Glued to My Enemy

To save up enough money to marry my girlfriend, I worked three jobs a day. At night, I drove an ambulance for my buddy's private clinic. Tonight, we got a wild emergency call. I couldn't resist dropping the tea in our SnapChat group chat. A couple had tried to spice things up in bed by using Gorilla Glue down there so they could "feel closer." Now, they were screaming in agony, begging us to rescue them. When I arrived at the luxury penthouse, my whole world shattered. My girlfriend was lying there naked, tangled up with another man. Turns out, the only reason she hadn't texted in our SnapChat group wasn't that she was busy. She was the damn star of the show. As a former racer, I took the ambulance driving gig at my buddy's clinic just to make ends meet. "Step on it, Mason!" my partner Sam shouted from the back. "Apparently, this couple mixed Gorilla Glue into their lube for some freak roleplay. It dried up, and now they're literally fused together!" "Took them hours of crying before they finally gave up and called 911." I chuckled, shaking my head at how reckless people could be nowadays. I raced the vehicle through the streets and ran upstairs. The moment I opened the bedroom door, the blood in my veins turned to ice. My fiancée, Chloe, was lying completely naked on the bed. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. The second she saw me, she buried her face in the pillows like an ostrich. "Babe... please, let me explain..." I looked away, forcing my shaking hands to remain steady as we carried the two of them into the ambulance. Didn't Chloe tell me she was dead broke? She had set a rule that I couldn't marry her until I saved up a $100,000 wedding fund. $100,000—a sum she could blow through with a snap of her fingers. Yet it nearly cost me my life. I had been working twenty-four hours a day, barely catching an hour of sleep, terrified of failing the girl I loved. And here she was, living in a multi-million-dollar downtown penthouse, without a care in the world. I sped back to the hospital. Once Tyler saw my face clearly under the ER lights, a cruel smirk spread across his lips. "Well, well. The disgraced racer is driving an ambulance now? If you crash, could you even afford my medical bills?" "Gotta say, your girl’s got an amazing body. Consider it payback for what you did back then." My chest heaved. I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white. Chloe reached out with trembling fingers, trying to touch my cheek. "Mason... I did this for you. Seeing you run yourself into the ground every day broke my heart." "He threatened to ruin you with the past again. It doesn’t matter if I get humiliated. You have to stay clean and innocent..." A bitter, hollow laugh escaped my lips. I had already explained everything about that old incident to her, and she claimed she believed me. Yet the moment another man snapped his fingers, she hopped into his bed? Even used glue to get off? Chloe didn't trust me at all. Tyler scoffed arrogantly. "Look at you, broke as hell. Driving your own cheated-on fiancée to the hospital. Man, what a golden retriever of a boyfriend!" Fury exploded in my chest. I swung my fist hard into his face. "Shut your mouth! My woman isn't yours to talk about!" Chloe broke down in tears, apologizing repeatedly. Because they were still stuck together, every slight movement tore at her flesh, making her gasp in pain. "Get them into the ER first," I muttered cold-bloodedly. "We’ll talk after you’re detached." I watched the red emergency light flicker on. Bitterness flooded every inch of my body. This wasn't Chloe’s first time doing this. I couldn't even count the incidents on both hands anymore. The first time, a neighbor spread nasty rumors about me. Chloe used her body to "convince" him to shut up. The second time, my boss threatened to fire me because of my past racing scandal. Chloe went over to his house and "worked things out behind closed doors." The next day, my boss reinstated me with a smile. Every single time, she’d cry in my arms. "I'm useless, Mason. This is the only way I can protect you. The only way you can save up faster and marry me..." One man after another. Day after day. She was so dedicated to her "sacrifices" that she practically worked around the clock.We had screaming matches about this countless times, and in the end, I was always the one begging for peace. But today, she crossed the line with Tyler. She knew damn well how much I despised him. Even if she called it love, this was sickening. I paced anxiously in the hallway outside the room. The doctors tried to ease their tension by playing a comedy movie on the screen. Laughter echoed from inside, but my heart felt like it was drowning in liquid nitrogen. My phone buzzed. A video from Tyler arrived, followed by a taunting text. Did you really think Chloe wanted to suffer through poverty with you forever? My stomach dropped. I clicked the video. Chloe was straddling him on the very bed I had bought for our future wedding. They were tearing into each other shamelessly. I had barely dared to sleep on that mattress, cherishing it for our wedding night. Sometimes, when I missed her too much, I would just stand in the doorway, picturing our happy future together. Yet there she was, writhing on it with another man. "Tyler, you're so much better than that murderer," Chloe's voice purred through the speakers. "He's finished anyway. Every guy I sleep with, I tell them all the dirty secrets he has. My mission is done. When are you going to marry me?" She wasn't defending my honor. She was telling everyone I deserved to burn in hell. I worked myself to the bone so she could live like a princess, only for Chloe to spit in my face and reveal she loved Tyler all along. The doctor stepped out of the room, sighing deeply. "You young couples need to know your limits. A little spice is fine, but this is ridiculous." Every word pierced my heart like a needle. Chloe always insisted on keeping our relationship a secret. She claimed she didn't want the haters to attack me, promising we'd go public only after my name was fully cleared. So even now, as the nurses cracked jokes about the "wild couple," nobody realized that I was her actual fiancé. When Chloe saw my lifeless eyes, she dragged herself off the gurney, wincing in pain, and grabbed my hand. "Mason, say something! Believe me! Tyler and I are completely innocent! Nothing happened!" "I swear to God, if I ever did anything to hurt you, I hope I get struck by lightning!" Her neck and chest were littered with violent hickeys. Her private area was visibly swollen from hours of rough sex. I yanked my hand away with all my strength, turned the volume on my phone all the way up, and hit play on Tyler's video. Chloe’s moans and filthy words echoed throughout the entire hallway. My eyes burned, tears threatening to spill. "This is what you call 'doing it for me'?" "I treated you like a queen. I barely dared to touch you, and you call me a murderer to his face?!" Chloe broke down sobbing, scrambling for excuses. "Tyler forced me! He said if I didn't say that, he'd release all your scandals online!" In the video, her voice was dripping with excitement and pleasure. Even an idiot could tell she wasn't forced. She loved every single second of it. She knew I never cared about rumors, especially when I never did what they accused me of. My conscience was clear. Why would I give a damn about haters? Yet Chloe had ripped my heart out and stomped on it, over and over again."Chloe, we're not kids. You know damn well whether you were forced or not." "The wedding is off." Tyler strolled out of the room, his jacket slung over one shoulder, wearing a sleazy grin. "Come on, man. If you're that mad, go hook up with some chick to even the score." "Oh wait, you're a disgraced racer. People still call you a murderer. I doubt anyone would touch you with a ten-foot pole." "You've got a gorgeous girl willing to stick by you, and you're complaining?" I balled my fists, glaring at Tyler with utter disgust. "You like her so much? Keep her. I don't touch community property." I spun on my heel and walked away. Chloe frantically threw on her clothes and came stumbling after me, throwing her arms around my leg. Her hair was a messy nest, sticking to her tear-streaked face. Sam, my partner from the ambulance, walked past with an amused grin. "Look at you, racer boy. Already got a fan throwing herself at you?" I stared down at Chloe with cold indifference. "Just a shameless stranger. Never met her in my life." She clutched my leg tighter, sobbing uncontrollably. "Mason, don't do this to me! I don't care about the money anymore! We can move the wedding up! I'll marry you tomorrow! I'll be good, I swear. Just don't leave me, please!" Marriage was supposed to be built on mutual love and devotion. Now, it had become Chloe's desperate bargaining chip. The wedding I had busted my ass for, dreaming about it every sleepless night, was now being offered as a pathetic band-aid. How pathetic. Tyler stood a few feet away, laughing as he pulled out his phone to snap pictures. His fingers flew across the screen. "Just posted your upcoming wedding date on Ins! Lots of fans are waiting for your comeback, Mason. Such a huge milestone deserves an audience!" Chloe looked up at me with pleading eyes. I stopped pulling away. Instead, I grabbed her hand and put on my gentlest voice. "Fine. Since you did it for me, and Tyler announced it, I'll pretend today never happened." "But this is your final strike. If it happens again, we're done." Chloe clung to those words like a lifeline, nodding frantically. "Yes! I swear! Never again!" "I know you suffered for me," I whispered softly. "Go home, get some rest, and get ready for the wedding. On that day, I promise you’ll be the most famous bride in the world." Thinking she was forgiven, Chloe wrapped her arms around my neck, planting kisses all over my face. "I knew you wouldn't give up on me!" The corners of my mouth curled into a faint smile. Too bad her fantasy was about to turn into a nightmare. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the flood of comments on Ins. As expected, they were tearing me apart. A wedding?! What a gorgeous girl. Must be blind to marry this scumbag... Bet Mason threatened her into it. A murderer is capable of anything. Wait, didn't the victim's family clarify years ago that it was just an accident? Why are you guys still spreading lies? Scrolling further down, it was obvious Tyler had unleashed his paid bots. Let them bark. The louder they got, the harder Tyler would fall. Seeing my blank expression, Tyler sneered smugly. "Mason, no matter how fast you drive, you're still a loser. I can drown you in dirt with a single post. You're nothing!""Tell you what, let's make a deal," Tyler said, sticking his designer sneaker forward. "Lick my shoe clean, and I'll post a statement saying you had your reasons back then. That way, your little wedding won't be ruined." I stared at him with dead eyes, a storm brewing behind my calm facade. Assuming I was actually considering it, he chuckled patronizingly. "Need time to think? Fine, just one shoe. I'm being generous here, considering we used to train on the same track." I gritted my teeth and spat, "Not interested." Tyler blinked, caught off guard. He had slept with my fiancée and leaked my wedding date online, yet I wasn't falling apart. Putting on a wise-guy act, he patted my shoulder. "I get it, man. Pride is everything. Too many people here. Whenever you're ready, come over to my place. I'll post the clarification whenever you swallow your pride." He wiped his hands with an alcohol wipe, sneering in disgust, before turning on his heel and walking away. Chloe bounced over, clutching my arm, rambling about wedding decorations to fix our shattered relationship. I glanced at the over-the-top, expensive floral arrangements she showed me. "Pick whatever you like. It's your day." Every single theme she picked was filled with lilies and bright pollen. She claimed she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me, yet she forgot I was severely allergic to pollen. Whatever. She was the star of the show. She could have whatever she wanted. I was done caring. Her soft hands stroked my arm, and she leaned close, whispering dirty promises into my ear. The second I remembered her and Tyler tangled up on that bed, bile surged up my throat. I violently shoved her off, sprinted to the nearest trash can, and threw up everything in my stomach. Chloe rushed over, trying to rub my back. "Babe, what's wrong...?" I shook my head, keeping my distance. "Go home, Chloe. I'll pick you up on the wedding day. I'll make sure you're the most stunning bride." "Must be the flu. Don't come near me, or you'll catch it." Seeing me dry heaving, she backed away, afraid of getting sick. Right on cue, her phone rang. The hallway was quiet, and Tyler's smug voice cut clearly through the receiver. "Get to my hotel room. Once you're married, we won't have the chance anymore." "One last wild night before the wedding. Up to you."