The Bride She Should've Been

Wedding Day Betrayal

Before I came, I had told my wife Gemma Hayes that I'd be picking her up with the kids.

Luckily, her call arrived just in time to save me from an awkward situation.

That night, before bedtime, I read stories to our twins.

Chloe, her wide, innocent eyes fixed on me, asked, "Daddy, does that strange lady like you?"

Before I could answer, Cyrus jumped in from the side. "Of course she does! Daddy's so handsome!"

I felt my cheeks heat up and quickly told them not to tell their mother about today. We'd had three years of a happy marriage. I didn't want to stir up misunderstandings.

After tucking the twins in, I returned to the master bedroom.

Gemma was already lying on the bed with her back to me.

I turned off the main light, and as soon as I slipped beside her, she rolled over and pinned me gently. "Ethan, I didn't know you were such a hit. Women actually hit on you in public?"

"How do you know that?" I asked, stunned.

She hummed softly and pinched my cheek. "Our kids told me everything before even stepping inside."

"Those traitors…" I muttered.

Gemma's eyes widened. "And you feel sorry for her?"

I sighed. "It's Eleanor."

Since she already knew, I had no reason to hide it.

Jealousy flared in Gemma. "She heartlessly abandoned you back then. Bet she's regretting it now."

She pinched my face harder. "Ethan, if I ever find out you're tangled up with her again, you're dead."

In the soft glow of the lamp, Gemma looked strikingly beautiful.

I felt a rush of desire, wrapped my arms around her waist, and pressed her against me. "My heart is only yours. How could I ever get tangled up with another woman?"

I spent the rest of the night proving that with every touch and every kiss.

With her warm, soft body in my arms, the idea of caring about a woman who had abandoned me seemed ridiculous.

But unfortunately, that woman refused to stay away.

Eleanor kept reaching out, trying to meet, and I ignored her every time.

Finally, she had our class president organize a reunion as an excuse to get me to come.

When the class president called, I had just dropped Cyrus and Chloe off at preschool.

It had been a while since I saw any old classmates, and the venue happened to be our hotel. I decided to go.

Since we were all friends, I didn't bother dressing up. I only wore a T-shirt and shorts.

But the moment I stepped into the room, my heart sank. Eleanor was there with her true love, Lucas Flynn.

Oh, right. They were my college classmates as well.

If I had known they'd be there, I would have at least tried to look presentable.

I casually grabbed a chair and sat down. Before I could even settle in, Lucas sneered. "Well, look who it is. Ethan, why are you dressed like that? Isn't your family loaded?"

A series of snide remarks. I ignored him.

He'd always been like that. I never understood what Eleanor saw in him.

Eleanor and I had grown up in the same schools.

In college, she chose literature; I went into business. I assumed we'd finish school and get married.

Then Lucas appeared. He was in her literature class.

Handsome, charming, always ready with a poem, he made girls swoon. In a female-heavy program, he was a rare catch.

But he never committed, never dated, always kept girls guessing. He took what he wanted, played with hearts, and never gave an answer.

Some even said he'd gotten a girl pregnant. True or not, who knew?

I thought Eleanor would keep her distance from a jerk like him. But no, she had quietly loved him for years, crowning him her one and only.

On our wedding day, Lucas crashed the ceremony, crying about finally understanding his heart. He claimed he loved Eleanor, not his terminally ill fiancee.

We were in the middle of exchanging rings. I grabbed Eleanor's hand tightly and whispered, "Don't leave me. With all our families and friends here, let's deal with this after the ceremony. Just for appearances."

But Eleanor had always been spoiled. She didn't care. She tossed aside the rings. "I'm sorry. I can't marry you. I love Lucas."

She yanked her hand from mine and linked arms with him, still wearing her pristine white gown, and walked right out of our wedding.

I would never forget that back view. Not out of longing; it was out of shame.

I was one of Sunnydale's wealthiest young heirs, but I had been abandoned by my childhood sweetheart on my own wedding day.

How could anyone forget such humiliation?