After betrayed, I married the man in the Forbes

Leonard Peters caught the sideways glances people were sending him, and tugged up a subtle smile before making his exit. "My wife’s with her mother, so I ought to take my leave." With that, he slipped out smoothly and caught the elevator upstairs.

In the banquet hall’s private lounge, Sophia Porter sat lost in thought, her fingers twisted tight around a wool shawl draped over her arms. It was a custom piece from her favorite little boutique—her secret treasure, known to barely anyone… but Haven knew it well. A faint spark flickered to life in her eyes, then died just as fast. Maybe, after all this time, Haven wasn’t coming back at all.

Close by, Cheyenne Larson couldn’t resist slipping in a sarcastic jab. She stared at the elegant shawl with over-the-top curiosity, sneering, "Who gave you this thing? Hiding it away, huh? Is it too cheap to show off? C’mon, sister-in-law—where’d you dig up someone with such terrible, boring taste?"

Sophia was just about to snap back when a knock at the door cut her off. She set the shawl aside, pulled in a steadying breath, and smoothed her expression. "Come in," she called.

The door swung open. Sophia’s breath caught. She stared at the visitor, disbelieving. "Haven…" Her voice shook, thin with uncertainty, like she was stuck in a dream.

Haven Peters stood in the doorway, her throat tightening when she spotted the fine new lines fanning at the corners of her mother’s eyes, the dullness that had crept into her once-vivid, glowing skin. Five years. Her mother had aged so much. A lump swelled in Haven’s throat, her voice thick with raw emotion when she whispered, "Mom."

Caught off guard at first, Sophia quickly masked her shock behind a stern frown, a sharp edge of annoyance creeping into her tone. "What are you doing here?"

Haven shrank, just like a kid caught stealing cookies from the jar. She bowed her head in shame. Once upon a time, she’d defied her mother to run off with Joshua West… only to learn how huge a mistake she’d made. A marriage without her family’s blessing had never held any joy, and it had left Joshua lonely, too. Emotion crashed over her, and hot tears slipped down her cheeks.

Sophia couldn’t bear to look, and turned her face away.

Cheyenne, who never missed a chance to stick the knife in, smirked. "Oh, look who it is—dear sister-in-law, what brings you crawling back after five whole years? Haven, you run into trouble out there, huh? Now you’ve come home to admit you were wrong?"

A sharp pain jabbed straight through Sophia’s chest, like someone had punched her, and it stole her breath clean away.

Nelson Carlson had never liked his aunt’s cruel mouth, and he’d had enough of her taunts. His voice was calm, steady when he cut in: "Aunt Cheyenne, you’ve got it wrong. Haven’s doing just fine out there. You don’t need to worry about her. Maybe you should worry more about your own family. Last I heard, June hasn’t gotten a call from her dad in weeks. That sounds way more pressing than this, doesn’t it?"

Cheyenne’s face flushed bright red with rage. "Nelson! Is that any way to talk to your elder? What kind of manners did your mother teach you?"

Sophia was a mother bear through and through, and she never let anyone badmouth her kids. Her expression turned ice-cold. "Nelson’s words might be blunt, but they’re true. You ought to mind your own family’s business instead of poking holes in ours."

"You’ll regret this! I’m going straight to Vicente to tell him everything!" Cheyenne stormed out, glaring daggers at all three of them as she went, and the door slammed shut behind her so hard the walls shook.

Nelson gave Haven a reassuring pat on the back. She looked up, her eyes pink and puffy from crying, then stepped closer to her mother, kneeling down and pressing her cheek to Sophia’s lap. "Mom, I’m sorry. I never should have left. If punishing me makes you feel better, do it."

Sophia’s body went rigid. Her gaze stuck to the tears tracking down Haven’s face, and her own heart ached so bad it hurt. Tears pricked her eyes as she lifted a hand, ready to snap at her daughter for being so stupid… but instead of a slap, her palm came to rest soft against Haven’s cheek. "Why did you get so thin? Be honest with me, Haven—did you run into all the trouble Cheyenne talked about? Is that why you’re back?"

Haven leaned into the warm weight of her mother’s touch, and every bit of pent-up grief and grievance she’d carried for years came pouring out. For the first time in forever, she felt safe. Her mistakes from the past were unforgivable, and she’d sworn she’d never repeat them.

She’d never let anyone hurt the people she loved ever again.

Watching the tender scene unfold in front of him, Nelson’s eyes got misty. Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket with a new text. He glanced down at the screen. The sender was Leonard Peters.

"I’m here. When am I getting to meet the wife you promised to introduce me to?"

Nelson typed back a quick reply, then looked up, his gaze softening as he watched mother and daughter reconnect.

Noticing the hesitation hovering over Haven, he spoke up in a clear, bright voice: "Mom, you’ll never guess what. Haven didn’t just come back—she came to introduce her husband to you."

Sophia’s expression turned a little frosty at the news. She pinned Nelson with a sharp, piercing look. "Why do I get the feeling you’re talking about the same man that dragged Haven away from us five years ago?"

Nelson stiffened a little. He knew better than to push his mother too far right now. He helped Haven to her feet, keeping his tone light: "Mom, you’ve been running around all morning. Let’s take a minute to breathe, yeah? The banquet hasn’t started yet, and I haven’t seen Haven in years. We’ll just go catch up, then we’ll be back before it starts."

Sophia had lived enough to see through almost anything. She knew her kids inside and out, and saw their little lie instantly. She’d rarely seen Nelson defend anyone outside the family this hard… let alone openly acknowledge Haven’s "husband." Their excuse to go catch up was just that—an excuse. What were they really up to…?

Her curiosity spiked. Who was this man Haven had picked this time? What had he done to earn her son’s full approval?

As a million thoughts raced through her head, Sophia fixed Nelson and Haven with a probing gaze, then faked a casual smile. "Of course. You two must have so much to catch up on now that Haven’s home. Go on ahead."

Nelson’s eyes darkened a little. He knew his mother had seen right through his excuse. He cast a knowing look at Sophia, then led Haven out of the lounge.

Once they’d put a good amount of distance between them and the lounge, Haven pulled her hand free of Nelson’s grip. "Where are we going, brother?"