Cheat on me and Regret it Forever

"I'm pregnant, Kiero. What are you going to do about my disabled cousin Stephanie?"

I froze in the hallway, my hand gripping the cool metal frame of my wheelchair. My legs, shaky but strong after months of therapy, carried my weight, though they threatened to buckle under me. This was supposed to be the moment I surprised Kiero, the man I had risked everything to save. I had rehearsed it countless times—walking into his office, proud, radiant, showing him that the woman he loved was whole again.

But now, I couldn’t move.

Arielle’s voice—my cousin, the girl I’d once called my sister—cut through the air like a blade.

Kiero responded, “I’ll let her go eventually. Once she’s back on her feet, there’s no reason to stay.”

"But what about the baby?” Arielle pressed, “I’ll soon start to show. Don’t tell me you’re still gonna marry her?”

Kiero sighed heavily. “Of course not, baby. You’re the one I’m gonna marry but we have to wait. Right now, I can’t leave. I owe her my life since she saved me from the accident. It’s the only reason I’ve stayed.”

The weight of their words pressed against my chest, stealing my breath. The man I had loved, the man I had nearly died for, was planning his exit—had already replaced me with my own cousin.

I stumbled back, barely managing to hold my balance. My chest felt tight, as if the air itself had turned to stone. I needed to get away. Now.

Turning, I left my wheelchair behind, my legs trembling. Each step burned, but I kept going. Past the receptionist’s desk, through the glass doors, out into the bustling street.

I didn’t know where I was going. The only thing I knew was that I couldn’t stop. The betrayal was too loud, their voices echoing in my head like a cruel loop.

“Once she’s back on her feet, there’s no reason to stay.”

Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t care. I ran until my legs gave out and my knees hit the concrete. I caught myself on a streetlamp.

A glowing neon sign caught my eye—Fiery Bar. Without thinking, I pushed open the door and stumbled inside. The dim lighting and the smell of stale liquor wrapped around me like a cocoon. I slid onto the nearest barstool.

"Whiskey. Neat," I croaked, not caring how desperate I sounded.

The bartender set a glass in front of me. I downed it in one gulp. “Another,” I muttered.

The second drink went down slower. The weight of what I’d overheard began to settle like concrete in my stomach. Kiero and Arielle. My cousin. My fiancé. The two people I trusted most in the world had been laughing behind my back, planning a future that didn’t include me.

The third drink blurred the edges of the room, numbing the sharp sting of betrayal. My head swam with questions I didn’t want to answer.

Why did I ever think Kiero loved me?

Why did I save him?

Why wasn’t I enough?

The sound of a deep voice broke through my spiraling thoughts.

"I need a bride, fast," a man said.

I turned my head slightly, my eyes finding the source of the voice. He stood at the end of the bar, tattoos peeking out from under the sleeves of his leather jacket. His dark eyes scanned the room as he spoke to a man beside him, his jaw clenched in frustration.

"A bride?" the other man asked, raising a skeptical brow.

"Yeah," Tattooed Guy replied. "The kind who can sign a marriage certificate and keep her mouth shut. No strings attached."

I stared at him, my whiskey-fueled haze mingling with the remnants of heartbreak and anger. A crazy idea began to form in my mind.

I stood, swaying slightly as I made my way toward him. The bartender shot me a concerned glance, but I ignored it. When I reached the man, I squared my shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.

“I need a groom,” I said. “Do you want to marry me?”