My fiancé, Russell, invited me to his seaside villa for a getaway with his childhood friend, Sunny, and the Warren brothers. For seven nights, I was wrapped in his arms, thinking it was a reconciliatory gesture after our big spat when Sunny returned from abroad a month ago. Despite her insistence on avoiding marriage, she demanded that my fiancé help her have a child. Our fight left Russell ignoring me, but now I thought things were finally getting back to normal.

A month later, I discovered I was pregnant and excitedly rushed to share the news with him, only to confront a group chat on his computer in his study. Sunny had posted a disgusted emoji, saying, "A whole month and there's no sign of a baby bump on her. What's wrong with you three brothers?" One brother replied, "We took turns with her for seven days; she should have conceived by now. Besides, Sunny and Russell had fun too, didn’t you? Why isn’t your belly showing anything?" Russell’s response was, "Sunny and I have all the time in the world; she'll get pregnant eventually. As for you guys, should I arrange another go?" Another message read, "Gracelynn's sweet voice still haunts me. I'm in if we do it again. No worries, no matter whose child it is, the Warren project deal is yours."

My legs gave way, and I collapsed to the floor, unable to process that the intimate nights I had were actually with the Warren brothers. That was my first experience.

Feeling utterly drained, I dragged myself out of the study. As I stumbled forward, I heard the sound of the door unlocking and Russell's voice ringing through the house, "Gracelynn, we're having some friends over for dinner. Could you get things ready?"

I was trembling, wanting to confront him, but then I saw Sunny beside him, with an innocent look on her face. "Gracelynn, you look pale. Don't you want me here as a guest? If not, I can leave," she said sweetly.

Russell wrapped an arm around her waist, glancing at me with annoyance. "Why the long face? Show some courtesy to our guest."

Their overt intimacy made my stomach churn. "The Warren brothers are coming too; make sure to prepare more food. And don’t forget to clean the shrimp properly; Sunny loves it," Russell added before whisking Sunny away to the bedroom.

I had always been aware of their close relationship and the ambiguous undertones, but Russell had never been so blatant about it in front of me. Now, he wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore.

The bedroom door was slightly open, and I crept closer to listen. "Russell, isn’t this risky? She's right outside. Aren't you afraid she’ll get upset?" Sunny asked, her voice dripping with feigned concern.

Russell scoffed, "Why would she be mad? I’m only with you. She got to enjoy three men; she's the one who benefited."

"Sunny, you're my lucky charm. You introduced me to the Warrens as soon as you got back. Securing that project with them will push me into the elite circles," he boasted. Their conversation was followed by the unmistakable sound of a kiss.

I clamped a hand over my mouth, tears streaming down my face. It all felt like a surreal nightmare, completely at odds with the Russell who had declared his love for me at our engagement party.

In the kitchen, I meticulously deveined the shrimp, desperately trying to convince myself that maybe he was just helping fulfill Sunny's wish for a child. Perhaps, he still loved me. But looking down at my belly, the tears flowed anew. If his affair with Sunny was to help her, what about the child in my womb?

I desperately tried to find an excuse for him, but it was futile. Absorbed in these thoughts, I accidentally picked up a knife, holding it to my wrist. "This has to be a dream. If I hurt myself, I’ll wake up," I whispered.

Just as I was about to make a cut, laughter and male voices erupted outside. The Warren brothers had arrived. "Oh, Sunny, couldn’t wait, huh? Your shirt’s not even buttoned right," one teased.

"Russell, can’t you do better? If not, I’ll take a turn with Sunny. My genes are far superior to yours," another joked.

Unexpectedly, Russell grew angry, "Get lost! No one touches Sunny. Do you think she’s a streetwalker?"

My grip slackened on the knife, my heart crushed as if run over by a truck, shattered into a thousand pieces. His precious Sunny was not to be treated like that, yet he allowed three men to use me. Was I nothing but a mere toy to him?

Footsteps approached the kitchen, and I quickly wiped away my tears, pretending to be busy. But the three brothers appeared before me, their presence bringing back blurry images from those seven nights. Overwhelmed, I fled to the bathroom, retching violently.

Outside, their excited voices echoed, "Look, she's throwing up! She must be pregnant!"

After what felt like an eternity of retching, I stumbled out, weak and drained. Russell grabbed my arm, "Are you pregnant? Let's get you to the hospital!"

I held up the pants I had changed out of, bloodstains still visible. "No, I just got my period. The cramps made me sick." It was blood I had painfully squeezed from a cut finger.

Russell, you can forget about the elite circles; no one will ever know about this child.

Upon hearing what I said, everyone looked a bit let down.

Leonard Warren waved his hand dismissively. "Since Gracelynn isn’t feeling her best, let’s wrap it up early and skip dinner."

Russell Simmons frowned and tugged me toward the kitchen. "You're not some delicate flower, so don’t act like one. Go cook dinner."

He shoved me into the kitchen and thoughtfully closed the door behind me.

Before long, laughter and cheerful chatter floated in from outside.

"Russell, you’ve got her well-trained."

"Absolutely," he bragged. "Her family practically begged my mom to let her marry me. She wouldn’t dare go against me."

Sunny Parker chimed in softly, "Talking like that isn’t nice. You sound like you're pushing her around. I think I’ll go lend Gracelynn a hand in the kitchen."

Russell quickly stopped her. "No need. You've got such gentle hands, not suited for kitchen work. What if you get hurt? You wouldn't be able to look after me."

"Oh, you’re impossible," she replied playfully.

I could hear Russell giving her a loud peck on the cheek.

"Sunny, remember? On my eighteenth birthday, you kept me company all night with those hands. No one else has been close like that."

The memory hit me like a punch, and I felt sick to my stomach.

That day, I spent all my savings on a present for him, and he kissed my forehead for the first time.

I never imagined that on the same night, he did something so vile with Sunny Parker.

Yet he always insisted they were just childhood friends, nothing more. Only someone naive like me would have been fooled.

Once dinner was ready—ravioli, pulled pork, and spiced honey cake—I tried to slip away to my room, but Sunny Parker grabbed my arm.

Gracelynn had prepared so many dishes; it must have been hard work for her. "Let's raise a glass in her honor," someone suggested, handing me a full glass of whiskey.

Russell joined in, egging me on. "Come on, down it! Drinking with the Warren brothers is a rare opportunity—consider yourself lucky."

I stared at him incredulously. "Have you forgotten that I'm allergic to alcohol?"

He brushed off my concern with a dismissive wave. "Oh, don't be such a wimp. Just drink it. How often do you hear about someone dying from an allergy? You can just take some medicine after."

Frustrated, I set the glass on the table and made to leave.

Russell blocked my path. "What's this supposed to mean?"

Sunny, clutching his arm, looked upset. "Let it go. Gracelynn has been cold toward me since I showed up. Maybe I should just stop coming, so I don't ruin the mood."

The Warren brothers tried to defuse the situation. "It's just one drink, no big deal. If she doesn't want to drink, she shouldn't have to."

But Russell was relentless. He grabbed the glass and, with his other hand, roughly forced the whiskey down my throat.

I choked and fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

Even Leonard couldn't stand by any longer. He reached out to help me.

Russell, unfazed, picked up another glass and shoved it toward my mouth. "Are you trying to humiliate me in front of everyone? Drink this right now!"

Tears streamed down my face as I glared at him. "No!"

Sunny let out a theatrical gasp and clung to Russell. "Russell, the way Gracelynn looked at me was terrifying. I'll have nightmares for sure. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up the drink."

Russell soothed her, "Don't worry, I'll stay with you tonight. You didn't do anything wrong. It's her who should apologize."

He grabbed my hair and tried to force my head down. "Say sorry to Sunny!"

I resisted, crying out, "Russell, I'm your fiancée! How can you do this to me?"

He slapped me across the face. "If you want to be my wife, you'd better learn to obey, got it?"

A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen, and the alcohol reaction kicked in; my entire body started itching like crazy. Writhing in discomfort, I curled up on the ground, groaning.

Leonard rushed over, his voice urgent, "She looks really sick. We need to get her to the hospital."

My consciousness began to fade. Before everything went dark, I heard Russell snort, "If you want to take her, go ahead. She's just putting on an act, and you actually believe her?"

And then everything went black.