The Brother I Shouldn’t Want

𝓣𝓲𝓶“First a toast to the bride and to the groom, my best friend.”The words came out smoothly, practiced and calm. If my voice betrayed me, no one noticed. Or maybe they did and chose not to care. Either way, all eyes were on me, and I had nowhere to hide.I raised my glass slightly, the champagne catching the warm glow of the chandelier above us, the hall was packed. White flowers lined every table and soft music played somewhere behind me. Everything looked like it belonged in a Wedding of the century magazine.Eric stood at the center of it all, tall and confident in his tailored suit. Laura stood beside him and her hand resting lightly on his arm, her smile flawless. They looked perfect together. I forced my lips into a smile.“I’ve known Eric for ten years,” I continued. “We met back when we were both just trying to figure out what we wanted to do with our lives. I never imagined that one day I’d be standing here, giving a speech at his wedding.”Soft laughter rippled thro

𝓣𝓲𝓶“Oh good, you’re finally awake.”A stranger’s voice reached me the moment I opened my eyes.It wasn’t Eric’s voice. I knew that instantly, even though my head was pounding and my thoughts were slow and heavy. Eric’s voice was familiar, safe in a way that had nothing to do with comfort and everything to do with habit. This voice was calm, low, and too steady for someone who was not supposed to be there.My heart jumped hard in my chest.I blinked against the light and stared up at the ceiling, trying to place myself before I moved. This was the apartment Eric had rented for the wedding. It was inside one of the big hotels in Switzerland. Everything looked clean and expensive, like no one had really stayed here before.The ceiling was smooth and white. The walls were plain. The curtains were thick and heavy, blocking out the light from outside. The furniture was neat and cold, placed carefully, like it was meant to be looked at, not used.I turned my head slowly.A man was sitti

𝓣𝓲𝓶The engine roared to life beneath me, low and powerful, and before I could think twice, Frank pulled onto the road. I wrapped my arms around his waist out of instinct, my body reacting faster than my thoughts. The city fell away quickly, buildings thinning out, traffic fading, until the road curved upward and trees closed in around us. The further we went, the more it felt like I was being pulled out of my own life, out of everything that had been weighing on me since the wedding. The grip around his waist tightened without me noticing, like my body was afraid to let go.The wind was strong, cool against my face, carrying the smell of dirt and pine. It rushed past my ears, loud enough to drown out any thought that tried to surface. The road twisted and turned, narrow and steep, climbing higher with every bend. I leaned with Frank without thinking, trusting him to handle the sharp curves, trusting that he wouldn’t let us crash even though a part of me was very aware of how eas

𝓣𝓲𝓶My heart was still racing when Eric’s joke settled between us. It hit me hard, like something heavy dropping straight into my chest and refusing to move.For a moment, I couldn’t think. My mind went blank, then filled too fast. Laura’s face. Her smile. The way her eyes had lingered on me all night. A cold thought slid in before I could stop it. What if she knew? What if this wasn’t a joke at all?I didn’t laugh right away. My throat felt tight, like I couldn’t get enough air. I forced my mouth to curve into something that looked like a smile, praying it was convincing. I kept my hands still at my sides even though my fingers wanted to curl tight.I had learned how to do this years ago. How to keep my face calm while panic burned inside me. How to act normal when fear was screaming in my head.If Eric found out, everything would change. I wouldn’t just lose a friend. I would lose my place. My safety. The one person I had built my life around.“Ignore her,” I said lightly, even

꧁♡ 𝔉𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔨 ♡꧂The slap wasn’t dramatic.It didn’t send me stumbling or anything like those kinds you watch in cheap rated movies. The kind of sound that makes you blink even if you don’t feel the pain right away.My head turned a little to the side. That was it.For a second, my brain lagged behind, like it needed time to process what had just happened. Then my cheek started to burn. Not badly. Just enough to be annoying.I looked back at Tim.He looked worse than I did.His hand was still raised, frozen mid-air like he hadn’t planned to hit me and was now shocked that he actually did. His face was red, not the angry kind, but the kind people get when they’re embarrassed and furious at the same time. His eyes were bright, glassy, but he wasn’t crying.He was breathing too fast.“Don’t,” he said. His voice cracked halfway through the word. “Don’t ever talk like that again.”Then he turned around and left.No shouting, no dramatic speech,no second glance. Nothing at all.He just wal