Cheating Ex Out, Billionaire Husband In

"Honey... please stop..." Gracie Haynes's voice broke into breathless fragments, each word trembling on her lips.

Her lashes lowered over her unfocused eyes, while damp strands of hair clung to her flushed skin. Faint marks dotted the delicate curve of her neck.

Aidan Clarkson still wore his usual detached expression, yet the fire in his eyes betrayed how near the edge he truly stood.

His large hands gently parted her thighs before he lowered his trousers, revealing the lean, defined lines of his waist.

"Bear with me... I'll be gentle," he breathed, the words ragged as he leaned over her.

Before the moment could go any further, a shrill ringtone suddenly sliced through the room.

Aidan's face tightened with irritation. His first instinct was to ignore the interruption, especially when neither of them wanted to stop now.

Then his eyes fell on the screen and there it was: Ariana Bailey's name.

He grabbed the phone at once. "Ariana, what happened?"

Ariana's fragile voice drifted through the speaker. "Aidan... I hate to call this late. I know I'm interrupting you and Gracie, but I'm burning up, and there's no one here..."

Desire evaporated from Aidan's eyes, vanquished by raw alarm. "I'm on my way. Just wait for me."

Whatever intimacy had filled the room disappeared with that call.

"Ariana again." Clarity crashed over Gracie, and hurt carved itself into her face. "Aidan, do you seriously have to leave right now? You know what we were in the middle of. Can't she wait—just one hour? Please don't go."

Her body still trembled as she reached for him and clutched his sleeve, tears beginning to sting her eyes.

Aidan yanked his arm free. "She's running a fever, Gracie. You know she's all alone. You wouldn't really make me choose this moment to abandon her, would you?"

Guilt flickered across his face. He brushed a kiss across her forehead, his voice dropping. "Just a couple of hours with her. Nine tomorrow—we'll tie the knot. Alright?"

Gracie's eyes immediately reddened.

Five years had passed since they started dating. She'd spent so long hoping they would eventually marry, yet Aidan had never been the one to bring it up first.

So when he mentioned tying the knot, the fingers that had been ready to grab him again slowly relaxed.

Hope, brittle and desperate, trembled in her voice. "Promise? Tomorrow—for real?"

Aidan grabbed his Porsche keys. "Have I ever let you down? Nine sharp. I'll be there."

Then he walked out without looking back.

Gracie finally stopped holding herself together, and tears rolled silently down her face.

She could only hope that once they were married, everything between them would finally fall into place.

Even with that small hope to cling to, she couldn't ignore the pain tightening her throat until every breath felt difficult.

......

By nine, Gracie stood outside the city hall, flawless and hopeful. Nine became ten. Ten bled into noon. By afternoon, Aidan was still nowhere to be seen.

Her fingers repeatedly tightened around her driver's license until the card nearly bent beneath the pressure.

She called him again and again, but every attempt went unanswered.

Just when she was ready to stop trying, one final call went through.

A persistent ache pressed against her chest as she spoke. "Aidan, where are you? I've been standing outside the city hall for hours. You said you'd meet me here."

The line crackled with static for a few seconds before Aidan finally spoke. His voice was calm, but a hint of guilt lingered beneath it. "Sorry, I lost track of today. Ariana's still fragile, and her dream show opens tonight. I couldn't say no. Can we do this another day? Five years together—what's a few more days?"

Gracie went completely still. Whatever hope she'd carried with her that morning finally disappeared. Five years of love, waiting, yielding to Ariana—and this was her reward. Was he worth even one more heartbeat?

That was it. Her voice turned to ice. "If not today, then never. We're done."

As soon as she finished, a cold male voice spoke from nearby. "If you can't make it, then don't come back. The engagement is over."

Gracie immediately looked toward the voice.

Jeremy Reynolds stood only a short distance away. As the head of the Reynolds family, he belonged to the most powerful family in the city of Edoburg. Tall and lean in a perfectly tailored black suit, he carried the effortless authority of a man accustomed to having the final word. His sharply defined features only made his cold, commanding presence more striking.

An anxious assistant stood beside him. "Mr. Reynolds, what are we supposed to do now? The media are already waiting to announce the Reynolds-Bennett alliance..."

Jeremy's sharp gaze shifted and settled on Gracie. Her eyes were still red from holding back tears, but she remained standing straight despite everything he'd just overheard.

Then he walked toward her.

He stopped close enough that she caught the clean, woody scent surrounding him.

He sized her up, amusement curling his lips. "Your groom stood you up. My bride did the same. We're both here. Why not cut the losses and marry each other?"