Chapter 1The Sterling family rule: anyone can veto anything. One word = one-year freeze.
Five years engaged to Grayson. Five canceled weddings—my family took turns blocking me.
Year six, no vetoes left. Then Mom "dies" three days before the altar.
I sobbed at her casket all night—until I heard them outside:
"We're out of vetoes. Had to fake it."
Grayson's voice cut through: "Don't tell her about Switzerland. Or the baby. She's waited this long—what's one more year?"
My "dead" mom's in Europe. Raising my fiancé and best friend's kid.
I yanked off my ring.
This time? I'm vetoing myself.
---
I didn't open the door.
Just stood there listening.
My older brother Ryan's voice came through, barely a whisper. "Dude, she was on her knees all night. What if she actually loses it?"
Dad sighed. "Come on. Last five times she cried for like two days and moved on."
Then Grayson, flat as hell. "I'll handle it. Natalie gets through postpartum, we bring Mom back. Done."
Dad's voice went soft. "That poor girl's got nobody. She needs us right now."
Ryan again. "Yeah, and hospitals mess her up bad. Remember when her mom died? Sat outside that ER all night by herself. Still messed up from it."
My fingers went numb.
Natalie Walker moved in at sixteen after her dad died saving mine in a crash. Two years later her mom was gone. Ever since, my parents acted like we owe her everything.
Mom babied her like crazy. My brothers treated her like a princess with month-long birthday planning and all-nighters when she got sick. Cole drove two hours in a storm once 'cause she texted him freaking out.
I never minded. Hell, I told Grayson, "Nat's alone now. Let's look after her."
I didn't think "looking after her" meant handing over my whole damn life. My fiancé. My wedding. My mom.
And to them? Mom dying, wedding canceled? Just me having another cry.
I went back to the wake. Mom's photo sat right in the middle.
When she "died," Dad said her body was too messed up to see and wouldn't let me near her. I begged, but Ryan straight-up blocked the door.
"Mom loved looking good, you know that. She wouldn't want you seeing her like that."
So I cried all night on my knees.
Turns out she's not even dead. She's in Europe watching Grayson and Natalie's baby.
"Wren."
Grayson showed up behind me. He threw his jacket over me and bent down rubbing my knees. "Stop doing this to yourself. Mom wouldn't want this."
The balls on this guy.
I almost laughed.
Six years ago he did the same thing. Got on one knee. "I don't care how many times they shut us down. I'll wait. You're it for me, Wren. Only you."
Year one: Dad shut it down. I waited.
Year two: Mom. I waited.
Year three: Ryan.
Year four: Cole.
Year five: New excuses.
Every time I broke down, Grayson held me. "Just wait. It'll happen."
He wiped my tears. "Next year's gonna be way better. Promise."
I smiled. "Okay."
He looked so relieved.
My phone rang. The wedding planner.
"Hey, so Mr. Reid wants to push everything? But the flowers and cake are already paid for and locked in. Can we just ship it overseas? He sent me this address in Switzerland—"
Right where Natalie had her baby.
Those 9,999 white roses took three months to pick. Grayson said I'd walk through flowers to him.
No wedding. But the flowers? Still useful.
I said, "Cancel it."
Silence.
"Sorry, what?"
"Flowers. Cake. Everything. Cancel it."
I hung up and called my lawyer right after. "End the engagement. And that house? Sell it."
Chapter 2
The lawyer sounded thrown off. "Miss Sterling, shouldn't we run this by Mr. Reid first—"
"Nope. Don't bother."
I watched Grayson standing there all solemn in front of Mom's portrait, lighting incense like the perfect devoted son-in-law. I nearly laughed out loud.
"It's my house."
"My engagement."
"My call."
After I hung up, I went back to the estate. Walked into the study and there it was—a will already laid out on the desk.
Ryan, Cole, and Grayson. All sitting there waiting.
The lawyer slid the papers toward me. "Your mother made some arrangements before she passed."
I glanced down.
Mom's 12% stake in Sterling Industries. The commercial properties. Grandma's entire jewelry trust.
Every last bit of it dumped into some brand new fund.
Sole beneficiary: "Nathan Reid."
My hand went stiff.
"Who the hell is Nathan Reid?"
I looked up.
"Natalie's kid?"
Cole's jaw tightened. "Yeah."
I turned to Grayson.
"Why's he got your last name?"
Grayson cleared his throat. "Nat got screwed over by some deadbeat. Kid needs a father figure, at least on paper."
I kept flipping.
Last page. Waiver of inheritance objection.
All it needed was my signature.
I burst out laughing.
"When exactly did Mom write this thing?"
Dad's face went hard. "Last year."
"What month?"
"Wren!"
His voice dropped like ice. "Your mother's dead. Are you seriously gonna sit here splitting hairs right now?"
I slammed the file shut.
"Because when she was alive? She told me like a hundred times all this stuff was gonna be my dowry."
"Now she's dead and magically it all goes to Natalie's kid?"
"How does that work?"
Cole shot to his feet. "Because Nat actually needs it! You don't!"
"You're a Sterling. You're about to marry into the Reids. What the hell are you missing?"
"She's got no parents, a baby to feed. Who else is gonna help her?"
I smiled. Bitter as hell. Shoved the papers away.
"Not signing."
Dad's fist hit the table. "This was your mother's dying wish!"
"You really gonna disrespect a dead woman's last request?"
Of course. The dead woman card again.
Wedding's off because Mom died. Now they're using the same excuse to strip me of my inheritance.
I stood up.
"Cool. Then let Mom come tell me herself."
Every face in that room went white.
I turned to leave. Ryan physically blocked the doorway.
"Wren, don't push us!"
"Get out of my way."
He didn't budge.
Cole ripped my phone straight out of my hand.
"You can leave when you grow up and act like an adult."
I stared at them like they'd lost their minds. "You're seriously locking me in here?"
His voice went flat. "We're helping you calm down."
I lunged for my phone. He tossed it across the room to Grayson.
"Keep an eye on her."
I looked at the man who swore he'd spend his whole life protecting me.
"Give. It. Back."
Grayson grabbed my wrist. His jaw worked. "Wren."
"Just sign the damn thing."
Something inside me shattered.
"So you think I should just roll over too?"
He wouldn't meet my eyes. His throat bobbed.
"Look, for you? This stuff is just extra. Icing on the cake."
"But for Nat and that baby? It's survival."
I stared at him for what felt like forever.
Then I laughed.
"Sure. Whatever."
Everyone in the room practically melted with relief.
Dad slid the pen over. Ryan even ruffled my hair.
"There's our girl."
"Always the smart one."
I looked down. Signed my name. One letter at a time.
Over the next few days, Grayson stuck to me like glue at the wake.
On the seventh day, I collapsed while kneeling.
Woke up to a doctor sliding test results across the table.
"You're seven weeks along."
I just sat there. Stunned.
Grayson got word and came flying in. Grabbed the ultrasound and his eyes went full-on red, choking up, crushing me in a hug.
"Oh my God. We're having a baby. I'm gonna be a dad."
If this were a month ago? I would've cried happy tears.
Now? I just felt sick.
I wanted so badly to say it.
You've already been a dad once, jackass. What's the big celebration?
Chapter 3
The nurse came over with a clipboard. "Father's marital status?"
Grayson froze for a second, then grabbed the form.
"Single."
The nurse smiled. "You two should get married soon then. You'll need it for the paperwork."
I looked at him and felt absolutely nothing.
"Want to do it today?"
His smile vanished.
"Wren, your mom just passed."
"Getting married right now? Bad timing."
I smiled but said nothing.
Next day, footage of us at the prenatal clinic went viral.
"Reid heir spotted at clinic with mistress."
The leak included an overseas marriage certificate. Bride's name blurred out. Grayson's name? Clear as day.
Comments dug up how I'd been with him six years without a legal marriage.
So now I was the homewrecker. The desperate side piece who knew he was married but spent six years chasing him anyway.
Reporters mobbed the office building. I stepped out of my car and someone threw coffee in my face.
"Shameless!"
"His wife just had a baby and you're already knocked up?"
"How dare you show your face?"
I shoved through the crowd and ran inside.
I called Dad.
"Put out a statement. Tell them Grayson and I got engaged six years ago."
Long silence. Then he said, "Wren, don't make this bigger than it needs to be."
Even though I already knew the truth, knew they'd all been covering for Natalie, my voice still shook.
"So you're just letting them call me a mistress? Dad, people out there want me dead."
Ryan grabbed the phone. "Internet forgets in two days. You're pregnant. Don't stress."
Cole's voice came from the background. "And don't fight with Grayson. He's got his reasons."
I printed that marriage certificate and drove straight home.
When I walked in, Dad's face went white and he threw his phone down.
"Wren? What are you doing here?"
I stared at him.
"I just heard Mom."
Dead silence. Dad only paused two seconds before his eyes went red.
"You're hearing things. I was watching an old video."
Ryan and Cole appeared from the other room. One grabbed the phone while the other took my arm.
"You've been overdoing it."
"Doctor said pregnancy messes with your head, remember?"
Perfect coordination between all three of them.
I saw her face flash across that screen. The woman who was supposed to be dead.
My throat tightened. Suddenly I had no energy left to fight.
Dad kept talking. "That overseas certificate? Nat was going through something. Grayson took her out drinking. They both got wasted. Total accident."
Ryan jumped in. "Then Nat got pregnant. Foreign paperwork's hell. He only got the certificate for the kid."
Cole frowned at me. "It's just paper. You two have six years together. That means nothing?"
I laughed out loud.
They slept together, had a kid, got married abroad. All accidents.
Me waiting six years? Totally fine.
I looked at Grayson.
"That what you think?"
He walked over looking completely wiped out.
"Wren."
"I was gonna divorce her once she got better."
"But she just finished postpartum. Doctor says no stress."
I stared at him, my voice flat.
"So I get the stress? I get torn apart online?"
Grayson's jaw tightened. "That's not what I'm saying."
I smiled coldly.
"Then when are you gonna tell the truth? Everyone thinks I'm a homewrecker."
Silence.
Ryan finally spoke up. "If we go public now, it exposes Nat."
"She just gave birth."
Dad's eyes went red. "Wren."
"Nat's got nobody. This baby's everything."
"You've got us."
Ryan looked at me. "Please. Just this once."
My wedding. My fiancé. My baby's name. My house.
Already gone.
Now they wanted my reputation and my dignity.
