Too Late to Wanted Me Back

On the night that was supposed to be my engagement night with Lewis Stuart, my brother’s best friend and the man I had loved for seven years, he was at the airport, picking up Katrina Richards, his childhood sweetheart.

My heart sank further when I learned he had not just gone to greet her.

As if completely forgetting the significance of that night, Lewis had organized a welcoming party for Katrina at a trendy bar.

As I gripped my phone tightly, the waiter said gently, “Miss, sorry, but we’ll be closing soon.”

I forced a smile, stood, and thanked him, though my chest felt like it might collapse from the weight of my disappointment.

As if my brother, Tobias Scott, was aware of my disappointment, he directly messaged me, [Come to the welcoming party with me.]

But the moment I stepped inside, I saw Lewis standing with Katrina in the center. They were doing a passionate, careless kiss that shattered whatever remnants of hope I had left.

I turned to Tobias, my voice trembling but resolute. “Tell our parents I accept the arranged marriage. And the sooner we get married, the better.”

To my surprise, the man my parents had chosen for me was the epitome of kindness and respect.

But just as the vows were about to be exchanged, chaos erupted.

The church doors burst open, and there stood Lewis, disheveled and desperate. “You’re supposed to get engaged with me, Graciela. Not this man!”

“No way, Lewis,” I said firmly, my voice echoing with conviction. “You’re too late.”

***

“Your call could not be connected.”

I did not know how many times I heard that cold response as I called Lewis repeatedly, my anxiety growing with each failed attempt.

Dressed in an ivory evening gown, I sat at a table adorned with roses, lit by the flickering glow of candlelight.

That was supposed to be the engagement day I had dreamed of since Lewis promised to make me his fiancée.

With that promise, I thought I could finally escape the trap of a business-arranged marriage that my family had been pressuring me into.

Lewis was my salvation, or so I believed.

I had loved him since I was 13, when my brother took him home.

I loved his sweet smile, his handsome face, and his silly attitude which made me so happy when he finally accepted me and vowed to be my future partner.

But dreams had a way of shattering, and mine crumbled under the weight of my own expectations.

Instead of arriving at the restaurant to fulfill his promise, Lewis was elsewhere.

My chest tightened as I stared at a story posted by one of his friends. A photo of him at the airport, welcoming Katrina, his childhood sweetheart who had just returned to New York.

My hands trembled as I gripped my phone, the betrayal stinging sharper than I thought possible.

For a fleeting moment, I wanted to smash every carefully placed decoration on the table, to vent my anger and frustration in a way that mirrored the chaos in my heart.

Before I could act on those impulses, my phone buzzed in my hand. A call. Not from Lewis, but from Tobias, my brother.

“Where are you? My elementary school friend just came back, and she’s throwing a party. Wanna come?” he asked casually.

The question pulled me out of my haze of disappointment, but his words twisted the knife further.

My engagement to Lewis was meant to be private, something we had decided to keep secret until we officially exchanged rings. It was his request.

He said it would be more intimate and more memorable.

So, I had agreed, not realizing that the secrecy could so easily become an excuse for him to break his promise.

Under the disappointment, I replied to Tobias, “Sure. Pick me up at…”

I gave my brother the location of the restaurant.

It was not long before he arrived, his car pulling up to the curb.

As I climbed into the passenger seat, Tobias blinked in confusion at my formal attire.

“I didn’t expect you to be so ready. It’s just a regular party at a bar, doesn’t need to be that fancy,” he said, his tone light.

Fastening my seatbelt, I answered coldly, my voice devoid of the usual warmth I reserved for my brother. “I was at a friend’s birthday party earlier. I didn’t feel like going home to change.”

“I see,” Tobias replied, shrugging, his curiosity dulled by my clipped tone.

Driving to the destination, my chest tightened with unease.

As I suspected, the friend Tobias mentioned was Katrina, the very girl Lewis had just picked up from the airport.

I was consumed with curiosity about the girl who had so thoroughly captivated Lewis that he had forgotten about me.

As soon as we stepped into the bar, I noticed how the atmosphere shifted. The lively chatter and laughter dulled as heads turned toward me, their gazes filled with thinly veiled curiosity.

The group of Tobias’ and Lewis’ friends suddenly became guarded, as though they knew a secret I was not yet privy to.

In the center of it all stood Lewis and Katrina.

They were engaged in a love shot, their arms intertwined as they downed their drinks, radiating a kind of closeness that sent a sharp pang through my chest.

Lewis spotted me first.

Stumbling slightly from the alcohol, he abandoned his drink and made his way over to me, a sloppy grin plastered across his face.

“Oh, Grace, you came too,” he slurred, the sour smell of alcohol clinging to him.

I held my composure, though my voice betrayed my irritation. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

He waved a dismissive hand, his tone casual. “Oh, my phone’s battery died. I’m sorry.”

My jaw tightened at his nonchalance.

Before I could press him further, someone from the group called out with a laugh, “Wow, Tobias, look at your sister and your friend! They’re already fighting as soon as they meet.”

I shot them a glare, but it only encouraged others to chime in.

“They’re like Tom and Jerry, aren’t they? Always at it, even though they’re about to get engaged.”

“That’s right. When’s the big day?” someone else asked, grinning.

Lewis smiled, entirely unbothered. Wrapping an arm around me, he pulled me close in a mock embrace.

“Soon,” he said, then glanced at me. “Right, Grace? We can get engaged whenever we want.”

The words made my stomach churn. We were supposed to be engaged today, not ‘whenever.’

I opened my mouth to retort, anger bubbling inside me, but before I could speak, the sharp sound of glass shattering silenced the room.

Everyone turned to see Katrina standing with a broken glass at her feet.

Her expression was a mix of drama and defiance, designed to command attention.

“Oh, Lewis,” she cooed as she approached us. Her hands reached up to cradle his face as though no one else existed in the room. “Why did you leave me so soon? The dare wasn’t just a love shot but also….”

Her voice trailed off, leaving the implication hanging in the air, and then she did the unthinkable. She kissed him.

Right in front of me.

The room erupted in cheers and whistles, some calling out about the wild truth-or-dare game. But all I could hear was the pounding of my heart.

I stood frozen as Lewis’ hand, which had been holding me, slid to embrace Katrina instead.

His kiss was not hesitant. It was fervent, passionate, like the kind I had dreamed of for years but never truly received.

Between their kisses, Katrina whispered, just loud enough for me to hear, “Lewis is mine.”

She did not need to finish the sentence; her actions said it all.

The room blurred, my vision clouded by tears I refused to let fall.

Straightening my posture, I walked out of the bar with my head held high, though I felt as if I were breaking into a thousand pieces.

Tobias was right behind me, his voice full of fury. “That is insane!” he yelled.

I ignored him, my legs moving on instinct as I headed toward the valet stand.

“Hey, wait!” Tobias grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop. “Let the valet bring the car. Don’t do anything reckless.”

I turned to face him, my tears finally spilling over. Tobias’ expression softened, his anger replaced with concern as he pulled me into a hug.

For seven years, I had dreamed of that day. The day when Lewis and I were together forever.

But that night, it became painfully clear. I was nothing more than a stand-in, a convenient placeholder for the woman he truly loved.

The ride back to our penthouse was silent, but my mind was anything but.

As the city lights blurred past the window, I made my decision. If Lewis could not be bothered to keep his promises, then he did not deserve me.

So, I asked Tobias as we arrived, “Hey, do you have the photo of the man that was arranged for me by our parents?”