The Final Test

On the night before the wedding that I was a groomsman for, I was drugged and locked into the same room as the bride. The drug was overpowering, and I felt desire burning within me. To keep my wits about, I smashed a glass and slashed my arm with the shard. Then, I submerged myself in the bathtub filled with cold water for an entire night. That morning, my fiancee, Aspen Snow, walked in with the groom, Brandon Reid. She glanced at me before she smiled at Brandon. “Your bride has passed the test. You can marry her without any concerns now.” Brandon patted Aspen’s shoulder and pretended to be solemn. “Aspen, thankfully you’ve thought this through. If we’d gotten some other man to do this, I’m afraid it’ll complicate things further in the future.” My mind went blank. My lips quivered as I asked Aspen, “You were the one who drugged me?” Aspen walked over and took off her coat to put it around my wet body. “Brandon has premarital anxiety, so I have to help him test his bride. “Besides, we’re going to get married in two months’ time. There are no better candidates than you. “You weren’t taken advantage of anyway. Quick, change into your groomsman attire.” I looked at the bone-deep cut on my arm and laughed at myself. “Aspen, it’s over between us.” Chapter 1 Aspen Snow was momentarily stunned before she smirked. “Conrad, I was wrong to not have discussed this with you earlier. “But if I told you about this, you’d definitely never agree to it. “You’re my fiance, so what if you have to sacrifice yourself a little? Besides, nothing happened to you anyway.” “Nothing happened?” I raised my blood-soaked arm as my fingers trembled. “To keep myself awake, I cut my arm open and submerged myself in cold water for six hours. “Aspen, I’m your fiance. I’m not a tool that you can use to test another person’s loyalty!” At the same time, the bride who was asleep through our conversation, Sadie Long, woke up. Sadie overheard our conversation, and her sleepy eyes slowly widened in shock. “You… you planned this? “Brandon, why are you treating our marriage like this?” She immediately looked at Brandon Reid in disgust. Brandon frowned, but he still sounded confident. “Sadie, I love you too much. Besides, it was just a tiny test…” Sadie sneered. “I’m nauseated by your love. I’m not going to marry you anymore.” Then, she left without looking back. Brandon froze. A few seconds later, he immediately turned around to look at me. “Conrad, did something really happen between the two of you? If not, why would she call off the wedding when she woke up?” Upon hearing that, Aspen immediately started tearing up. “Conrad, did anything happen between the two of you?” I frowned. I found the whole thing ridiculous. “Aspen, I was submerged in cold water for the whole night. Do you think anything could have happened?” Brandon added fuel to the fire. “Aspen, it may be for the better… After all, the Long family isn’t rich, but Sadie couldn’t even accept a simple test like this. “But it’s not completely useless. At least, we managed to test Conrad’s loyalty toward you. “Even if it might be just an act, he did cut himself open with a shard of glass.” Aspen’s eyes dimmed. She flung my hand away as though she was touching something dirty. “You should reflect on your own actions.” After she said that, she left with Brandon. I froze and felt extremely helpless. I did nothing, yet I was treated so poorly and coldly! After they left, I climbed out of the bathtub. I left a bloody trail behind me with every step I took. I had to quickly go to the hospital… The wedding venue was opposite the bedroom that I was in. All the guests were waiting anxiously, but Sadie did not show up. I leaned against the wall and stumbled into the hall. I wanted to ask for an ambulance, but my voice was extremely weak. “Help me…” Brandon stood in the middle of the stage, facing the guests and Sadie’s parents, Howard Long and Jessica Long. When he saw me appearing, a hint of malice flashed in his eyes. “Howard, Jessica, you have to support me!” He suddenly pointed at me as he immediately accused me with a loud voice. “I was excited to get married today, but Sadie disappeared for an entire night. “This morning, I found her in the same room as Conrad. “After I discovered what happened, Sadie was furious, so she wanted to call off the wedding. Then, she left!” Chapter 2 After Brandon said that, the crowd was shocked. Howard and Jessica frowned. Jessica said sternly, “Brandon, we know Sadie’s character very well. She wouldn’t do this.” Brandon continued his accusation through clenched teeth. “In order to seduce Sadie, Conrad even drugged himself. “He even hurt himself to threaten Sadie, so she would stay in the room with him. “Look at him all drenched and bloodied. I’m telling the truth!” The guests’ discussions immediately turned into vicious curses. “Oh my God, this is too shameless. His fiancee is just outside, and he dares to seduce the bride?” “He looks like he’s a good man. I didn’t expect him to be such a horrible person!” The other groomsmen immediately rushed forward and grabbed my collar. Then, they pressed me against the floor. “What a creep! How dare you seduce a bride? You don’t deserve to be Brandon’s groomsman!” They tore my thin shirt apart and spat on me. I kept shaking my head. I wanted to say that I was drugged, but they kept hitting me. “Why are you still playing the victim? Did you say that you were drugged? I bet you’re the one who couldn’t control himself!” I collapsed on the cold floor as my vision started to blur. Through the crowd, I saw Aspen watching the scene unfold with cold eyes. She did not say a word for me. When others tore my clothes apart, she looked away in disgust. A pair of rough hands pushed the crowd away. When Howard saw my bone-deep wound on my arm and cold water dripping off me, his face fell. “Stop! He doesn’t look good.” Jessica put her hand against my forehead and exclaimed, “He’s burning up! Call the ambulance!” Brandon tried to stop them, but I could no longer hold on. I succumbed to the darkness. While I was unconscious, I had a long dream. In my dream, I was at the school’s field. Aspen was holding my hand and smiling sweetly. Brandon was there too. Aspen said, “Conrad, Brandon once saved my life. I’ll always treat him as my younger brother, but I will only love you.” I believed her, so when Aspen treated Brandon well, I never complained. I tolerated her sending supper to Brandon in the middle of the night and spending every festival with him. However, she sent me to another woman’s bed because of him. When I woke up, I was in a private hospital. There was no one around me. The nurse told me that Howard and Jessica had paid for my medical expenses. “Mr. Smith, there was a dangerous cocktail of drugs in your body, and it may cause nerve damage. “Besides, there are twenty stitches on your arm. You have to be careful.” The nurse paused. “Do you want to call the police?” I stared at the white ceiling as tears streamed down my cheeks and into the pillow. “Forget about it.” If I called the police, it meant that I had to burn the bridges with Aspen completely. To me, I still had a glimmer of hope that she only did it because she had not thought it through. However, when I returned to our marriage home with my wounds, I was hit by reality. As I stood at the entrance, I saw Brandon’s suit on my couch. Besides, their underwear was scattered across the room. I could hear their disgusting moans coming from the bedroom. I opened the door and saw the most disgusting scene I had ever seen in my life. Aspen was entangled with Brandon on the bed that we shared. Chapter 3 “Darn it!” Brandon cursed and got up from Aspen. “Conrad, why did you come in without knocking the door?” Aspen was annoyed that she had been interrupted. She simply threw on a robe and stared at me coldly. “What are you doing here?” “This is my house!” I roared in anguish. “Aspen, how can you sleep with him here? How can you do that to me?” Aspen snorted. “I also paid for this house. Why can’t I?” I was trembling in anger. “You sent me to another woman’s bed yesterday, and you brought Brandon back home today… “Aspen, do you even have a heart?” “I told you, it’s a test.” Her face was extremely cold. “I’ve also taken the risk. So what if I get some compensation?” “What risk?” I was shocked. I was the one who had been drugged, and I was the one who got injured. How dare she say that she had taken the risk? “When I tested Sadie, I was also scared. “What if something happened between the two of you? I’d be cheated on! “I’ve been under so much pressure, so Brandon is making it up to me. Is that wrong?” I looked at her as though I was looking at a devil. Her logic and her crude words! I could not believe it came out of the mouth of the woman I loved. “Get out!” I pointed at the door and said with a trembling voice. “Conrad, please know where you stand. You’re the one who should leave.” Aspen stood up. She did not care about the torn clothes on my body, and she did not realize how pale I was. “Since you’re so high and mighty, you can do that out there.” Brandon got the hint from her, so he dragged me to the door and threw me out. The door shut before me. I stood barefooted as I trembled in the cold wind. The next door neighbor overheard the commotion and opened the door. When he saw how pathetic I looked, his eyes were filled with disgust. “Aren’t you Aspen’s fiance? Why have you been thrown out looking like this? “I heard that you were caught cheating on her with a bride…” I ran downstairs like a madman and hid. A calm voice said from behind me. “Mr. Smith, are you alright?” I looked up in fear and saw Sadie. She had already changed out of her wedding gown. There was an expensive car parked behind her. “Sadie?” I was stunned. “You…” “Let me reintroduce myself.” Sadie walked over with a hint of pity in her eyes. “I’m the successor of Long Corporation, Sadie. “I only pretended to be poor because I wanted to test Brandon.” She laughed at herself. “It turns out that not only is Brandon greedy, but he also has a vicious heart.” I asked vigilantly, “Why are you looking for me?” “To take revenge on them.” Sadie was very direct. “They ruined my wedding and humiliated you. Are you willing to let them go like that?” I was quiet. She looked at me and frowned slightly. Then, she sighed. “How about you get a nice hot shower and change into fresh clothes before we talk?” I could only get help from her. She led me to her luxury car. Chapter 4 An hour later, I had already changed into a new set of clothes. As for the revenge Sadie mentioned, I was not confident about it. I did not know what to do. I hesitated… Sadie did not force me. She just said that she would wait for an answer. She led me out of the hotel. After we said goodbye, she went into her luxury car. I was in a daze as I did not know where to go next. Should I return to my house that I shared with Aspen? The image of her and Brandon was still fresh in my mind. When I thought about it, my head hurt. When I looked up, I saw two familiar figures. Aspen and Brandon were both stunned to see me. Brandon recalled the luxury car that had just driven off, and he immediately shouted coldly. “Aspen, that was Sadie’s car! “I told you there must be something between them. Sadie has just left, and he’s here at the hotel!” Aspen looked at my clothes. She noticed that the clothes did not belong to me. Her expression immediately fell. “Conrad, where did you get these clothes?” “It’s none of your business.” I wanted to walk past them. Aspen stopped me. Her eyes were furious. “There’s a perfume smell on you. Did you really sleep with her?” Brandon added fuel to the fire. “Aspen, if I’m Conrad, I definitely wouldn’t tell you the truth. “In my opinion, you should bring him for an examination. You should get him to go for a blood test to see if he has any infections or diseases.” Aspen nodded. “You’re right.” “Aspen, you’re crazy!” She asked her bodyguards to forcefully bring me to the car. “Let go of me! You don’t have the right to run tests on me!” I kept struggling to break free. Aspen said through clenched teeth, “I can do that because you’re mine! If you’re no longer clean, I’ll destroy you myself!” I was taken to a private hospital. “Wait here. Before the results come out, you’re not allowed to leave.” Aspen passed me to a few male nurses. Her eyes were cold. “Brandon, let’s grab a coffee outside.” Brandon flashed a creepy smile at me as he whispered in my ear. “Conrad, enjoy the gift I specially prepared for you.” I immediately felt uneasy. When the door of the examination room was shut, to my terror, I realized that they were not doctors or nurses. “Who are you?” I kept retreating. One of the men laughed. “Mr. Reid told us that you have strong bones, so he asked us to loosen it up for you. “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you.” I rushed toward the door like a madman, but they kicked me in my stomach and dragged me back. “Help! Aspen, save me!” My phone fell onto the floor while I struggled. I tried to grab it as I wanted to send Sadie a text message. A foot immediately stepped onto my phone and broke it. “Please, I beg you, let me go…” I begged helplessly and tried to struggle. However, they subdued me against the floor. They struck me and tortured me. I felt like I was about to die as I fell into a deep abyss.