Bride's Confession: She Gave My Buddy a Baby

At the bachelor party on the eve of my wedding, everyone starts playing "Never Have I Ever". When it's Zander Carlson's turn, he bluntly declares, "I have a child." Before I can even recover from the shock, my fiancée, Clover Sorrell, chimes in, "So do I." As soon as she finishes speaking, she pushes the penalty drink toward me without batting an eye, as if it's the most natural thing in the world. She goes on, "Since we're already talking about this, I'll be straightforward. Drink up. I slept with Zander. He wanted a child, and as his best friend, I felt I should help him. He, my parents, and everyone else here already know about it. "The child is already three years old. I conceived him around the time your father passed away. As long as you can be mature and let this go, our wedding can still go ahead." The private room falls completely silent. Not a single person looks surprised. Even my best friend, Samson Silva, joins in to smooth things over. "Come on, Ezra. It's only natural. It's just one child. Everyone knew about it. We didn't dare tell you because we were afraid you'd get upset." At last, I understand. They all knew Clover was involved with Zander, and even my closest friend had been keeping it from me. After coming clean, Clover reaches out her hand with an outrageously confident expression. She expects me to swallow my grievances like I always have. But this time, I'm done putting up with it. Chapter 1 Ezra's POV "The child is three years old?" My voice came out hoarse, as if I had to force every word past my throat. Clover Sorrell said nothing. There wasn't even a hint of guilt on her face. "When my father died, you told me your flight had been delayed. So all that time, you were off sleeping with Zander?" Clover and I had been together for seven years, but we still hadn't gotten married. Even in his final moments, my father had kept looking hopefully toward the hospital room door. I knew he was worried about me. I'd thought it was just an unfortunate accident. After all, flight delays were beyond anyone's control. But now, Clover was telling me that on that very day, she'd slept with Zander Carlson. And the child had been conceived around that time. My bitter, scornful stare made Clover frown. She instinctively snapped at me, "Watch your language, Ezra Kane! I was just doing Zander a favor. I wanted to help him fulfill a wish. He doesn't even like me that way. He's not going to interfere with our marriage. "You were moping around with a long face every single day back then. I couldn't stand looking at you, so I had no choice but to get out of the house. If you want someone to blame, you should blame your father for dying at such an inconvenient time." She looked at me coldly, and her words pierced me like a thousand blades. It was bad enough that Clover and Zander had used my grief and helplessness after losing a parent as an excuse to carry on their affair. Now, they even had the audacity to blame my father for it. My eyes reddened uncontrollably. I clenched my fists so tightly that my knuckles turned white. "Clover, you and Zander slept together while my father was dying. And now, that child is already three years old. And you still expect me to go ahead with our wedding tomorrow?" The moment I raised my voice, the private dining room fell terrifyingly silent. Everyone there was a mutual friend of mine and Clover's. Even my best friend, Samson Silva, was there. However, not one of them stood by my side. Zander stepped forward, shielding Clover behind him. With a smile, he said, "Ezra, this is all my fault. My family was pressuring me to have a child, and I was desperate. That's why I asked Clover to have one with me. I promise that the child and I won't interfere with your family. "Besides, if Clover and I had really wanted to be together, you wouldn't have stood a chance in the first place, would you?" As he finished speaking, a provocative glint flashed in his eyes for a moment. "That's right, Ezra. Just pretend none of this ever happened. It's not like the child will ever have to be around you." Samson said it as though it were the most reasonable thing in the world. A chill seeped into my very bones. So what if the child never appeared in front of me? Did that mean the child didn't exist? No matter what happened, Clover would always be his mother. If I gave in and married her today, I'd be signing myself up for a lifetime of involuntary entanglement with Zander and his son. Ever since Zander returned from abroad, Clover had taken him everywhere she went. Whenever anything happened to him, she was always the first to rush to his side. And now, there was a child in the picture too. I could already imagine how miserable and suffocating the rest of my life would be. Looking at Clover's utterly indifferent expression, I felt all the fight drain out of me. I spoke calmly, "There's no need for you to put up with this. I'm calling off our wedding. I'll step aside and let you two have each other." Chapter 2 Ezra's POV The moment I finished speaking, the entire room fell silent. Clover froze for a second before stepping forward and grabbing my hand. She said, "Okay, your tantrum has gone overboard. We've already sent out the wedding invitations. Everyone knows we're getting married, and now you're saying we're calling it off? Your mother is still looking forward to attending your wedding. Have you considered how she'll feel hearing you say this, Ezra Kane?" When I remained silent, Clover grew increasingly irritable. "Fine, alright. I get it. How about this? After the wedding, I'll spend three days a week taking care of the child with Zander, and the other four days with you. That should be enough, right?" Her expression was dripping with condescension, as if she were doing me some enormous favor. She was so certain I'd eagerly accept her offer. The mutual friends around us seemed to approve of her wholeheartedly. A flicker of jealousy crossed Zander's eyes. I couldn't help finding the whole thing utterly ridiculous. What exactly did Clover take me for? Was I a dog she could summon whenever she wanted and dismiss whenever she pleased? I was about to refuse when Clover continued, her voice growing firmer, "I can give you the best wedding imaginable. But Ezra, you should stop expecting me to get a marriage certificate with you?" I stared at her in disbelief. Before I could even process what she'd said, she went on as if it were perfectly reasonable. "I can't let my child be born out of wedlock. Marrying Zander is nonnegotiable. But don't worry. In my heart, you're still my husband." With that, she reached out as if to comfort me. I stepped backward to avoid her hand. "You had a child with him, and you even got a marriage certificate with him. Then, what am I to you? And what does tomorrow's wedding even mean?" I stared straight at Clover, my eyes bloodshot. A frown gradually formed between her brows as she said, "So, when it comes down to it, you just want me to divorce Zander, don't you? Let me make this clear. Both the Sorrell and Carlson families know about my relationship with Zander. "He's a match for me in terms of socio-economic background, so there's no way we're getting divorced. If you keep making a scene, I'll cancel tomorrow's wedding altogether!" As she said that, her expression turned icy. When Clover and I first got together, she'd never cared about my family background. Even the Sorrell family had never raised any objections. I'd always thought they were open-minded. Now, I understood. They'd known all along that, to Clover, I was nothing more than a lover or a plaything. I was never going to be the man she legally married. Zander had a brief look of amusement in his eyes. Samson hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Ezra, don't push your luck. You've been with Clover for so many years. If you anger her, you'll be the one crawling back on your knees to beg for forgiveness." I snorted incredulously and stood up. If I'd really been after Clover's money, I wouldn't have spent the past seven years working so hard to build my own business. I'd wanted Clover herself. Unfortunately, I'd only just realized that she'd never truly been mine. I suppressed the turmoil inside me and spoke calmly, "I said I'll step aside and let you two be together. The wedding is off." With that, I turned and walked away. Just before the private room door closed, Zander raised his voice. "Clover, what if Ezra is serious this time? Should I just swallow my pride and apologize to him?" Clover nestled into his arms like it was second nature and let out a mocking laugh. "Ezra is just a dog I've kept around. He won't leave even if I try to get rid of him. Just wait. He'll show up at the wedding tomorrow, tail wagging, all on his own. "By then, I'll make him toast you as an apology." Uproarious laughter erupted in the private room. I walked away without hesitation, never once looking back. Chapter 3 Ezra's POV When I arrived at the house we'd prepared for our wedding, I stared at the "Just Married" banner pasted on the front door. I reached out and gently peeled it off. The entire house had been decorated for the occasion. There were balloons and flowers everywhere. When I'd arranged all of this, I'd imagined bringing Clover home as my bride and giving her the very best of everything. Now, I threw it all away, piece by piece, along with every gift she'd ever given me. As I sorted through everything, I realized just how pitifully few gifts Clover had given me over the years. Not only were there barely any, but most of them had been freebies. I'd seen the genuine versions of those very same items all over Zander's social media. All these years, I'd been blinded by what I thought was love. I'd somehow ended up being neither a proper lover nor someone she even loved. After I finished clearing everything out, I received a call from Clover's mother, Harriet Clark. As usual, her voice was calm. But this time, I finally recognized the condescension behind it. "Ezra, I heard you just had a huge argument with Clover and the others? Clover was in the wrong. She should have made things clear to you from the beginning. Still, you should understand that someone from your background was never a suitable match for our family. "Clover stayed with you for seven years. That's already more than generous of her. She's even willing to give you a wedding. As for Zander and his child, you don't need to worry about them. They won't have that many opportunities to cross paths with you anyway." I pressed my pale lips together and replied calmly, "Harriet, there's no need to explain any of this to me. If Clover had been honest with me from the beginning, I never would have gotten involved with her at all. "There's no need to hold tomorrow's wedding, either. Clover and I will have nothing more to do with each other." A mocking laugh came from the other end of the line. "Ezra, you've been clinging to our family for seven years, hoping to marry Clover and use her to climb the social ladder. Now that you've realized it isn't going to happen, you're running away?" "Oh, well. At least you have the sense to leave on your own. That saves Clover the trouble of dealing with you once she's grown tired of you and you start pestering her." I didn't wait for her to finish. I hung up. For the past seven years, the Sorrell family had treated me with such indifference that I'd mistaken it for acceptance. Now, their true colors were finally showing. I laughed until tears rolled down my cheeks. Once I'd calmed myself, I went back to packing. Just then, my phone suddenly buzzed several times. I picked it up and saw that my social media feeds and every other platform were flooded with Clover and Zander's photos. There were wedding photos and pictures of them at their marriage registration. Even the official websites of Sorrell Group and Carlson Group had posted confirmations that the news was genuine. Quite a few people online were questioning what had happened. After all, whenever Clover had attended social events and banquets over the years, I'd always been the man by her side. So why had she suddenly replaced me? Clover even used her personal account to post a grand family photo of herself, Zander, and their child. She then posted a clarification that read, "This is the third year since I married Zander. We are still very much deeply in love. Ezra Kane did pursue me before, but my heart has always belonged to Zander." She even added a giggling-behind-her-hand emoji after the text. The comments section immediately filled with people piecing together the timeline of the past few years. Clover and Zander had registered their marriage three years ago, and their child was already three years old. So, it was only natural that I was painted as the homewrecker trying to break up their marriage. Plenty of people began leaving vicious comments and curses. "Trying to marry into a rich family, huh? He knew Ms. Sorrell was already married and still went after her. I've seen plenty of men like this." "How absolutely disgusting! I can't believe a man tried to become a homewrecker, and he didn't even succeed. LOL!" I kept scrolling, clenching my teeth so tightly they hurt. My fingers were trembling so badly that I couldn't bring myself to close the screen. Just then, my mother called. Chapter 4 Ezra's POV The moment I answered the phone, I heard Mom choking back tears. "Ezra, what's going on between you and Clover? Haven't you two been together for seven years? Why is someone saying you're the other man? "They also said that Clover married someone else and that they already have a three-year-old child! "Tell me the truth. What happened between you and Clover? Weren't you supposed to get married tomorrow?" The more Mom spoke, the harder she cried. My heart ached so badly that my fingers began to tremble. I replied in a hoarse voice, "Mom, I didn't do anything wrong. I've been with Clover for seven years, but she kept this from me…" I couldn't bring myself to finish my sentence. On the other end of the line, Mom seemed to hear all the pain I was holding inside. "I know my boy would never do something like that. Forget the wedding. Come home. I'll cook you something." Choking back tears, I agreed. As soon as I hung up, the tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over. I could take responsibility for a failed relationship of my own, but I couldn't accept dragging my family into it. I picked up my phone, intending to put together a timeline of what had happened. At the very least, I had to clear my name. Just then, a message from Zander popped up. He wrote, "Is this your hometown? Does your mother live there alone? Poor thing. She just found out her son was a homewrecker. A bunch of people have upset her so badly that she's had an episode. I wonder if she'll even get to see her son one last time before she dies. "Oh, and today's a special occasion. Clover and I have decided to try for a second child. Make sure you clear out the master bedroom." After sending the messages, he sent several photos. Mom was lying on the ground, barely conscious. People around her were running about in panic, but no one was stopping to help. I felt a lump in my throat. Then, I doubled over and spat out a mouthful of blood. The next moment, I jumped to my feet and frantically rushed toward the door. But before I could get out, the door to the house flung open. Clover walked in, supporting a seemingly drunk Zander. The moment she saw me, she frowned and said, "Zander's drunk. This is the closest place, so he's staying here for the night." Zander looked up at me, a flicker of provocation in his eyes. He wasn't drunk at all! Before I could say anything, Clover carefully settled Zander onto the couch and went to make him a hangover remedy. In all the years we'd been together, Clover had never even poured me a glass of water. I didn't have time to dwell on that pain. All I wanted was to get to Mom as quickly as possible. Zander, who was slumped on the couch, grabbed my hand and whispered, "Your mother really can't handle much, can she? How did she even raise such a shameless son? Tell me, if I send a few more people to the hospital to provoke her, will she just drop dead?" He burst out laughing. I couldn't hold back any longer. Eyes burning with rage, I swung my fist and punched him. The next second, a bowl of scalding hot liquid came crashing down onto me. "Ezra! What the hell are you doing?" Clover shoved me away with all her strength. The boiling liquid had blistered my skin, and the movement tore the burned flesh open. I bit down so hard that I tasted blood. Only after making sure Zander was unharmed did Clover turn to look at me. When she saw how badly I was hurt, she panicked for a moment. However, it quickly turned to anger. She scolded, "Why did you attack Zander? He's only staying for one night! You're letting your jealousy get the better of you!" I clenched my fists, wanting to shove Zander's messages in her face. Right at that moment, a call from the hospital came in. "Mr. Kane, your mother is in a critical condition. Please come as soon as possible to settle the medical fees." I ignored the pain and sprang to my feet, desperate to rush out. Clover grabbed my hand and said, "Ezra, Sorrell Group has publicly confirmed my relationship with Zander. We can still go ahead with tomorrow's wedding, but only the people who were at today's private gathering will be invited. "The entire wedding must remain strictly confidential. Otherwise, I'm calling it off." Her voice was thick with warning. I yanked my hand free without even looking at her and walked straight out. ... Third-Person POV On the day of the wedding, all the mutual friends from that private gathering crowded around Clover. The wedding dress she wore wasn't the one Ezra had originally chosen for her. That dress had already been ruined during one of her reckless nights with Zander. Zander came over and tugged at the train of Clover's wedding dress. Green with envy, he said, "Clover, you promised me that even if you're having a wedding with Ezra today, you're still spending the night with me." Clover nodded affectionately. She remembered that Ezra was always so understanding. It was only one night, after all, and they had plenty of time to be together after that. She'd make it up to him properly someday. But as time passed, Ezra still didn't show up. Clover's expression gradually darkened. Just then, one of their friends beside her suddenly cried out in surprise, "Clover, someone just posted a photo of Ezra. He's already in Maxend!"