Dealing With The Other Brother

　　SARA

　　"I got engaged to Mira last night."

　　The words hits me like a bomb and I stagger back, holding onto the bed frame for support.

　　"What?"

　　He sighs, slow and tired. And then rubs the back of his neck like he was getting exhausted already, "I said I got engaged. To Mira."

　　My head spins and I lean onto the frame.

　　This can't be true. This can't be fucking real. Jason and I are too in love for this. Too in love to play these silly pranks. We had even wedded in secret and now…

　　"You… You're kidding, right?" I say, taking a step forward, clutching at his arms desperately, "This must be a silly prank. You can't be serious."

　　He gently peels my hands away from me, exhaling sharply,"I am, Sara. My mom arranged it. I had no choice."

　　I slump onto the edge of the bed, defeat overwhelming me, "No choice? How can you say that? After everything? After the wedding?"

　　His jaw tightens and something, a flicker of guilt? flashes in his eyes. " The wedding wasn't real."

　　My heart stops mid-beat, "What?"

　　"The priest. He was fake."

　　My breath punches out of me and a wave of dizziness washes over me.

　　"Fake?" My voice creak, "So you— used me? Pretended to marry me? What, for fun? For practice?"

　　"You were pushing for marriage," he grunts, "I just gave you what you wanted."

　　"What I wanted?" I laugh, in awe that this was the fucking excuse he could come up with, "Did you think I wanted a secret marriage? That I wanted to remain the secret you so desperately kept away from your family?"

　　He tucks his palms in his pocket, letting out a deep breath, "I had no choice. I needed to show my father I wasn't a liability. Marrying you would have… complicated things."

　　"So you decided to go for Mira. The billionaire," I squint my fingers, " heiress of the Denvers family."

　　"You don't understand—"

　　"No, Jason. You don't understand!" I yell, shoving him in the chest. He barely budge, "You lied to me! You manipulated me! You let me believe we were—" My throat burns. "That we meant something!"

　　He pinches the bridge of his nose, breathing like I was giving him a headache, "Stop making this harder than it is, Sara."

　　"Why?!" I yell between sobs, "why shouldn't I make this harder?!"

　　"Because you're not enough!" He barks, something wicked flashing in his eyes.

　　It softens.

　　"Because you're not enough," he repeats, calm, "Mira has what I need. Power, resources , connections. With her by my side , father would see I am capable of leading the company. The Denvers backing guarantees I'll outrank my brother. It's that simple."

　　A bitter laugh echos from me, filling the room, "So this is all about you. About your precious title. Your pathetic obsession with beating your brother."

　　His jaw clenches, "I'm doing what I have to,"

　　"And me?" My voice is barely there, "What was I to you?"

　　He hesitates. Just enough to tell me the truth will destroy me.

　　"Nothing that matters now," he finally lets out.

　　And I feel something inside me collapse.

　　This wasn't about me. This was about him. His selfish greed and lust for power that he would sacrifice everything.

　　Quietly, He turns and makes for the door. Walking away as if everything we had had together was nothing.

　　"I've blocked you on all socials," he says, a hand closing around the door knob, "Do not call, do not text,"

　　He pauses, his hazel green eyes holding mine, "Do not make this more dramatic than it already is, Sara."

　　I only chuckle, tears blurring my vision as I watch the man I lived my life for leave the room like I was only a fleeting memory.

　　The door slams shut

　　The silence that follows is brutal.

　　I slump onto the bed, my chest hurting so bad I grab the sheets just to stay upright.

　　How stupid i was. How stupid. I should have known the day he told me to keep our wedding secret. Known the times he only called when he needed my input on the marketing strategies he had crafted for his dad.

　　A knock breaks through the numbness and I adjust, wiping a hand over my eyes.

　　"Miss?" the hotel attendant calls, stepping inside with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, but the payment for the room has been exhausted. You'll need to check out."

　　Of course. Jason had booked the room under my name again. He always does. He always says it's so "no one can trace him here." How foolish I was not to see the real reason why.

　　I let out a short bitter laugh.

　　I am an idiot. A stupid , trusting idiot.

　　A flicker on the TV screen draws my eyes and I turn to it, my heart thudding.

　　There it is, on the screen, a video of Jason and Mira waving at the crowd as they announced their engagement with a news presenter beaming at the camera while the video plays at the background.

　　She reports, "Girls all over the country hope dashes as yesterday, Nation's golden boy, Jason Ford and billionaire heiress, Mira Denvers announced their engagement to the surprise of family and friends. It is reported that the wedding will be taking place in the next three months and preparations have already started. Congratulations to the couple!"

　　The attendant glances back at the screen, then at me, squealing.

　　"Wow! Jason and Mira are perfect together. Their relationship was so sweet. Honestly, everyone knew they'd end up engaged since they started dating."

　　I freeze, "dating?"

　　"Yeah," she says, surprised, "A year ago. You didn't know? They were all over the internet. Did you live under a rock or something?"

　　I stare at her, disbelief washing over me. A year ago. When I was at my country home taking care of my mom. I had lost all communications with everyone and he had refused to make any effort to visit.

　　So this was why.

　　Just then, my phone beeps and I pick it up, my hands trembling. A message pops on the screen and I glance at the sender.

　　An unknown number.

　　Who could it be?

　　My eyes skims down to the contents and I see it's a video.

　　I raise a brow as I click on the video. The first sound that fills my ears are the slapping of skins and moans.

　　"Oh, yes Jason. Please fuck me, fuck me hard," the voice of Mira cries, filling the room.