Life Is So Much Sweeter Without You

The day Noelle Rutherford finds out she's pregnant, she braves the rain to go to a club that Chester Gray frequents. She stands outside a private room and pats her soaked hair dry with some tissues, wanting to surprise him when his get-together ends.

Through the ajar door, she hears laughter.

"Chester, your wedding to Noelle is in a week. Is your surprise for her ready?"

"Of course," Chester says, his usually cool voice laced with tipsiness. "I'll make it a memory she'll never forget."

Noelle pauses, and her lips curve upward in a sweet smile. Throughout her three years with Chester, he has truly cherished her like a treasure and loved her with all his heart.

"Ha! Do you think she'll have a meltdown and lose her mind on the big day when she finds out I've been toying with her while pretending to be you this whole time?"

Someone laughed. "She'd never in her wildest dreams imagine that Chester has an identical twin brother! When she finds out her boyfriend's brother has been playing her for three years…"

On the day Noelle Rutherford found out she was pregnant, she braved the rain to head to a club that was one of Chester Gray's usual haunts.

She stood outside a private room and dried her hair with some tissues, wanting to surprise him with the news of her pregnancy when he came out.

She heard laughter through the ajar door.

"Chester, you're supposed to be marrying Noelle in a week. You're gonna surprise her during the wedding, right? Is everything ready?"

"Yeah," Chester said. His usually calm and composed voice was edged with a hint of drunkenness. "It'll be a day she'll never forget."

Noelle paused and smiled sweetly. She and Chester had been together for three years, and he'd truly treated her like a precious treasure, doting on her endlessly.

Someone snorted. "Wanna bet she'll have a meltdown when she finds out the truth? She'll lose her mind on the big day when she discovers I've been pretending to be you and playing her this whole time!"

Someone else laughed. "She'd never imagine Chester having an identical twin! When she finds out he's the one who's been getting into her pants these past three years… She's always been so proud, hasn't she? I can already imagine the look on her face when she finds out her boyfriend's brother has toyed with her for three years."

The men's malicious laughter made Noelle freeze in place. The blood drained from her face. She could hardly believe her ears.

Her feet moved on their own, taking a step forward so she could peer into the room. The next second, she saw a man who looked exactly like Chester sitting beside him. He was Chester's carbon copy, from his features to his hairstyle. Even the tiny mole at the corner of his eye was identical!

That man scoffed and leaned back lazily. "It's her fault for bullying Winona. Winona is Chester's darling. As punishment, he'll make her feel on top of the world before dropping her into the abyss. Gotta say that he's put in some serious work to achieve that."

The men who usually treated Noelle with warmth started tossing out jabs.

"You're the real MVP here, Simon. You did all the hard labor, after all!"

Someone laughed. "If I didn't look so different from you two, I'd love to take over the job!"

"Tell me about it. Man, Noelle's face and body… If she loses her mind after the wedding, how about you guys let us play with her first?"

"Chester cooked up a plan like this for Winona, put on an act for three years, and still managed to keep himself untainted. He's a straight-up love saint!"

Chester Gray, Simon Gray, and Winona Johnson.

Noelle's mind buzzed, and her blood ran cold. She couldn't breathe. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and tears streamed down her widened eyes, which had turned bloodshot.

The bliss she thought she'd found was nothing but a web of lies. It was a trap that had been set for her for the sake of Winona, her bully.

Once upon a time, when she'd jolted awake from nightmares of being bullied by Winona, Chester had held her close and told her not to be scared.

Once upon a time, she'd told him about the agony of being bullied. Chester had soothed her time and time again, even taking her to see therapists.

Noelle didn't dare believe, nor did she want to. She couldn't understand it. The love she'd felt was so intense and vivid. How could it be fake?

The voices in the private room continued.

"Winona's coming back soon, so you won't need to keep flying to her, Chester. Honestly, I don't know how you're not worn out from taking a flight every week!"

"And I can finally be myself after three years of roleplaying! I'm the one who's stuck with Noelle each time Chester goes abroad…"

"Your voices are different, though. Hasn't she ever noticed anything?"

Simon snorted. "She's too big an idiot. I lower my voice, tell her I have pharyngitis, and that's enough to make her fuss over me. She gets up before the sun rises to make me something to soothe my throat!"

Everyone laughed.

Chester cut them off. "That's enough. Once the wedding is over, I'll give her a hefty sum as compensation. It'll be enough to ensure she's comfortable for life."

"My, my. Chester, you're not taking pity on her, are you?"

Noelle's heart flew to her throat, and she held her breath as she stared doggedly at Chester.

After a heartbeat, he scoffed. "As if."

"What about you, Simon? Has three years of putting it in her made you catch feelings?"

Chester turned to look at Simon, who shook his head vigorously. "It's been three whole years—I've long since gotten sick of her. You wanna have her, Chester?"

Chester sneered. "She's too filthy. Anyway, she's the one who begged for this wedding. I'm just paying her off so she won't pester me. There's not much time left, so you guys need to help me. I'm going to propose to Winona in a week after revealing the truth!"