A Bride's Unwritten Clause

I lost track of time until a sharp pain made me look down. My heels were raw and bleeding. I could only laugh. What a perfect wedding.

As I limped along, my phone finally buzzed to life with a signal, and a dozen messages from Brady flooded the screen.

"Kylie, do you have to make things so difficult? I already told you, what I feel for Selene is guilt. Why did you have to make a scene at the wedding?"

His messages came one after another, each one a fresh accusation. Not a single message showed a hint of concern for me; not one offered an apology.

Disgusted, I was about to put my phone away when I spotted Brady's black Bentley parked under a tree not far away.

I instinctively ducked behind the tree. The car window was half-open, and through the car's Bluetooth, Selene's sickeningly sweet and weak voice drifted out.

"Brady, leaving Kylie alone at the wedding like that… she must be heartbroken. After all, she's carrying your child… Does that make me a terrible person?"

Brady’s gentle reply cut through the rain. "Selene, you're just too kind, always thinking of others. She and that child together aren't worth one of your tears. The baby… it was just an accident. If it weren't for the inheritance clause tied to the company shares, I never would have let her keep it."

The phone slipped from my numb fingers, falling into the muddy water with a soft plop.

So that was it. An accident. Shares.

Two months ago, suffering from severe morning sickness, I slipped coming down the stairs. When I saw the blood pooling beneath me, I was terrified and cried out for Brady, who was on his way out.

But he just snapped at me, "Kylie, can't you call an ambulance yourself? Don't bother me, I have something urgent to do."

By the time the ambulance arrived, I had passed out and nearly miscarried.

I was hospitalized for a month after that. Brady never once visited.

It wasn't until yesterday that I found out he had left in such a hurry because Selene had called him, crying that she was scared to be home alone.

Remembering that, I bent to retrieve my phone. My nails dug into my palm, the pressure so intense I felt one of my wedding acrylics crack. But that sharp, physical pain was nothing compared to the agony ripping through my heart.

I finally stumbled onto a main road. Just as I hailed an Uber, Brady's call came through.

"Kylie, you scared Selene into a panic attack. Get your ass over here and apologize to her right now! If you don't calm her down, our engagement is off!"