He Thought I'd Stay: His Mistake

Today was my four-year anniversary with Chace. He told me to wear my white dress for a surprise he had planned. I spent all afternoon getting ready, practicing my "Yes," certain he was finally going to propose.

But when I arrived at the hotel ballroom, the banner read, "Congratulations, Chace & Karyn."

In front of all their friends and family, he got down on one knee and proposed to his childhood friend, Karyn Warren.

He used his mother's heirloom ring-the one he once showed me, saying it was for the woman he would spend his life with.

He then introduced me, his girlfriend of four years, as "a very good friend." His new fiancée smiled sweetly and told me their marriage would be an open one, giving me permission to stay on as his mistress.

I overheard him telling his friend his real plan: "Karyn is my wife for show, but Ember can be my woman on the side for fun."

He thought I would just accept being his toy. He was wrong.

I pulled out my phone and texted a number I'd never dared to call before-the executor of my estranged father's will.

"I need to claim my inheritance."

His reply was instant. "Of course, Ms. Ford. The stipulation is a marriage to me. Are you ready to proceed?"

"Yes," I typed back. My life with Chace was over.

Chapter 1

Today was my four-year anniversary with Chace Mcfarland. It was also the day he was coming back from his three-month business trip. The dual significance of the date made my heart beat faster.

He had texted me this morning, his words simple but full of promise: "Ember, wear the white dress. I have a surprise for you."

I knew what that meant. We had talked about marriage, about a future, about spending the rest of our lives together. The surprise had to be a proposal.

I spent the entire afternoon getting ready. I styled my hair, did my makeup with extra care, and finally put on the white dress he mentioned. It was a designer piece he' d bought for me last year, elegant and simple. I stood in front of the mirror, practicing my smile, practicing the word "Yes."

My mind raced with scenarios. Would he get down on one knee? What would he say? Would he cry? I felt a thrill of anticipation, a nervous energy that made my hands tremble slightly.

Finally, the time came. I drove to the Grand Lux Hotel, the place he' d specified. The entire top-floor ballroom was booked. My heart swelled with joy. He had gone all out. This was going to be the most romantic night of my life.

I stepped out of the elevator, my smile ready, my "Yes" on the tip of my tongue.

But the scene that greeted me made my smile freeze on my face.

The ballroom was indeed stunning, filled with white roses and soft, glowing lights. A banner hung across the back wall, but the words on it were not what I expected. "Congratulations, Chace & Karyn."

Chace stood in the center of the room, but he wasn't looking for me. He was holding the hands of another woman, Karyn Warren, his childhood friend and a well-known socialite.

He got down on one knee.

The crowd of friends and family, their families, gasped in delight.

"Karyn," Chace' s voice was thick with emotion, the same voice he used when he whispered sweet things to me. "We' ve known each other our whole lives. You' ve always been the one for me."

Karyn' s eyes filled with tears. She looked beautiful and triumphant.

Chace opened a small velvet box. Inside was a ring, but it wasn't just any ring. It was his mother' s, a family heirloom he had once shown me, telling me how much it meant to him.

"This ring belonged to my mother," he said, his voice echoing in the silent room. "She always wanted me to give it to the woman I would spend my life with. That woman is you, Karyn. It has always been you."

Karyn let out a sob of happiness.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

"Yes! A thousand times, yes!" she cried.

The crowd erupted in applause.

I remembered him showing me that ring. He had held it so carefully, almost reverently. He told me it was for his future wife. I had thought he meant me. Now, I realized the truth. I had been a fool.

Someone in the crowd whispered, "I always knew he'd end up with Karyn. He's been obsessed with her since they were kids."

The words confirmed the cold dread filling my chest. My four years with him, our entire relationship, had been a lie.

Only after he had slipped the ring on Karyn' s finger and kissed her deeply did Chace finally see me standing by the entrance. His eyes widened for a second, a flicker of surprise before his expression smoothed over.

"Ember," he said, walking over, pulling a still-beaming Karyn with him. "There you are. I want you to meet someone."

He gestured between us. "Karyn, this is Ember Ford, a... a very good friend of mine."

"And Ember," he continued, his voice casual, as if he were introducing a stranger, "this is Karyn Warren, my fiancée."

The word "fiancée" was a physical blow. I struggled to breathe.

Karyn smiled at me, a sweet, polished smile that didn't reach her eyes. "It' s so lovely to finally meet you, Ember. Chace has told me so much about you."

Her words were like honey laced with poison.

I just stood there, unable to form a single word, my face a mask of forced calm.

Then I noticed the bracelet on Karyn' s wrist. It was a delicate diamond chain, identical to the one Chace had given me for our second anniversary. He had told me it was one-of-a-kind.

Another lie.

Chace seemed to notice my silence. He put a hand on my shoulder, his touch now feeling foreign and unwelcome. "Karyn' s family is moving back to the city. She' ll be staying with us for a while until the wedding."

He said "us" as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As if he expected me to share our home with his new fiancée.

I was so numb, so completely shattered, that I just nodded. I couldn't process the sheer audacity of his request.

"I need some air," I managed to choke out, turning away from them before they could see the tears welling in my eyes.

I stumbled toward the restroom, my legs unsteady.

In the cold, sterile light of the bathroom, I stared at my reflection. The hopeful, happy woman who had arrived an hour ago was gone. In her place was a pale, hollow-eyed stranger in a white dress that now felt like a costume for a joke.

As I splashed cold water on my face, I heard voices from the hallway. It was Chace, talking to his best friend.

"Dude, are you insane? Proposing to Karyn right in front of Ember? That was cold."

I froze, pressing my ear against the door.

Chace laughed. It was a cruel, dismissive sound. "What' s the big deal? The Warrens and the Mcfarlands are merging. This marriage is a business deal. It secures my position as CEO."

"And Ember?" his friend asked.

"Ember? She' s not going anywhere," Chace said with sickening confidence. "She loves me. She' ll get over it. Karyn is my wife, but Ember... Ember can be my woman. The one who actually satisfies me. Karyn knows the deal. A pretty, high-society wife for show, and a passionate woman on the side for fun. It' s perfect."

He called me his woman, a tool for his pleasure.

The words slammed into me, each one a hammer blow to my already broken heart. Tears streamed down my face, hot and silent.

I remembered his promises. "Ember, I'll love you forever." "You're the only one for me." "I'll never let you go."

Forever, for him, had a shelf life of four years.

His love was a lie. His promises were worthless.

The man I loved, the man I had devoted four years of my life to, saw me as nothing more than a disposable toy.

A cold rage began to burn through the pain. He thought I would just accept this? He thought I would stay and be his mistress while he flaunted his "proper" wife?

No.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers shaking. I scrolled through my contacts until I found a number I had never dared to call. A number given to me by my estranged father' s lawyer just before he died. "Call this man if you are ever in inescapable trouble," the lawyer had said. "He is the executor of the will."

My father and I had been estranged for years, a painful consequence of lies that had destroyed my mother. I never wanted anything from him. But now, I was in inescapable trouble.

I typed a simple message: "Mr. Mosley, this is Ember Ford. I need to claim my inheritance."

I hit send.

A moment later, a reply came. It was formal, direct, and promised a way out.

"Of course, Ms. Ford. The stipulation in your father's will is a marriage to me. Are you ready to proceed?"

I stared at the message, the words blurring through my tears. Marry a stranger? It was insane. But staying with Chace, being his secret, his toy, was a fate worse than death.

This was my only escape.

I typed my reply.

"Yes."

"A pretty, high-society wife for show, and a passionate woman on the side for fun."

Chace' s words echoed in my ears, a cruel mantra of my own stupidity.

I remembered the day he first approached me on campus. I was a quiet architecture student, buried in books, and he was the campus king-rich, handsome, and surrounded by admirers.

He' d pursued me relentlessly. For weeks, he sent flowers to my dorm, left coffee for me at the library, and waited outside my classes just to walk with me for five minutes.

He was like a golden retriever, annoyingly persistent but with an earnestness that was hard to ignore.

"Why me?" I had asked him one afternoon, genuinely baffled. "You could have anyone."

He had looked at me with those deep, sincere eyes that I now knew were a practiced facade. "Because you' re different, Ember. You don't care about my money or my family. You see me."

I was wary. I knew the reputation of guys like him. "I don't date rich boys. They' re trouble."

The Mcfarland name was synonymous with real estate in our city. He was an heir to a dynasty, and I was just... me. An orphan with a painful past, trying to build a future on my own terms.

He proved me wrong, or so I thought. He started showing up to my part-time job at a local diner, sitting in a corner booth for hours, just watching me work. He ditched his fancy sports car for a used sedan, telling me he sold it because I'd said it was too flashy.

I was stunned. I didn't know what to do with that kind of grand gesture. I tried to avoid him, but it was impossible.

The turning point came during a campus festival. A group of jealous girls, who had been sending me anonymous threats for weeks, decided to confront me. They cornered me behind the student union, shoving me against the brick wall.

"Stay away from Chace, you little gold-digger," the leader sneered.

Before I could even respond, Chace was there. He moved so fast I barely saw him. He grabbed the leader's wrist, his expression turning from charming to ferocious.

"Don't you ever touch her again," he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

He stood in front of me, a human shield. "She's with me. If you have a problem with it, you have a problem with me."

The girls, intimidated by his fury, backed off. But one of them, in a last act of defiance, threw a rock. It was aimed at me, but Chace moved, taking the blow to his temple.

He staggered, a dark line of blood streaking down his face, before he collapsed. He went down without a sound.

I screamed. The next few hours were a blur of panic and fear. I sat in the stark white waiting room of the hospital, my hands clasped so tightly my knuckles were white. I was terrified.

When he finally woke up, the first thing he did was look for me. He ignored the doctors, his parents, everything. His eyes found mine across the room.

"Are you okay, Ember?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.

Tears I hadn't realized I was holding back streamed down my face.

He smiled, a weak but triumphant smile. "See? I told you I'd protect you."

Later that night, sitting by his hospital bed, he took my hand. "Ember Ford, I love you. Let me be with you. I swear I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy."

And I, a fool who had been starved of love and protection her whole life, finally gave in. I said yes.

A sharp, cheerful voice pulled me from the memory. "Ember, come on! We're taking pictures!"

It was Karyn, waving me over. Chace stood beside her, his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. They stood in front of the "Congratulations" banner, a perfect, happy couple.

The crowd of their friends and family had formed a semi-circle, their phones out, snapping photos.

I was pushed to the edge of the group, an awkward spectator at the celebration of my own heartbreak.

Chace looked at Karyn with an expression of pure adoration. It was the same look he used to give me. The realization was another sharp pain in my chest.

"Kiss her, Chace!" a photographer yelled playfully.

Chace' s eyes flickered to me for a brief, unreadable moment. I saw a hint of something-guilt, maybe? But it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Karyn' s.

The kiss was long and passionate. The crowd cheered.

I stood on the sidelines, a ghost at the feast. It was a grotesque parody of the moment I had been dreaming of all day. My proposal, my celebration, stolen and twisted into this public humiliation.

Someone posted a photo to their social media story. I saw it over their shoulder. Chace and Karyn were the stars, locked in a romantic embrace. I was a blurry figure in the background, out of focus and irrelevant.

Chace finally pulled away from Karyn and walked over to me. He had the decency to look slightly apologetic.

"Ember, I'm sorry about all this," he said in a low voice, as if we were coconspirators. "Just hang in there. Once Karyn and I are married, things will settle down. I promise, I'll make it up to you."

A future. He was promising me a future as his dirty little secret.

My heart, which I thought couldn't break any further, fractured again. No, I thought. There is no future for us.

I watched him hurry back to Karyn's side, his attention already gone from me.

On the ride home, he insisted I sit in the front passenger seat. It was a small, meaningless gesture of preference, a crumb thrown to a beggar.

Karyn sat in the back, chattering happily, her hand constantly on Chace's shoulder. They reminisced about their childhood, shared inside jokes I couldn't understand, and effectively created a bubble that excluded me entirely.

I stared out the window, the city lights blurring through my unshed tears. The car felt small and suffocating.

"You know, Chace and I have always been practical," Karyn said, her voice suddenly directed at me. I saw her reflection in the window, her eyes sharp and calculating. "Our marriage is mostly for our families. A merger, you know."

I remained silent.

"We' ve agreed to have an open relationship," she continued, her tone light and breezy. "He can have his fun, and so can I. As long as we present a united front to the public."

She was telling me it was okay to be his mistress. She was giving me permission.

Chace nodded, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. "See, Ember? Karyn is very understanding. You should thank her for being so generous."

He said it without a trace of irony. He actually expected me to be grateful.

A cold, bitter laugh rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down.

Thank her? Thank her for taking my life and offering me the scraps?

I looked at my reflection in the dark glass. I had been reduced to this-a woman who was supposed to be grateful for the charity of her boyfriend's fiancée.

Back at the penthouse I shared with Chace-our home-the nightmare continued.

Karyn, with a show of magnanimity, insisted on taking the guest room. "The master bedroom is yours and Chace's, Ember. I wouldn't dream of intruding."

Chace praised her for being so "understanding" and "thoughtful," casting a look at me as if I should take notes.

I was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water, my hand frozen mid-air.

"So I'm supposed to be okay with this?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet. "Your fiancée is living in our guest room?"

Chace walked up behind me, trying to wrap his arms around my waist. "Don't be difficult, Ember. It's just for a little while."

I flinched away from his touch, stepping aside. "Don't touch me."

His arms dropped. For a second, he looked hurt, but it was quickly replaced by annoyance.

I turned and walked into the master bedroom, our bedroom, and pulled out my suitcase. I started packing, my movements stiff and robotic. I would stay the night, but tomorrow, I was gone. As soon as Keith Mosley arranged everything, I would be free.

Chace followed me into the room, a confused look on his face. "What are you doing?"

He saw the suitcase and his expression cleared, but not in the way I expected. He misunderstood completely. "Oh, I see. You're moving your things to the other guest room to make Karyn more comfortable. That' s very considerate of you, Ember."

Then he dropped the final bomb. "This will be our marital home after the wedding, so it's good for her to get used to it."

I stopped packing. I slowly lifted my head and looked at him, really looked at him. The man I thought I knew was gone. In his place was a stranger, a monster of selfishness and arrogance.

He thought I was packing my things to move into a smaller room in my own home to make way for his fiancée. The home he was now calling their marital home.

I didn't bother correcting him. What was the point? He was living in a different reality, one where his desires were the only thing that mattered.

"Okay," I said, my voice flat. I resumed packing.

He seemed surprised by my easy compliance. He was probably expecting a fight, tears, a scene. But I had no fight left in me. Just a cold, hard resolve.

His phone buzzed. He glanced at it, and a smile softened his features. A text from Karyn, no doubt. He typed a quick reply, completely forgetting I was even in the room.

I finished packing my essentials and went to the kitchen to make dinner. It was a force of habit. For four years, I had cooked for him almost every night.

Karyn emerged from the guest room bathroom, wrapped in a short, silk robe that barely covered anything. She feigned surprise at seeing me. "Oh! Ember, you startled me."

She clutched the robe theatrically, but it did little to hide her body. "I just love the showers here. So much pressure."

Chace came out of the living room, and his eyes immediately locked onto Karyn. A flicker of raw desire crossed his face.

He looked from her to me, dressed in my simple jeans and t-shirt. "You know, Ember, you could learn a thing or two from Karyn. You're always so... conservative."

The hypocrisy was staggering. This was the same man who used to get angry if my skirts were too short or my necklines too low. He said he didn't want other men looking at what was his.

Apparently, that rule didn't apply to his fiancée.

I ignored them and focused on dinner. I made his favorite dishes, the ones he always said tasted like home.

When I set the food on the table, Karyn wrinkled her nose. "Oh, is this what we're eating? It's all so... heavy. And oily. I'm trying to watch my figure for the wedding."

She pouted at Chace. "Honey, can you order me a salad from that place I like?"

"Of course, sweetie," Chace said instantly, pulling out his phone. He didn't even glance at the food I had spent an hour preparing.

I ate my meal in silence, a stranger at my own table.

They talked and laughed in French, a language I didn' t understand, effectively shutting me out. It was a deliberate, calculated cruelty.

Karyn then suggested opening a bottle of wine.

"Karyn, Ember is allergic to alcohol," Chace said, a rare moment of remembering a basic fact about me.

Karyn's eyes widened in fake surprise. "Oh, my goodness, I completely forgot! I am so sorry, Ember. I keep forgetting you're even here."

The insult was so blatant it was almost funny.

I put down my chopsticks. "I think I'll go for a walk."

I needed to get out of there before I suffocated.

As I stood up, Chace grabbed my wrist. He pressed his credit card into my hand. "Here. Go buy yourself something nice. Don't say I never do anything for you."

It was a payoff. A tip for my services.

As I walked to the door, I heard Karyn let out a tinkling laugh behind me.

Just before I closed the door, I glanced back. Chace had already moved to Karyn' s side, his hand tracing the line of her back, his eyes dark with a look I knew all too well.

The door clicked shut, sealing them in their world and me in my misery.