towards the adjacent one.

He chuckled at her reaction.

"So, why did you end things with Kori?" she inquired shortly after he settled on the opposite side of the swing.

"It was a change of heart," he replied nonchalantly.

Her friend and Kori had been together as a couple for four years. She learned about their relationship when Brett visited her in Los Angeles. At the time, she had been thrilled to hear the news because Kori was a loving and kind woman. During high school, Kori was famous, serving as a cheerleader, almost as if she were there to cheer on her best friend, Brett.

Being a woman, she had known from the very start that Kori held a special admiration for Brett and had harbored feelings for him for an extended period. Kori exuded glamour and possessed the kind of smooth, fair skin that even mosquitoes would hesitate to bite her.

Furthermore, she has a high social status. Kori was the type of woman who could capture everyone's attention, akin to a real-life Disney princess in the eyes of both friends and parents.

That's why she had come to terms long ago with the fact that many were captivated by Kori, Finn included.

Lauren let out a sigh. "Who had a change of heart? Was it her or you?"

He locked onto her with an intense, probing look at that instant. She couldn't determine if he was reluctant to unveil his genuine emotions to her.

"It was me," came the straightforward response she heard from him.

"Because?"

"I-I feel suffocated."

"Well, what if I were the one choking you here? You know, I can't comprehend your actions, and I sympathize with your girlfriend. Four years is a significant time!"

Lauren often came across news stories linking Brett to various women, including actresses, models, and the daughters of affluent individuals, making her suspect that Brett might have been unfaithful to his girlfriend.

"Whoever that woman is, put a stop to it now! Who knows, you might go back to Kori later."

Lauren let out a sigh and gave him a disapproving glance. She had heard about their breakups several times, but he always ended up with the same woman in the end—Kori.

In response, Brett offered a simple smile, his lips parting a few times as if he were hesitant to reveal the truth to her.

"Let's set aside my relationship with Kori. How about your issue?" he suggested instead.

"Ugh! I'd rather not discuss it. Don't worry; I'll come up with a solution."

"And what kind of solution are you considering?"

"Well, who knows, maybe an older, portly man will propose to me. Isn't that often the case in novels or movies when a woman requires financial help?"

"If you ever decide to marry a wealthy man, you can choose me."

"You rascal! Marry a player like you? Besides, why take it so seriously? Let's go inside and eat. Our conversation has left me hungry!"

She got up and proceeded to the dining area. Their bond with Brett resembled that of siblings, so the idea of marrying him was utterly ludicrous. It would be like tying the knot with her brother, Kael if she ever entertained the notion and understood that he was merely jesting.

***

Reunion day. Brett didn't want the idea of Lauren attending the gathering, but she had to go because she was close to many of her high school friends, even though she rarely saw them these days.

She's wearing a long black dress with the lower half of her back exposed. Her brown hair is neatly swept to one side, revealing her diamond earring and the smooth line of her neck on the other.

"Lauren!" Her classmate and friend Jessica De Joya waved at her as soon as she entered the spacious hall. Jessica is the daughter of a famous action star from the nineties.

She felt uneasy, and her feet were rooted to the entrance as everyone in the room simultaneously turned to look at her. They couldn't take their eyes off her, making her uncomfortable.

"Excuse me?" a woman's voice came behind her, prompting her to swiftly change her position.

At that moment, she realized she was obstructing the path of the three individuals who had captured everyone's attention. The Three Musketeers from high school had made their entrance: Drew Walton, Kori Zheng, and the person she had hoped to avoid seeing upon her return, Finn Burnham, who was currently giving her an intense gaze.