Chapter 1 Getting Herself A New Husband

On the wedding day, just when everything seemed perfect, disaster struck as the bride and her cousin unexpectedly plunged into a pool in the backyard.

Water erupted with a sharp splash.

Kiera Gordon flailed beneath the surface, her chest tight with panic. Through stinging eyes, she caught sight of Brad Davies, her groom, sprinting to the edge before diving in, suit and tie forgotten.

For a fleeting moment, relief softened her panic, and she reached out with trembling arms.

Yet Brad never even paused for her. He cut through the water like an arrow, heading straight for Maddie Gordon, Kiera's cousin. Cradling Maddie close, he dragged her safely to shore, never sparing his bride a single glance.

Her eyes went wide with shock, and Kiera screamed until her throat burned, "Brad! Help! I'm over here! You-"

The words drowned with her as water surged down her throat. Her final glimpse was Brad carrying Maddie to safety, never once turning to see her.

Hopelessness dragged her under. She couldn't swim. The wedding gown, heavy with soaked fabric, pulled her deeper, suffocating her like an anchor. Her vision dimmed as the fight slipped out of her body.

From the shadows of the pool, another figure cut toward her, strong and unhesitating. Arms wrapped around her, pulling her to the surface.

She felt air forced into her lungs, the rhythm of steady hands pressing against her chest until a violent cough ripped her back to life.

Her lashes flickered, and through the blur, she saw sunlight blazing behind the stranger who had saved her, making him appear almost ethereal in that moment.

Her lips quivered. Weak, but honest, she whispered, "Thank you... I'll find a way to repay you."

He paused, brushing a bead of water from her skin. His voice rumbled low, certain, and unyielding. "I don't need it. What matters is that you're alive."

By then, the backyard had filled with shocked guests, their cries carrying through the chaos. While all eyes were on the commotion, Kiera's savior slipped away, vanishing as if he had never been there.

Later that night, Kiera opened her eyes in a hospital room.

She was alone; Brad had never come.

Her phone vibrated.

The screen lit up with a photo from Maddie-Brad seated at her bedside, peeling an apple with a tenderness Kiera hadn't witnessed from him in ages. It seemed that Brad was at the hospital, but not for her.

Kiera let out a bitter laugh, the sound scraping her throat while tears streamed freely down her face.

They had once been the couple everyone envied, bound together since childhood and pledged to marry before they were even grown.

Time had torn them apart when she left the country for treatment five years ago. Brad had vowed to wait, swearing that the day she came back would be the day they married. Yet the moment she returned, the promises felt like ash.

Her cousin Maddie had somehow slipped into the space beside him, and before long, they were inseparable.

Each time Kiera dared to ask, Brad gave her the same answer-that Maddie was her blood, and he was only showing care for her own sake. She clung to that explanation. Even as he abandoned her again and again, rushing to Maddie instead of offering her his hand, she swallowed her doubts and held tight to the words he once whispered. Love had blinded her more than she dared admit.

Today, however, stripped away the illusion, and she saw herself for what she truly was-a fool who had believed in a lie.

The phone dimmed, leaving only her reflection in the darkened glass, a face stained with tears and brimming with despair.

A gasp escaped her, and she covered the screen as if that could erase the pitiful image.

This couldn't be who she became. Not anymore.

With a deep breath, she steadied her trembling chest. Her fingers moved quickly, fueled by resolve rather than hesitation. "We're done."

As soon as the message went through, she erased Brad's number and blocked every way he could use to reach her.

Marriage had always been her goal for reasons of her own, but nobody had ever said that the groom had to be Brad Davies.

A new husband-that was what she would find.

Once released from the hospital, Kiera slipped into a crimson dress that hugged her frame, every curve demanding attention. Against the night, she blazed like fire.

The police had passed along a clue about the stranger who had saved her-a location that led her to a worn-down auto repair shop.

By the time Kiera arrived, the hour was late. Towers of rusting scrap metal loomed around her, their jagged silhouettes making the place feel like a graveyard for machines.

Pulling her arms tight around herself, she rubbed warmth into her skin and quickened her pace toward the open doorway.

Inside, the shop glared with harsh white light. At the center sat a crumpled car, its hood smashed, its emblem missing. The scrape of tools echoed, and a man slid out from beneath the wreck.

His uniform was smeared with oil, his heavy boots leaving prints across the floor. Tall and solid, he stripped off his gloves, snatched a towel, and dragged it across his face, the lean strength in his forearms flexing with each motion.

The sound of her steps made him turn. In that instant, the light struck his face, every angle sharpened into perfection that seemed almost unreal.

Kiera's breath stuttered. This man was dangerously hot.

Masking the rush of nerves, she steadied her tone with a graceful smile. "Good evening, Mr. Smith. Do you remember me? We met earlier today."

No trace remained of the drenched, broken bride-now she carried herself with flawless makeup and an air of quiet elegance.

Jasper Smith gave her no more than a second's glance before his gaze shifted away. His voice was flat. "Why are you here?"

Her reply softened, sincerity lacing her words. "I came to repay you."

She remembered his earlier words, though her dazed mind had barely clung to them-he claimed he wanted no repayment.

Cracking open a water bottle, Jasper tipped it back, swallowing slowly before setting his gaze on her again. "So tell me. How exactly do you think you can repay me?"

Heat surged to her face. Her hands tangled together as she whispered, hesitant but resolute, "By giving myself to you... Would you accept me?"