Chapter 1: Midnight Jazz Music
The gentle jazz music filled the courtyard, the expensive sound system often hired to make a wedding seem more sophisticated than the family’s actual setting. Amidst the magnificent vineyard, guests raised their glasses, laughing and toasting to a good day. But for me, the world had completely collapsed behind the oak door of the bride’s room.

I stood frozen, my hand gripping the tray of pastries I intended to bring to my new sister-in-law. Four hours. Exactly four hours after she stood before the altar, looking straight into my brother’s eyes and vowing to love him until death do us part. And now, I had to witness this disgusting scene: my husband, the man I once thought was the most solid support in my life, was burying his hands in the pristine white lace wedding dress of his new bride.

“Julian… what are you doing?”

My voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the thick, scent of expensive perfume and guilt in the room.

Julian flinched. His face turned pale, and he hastily pulled his hand back as if he’d touched fire. Evelyn—my family’s perfect sister-in-law—was far more composed. She merely curled her lips slightly, slowly adjusting the neckline of her custom-designed wedding dress worth tens of thousands of dollars, then looked at me with an expression devoid of any interest.

“Clara, listen to me, it’s not what you think!” Julian stammered, taking a step forward, intending to grab my hand, but I recoiled, looking at him as if he were some disgusting, alien creature.

“Not what I think?” I laughed, a bitter, choking laugh. “Then what are you doing? Adjusting my sister-in-law’s wedding dress? Or checking the fabric quality by groping her all over?”

Chapter 2: The Perfect Facade
To understand why I’m in so much pain, we have to go back six months. My brother, Thomas, was a gentle man, somewhat naive in love, but incredibly successful. When he introduced Evelyn to the family, we were all astonished. Evelyn was beautiful, a sharp, elegant beauty, and always acted like a refined lady. My brother doted on her like a queen, willing to spend a fortune to have a dream wedding at this luxurious vineyard.

My husband, Julian, was the type of man who appeared sophisticated on the outside but was full of ambition on the inside. We had been married for three years, and our married life was peaceful until Evelyn appeared. I remember the ambiguous glances between them during family meals, the times Julian unintentionally defended Evelyn when my mother complained about her extravagant spending. At the time, I just thought Julian was being polite. It turned out the misery had been taking root for a long time without my knowledge.

“Clara, stop making such a fuss,” Evelyn said, her voice chillingly cold. She calmly sat down in the velvet armchair, crossing her legs, revealing her slender thighs beneath her high-slit wedding dress. “Today is Thomas and my special day. Do you want to ruin it over a petty misunderstanding?”

“A petty misunderstanding?” My head was spinning. “You just married my brother four hours ago! You swore your love to him in front of hundreds of guests! And he,” I pointed at Julian, “is my husband!”

“Love?” Evelyn scoffed contemptuously. “Thomas is a good man, a walking wallet. But he’s so boring. Clara, how many years have you lived and still so naive? Men like what they can’t have, and Julian is no exception.”

Julian stood beside me, head bowed, not uttering a word to defend me, or at least to defend himself. He just fearfully looked towards the door, afraid that Thomas or my parents would walk in.

Chapter 3: The Naked Truth
I looked at the two people in front of me, a feeling of disgust rising to my throat. The tray of pastries in my hand fell to the floor, the expensive macarons scattered everywhere, just like my trust and happiness at that moment.

“Julian, tell me. Since when?” I looked straight into my husband’s eyes, forcing him to answer.

Julian looked at Evelyn, then at me, sweat beading on his forehead. “Before the wedding… about two months. During a site survey with her. Clara, I’m sorry, I was possessed by a demon. I never intended to betray you, it’s just…”

“It’s just that you couldn’t resist a flirtatious woman, right?” I interrupted, tears finally welling up, hot and stinging. “You’ve been secretly plotting behind my and Thomas’s backs all this time, and yet you can still calmly bless us, calmly put on a show in front of everyone?”

“Watch your language,” Evelyn stood up abruptly, pointing her finger at my face. “It was your husband who主动 crawled into my room tonight. He said he missed my scent, that he couldn’t bear to see me with someone else. I was just ‘bestowing’ a little favor on him before I officially became Mrs. Thomas.”

So that’s it. That magnificent wedding dress, that romantic setting, it was all just a velvet curtain…

It was a depraved charade. My poor brother Thomas was out there, proudly serving drinks to everyone, boasting that he had married the most wonderful woman in his life. He had no idea that his newlywed wife was having an affair with her brother-in-law right there in the dressing room.

Chapter 4: A Cruel Decision
My self-respect was trampled upon, but my love for my brother brought me back to my senses. I couldn’t let him continue living in this mire. I couldn’t let his life be ruined by a venomous snake and a traitor.

“Listen carefully, both of you,” I stepped back, my hand searching for my phone in my bag. “It’s over.”

Julian was startled when he saw me pull out my phone. He lunged forward and grabbed my hand: “Clara! What are you doing? Don’t make a fuss! There are so many of Dad and Thomas’s business partners here today. If this gets out, the family’s reputation will be ruined! I beg you, we’ll sort this out at home. I promise I’ll break up with her!”

“Let go of me!” I slapped Julian hard across the face. The loud slap echoed in the silent room. “Do you think I still care about that tattered reputation? Do you think I’ll continue sharing a bed with a scoundrel like you?”

Evelyn crossed her arms and sneered: “Go ahead and call Thomas in. Let’s see if he believes his sister, who’s always jealous of my looks, or the wife he just proposed to?”

Her overconfidence made me laugh. I didn’t bother calling Thomas. I pressed the play button on my phone. That’s right, from the moment I entered the room and smelled the infidelity, I had secretly turned on the recording function. The entire conversation, from Julian’s admission to Evelyn’s contemptuous remarks about Thomas, had been recorded word for word.

Evelyn’s face instantly changed. Her arrogance vanished, replaced by utter panic. “Clara… you… give that to me!” She lunged forward, trying to snatch the phone.

But I was faster. I stepped back towards the door, my hand gripping the oak doorknob.

“I won’t make a fuss here,” I said, my voice icy cold. “I’ll give you two forty-five minutes. Julian, sign the divorce papers I’ll send tomorrow, pack your things, and get out of my house. As for Evelyn, you know what to do with Thomas. If I see you in my family home tomorrow, this recording will be on your father’s desk, on all the online news sites, and on all of Thomas’s partners.”

Epilogue: Lights Out
I opened the door and walked out. The gentle jazz music continued to float softly, and the night breeze from the vineyard awakened me. Outside, Thomas was smiling brightly, a glass of wine swirling in his hand. Seeing me, he waved and called out, “Clara! Where have you been? Come have a drink with me!”

I swallowed my tears, walked over to him, and hugged my poor brother tightly. “I’m here, brother. Congratulations.”

“Why are your eyes so red?” Thomas asked worriedly.

“Nothing, brother, I’m just too emotional. I have to go now, you stay and enjoy yourself.”

I turned and walked away, without looking back at the magnificent villa behind me. Tonight, a marriage had died, a golden wedding had collapsed before it even began. But I knew I had done the right thing. Tomorrow, the sun would rise, and the truth – however painful – would free us from the liars.

It was a depraved charade. My poor brother Thomas was out there, proudly serving drinks to everyone, boasting that he had married the most wonderful woman in his life. He had no idea that his newlywed wife was having an affair with her brother-in-law right there in the dressing room.

Chapter 4: A Cruel Decision
My self-respect was trampled upon, but my love for my brother brought me back to my senses. I couldn’t let him continue living in this mire. I couldn’t let his life be ruined by a venomous snake and a traitor.

“Listen carefully, both of you,” I stepped back, my hand searching for my phone in my bag. “It’s over.”

Julian was startled when he saw me pull out my phone. He lunged forward and grabbed my hand: “Clara! What are you doing? Don’t make a fuss! There are so many of Dad and Thomas’s business partners here today. If this gets out, the family’s reputation will be ruined! I beg you, we’ll sort this out at home. I promise I’ll break up with her!”

“Let go of me!” I slapped Julian hard across the face. The loud slap echoed in the silent room. “Do you think I still care about that tattered reputation? Do you think I’ll continue sharing a bed with a scoundrel like you?”

Evelyn crossed her arms and sneered: “Go ahead and call Thomas in. Let’s see if he believes his sister, who’s always jealous of my looks, or the wife he just proposed to?”

Her overconfidence made me laugh. I didn’t bother calling Thomas. I pressed the play button on my phone. That’s right, from the moment I entered the room and smelled the infidelity, I had secretly turned on the recording function. The entire conversation, from Julian’s admission to Evelyn’s contemptuous remarks about Thomas, had been recorded word for word.

Evelyn’s face instantly changed. Her arrogance vanished, replaced by utter panic. “Clara… you… give that to me!” She lunged forward, trying to snatch the phone.

But I was faster. I stepped back towards the door, my hand gripping the oak doorknob.

“I won’t make a fuss here,” I said, my voice icy cold. “I’ll give you two forty-five minutes. Julian, sign the divorce papers I’ll send tomorrow, pack your things, and get out of my house. As for Evelyn, you know what to do with Thomas. If I see you in my family home tomorrow, this recording will be on your father’s desk, on all the online news sites, and on all of Thomas’s partners.”

Epilogue: Lights Out
I opened the door and walked out. The gentle jazz music continued to float softly, and the night breeze from the vineyard awakened me. Outside, Thomas was smiling brightly, a glass of wine swirling in his hand. Seeing me, he waved and called out, “Clara! Where have you been? Come have a drink with me!”

I swallowed my tears, walked over to him, and hugged my poor brother tightly. “I’m here, brother. Congratulations.”

“Why are your eyes so red?” Thomas asked worriedly.

“Nothing, brother, I’m just too emotional. I have to go now, you stay and enjoy yourself.”

I turned and walked away, without looking back at the magnificent villa behind me. Tonight, a marriage had died, a golden wedding had collapsed before it even began. But I knew I had done the right thing. Tomorrow, the sun would rise, and the truth – however painful – would free us from the liars.