Wrong Wives'Club

1.

My best friend, Olivia, and I married the Hayes brothers.

I married my brother, Elias Hayes, a doctor with a private practice on Manhattan's Upper East Side. She married the younger, Lachlan Hayes, a firefighter with the FDNY.

On my birthday, a gas line in my kitchen exploded. Olivia, who was there to celebrate with me, was trapped in the inferno with me.

I was three months pregnant. My hands shook as I dialed Elias's number.

"Chloe, please." His voice came through the static, laced with that professional tone he used to calm hysterical patients, a tone I had grown to hate. "You know you always overreact."

"Are you sure it's as bad as you say? I'm dealing with Kendall's son, Jack, and his high fever. I can't just drop a patient for what's probably a false alarm you imagined."

"Calm yourself down first."

Right. My apartment was turning into a giant oven, and I was just "overreacting." I really married Mr. "Keep Calm and Carry On."

Olivia wiped the soot from my face, snatched the phone, and dialed Lachlan.

The background on his end was noisy, with a child crying.

"I just pulled Kendall's son out of the pool. Oli, can you two stop being so dramatic? I've got a mess here, I'll talk to you later."

Thick smoke began to choke us.

We were out of time.

That day, we jumped from the third-floor balcony.

We survived.

But we both lost our babies.

Lying in a hospital bed, I heard my own voice, terrifyingly calm. "Olivia, I want a divorce."

Her eyes were bloodshot, her voice raw. "Count me in. This whole thing is a pile of bullshit."

Let them live out their high school dream forever.

But when the brothers received the letters from our lawyers, they completely fell apart.

After Elias's practice was shut down by a malpractice suit, he waited for me in the pouring rain outside my new clinic, a pathetic mess.

And after Lachlan was suspended from the fire department, he left message after message on Olivia's voicemail, his tone shifting from anger and confusion to desperate pleading.

After escaping the fire and losing my child, I was physically and emotionally drained. I was still in my hospital bed when I had my lawyer send the divorce papers to Elias.

He called almost immediately, his voice dripping with accusation. "Are you done with your drama? I told you, Jack almost drowned. Can't you have a little compassion?"

I almost laughed out loud.

When Elias was courting me, he'd said my kindness and empathy were what he loved most about me.

Now, he was the one accusing me of lacking compassion.

And all because his unforgettable high school sweetheart, Kendall Monroe, was back in town.

"It'll be easier for you to take care of Jack once we're divorced," I said, my voice rising despite myself. "You can move into their basement for all I care!"

"Chloe, how many times do I have to tell you?" His tone was thick with impatience. "The boy is my godson. I'm just doing my duty."

"Only a cold-hearted person like you could watch a child in danger and do nothing."

"Stop threatening me with divorce."

"For God's sake, think about how this stress will affect our baby!"

"EliasD" I wanted to tell him. His baby was already gone.

"Daddy! Daddy!" A little boy's cries echoed from his end of the line.

"Jack, buddy, Daddy's on the phone Oh, God, Elias, I think Jack's fever is back. Can you come look?"

That was Kendall's voice.

The line went dead.

2.

It seemed that in my husbands heart, his wife and his unborn child were far less important than his old flames son, whose father was a mystery.

My baby never even got a chance to see the world.

Tears streamed down my face, not from heartbreak, but from a pure, boiling rage.

Olivia walked into my room. Her arm was bandaged and her face was pale, but she raised a hand to gently pat my shoulder.

Its okay, Chloe. Im here, she said, her voice hoarse.

The fire had also cost Olivia her own baby, just two months along. The pain she was carrying was no different from mine.

I thought of our husbands, those two men whose minds were filled with nothing but Kendall and that boy, Jack, and I managed a bitter smile.

Oli, we thought marrying into the Hayes family was a fairytale come true. Now were the laughingstock of Brooklyn. Painful memories flooded back, and my throat tightened. Its all my fault. I dragged you into this.

Olivia shook her head, reaching out to wipe away my tears. Dont say that. Its not too late to get out together. Were going to be okay.

I nodded fiercely.

Just then, the door to my room was thrown open violently.

Olivias husband, Lachlan, stormed in with a dark expression. He grabbed her and dragged her into the hallway, treating her not like a patient who had just escaped a fire, but like an inconvenience.

I tried to get up, but my body was weak.

Before the door closed, Olivia mouthed Im okay to me.

Soon, I could hear Lachlans hushed, angry voice from the hallway.

Who told you to call 911? Wasting emergency resources got me a chewing out from my captain. Its going to affect my annual evaluation. Do you have any idea how important that is for my career?

Olivia, dont think I dont know what happened with my brothers fire. It was just a little stunt you two pulled to get our attention, wasnt it? Now youve made a mess, and were the ones who have to clean it up.

And another thing, Chloe is emotionally unstable because shes pregnant and wants a divorce. Why arent you talking her out of it? Instead, youre playing along with her. Stop it, Olivia. Theres a limit to this crap.

Faced with Lachlans barrage of accusations, Olivias voice was unnervingly calm.

Its not just Chloe who wants a divorce. I do too. Lachlan, Chloe and I both lost our babies.

Lachlan was silent for a few seconds, then let out a cold, mocking laugh. Wow, best friends to the end. You even rehearsed your lines together. Pregnant? Im always careful. How could you be pregnant? And Chloe loves my brother so much, shed neverD

His phone rang, cutting him off. He glanced at the caller ID, and his tone changed instantly.

Its about Jack? Okay, Im on my way.

He turned back to Olivia and snapped, Im going to give Jack a fire safety demonstration. Stop this nonsense!

When Olivia came back into the room, her eyes were even redder.

The pathetic state we were in was a world away from the blissful moment on the steps of City Hall, arm in arm, when we had both said, I do.

3.

Whenever I fought with Elias, I would remember the first time I saw him.

A fire had broken out at a community clinic. Olivia and I happened to be passing by and rushed in to help evacuate people.

Through the choking smoke, I saw Elias in his gold-rimmed glasses.

He was comforting a terrified old man, his voice gentle. Dont be afraid, sir. Follow me. His white coat was stained with soot, but it couldnt hide his calm composure.

I pressed a hand to my racing heart and turned to help others.

Meanwhile, Olivia was helping an elderly woman out, handing her over to a towering, handsome firefighter whose smile was as bright as the Brooklyn sun. That was Lachlan.

Olivia had always had a thing for firefightersDwhen she was seven, she got her head stuck in a railing, and it was the FDNY who saved her.

As fate would have it, we met the two brothers.

After they pursued us relentlessly, we said yes to their proposals, even choosing to get married on the same day.

The moment we said, I do, we thought life would be as beautiful as spring in Central Park.

It wasnt until after we were married that we learned the Hayes brothers had once been obsessed with the same girl: Kendall.

Ever since Kendall returned to New York from her European study tour, our peaceful marriages began to crumble.

Elias started canceling patient appointments to run over to Kendalls apartment in Queens and treat her son.

Lachlan began making weekly visits under the pretext of fire safety inspections.

We both expressed our unease.

But they just thought we were jealous, unable to tolerate a poor single mother and an innocent child.

Even after I got pregnant, when I hoped Elias would come with me to a single prenatal appointment, he just brushed me off. Im a doctor, not an OB-GYN. Jack has a fever, I have to go. Are you seriously jealous of a sick kid? Dont you think thats pathetic?

When Olivia called Lachlan on her birthday, his attitude was just as cold. You have a birthday every year. A fire hazard is a matter of life and death. Stop being so selfish.

So I was pathetic, and Olivia was selfish.

But Elias, the doctor who rushed to Jacks side countless times, was nowhere to be found when I was hospitalized for severe morning sickness.

And Lachlan, the firefighter, never once helped Olivia check the batteries in our smoke detectors.

We tried. We tried to save our marriages. But today, we finally woke up. We were getting divorced, and that was final.

4.

After our near-death experience, Olivia and I decided it was time to love ourselves. We used our savings for skin graft surgeries and checked into a quiet rehabilitation center on the Upper West Side.

During this time, I had my lawyer send letters to Elias, but he never responded.

Until one day, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a People You May Know suggestion.

It was Kendall.

In her video, she documented how attentively Elias was caring for little Jack, complete with her own voiceover.

Elias really treats Jack like his own son. When Jack got his shots, Eliass eyes turned red, he felt so bad for him. The scene changed to Lachlan inspecting fire equipment in Kendalls home.

Lachlan is a firefighter. There was a fire in a high-rise in the community last week, and he was so worried about me and Jack that he comes to check on us every week. As a single mom, I dont know what Id do without them.

Finally, the camera turned to her.

Kendalls face was glowing with happiness.

Thats all for todays share. I hope every girl gets to be treated with such kindness. Bye!

The video had a hundred thousand likes. The comment section was a flood of awws and envious remarks.

I thought watching it would feel like a knife to the heart, but honestly, I felt like I was watching a bad reality TV show. I felt nothing.

A month later, we were discharged from the hospital. We decided to go to Kendalls place together to end things once and for all.

We rang the doorbell. The person who answered was Elias, dressed in a flannel pajama top and an apron.

The smile on his face froze the moment he saw us, then his voice turned sharp. What are you doing here?

Before I could even pull out the papers, he continued in that tone he reserved for difficult patients. I already told you, theres nothing going on between me and Kendall! As a doctor, Im just helping take care of Jack. Isnt it enough that youre harassing me? Now you want to come here and hurt Kendall and Jack?

I thought I was strong enough.

But seeing Elias still defending Kendall after everything Id been through my heart felt like it had been scoured by a Brooklyn winter wind.

It was a waste. All the love Id given him was a complete and utter waste. I must have been blind.

Chloe? Olivia? What are you guys doing here? Kendall walked over, holding Jack. She was wearing the same style of pajamas as Elias. Clearly a matching set.

My voice was ice. Olivia and I are here today to talk to your two good friends about our divorces. We wish you and your family of three all the best.

Kendalls eyes immediately welled up, and she looked like a startled squirrel.

Eliass heart broke for her. He shoved me hard.

Chloe, you faked a fire alarm, then you lied to my brother about having a miscarriage, and now youre here harassing Kendall. Do you think I have no temper? Chloe, how can you be so vicious? How could you curse your own child?

Exactly. What mother would curse her own child? Yet thats precisely how Elias saw me.

I swallowed the bitter taste in my throat and stared at him, my voice trembling but crystal clear. Elias, the baby is gone. While you were so busy taking care of Jack.

Every word Im saying is true. Lets get a divorce.

The look of disgust on Eliass face finally wavered. You

Before he could speak, Kendall, still holding the little boy, gently tugged on Eliass sleeve. Elias, Chloe just misses you too much. Its such bad luck to keep saying the baby is gone. You should go back and be with her. Pregnant women are always so emotional.

At her words, that flicker of doubt in Eliass eyes hardened back into annoyance.

I knew she was lying.

He raised his voice. To force me to come back to you, Chloe, how could you be so shameless? Dont you know how long we tried for this baby?! Why do you always have to curse him!

5.

He was right. We had tried for over a year for this baby.

The doctor said it would be difficult for me to conceive. Elias and I tried for a long time.

Finally, I had to undergo hormone therapy, enduring a year and a half of injections before we finally got the good news.

This child, whom we had longed for for nearly three years, was so precious to me. Even when the morning sickness was so severe it turned my days and nights upside down, I gritted my teeth and got through the riskiest first three months.

I thought I was finally seeing the light, but I had already fallen into an abyss.

The thought of the baby sent a sharp, twisting pain through my heart, as if an invisible hand were squeezing it. I had to lean against the doorframe to stay standing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kendall, in a spot hidden from Eliass view, pinch Jacks arm. Hard.

Jack immediately let out a piercing scream.

Elias, was Jack scared? We dont get many strangers here, Kendall said, her voice catching with sobs.

Elias instantly took Jack from her arms, cooing at him like he was his own son. Its okay, Jack, dont be scared. Im here, dont be scared. Ill make the strangers leave right now.

Strangers.

With a loud bang, the door slammed shut in my face. Just like that, for another woman and her child, Elias mercilessly shut me, the stranger who had been by his side for five years, out of his life.

That bastard! Olivia raised her hand to pound on the door, but I stopped her.

She could only wipe the tears from my face, her voice full of pain. Forget it. Let the lawyers handle it.

The moment she finished speaking, Lachlan returned, his face a mask of fury. Without asking a single question, he raised his hand to slap Olivia.

I stepped forward, shielding my friend.

Lachlan lowered his hand, but his voice was a roar of frustration. Olivia, I knew it was you who instigated Chloe to come and cause trouble at Kendalls! You scared Jack. Let me tell you, Olivia, if anything happens to Jack, I will never forgive you! Im going toD!

Lachlan, Im divorcing you! Olivia cut him off.

The words Lachlan hadnt finished were probably divorce you.

Hed used that threat against her before.

Once, my morning sickness was so bad I called Elias, but he ignored me.

Olivia had to ask Lachlan for help.

We found out that both brothers were with their old flame who had just returned to the country.

Olivia repeatedly urged Lachlan to come home.

But his voice on the other end was icy. Olivia, stop being unreasonable. If you keep this up, were getting a divorce.

Olivia didnt cry that day, but I knew she was holding it in.

I secretly saw the deep, bloody marks her own nails had dug into her palm.

Lachlan probably never expected Olivia to be the one to bring up divorce. He froze for a few seconds before sneering, Ha, your manipulative little games are getting more and more sophisticated.

Now youre using divorce to threaten me? Olivia, how could you bear to do it!

Olivia shot back without a hint of weakness. Then Ill see you in court. Youll see just how much I can bear!

Lachlan was completely stunned.

Just then, the door opened, and Kendall came out holding Jack. Jack, stop crying. Say hi to your uncles.

Lachlan ignored us and rushed toward Kendall, affectionately patting the little boys head. Jack, uncle missed you so much, he cooed.

Tell me, have you been playing with water at home? Did you forget how you fell into the pool last time? With that, he walked into Kendalls home as if he owned the place.

Before closing the door, he threw one last cold remark over his shoulder. Olivia, Im warning you, cut out your little tricks. Stop harassing Kendall and Jack.

If you really piss me off, I wont go easy on you, even if youre on your knees begging.

The door slammed shut in our faces again.

Idiots! Olivia and I cursed in unison.

Those brothers really had something wrong with them. And just like Lachlan saidDeven if they came to us crying and begging, we would never go easy on them.