After betrayed, I married the man in the Forbes

Haven Peters had been in love with Joshua West for ten years. To everyone who knew them, she was nothing more than his devoted shadow—always hanging around, ready at his beck and call. Haven’s grip tightened on her car keys as she pushed the door open.

In her casual, soft outfit she still turned heads, her skin glowing smooth as silk, but under all these bright party lights, she felt like a fraud. Like she’d wandered straight into a world she never belonged in. Holding her breath, she stepped toward the man lounging on the living room couch.

Joshua was in a crisp tailored suit, the top three buttons of his white shirt popped open to show off his toned chest, the dip of his Adam’s apple bobbing with every slow breath. He’d slung his tie lazily over his eyes, one hand curled around a glass of whiskey, a cocky, mischievous grin tugging at his lips.

“Where is everyone? Go get them for me,” he demanded, yanking the person next to him closer. A bright, fresh citrus scent tickled his nose. It was familiar—cut right through all the fancy expensive colognes lingering in the room.

He set his drink down, curled his hand around the waist of the person beside him, and leaned in to kiss them.

The car key bit harder into Haven’s palm, its metal edge leaving a deep, clear print in her skin. Just when she’d finally tracked Joshua down, he was already wrapped around someone else, not even bothering to hide that he didn’t care about the vows he’d taken. They were husband and wife, for God’s sake. PDA was nothing new to him—unless it was with me, she thought. The bitter reality settled heavy in her chest.

When his tie slipped off his eyes, Joshua realized the person in front of him was Haven. He pushed her away on instinct, his face hardening into a dark scowl. “What the hell are you doing here? How did you get in?”

A sharp, mocking laugh bounced off the room’s walls, stabbing straight through Haven’s heart like a splinter of ice.

“I didn’t just show up out of nowhere. Your text brought me here,” Haven shot back, trying to cling to her composure even when all the curious stares and quiet whispers pressed down on her like a weight.

Joshua picked up on the shift in the air, and his frown deepened. “Who told you to come here? Who were you holding just now?”

Right on her words, the private room door swung open. Louisa Scott sauntered straight toward Joshua in a tight burgundy bodycon dress, acting like Haven wasn’t even in the room. A smug smirk tugged at her red lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I was just touching up my makeup. Aren’t we gonna toast, baby?”

Watching her husband kiss another woman was more than Haven could bear. She stood frozen to the spot, a cold chill creeping all the way down to her bones.

“Joshua, this isn’t okay. Even if it’s just a stupid game… you two are still married…” Their mutual friend Mavis Bradley stepped in quickly, trying to pull Louisa away from him.

Louisa glanced up at Joshua, reading his cold indifference as permission to stay, and only stepped back grudgingly. But seconds later, Joshua pulled her right back into his chest, holding her tight against him.

He lifted his head, his gaze icy when it locked with Haven’s. “What, you just gonna stand there and make a fool of yourself?”

“Joshua! That’s enough!” Mavis begged, gesturing for Haven to come sit down next to her.

“No, thank you,” Haven answered.

The tension in the room spiked. Haven ignored Mavis’s pleading eyes and held out the car key to Louisa.

She looked like a completely different person—cool, collected, a faint smile playing on her lips as she said, “That text came from my husband’s phone, didn’t it? I’m here to take my keys back.”

Louisa swallowed hard. Her little plan was exposed. She glanced nervously at Joshua, who was already deleting the text history on his phone, frustration carved into every line of his face.

“It… it wasn’t my idea…” she mumbled begrudgingly.

“It was mine,” Joshua cut in, meeting Haven’s stare with pure defiance. “What’s wrong with that?”

He wasn’t even trying to hide it—he was taking Louisa’s side, clear as day.

The promise they’d made when they were sixteen was long gone, forgotten by Joshua. Haven’s nails dug deep into her palm, leaving angry red half-moons behind. The sharp pain kept her from breaking down, kept her voice steady when she said, “Nothing’s wrong.”

Joshua narrowed his eyes, thrown off by how calm she was. “You don’t have a problem with divorce either, then? I’m done with this. Sign the papers.”

Haven’s heart clenched so tight she could hear her own pulse roaring in her ears. He didn’t care about her, didn’t care about their marriage. He’d pushed her to the breaking point over and over, turned her into a public spectacle for his friends to gawk at.

The cold chill settled deep in her bones. She lifted her chin, clinging to the last shred of dignity she had left. “No problem at all.”

“I’ll draft the divorce papers,” she said, and turned to leave.

“I’ll drink to that! Finally free of this dead marriage!” Joshua announced, lifting his glass high.

“Cheers to Joshua being a bachelor again!” someone yelled from the crowd.

With the sound of their celebration ringing in her ears, Haven let a bitter smile tug at her mouth. Her whole life had revolved around Joshua, every single choice she made tied to him. If freedom was what they were celebrating, she should be the one popping the champagne.

“Wait,” Joshua tossed Louisa’s car keys back to Haven. “Take them. I’ll grab an Uber later.”

Haven paused at the door. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just order one.”

Joshua’s mood flipped instantly. His friends exchanged uneasy glances as Haven walked out, the door clicking shut behind her.

“Looks like she’s actually pissed this time. Should we go after her?” one friend asked.

Joshua smirked and waved a dismissive hand. “No need. One call from me and she’ll come running back.”

“But she just walked out on you,” another friend doubted.

“So what? No matter how far she goes, one call and she’ll crawl right back.”

“Hell yeah, Joshua knows exactly how to keep her wrapped around his finger,” they all laughed.

“It’s getting too loud in here,” Joshua interrupted, taking a slow sip of his whiskey. “Finally got rid of her—don’t kill the mood. This stuff’s really good.”

Louisa leaned in closer, batting her eyelashes at him. “What brand do you like best?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied indifferently.

The housekeeper saw a car pull up to the gate and hurried to open the door, surprised when Haven stepped out of a taxi alone.

“Ma’am, you’re back by yourself? Isn’t Mr. West with you?”

“He won’t be coming home anytime soon. I have two things I need you to do for me,” Haven said, standing by the curb next to the taxi.

“First, can you pack all my things and ship them to me? I’ll send you the address later. Second, can you give this document to Mr. West when he gets back?”

The housekeeper hesitated, but took the envelope holding the divorce papers. The weight of what it meant settled heavy in her hands. She wanted to ask why Haven was leaving, but before she could find the words, Haven stepped back into the taxi and vanished into the dark night.