"The real blessing is yet to come. Ethan is such a good man!"
Their words sounded like compliments, but their smirks told me otherwise.
Looking back now, all the signs had been there. I had just been too blind to see them.
One of them started speaking French right in front of me:
"That guy is wearing the biggest green hat I’ve ever seen. You guys are terrible—bullying such an honest man."
"Blame him for being dumb, and Ryan and Claire for being too smart."
"Aren’t you afraid Ethan might understand you?"
Ryan suddenly burst into laughter, making no effort to hide the mockery.
"He never even went to college. You think he understands French? Relax—he’s just some bumpkin. Claire only sticks with him because he’s obedient."
"Come on, he cooks, does laundry, and brings in money—who wouldn’t want a lapdog like that?"
Everyone roared with laughter.
My fists clenched so hard my knuckles turned white.
They thought I didn’t understand, thought I was uneducated.
Little did they know, I had already finished my studies abroad and was simply waiting for graduation day.
They kept laughing, not even bothering to pretend I wasn’t there.
It turned out everyone had known about Ryan and Claire all along—except me.
I grabbed the glass of water on the table and drained it in one go.
Just then, Claire walked in, frowning at the sound of their gossip.
"What are you all saying in front of my fiancé?"
She came over to me, wearing her usual sweet, caring expression.
"Ethan, don’t be upset. They were just practicing their French. They didn’t mean to leave you out."
The moment her hand brushed mine, a wave of disgust shot through me.
A second ago she had been fooling around with Ryan, and now she was playing the doting bride-to-be.
Everyone thought Claire loved me.
Once upon a time, I thought so too.
I calmly avoided her touch and, with a blank expression, said,
"The wedding is about to start. Go chat with them for a bit."
Claire didn’t think twice and turned back to her friends, speaking French again.
The group, emboldened after her scolding, teased her with mischievous smiles:
"Claire, you defend Ethan and still can’t stay away from Ryan. Who do you actually love?"
"Who says I can only love one? Ryan’s fun, but he’s not husband material. He’s just for playing around with."
Their laughter filled the room.
"Only Claire could juggle two men and keep her fiancé completely clueless."