On the eve of our wedding, my fiancée’s childhood sweetheart—a mercenary who’d been off the grid for five years—was brought to her doorstep, clinging to life, the victim of a volatile bio-toxin administered during a mission. He was covered in blood, barely breathing. My fiancée, Seraphina, who was always the picture of calm composure, saw him and her eyes went red. Ignoring my protests, she locked herself in the bedroom with him. She was in there all night. And I stood outside that door all night, listening. The next morning, when I confronted her, my voice raw with a sleepless fury, she stood protectively in front of her mercenary. Her walls came down, and the defiance was ugly. “I wasn’t going to just watch Rhys die,” she spat. “So what if it was my first time? What’s the big deal about one wild night before the wedding?” In that single, chilling moment, every ounce of love I ever had for her vanished. 1 The sounds of their night-long entanglement finally faded. Seraphina emerged from the bedroom, wrapped in a tattered nightgown. Her legs trembled, forcing her to brace herself against the wall as she walked. The angry purple bruises blooming across her exposed skin were a brutal, glaring testament to what had happened. She walked straight past me, poured herself a glass of water at the dining table, and then spoke, her voice laced with irritation. “Brad, your little tantrum has gone on long enough. I’m exhausted, and I don’t have time to deal with your moods.” “It was just my virginity. It saved Rhys’s life, so at least it was good for something. Can you stop being so damn old-fashioned?” “Old-fashioned?” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You were the one so enlightened, throwing yourself at him!” Sera slammed the glass down on the floor, shattering it. “Shut up!” she hissed. “Rhys isn’t stable. Don’t you dare say a word of this in front of him, or you can forget about this wedding!” As if on cue, a private medical team I had on standby entered the bedroom to begin emergency treatment. Sera rushed to their side, not even sparing me a glance. Rhys was lying on our marriage bed. He weakly grasped Sera’s hand. “Sera, I’m so sorry to be a burden… I just wanted to see you one last time before I died…” The air was thick with the cloying, musky scent of their night together. The overflowing trash can beside the bed told its own story. “To have you before I die… I can die happy,” he whispered dramatically. “At the wedding… can I be the one to give you away?” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Sera choked back a sob, clinging to his hand. She turned and screamed at the doctors. “Save him! Do something!” Then she looked back at Rhys, tears streaming down her face. “You’re going to be fine, Rhys. I’m still waiting for you to unbutton my wedding dress, remember?” They kissed, a desperate, feverish embrace, like two lovers in a disaster movie savoring their final moments. I watched this saccharine, melodramatic scene unfold in my own home and felt a wave of nausea roll through my stomach. Everyone knew Seraphina Ross was my one weakness. For her, I, Brad Rinker—a man who’d never had to lift a finger in his life—had clumsily learned to cook. I gave her everything she ever asked for. I had even knelt outside my family’s estate for three days and three nights, enduring a broken leg at my grandfather’s hand, just for the right to marry her. I had given her my entire heart. And this was my reward. “Brad, are you blind? Standing there like a statue.” Sera’s sharp voice cut through my thoughts. Her eyes were filled with impatience. “Get the Rinker family’s top medical unit over here now! Do you want his death on your conscience?” When I didn’t move, her face darkened. It was the first time I had ever defied her in front of others. “The wedding is tomorrow, Brad! Are you really going to start a fight with me now?” “You still remember you’re getting married tomorrow?” I sneered, my eyes fixed on her barely-there nightgown. “Funny, that must have slipped your mind while you were rolling around in our bed with Rhys.” “I was saving his life!” I let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Right. Saving his life. You had the antidote, but you chose to offer yourself instead. How noble!” Her face paled, then flushed with anger. Before she could retort, the wedding planners and her bridesmaids bustled into the apartment. Her maid of honor, Maya, saw the scene and her brow furrowed. She quickly wrapped a robe around Sera, then shot me a disapproving look. “Brad, I know it’s the big day, but could you have toned it down a bit? She can’t be seen like this…” “This has nothing to do with him!” Sera snapped, pulling the robe tighter and glaring at me. “Rhys was poisoned last night. I was just helping him out, and a certain someone is being incredibly petty about it.” 2 The air in the room froze. Maya’s teasing smile stiffened on her face, but she tried to smooth things over. “Don’t joke like that! We’re all so happy for you two. Come on, let’s get you dressed.” “Who’s joking?” Sera’s voice rose, sharp and defiant. She walked to the bed, took Rhys’s hand, and announced proudly, “Rhys is right here. I saved him. Last night, we…” “Sera, stop!” Maya hissed, digging her nails into Sera’s arm. “I did nothing wrong! Maya, you know I’ve loved Rhys since we were kids! And saving a life is a good deed!” “Enough.” The fight drained out of me. I turned to leave, the exhaustion hitting me like a physical weight. “Brad, have you not caused enough trouble?” Sera blocked my path. “The bridesmaids are here! You can’t leave!” Her friends stood by the door, trying to reason with me. “Mr. Rinker, please, don’t do this. You’re about to get married! Five years together, that’s not easy to throw away.” “She did it to save someone, it’s not like she was just cheating for fun! You can’t hold it against her.” “Exactly! Rhys and Sera are childhood sweethearts, they’ll be like family. Be the bigger person, don’t let people look down on you.” I laughed coldly. “The only thing people will look down on is the man wearing horns this big.” Just as I was about to say more, Rhys’s condition suddenly worsened. The medical team rushed him out to the hospital. Sera’s eyes were glued to his retreating form, filled with a raw panic. Only when he was gone did she turn back to me, her voice a venomous snarl. “Are you happy now, Brad? All your accusations, and you’ve undone everything I did last night! If anything happens to Rhys, you’re a murderer!” She had the audacity to talk about her “efforts.” I looked at the hatred in her eyes, and a bitter ache settled in my chest. Five years of my unwavering devotion, erased by one appearance from him. Sera, not even bothering to put on shoes, started to run after the ambulance. “Postpone the wedding,” she threw over her shoulder. “Rhys can’t be left alone.” “What are you doing?” Her bridesmaids blocked her way. “Sera, you’re getting married! Don’t ruin everything over a moment of panic!” “They have nurses for that, Sera! You need to stay here and get ready!” She didn’t listen, struggling against them. I watched the pathetic drama unfold, my voice like ice when I spoke. “Let her go. The engagement is off.” Sera froze, her face a mask of disbelief. “Brad… are you threatening me?” Threatening her? No. I was just tired. Five years ago, Seraphina had claimed it was love at first sight, launching a relentless pursuit. For three months, I remained unmoved. Then, during a hurricane on a business trip, she drove through the storm, risking her own life, just to see for herself that I was safe. She had stood there, drenched and disheveled, but her eyes were shining. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” she’d said with a radiant smile. In that moment, my heart had betrayed me, and I fell headfirst into love. After we got together, I leveraged my family's connections to land her family a multi-billion dollar project. I funded their overseas expansion, clearing every obstacle in their path. In just a few years, the Ross family business went from a small, local company to an international brand, all thanks to the resources of the Rinker family. I gave her everything. Sometimes I felt it still wasn't enough. And with one appearance, Rhys Morgan had made me the loser in a game I never even knew I was playing. “Fine! Call it off!” she shrieked, her voice cracking. “Rhys is back now anyway! I can finally have the happiness I deserve! You did this to yourself, Brad!” 3 The threat in her eyes was almost laughable. Did she really think, after all this, that I would still be her obedient lapdog? Just as she turned to leave, her phone rang. “Yes, this is his partner. What’s his condition?” Whatever the person on the other end said made the color drain from her face. She stumbled backward, her hand flying to her mouth. “Treat him. Use the best medicine you have! I’ll authorize it!” After hanging up, she looked at me, a flicker of guilt in her eyes before it was replaced by determination. “Rhys’s condition is critical. He needs an immuno-activator serum. The one you’ve been waiting on just arrived. Give it to him.” I let out a short, sharp laugh. “Does. He. Deserve it?” That serum was worth millions, a custom bio-engineered treatment that money alone couldn't buy. I had commissioned it for my grandfather five years ago, calling in favors I could never repay. And she thought she could just demand it? The audacity was breathtaking. Sera’s face went white. Then a cold smile touched her lips. “Brad, all of this is just a game to force me to marry you, isn’t it?” “Fine. You win. I’ll marry you after Rhys recovers. Now give up the serum.” Her tone was impatient, as if she were granting me some great favor. When I didn't respond, she added venomously, “Or you can stand at the altar alone tomorrow. When the bride is a no-show, the Rinker family will be a laughingstock!” The desperate madness in her eyes was pathetic. Make the Rinker family a laughingstock? She wasn't nearly important enough for that. I turned to leave, but a text from my assistant stopped me. Seraphina Ross has requisitioned the serum for Rhys Morgan under your name. It’s in transit. Requires your final authorization signature. Sera rushed over, grabbing my arm. “Sign it, Brad! Rhys doesn’t have time! Please, I’m begging you!” Her voice dropped to a hateful whisper. “Besides, the serum is already on its way. Rhys will be grateful. Your grandfather is an old fossil anyway, he’s lived long enough. The serum would be wasted on him…” CRACK! The sound of my hand connecting with her cheek echoed in the room. She crumpled to the floor, staring up at me in stunned disbelief. “You hit me!” she shrieked. “BRAD!” I ignored her curses, got in my car, and sped toward the hospital. My phone was ringing off the hook. I was about to turn it off when a new call came in. A name I hadn't expected. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to be calm. Sloane Ricci’s amused voice came through the speaker. “Mr. Rinker. About this wedding tomorrow. Are you sure you’ve thought this through?” I sighed. “I don’t make a habit of backing out of commitments of this magnitude.” “Really?” I could practically hear her smirk. “You’ve backed out of quite a few things for that woman over the years.” I pinched the bridge of my nose at a red light. “Never when it truly mattered. My family needs your family’s medical technology division, and Ricci Industries needs access to our markets. This alliance is mutually beneficial.” There was a pause. When she spoke again, her voice was serious. “I have no interest in being your wife. The moment that woman cries, you’ll go running back to her, and untangling our two corporations will be a nightmare.” I glanced at the GPS. Ten minutes to the hospital. “Don’t worry,” I said, my voice cold and final. “As of this moment, I’m single.” “See you at the altar tomorrow.” I hung up, a sense of calm settling over me for the first time all day. As I made a turn, a familiar car slammed into me from behind. The impact was violent, sending my car flipping onto its side. A searing pain shot through my legs, and my vision swam with red. Through the shattered windshield, I saw Seraphina get out of her car. Her expression was pure poison. “You forced my hand, Brad,” she said, her voice devoid of any emotion. “Rhys can’t die.” She ignored my broken, bleeding body and pulled my phone from the wreckage. I tried to move, to stop her, but I didn’t even have the strength to crawl out of the car. “Stop…” I croaked. “Stop?” She didn’t even look up from the screen. “I can’t believe you’d let him die. I’m doing you a favor, Brad. Helping you earn some good karma.” I glared at her, my teeth grinding. “That serum… was for my grandfather. He’s been waiting five years.” Sera rolled her eyes. “It’s just a stupid serum, you can order another one. Don’t be so stingy. Besides, your grandfather has lived long enough. He should be dead already! All that money you waste on him… you think it’s going to increase our inheritance?” I started to laugh, a broken, pained sound. My love, my grandfather’s life… none of it mattered more than Rhys Morgan. She had forgotten that the only reason she had any power at all was because of me. “‘Wedding to proceed as planned’?” She saw the message I’d sent my assistant and scoffed, tossing the phone onto my chest. “So you really do want to marry me. Fine. Now that I have the serum, I suppose marrying you isn't the worst thing in the world.” Before I could speak, she started listing her terms. “First, when Rhys is discharged, he’s living with us. I need to be there to take care of him.” “Second, transfer all your personal assets to his name. He needs financial security. You can keep the company.” “Third, I’m having his child first, to carry on the Morgan name. Then we can talk about having one for you.” She looked at me, utterly confident, as if my agreement was a foregone conclusion. “They’re just small things, right? I can’t give Rhys marriage, so I have to compensate him in other ways.” She turned and ran toward the hospital, leaving me for dead. I struggled to call for help, my world going black as I heard the distant wail of sirens.
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