Chapter 1Ten minutes after kissed my husband goodbye, I ran into a bride sob hysterically.
"Mom, Dad—I finally married the right guy!"
"OMG, so sweet!" Even impatient me stopped to wait.
Someone shouted:"Aiden Reid! You better treat her right!"
The groom swore loud in front of everyone:
"If I don't, let me DIE ALONE AND MISERABLE. She's the ONLY one I'll ever love!"
Crowd exploded.
The bride smiled through her tears.
Only I sat frozen in my car.
Aiden Reid—MY husband's name. And that voice...
As the crowd cleared, I drove closer. Got a clear look at the groom.
MY HUSBAND. In a tux. Kissing HER.
So his "business trip"? A whole ass wedding.
Aiden saw me—and got MAD first.
"It's FAKE! Brynn needed this for her dead parents!"
"Jesus, Isla. I'm just helping her. Can't you be UNDERSTANDING for once?"
Fine. Let's see how understanding you are when I'M screaming your rival's name.
...
Aiden shot me a look—GET LOST.
I was gonna drive straight through.
Instead, I pulled over.
Got out.
"Hope you don't mind one more guest~"
"Weddings are for celebrating, right?"
"Here's my gift."
Weddings are all about good vibes. They usually say yes.
The bride, Brynn Carter, lit up.
"Of course not!"
I sat down.
Hilarious.
I was attending my OWN husband's wedding.
Some lady next to me started chatting.
"They look perfect together! It took them forever to get here."
I clenched my jaw. Bitterness rising.
"How so?"
She went off.
"The groom's sister kept blocking it. Can you believe that?"
"She won't get married herself, but won't let her brother have a wife either."
"They've been together FIVE YEARS and JUST now had the wedding."
"Good thing the bride's young—she could wait."
My nails dug into my palms.
I finally understood—Aiden's an only child.
I'M the so-called "difficult sister."
I'm the obstacle.
Five years.
Aiden, you're a real piece of work.
Two nights ago, before his "trip," he looked so guilty.
"Gotta travel again, babe."
"I'm so sorry. Been swamped. I'll make it up to you soon."
I smiled. Packed his suitcase like the perfect wife.
Every day, he texted updates. Shared "work stories."
Played the good husband so well.
ALL FAKE.
Every "business trip" a lie.
Maybe guilt kicked in once, so he overcompensated—sweet texts, fake stories—trying to prove how loving he was.
The wedding food? Top-shelf everything.
But every bite tasted like ash.
Eventually, it was time for the toast. They reached our table.
Aiden looked uncomfortable.
His buddies too.
Still, everyone played along surprisingly well.
One of his nervous friends almost slipped—nearly called me "sister-in-law."
Aiden cut him off fast.
I smiled.
"When are you two getting your marriage license?"
"I work at the registry office—I can help. We even give gifts now."
Brynn blushed.
"Tomorrow."
I kept smiling sweetly.
I didn't blow up the wedding yet—maybe she didn't know the truth.
Now, I really wanted to see how Aiden keeps this lie going tomorrow.
Chapter 2
The next morning, Brynn showed up at my door.
Straight to the point.
"You're Aiden's wife, right?"
Her face was bright red. Flustered.
He confessed something on their wedding night?
I nodded.
"Yep."
She walked right in. Saw our wedding photos on the wall.
Her eyes welled up instantly, but her voice stayed firm.
"You don't love Aiden like I do. He told me you STARVED him for days."
She lifted her chin stubbornly.
"I just want you to know—even if we can't get the license, I'm staying with him."
Playing the brave girl chasing true love.
I froze.
"So you knew the whole time?!"
She nodded.
I felt sick. Should've torched that wedding yesterday.
And the "starving him" thing?
That was doctor's orders—his health required it.
I was too damn polite.
Why'd I even care about their dignity?
Right then, Aiden finally rushed over.
The second he entered, he pulled her behind him like I was gonna hurt her.
"Isla, I can explain. It's not what you think!"
"Her family helped me years ago. Five years back, she came to me for help. I've been looking after her since."
"This wedding was FAKE—her relatives were pressuring her."
"We just staged it to get them off her back."
I looked up at him coldly.
"You're late. That’s not what she just told me.”
Aiden kept shielding her.
"She's got feelings for me, sure—but it's like a sister thing."
"She's young and immature. Can't you be UNDERSTANDING for once?"
“Anyway, don’t start any drama.”
That sounded more like a warning.
I almost laughed.
Disgusting.
The moment I stepped closer, Aiden grabbed my wrist tightly.
He thought I was gonna hurt her.
"Isla, I already explained!"
"She's like a sister to me. I can't abandon her."
"Leave her alone. I already made things clear with her last night.”
The pain shot through my hand. I yanked it free.
He'd gripped so tight my skin turned red.
It hurt.
My chest burned with anger and humiliation.
"Aiden, I don't care what your reasons are."
"You made MY house dirty. Get out! Both of you."
Aiden finally seemed to realize he'd gone too far.
He loosened his grip, his tone softening slightly.
"Sorry, I just thought you'd—never mind. We all need to cool off."
Did he fear I’d hurt Brynn?
Or scared I'd blow this whole thing wide open.
Whatever. Same difference.
The only calm I had left was my old instinct—this house was MY premarital property. Their presence made me sick.
"OUT."
Right as I tried to kick them out—
A bookshelf next to us collapsed.
Aiden shoved ME aside and threw himself over Brynn.
Completely bocked my escape route. Books slammed into my hand.
Instant swelling.
A sharp pain tightened around my chest.
Instincts don't lie.
Brynn wasn't even standing where the books would've hit her.
But Aiden panicked anyway.
Love makes you stupid.
Aiden, I'm DONE with you.
He checked Brynn over carefully.
"You okay? I'll take you to the hospital. Didn't you say you had a headache last night?"
He didn't even glance at me.
"Isla, I'm taking Brynn to the ER."
"There's medicine in the cabinet. Help yourself."
Soon, the house was empty except for me.
I called a moving company.
"Deep clean. Everything."
This house used to hold all our good memories.
I never imagined we’d end up like this.
But the pride since childhood kept me from shedding a single tear.
Chapter 3
I grabbed the first aid kit, treating my injury myself.
I’d always been clumsy.
Aiden never let me get hurt even a little.
Kept the house stocked with every medicine imaginable.
He'd always say, half-joking:
"What would you even do without me?"
After bandaging up, my arm still throbbed.
I was about to start divorce proceedings when my phone rang first.
My best friend. Frantic.
"Get over here NOW. Something happened!"
"Your parents heard about Aiden cheating—they were already at the hospital, so they went to confront that girl."
"Now Brynn's making a SCENE."
What?!
I rushed over.
My parents adored Aiden. Whenever we fought, they'd take HIS side.
They probably just wanted answers.
But with Brynn involved? No idea what I'd find.
I sped to the hospital.
When I got there, Brynn was already on the roof. Crowd gathered below.
Brynn, sobbing dramatically:
"If you want me dead, FINE! I have nothing left to say!"
Aiden was there too, trying to calm her down.
My parents looked furious.
"I asked ONE question and she bolted up there threatening suicide."
"What were we supposed to do?"
They'd been polite the whole time. Raised right.
Someone in the crowd recognized her.
"Wait—isn't that the bride who cried at her wedding?"
"Her parents are dead, she finally found happiness—what's going on?"
That made Brynn cry harder.
Aiden spun around and ROARED:
"SHUT UP! Everyone just STOP talking!"
He kept pleading with Brynn. Saying anything to get her down.
The crowd went silent.
At that moment, Aiden's parents rushed over, soothing her too.
"Brynn, your parents trusted us to take care of you. You're like our daughter."
"Just talk it out, okay? Don't do this."
"Besides, we only threw you that wedding to make you happy. Why's it gotten this far?"
My parents stared at them in disbelief.
"So you KNEW? You HELPED her pull this off?"
"Are you out of your minds?"
Aiden's parents looked ashamed, but doubled down.
"Right now, her LIFE is what matters. Forget everything else."
Of course.
Aiden looked up at Brynn.
"Give me your hand. I'll make them apologize."
Then he turned to my parents.
"Apologize. NOW."
My parents stared at him, stunned.
They never thought their beloved son-in-law would talk to them like this.
Demanding they apologize to some homewrecker.
Even though they had done absolutely nothing wrong.
Even their questions had been careful. Respectful.
I stepped in front of them.
"Aiden, do you hear yourself? Who the hell do you think you're talking to?!"
My parents were shaking with anger.
Aiden sighed. Like I was the unreasonable one.
"This is a LIFE OR DEATH situation."
"Do we really need to drag up the past?"
"I know your parents have been good to me. I'm grateful."
"But right now, Brynn is standing on that ledge."
"APOLOGIZE!"
How fucking shameless!
I finally snapped.
Slapped him hard across the face.
