After betrayed, I married the man in the Forbes

Nelson Carlson froze mid-step, lifting his sharp, perceptive gaze. "You’re not getting back in the family unless you’re officially divorced from Joshua West."

Haven Peters dropped her chin, taking a slow sip of her coffee. "I already left the divorce papers with Joshua. He’ll sign and send them back soon. Besides, when we first got married, we never filed the paperwork. It’s not like we’re legally married in the first place, so it’s more of a clean separation than an official divorce."

Their relationship had been over for years, and the unfiled paperwork had always sat with her. They’d had the big wedding, but they never completed the legal registration. Leaving those divorce papers was just her way of making sure there were no loose ends left between them.

She knew her whole family was aware of that fact. None of them ever wanted to dig up that messy, uncomfortable detail.

Skeptical, Nelson sat down across from her and took a sip of his own coffee. Even Aunt Jane’s famous brew couldn’t top this one.

He still couldn’t wrap his head around it: his sister, who’d grown up spoiled rotten, never lifted a finger her whole life, had turned into a total domestic goddess after moving in with Joshua. They’d both been raised with people waiting on them hand and foot, after all.

"What’s up, bro?" Haven caught the look on his face and waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Coffee not good?"

Nelson caught her hand mid-wave, his thumb brushing the faint roughness on her palm. That texture was completely foreign to him, and his worry grew deeper. "You’re really sure you want to come back?"

Haven saw the worry swimming in his eyes and pulled her hand back, turning all her old bitterness into a soft, steady smile. "I was naive back then. I hurt Mom and Dad. Even if I still feel like an outsider now, I owe them a proper apology."

Nelson knew she was just trying to put him at ease. She’d never been this thoughtful before, and that left him with a weird, tight feeling in his chest. "It wasn’t all your fault. We never stopped to ask how you felt, we just pressured you to marry someone you didn’t love. Of course you fought back."

His support wrapped around her, warm and unexpected. "Brother…"

Nelson chose not to pick at old scabs. He switched gears to lighten the mood. "If you’re really set on cutting ties with Joshua West for good, maybe you can come home to see Mom and Dad. I can set it up, and you won’t have to leave again after."

He pulled an invitation out of his suit pocket as he spoke. "Mom’s fiftieth birthday party is tomorrow. This is the perfect opening."

"Mom’s turning fifty?" Haven froze, completely blindsided.

In her head, her mom had always been eternally young and beautiful—more graceful than any other mom she’d ever known. It was impossible to picture her hitting fifty.

Nelson sighed. "It’s been five years since you left."

Haven slipped into a sleek, vintage Victorian-style dress and rode with Nelson to the venue.

"I’m not going in with you," Nelson said as he held the car door open for her. "Mom and Dad don’t know I’ve been talking to you. You’ll have to work things out with them on your own."

"Okay," Haven nodded.

Truth be told, she felt she didn’t even deserve to come back. This apology was long overdue. Now she finally understood how much her parents loved her, and she cherished that more than anything.

As Haven walked toward the private entrance for personally invited, high-profile guests, she spotted Joshua and his mother.

What were they doing here?

"Out of the way!" A sharp voice snapped from behind her, followed by a hard shove that sent her stumbling. When she caught her balance, Joshua and his mother were close enough that she could hear every word.

"Why do you look so pale?" Joshua’s mother griped. "You laze around the house doing nothing all day, and you can’t even take care of yourself. You’re completely useless."

Haven knew that tone better than anyone.

When Joshua first brought her into the West house, his mother never even bothered to give her the time of day. An orphan with no real family connections? She wasn’t worth wasting breath on.

The Wests were old money, and Haven knew they needed a powerful ally to pull them through their current business crisis. Joshua’s mom had been pushing an arranged marriage for him this whole time—looking for someone rich and well-connected to prop up their failing company.

But Joshua had refused to budge. He insisted on marrying her.

Haven remembered how he’d stood by her back then. That’s why she’d secretly poured all her hard-earned savings and the revenue from her overseas business into the West company anonymously. She never told him—she was scared it would bruise his pride.

"Mom, this is Mrs. Rivera’s party. Let’s not talk business here," Joshua said, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from anything that would remind him of Haven.

"Hmph." His mother shoved a business card into his hand, still lecturing. "I told you to marry into a wealthy family and you said no. Look where that stubbornness got us. Now that the company’s on the brink, you need to go talk to the Riveras, see if they’ll bail us out. Otherwise, we’re finished."

A lightbulb went off for her. "I heard the Riveras have a daughter your age. If you marry her, you’ll be part of the family, and we’ll never have to worry about money again."

Hiding in the shadow off to the side, Haven fixed her eyes on Joshua, waiting.

Joshua was quiet for a long moment. Then he nodded, agreeing to the plan. "If that’s what it takes, I’ll marry the Rivera daughter."

Hidden away, Haven tore her gaze away, a bitter, mocking smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

For half a second, she’d actually expected Joshua to tell his mother no. Firmly.

Shaking off the stupid ache in her chest, Haven checked in through the side entrance Nelson had arranged for her, then slipped down a quiet back corridor that led to the main lounge.

"Congratulations on your big milestone, Mrs. Rivera," the woman purred.

That was Cheyenne Larson, her mother’s sister-in-law—who’d had it out for her mother for as long as anyone could remember. "What an extravagant party, almost like a royal gala. You’ve invited every big name in business, haven’t you?"

Her mother, poised and elegant even under all her event makeup, answered coolly, "What do you want, Cheyenne?"

"Why the long face? You can’t still be upset that your daughter—the one you raised for decades—isn’t here for your fiftieth?"

At the mention of Haven’s name, her mother’s eyes flushed red. She blinked hard, fighting back the tears that pricked her lids. "She’s no daughter of mine. Just an ungrateful stray. Even if she showed up today, I wouldn’t see her!"

"That’s fair," Cheyenne shrugged. "Grandpa went through all that trouble to set her up with a good marriage, and she threw it back in his face. No wonder you’re furious."

Her mother’s deep red painted lips tightened into a hard line. "Let’s hope your own golden girl doesn’t end up disappointing you!"

Haven’s breath caught in her throat. She didn’t even realize her grip had tightened on the silk handkerchief box she was holding until the edge dug into her palm.