My Cheating Boyfriend Was Just a Stand-in

I'd been dating Kason Martin for three years—three years of him cheating on me more times than I could even count.

And every single time, I forgave him. Hell, I even begged him not to break up when he suggested we take a break. Our friends all said I was crazy in love with him.

Crazy being the keyword.

That was until he got into a car accident trying to save one of his side girls. It left a scar on his face.

In the hospital room, I overheard the woman ask him in that soft, syrupy voice, "Mr. Martin, now that Lisa knows about us... is she going to be upset with me?"

He squeezed her hand, all reassuring, and said, "Oh, she won't. No matter how badly I treat her, she's too far gone on me to leave."

I froze, my hand hovering over the door. I had come to tell him I was leaving—because the doctor had already confirmed his face would scar. And with that scar, he no longer looked like Grady Ruiz.

...

I waited until their little moment was over before I knocked. Kason, in his hospital gown, looked up at me—still holding her hand.

The woman leaned into his shoulder, sobbing, "Lisa, please don't blame Mr. Martin. I'm the one who insisted on staying with him. If you're upset, I'll stop seeing him."

But even as she said it, she buried her face deeper into Kason's chest, crying and trembling like a leaf.

Kason patted her shoulder and gave me the same old routine: "Lisa, don't blame her. It's my fault. It won't happen again. You'll forgive me, right?"

He'd used those exact words a year into our relationship.

Here's the thing—when I first got with him, my intentions weren't exactly pure. But over time, he was attentive and thoughtful. He knew my likes and dislikes. Hell, even when he traveled for work, he always brought me back something.

I thought he'd given me his heart. And I felt guilty, because using someone as an emotional substitute for your dead boyfriend? That's nothing to be proud of.

But eventually, I realized just how different he was from Grady Ruiz. Apart from vaguely similar eyes, they had completely different personalities and life experiences.

And when I noticed my thoughts of Grady were fading the more time I spent with Kason, I started to think maybe I had actually fallen for him.

That day, I thought it might finally be time to let go of the past. So I planned to confess everything—to apologize to Kason on our anniversary. If he forgave me, we could start fresh. If not, at least he'd know I was ready to move on with him.

I bought a gift. I ordered a ring. I even wrote a letter pouring out my true feelings.

But before the anniversary, I found out he was cheating. Kason had just finished kissing a female coworker when he turned and saw me standing in his office doorway, flowers in hand. Panic flashed in his eyes. "Lisa, I wasn't—"

I stood still, my voice dry as I asked, "Kason, have you been cheating on me?"

It came out as a question, but we both knew it wasn't.

He held my gaze for a moment, then grabbed my hand, head bowed in regret. "Lisa, I made a mistake. Please forgive me. I promise it won't happen again, okay?"

For a second, something flickered in my chest—confusion. All those letters and gifts I'd prepared suddenly felt pointless.

I had used him as a placeholder, so maybe I never deserved his fidelity in the first place. But then again, his devotion had always been a farce. We were both frauds.

We both made mistakes. So we were even.

So I squeezed his slightly trembling hand and quietly agreed. "Okay. I forgive you."