Thirteen Years Of His Lies

For thirteen years, I waited for my fiancé, Brandon. Our marriage was blocked ninety-nine times by his family's board, or so he told me. Each time, he'd accept a public corporate penalty, playing the martyr for our love.

But on the day of the 100th vote, I overheard the truth. The board had approved our marriage every single time. He was the one sabotaging it, fabricating issues to appease his manipulative adopted sister, Kendal.

That night, at a "surprise party," he kissed her with a passion he hadn't shown me in years. When I later confronted him about her lies, he shoved me. I fell, my head splitting open on the coffee table.

As I lay bleeding on the floor, he didn't help me. He stood over me, protecting his crying sister.

"Apologize to Kendal, Averi."

That's when I finally saw him for the weak man he was. I wiped the blood from my face, walked out of the life we built, and accepted the marriage proposal from his biggest rival.

Chapter 1

The soft lamplight cast long shadows across Brandon' s muscular back as he leaned in to kiss me. His lips tasted of the expensive whiskey he favored, a familiar comfort. My fingers traced the scar above his hipbone, a souvenir from a childhood dare. Thirteen years. A lifetime, it felt like. We were so close. The 100th vote, the one that would finally make us truly official, was just hours away.

"Relax, Averi," he mumbled against my neck, his breath warm. "It' s going to be fine. This time, I feel it."

I wanted to believe him. I really did. But a tremor of unease, cold and sharp, snaked through me. It wasn't the usual pre-vote jitters. Something felt off. His touch, usually so electric, seemed to hum with a strange, almost frantic energy tonight.

He pulled back, his eyes searching mine. "You okay?"

I forced a smile. "Just… tired. It' s been a long five years, Brandon."

He nodded, running a hand through his perfectly styled dark hair. He was the epitome of a Scott, handsome and commanding, a natural-born CEO. He had to be. The Scott family conglomerate demanded nothing less.

"I know, baby. I know." His voice was laced with an exhaustion that seemed to pierce through his polished facade. "But we' re almost there. One more hurdle."

He cupped my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. "It kills me, Averi, that you' ve had to go through this. All those public corporate penalties, the scrutiny. It' s unfair."

I leaned into his touch, trying to draw reassurance from it. It was true. Each failed vote, each "last-minute complication," had resulted in Brandon having to publicly accept a corporate penalty. A show of commitment, the board called it. A demonstration that he was willing to suffer for his choices. For our choice.

"It' s okay," I whispered, even though it wasn't. It never had been. "We' ll get through it. Together."

He nodded again,