After betrayed, I married the man in the Forbes

Standing outside her mother’s Thanksgiving dinner, Haven felt the sharp sting of whispered gossip behind her back, all on a day that was supposed to be full of joy. She’d spent so long wishing she had her parents’ blessing—but these days, that felt farther out of reach than ever.

Her marriage had turned into nothing but a joke to the whole family. She couldn’t make herself walk in to face her mom, dreading the cold judgment she knew she’d see in those eyes. Maybe she never should have come at all.

She left a gift wrapped on the doorstep, breathed a silent, "Happy Thanksgiving, Mom," and turned to walk away.

She’d just reached the elevator when she ran straight into her brother Nelson, who’d come to walk their mom into the dinner. One look at her tear-streaked face and he frowned, immediately concerned. "What happened? Did Mom say something to you?"

Haven shook her head. "Nah. I didn’t even go in."

"Then why the hell not?"

Her voice came out rough and hoarse when she answered. "I hurt her too bad. No amount of apologizing is gonna fix what I broke. The only thing I can do is stay away, so I don’t bring any more disgrace on this family."

She turned toward the elevator buttons.

Nelson caught her arm before she could go any farther. "If you wanna prove anything to Mom, you gotta show her your marriage isn’t a mistake. Show everyone there’s nothing left to mock us for anymore."

Fresh tears burned Haven’s eyes. "How am I supposed to prove that my marriage isn’t a total disaster? My life with Joshua was never happy, not once."

Was she really supposed to pretend everything was fine with Joshua by her side?

She was done with him. She didn’t even want him knowing she was part of the Rivera family anymore.

Haven’s confusion was written all over her face.

Nelson steered her into an empty guest room and pulled out his phone. While he waited for the call to pick up, he cut straight to the point.

"You never officially dated anyone," he said. "But what if you married someone amazing—someone that checks every box on your list? We can prove to everyone you didn’t make the wrong choice this time."

Haven listened, completely perplexed. "I get what you’re saying, but why would a guy like that even look twice at me?"

"He’s not just interested—he’s already willing," Nelson assured her.

"When?" Haven couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Instead of answering her directly, Nelson spoke into the phone. "Hey, you got a minute?"

He switched it to speakerphone, and Haven immediately felt self-conscious, heat creeping up her cheeks. Was her brother getting her into some mess again?

The voice on the other end was deep and warm, laced with quiet amusement. "What do I owe this unexpected matchmaking call?"

"I’m dead serious," Nelson said, his eyes locked hard on Haven. "I need you to get over here and help us out."

Standing there, Haven’s embarrassment only grew thicker—especially when dead silence stretched over the line.

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. She reached for Nelson’s phone. "Cut it out, Nelson. I can fix things with Mom on my own. This guy doesn’t need to get dragged into our mess."

In their quick tussle, the phone slipped right out of Nelson’s hand. Haven hurried to apologize. "Sorry about that. My brother doesn’t think before he acts sometimes. You heard all that, right?"

The voice on the line chuckled softy. "Wait—did I just hear that correctly? Is that my future wife on the line?"

The out-of-the-blue question left Haven stunned, the blush on her face turning even deeper.

Even through the phone, she could feel how calm and confident the man was, and it made her heart skip all kinds of beats.

She swallowed hard, nervous. "No, I mean… my brother was just messing around."

Unfazed, his voice stayed steady. "You don’t have to answer me right this second, but what’s it gonna be? Are you in or out?"

Somehow, amidst all the chaos and confusion, Haven suddenly knew exactly what to do. She glanced at her brother, and his eyes were steady, full of reassurance.

If there was anyone she could trust completely, it was Nelson. If he said this guy was good people, she believed him.

Her voice shook a little, but she got the word out anyway. "Yes."

The word had barely left her lips when she felt Nelson breathe a soft sigh of relief, like he’d been holding his breath this whole time.

Before she could overthink it, Nelson took the phone back and murmured something to the man. Whatever he said, it was obvious plans were already falling into place from the grin on his face. "He’s gonna join us for Mom’s dinner. Go get ready to meet him."

Nelson practically herded her out the door, Haven’s head spinning with a million different emotions. Everything was moving way too fast for her to wrap her head around it.

"This is a marriage, not a damn game," she protested. "One phone call can’t lock in something this big. Shouldn’t we at least talk first? I don’t even know what the guy looks like! This whole thing’s just gonna be awkward as hell!"

Nelson smiled soft at her panic and lifted an eyebrow. "You got a better plan? Or you just wanna keep letting Mom misunderstand you forever? At least meet the guy. I promise I’ll handle everything else. You don’t gotta worry about a thing."

His tone lightened. "Honestly? I’ve always believed a little serendipity doesn’t hurt anybody. Maybe today’s actually your lucky day."

Serendipity?

Haven caught his drift and gave him a playful shove with her foot. "Are you even really my brother? I’m not that naive!"

Just like when they were kids, Nelson laughed at her little flare of indignation. He reached over and ruffled her hair playfully.

"Hell yeah I am, dear Haven. You’re back now, all grown up. When our big brother hears about this, he’s gonna lose his mind happy."

Haven nodded softly, taking that in.

"I’ll go find Mom," Nelson said, his tone turning serious. "Since you decided to face this head on, hiding from her isn’t gonna fix anything. She’s got a hard shell, but that soft center’s still there. This meeting’s gonna go easier than you think."

With that, Nelson’s expression grew more solemn, a heavy weight behind his gaze.

Haven thought back to the things she’d overheard earlier, and a soft, sad longing settled in her chest. "Does Mom really hate me that much? Will she ever actually forgive me?"