MARRIED TO HER EX'S FIANCE STEPBROTHER

It had been Ethan's idea to spend their last night before the wedding in a penthouse but before that, he'd taken her out for dinner.

The restaurant had been one of the most beautiful places ivy had ever been to.

Ethan had reserved a private corner of the restaurant just for the two of them.

This is perfect, ivy had whispered as she looked around.

Ethan smiled across the table, reaching for her hand. "Only the best for my future wife."

She had spent the entire evening believing she was the luckiest woman alive.

They talked about their wedding plans, laughed about small memories from their two together and toasted to the life they were about to begin.

After dinner, Ethan had taken her to the penthouse.

He'd called it one final romantic getaway before they officially became husband and wife.

Just a few hours earlier, Ivy had thought it was perfect.

Now, every bouquet, every candle, and every carefully planned detail made her stomach churn.

She sat on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone while Ethan showered. The steady sound of running water echoed through the luxurious suite as she caught herself smiling.

Tomorrow she will walk down the aisle. By this time tomorrow, she will be Mrs. Ivy Jake.

Three hundred guests would gather to watch her promise forever to the man she'd loved for the past two years.

Her phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

She almost ignored it, assuming it was another vendor or a last-minute wedding message.

Instead, she glanced at the screen.

A single video appeared on her screen. There was no caption, no explanation, just a file waiting to be opened.

A strange feeling settled in her chest.

After a brief hesitation, she tapped play.

The footage was shaky, as though someone had recorded it in secret, but the voices were unmistakably clear.

The first voice made her blood run cold.

Ethan.

There was no mistaking it.

He was sitting in what looked like a hotel room. Across from him sat a woman Ivy had never seen before. Tears streamed down the woman's face as she struggled to keep her voice steady.

"You're really going through with it?" she asked. "You're actually marrying her?"

Ethan let out a quiet laugh.

It was a laugh Ivy had once loved.

Now it sounded cruel.

"Of course I am," he replied. "Why wouldn't I?"

The woman stared at him in disbelief.

"Because you love me," she whispered. "You told me you were leaving her."

Without the slightest hint of guilt, Ethan leaned back in his chair.

"I was never leaving her."

The words hit Ivy like a slap.

"Why would I?" he continued. "Her father owns half the real estate in this city. Her family has money, influence, and connections. Marrying Ivy is the smartest decision I'll ever make."

Ivy's fingers tightened around her phone.

Her heartbeat pounded painfully against her ribs.

"I only want her because of what her father has," Ethan said with a careless shrug. "The money. The power. That's all."

The woman broke down completely.

"What about us?" she cried.

He sighed, almost as if she were wasting his time.

"You were fun," he said. "You still are. But you can't give me what Ivy can."

A faint smile crossed his face.

"You simply don't have the same value."

Value. The word echoed painfully in her mind. Not love. Not loyalty. Not a future together. To Ethan, she wasn't a woman he wanted to spend his life with. She was an opportunity

Her phone slipped from her trembling fingers and crashed onto the marble floor.

The sharp sound echoed through the suite.

She couldn't breathe or think.

Everything she'd believed over the last two years shattered in an instant.

Behind her, the shower stopped.

A few seconds later, she heard Ethan humming softly as he dried himself.

The sound turned her stomach.

How could someone sound so normal after saying those things?

The bathroom door opened, and steam drifted into the bedroom as Ethan stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist. The moment he saw her, he smiled.

It was the same smile she'd fallen in love with.The same smile she'd trusted without question.

Now it looked rehearsed.

Like a mask he has worn so well that she'd never questioned it.

"Baby?" he asked as he walked toward her. "What's wrong? You don't look okay."

She couldn't answer.

She simply stared at him.

The man she'd trusted with her heart.

The man she'd defended countless times.

The man she'd imagined spending the rest of her life with.

She wasn't even sure she knew him anymore.

"Ivy?"

Concern creased his forehead.

Slowly, she bent down, picked up her phone, and held it out to him.

The video was still playing.

His own face stared back at him.

His own voice filled the room.

"I only want her because of what her father has."

The smile disappeared from Ethan's face.

The color drained from it just as quickly.

For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then he lunged for the phone.

"Where did you get that?" he demanded.

Ivy stepped back before he could reach her.

"Who sent it?" His voice had turned cold. "Tell me who sent this."

"I don't know," she whispered.

His eyes narrowed.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not."

He moved closer.

"Who recorded it?"

"I said I don't know." Ivy repeated, her voice shaking." How many times do I have to say that?"

Without warning, he grabbed her wrist.

His grip was painfully tight.

Ivy, listen to me," he said through clenched teeth. "Whatever you think you heard...

I heard everything.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it didn't shake.

"I heard you say you were never leaving her."

His jaw tightened.

"I heard you admit you only wanted me because of my father's money."

"I can explain."

A bitter laugh escaped her.

"No."

"Ivy..."

"No."

She pulled her wrist free and glanced at the angry red marks already forming beneath his fingers.

"You've lied to me for two years," she said quietly. "Don't insult me by pretending there's an explanation that could ever make this okay."

Silence filled the room.

Her gaze swept across the room. The roses, the candles, the champagne chilling in the silver bucket... every romantic detail suddenly felt staged.

Every thoughtful gesture seemed calculated.Every loving word sounded rehearsed.Even her happiest memories suddenly felt like lies.

She looked back at Ethan.

For the first time since she'd met him, all she felt was exhaustion.

"I need you to leave."

He stared at her.

"What?"

"Leave."

"We can fix this."

Ivy looked at him for a long moment before slowly shaking her head.

"No." She whispered. You can't

"Ivy, you're emotional. Let's sit down and talk."

"There is nothing left to talk about."

He took another step toward her.

"I love you."

She shook her head slowly.

"No," she whispered. "You love what my last name can do for you."

His expression hardened.

"You're making a mistake."

She almost smiled.

"No," she said softly. "I almost made one."

For a long moment, they simply stared at each other.

Then Ethan grabbed his clothes from the chair.

Without another word, he disappeared into the bathroom to get dressed.

Minutes later, the front door slammed shut behind him.

The silence that followed felt overwhelming.

Ivy stood alone in the middle of the penthouse, surrounded by roses that suddenly smelled rotten.

Her phone was still in her hand.

The video replayed automatically.

"I only want her because of what her father has."

Again.

And again.

And again.

Tomorrow, hundreds of people would gather expecting to celebrate the happiest day of her life.

Instead, she was standing in the ruins of a future that had never been real.

The man she'd planned to marry didn't exist.

He had only been pretending.

And for the first time in her life, Ivy had no idea what came next. All she knew was that by tomorrow, she wouldn't be Ethan Jake's bride.

CHAPTER 2: THE UNRAVELING

Ivy couldn't sleep.

She spent the rest of the night sitting in the penthouse living room, replaying the video over and over until every word was etched into her mind.

"I only want her because of what her father has."

Again. And again.

By the time it was morning she could barely remember what Ethan's voice had sounded like before that recording. Every memory of him was tainted by those words.

Around four in the morning, she made up her mind.

She had to tell her parents.

There was no wedding anymore. She couldn't marry Ethan. She wouldn't. But she couldn't carry the weight of it alone either.

Before the sun came up, she left the penthouse.

She didn't want to give Ethan the chance to find her. She didn't want to hear another excuse or let him twist the truth until she questioned what she'd seen with her own eyes.

The house was still quiet when she arrived.

Using her spare key, she let herself in and headed upstairs.

Her mother stirred awake first. The moment she saw Ivy standing in the doorway, the sleep disappeared from her face.

"Ivy?" she asked, sitting up. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"I need you to wake Dad."

Something in her voice made her mother stop asking questions.

A few minutes later, both of her parents were sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her with growing concern.

Without saying a word, Ivy handed her father the phone.

The video began to play.

She watched the emotions cross his face one after another confusion anger... then heartbreak.

Beside him, her mother covered her mouth with both hands.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "Oh my God..."

I can't marry him, Ivy said quietly. I won't. But the wedding is today. We have to decide what happens next.

We cancel it, her father said without hesitation. is voice was colder than she'd ever heard it. We tell everyone exactly what he did."

The truth? Ivy looked at him. "Do you know what happens if we do that?"

He frowned, but she didn't give him the chance to answer.

"People already know he cheated. If the wedding is called off because of that, I'll be remembered as the woman who got betrayed on her wedding day. I'll be the bride everyone pities."

Ivy... her mother reached for her hand.

"They'll talk," Ivy continued, her voice breaking. "And it won't stop with me. They'll drag Dad into it too. His reputation, his business... people will say he couldn't even see through the man marrying his daughter."

Her father looked hurt.

"I don't care what people think."

"But I do," she whispered. "I can't be the reason everything you've built becomes gossip."

She walked to the window, wrapping her arms around herself.

Outside, the city was slowly waking up.People were getting ready for work.Shops were opening.

In a few hours, those same people would hear about the wedding that never happened.

"There has to be another way," her mother said softly. "There has to be."

Ivy's phone buzzed.

She ignored it.

A few seconds later, it rang again.

Then again.

Maybe it was Ethan.Maybe the wedding planner.Maybe someone asking why the bride hadn't arrived.

She couldn't bring herself to look.

"I just need time to think," she murmured. "There has to be a way to end this without destroying everything."

The next six hours passed so fast.

Ivy stayed in her childhood bedroom, staring at the ceiling as if it might somehow hold the answer she couldn't find.

The wedding was only four hours away.

Four hours before three hundred guests arrived expecting to celebrate a marriage that would never happen.

Four hours before the whispers began.

Her mother brought her tea, but it went untouched.

Outside the room, she could hear her father pacing the hallway. Every now and then, his voice drifted through the door as he spoke to lawyers, the venue, and people she didn't even want to think about.

By noon, Ivy forced herself out of bed.

She took a shower.

She cried until there were no tears left.When she finally looked into the mirror, the woman staring back at her felt like a stranger.

Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.Instead, it was the day everything fell apart.

A soft knock sounded at her bedroom door.

"Come in," she said quietly.

Her mother stepped inside. Her eyes were swollen, the traces of her own tears impossible to hide.

"The venue is being taken care of," she said gently. "Your father is calling the guests. We're telling everyone the wedding has been cancelled because of... unforeseen circumstances."

They're going to ask questions.

"I know."

"What are you telling them?"

Her mother hesitated.

"That Ethan had to leave town because of a family emergency. Nothing more."

Ivy closed her eyes."So we're lying."We're protecting you."

But it didn't feel that way.

Keeping the truth hidden only meant people would make up their own version of events.

Rumors spread faster than facts.

Soon enough, everyone would have a story about why the wedding had been called off.

And somehow, she knew most of them would end with her being the one blamed.

At exactly 2:47 p.m., her phone rang.

Unknown number.

She stared at the screen for several seconds before answering.

"Hello?"

"Ivy."

The voice was deep and calm. Familiar, though she couldn't immediately place it.

"Who is this?"

Anthony Jake.

She froze.

"Ethan's stepbrother," he added. "I need to see you. Today. Right now."

Her grip tightened around the phone.

"How did you get my number?"

"I know people."

His answer was so matter of fact it only irritated her more.

"I also know what happened, he continued. I know about the video. I know the wedding has been cancelled.

Her chest tightened.

"I know you need help."

"I don't need help from you," she said coldly. "And I definitely don't need anything from someone connected to Ethan."

"I'm not connected to Ethan," Anthony replied, his voice sharpening. "The only thing we share is a last name. He's my stepbrother, and I have more reasons than most to hate him."

She said nothing.

"I have a solution," he continued. "One that solves your problem."

"I don't have a problem you can solve."

"You do."

His tone remained steady.

"In a few hours, you'll be remembered as the bride who was abandoned at the altar. Your family's name will be dragged through every conversation in this city."

The words landed harder than she wanted to admit.

She didn't argue.

Her silence said enough.

"I can stop that from happening," Anthony said. "But we need to meet before everyone realizes how bad this really is."

"Why?" Ivy asked. Why would you help me?

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Anthony finally answered.

"Because I can't stand by and watch this happen to you."

They met at a private restaurant Anthony had apparently reserved just for them.No other guests. No waiters constantly checking in. No noise from nearby tables.

Just a private room surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, the city glowing beneath them, and Anthony Jake sitting across from her like he belonged there.Which, knowing him, he probably did.

Ivy had only seen Anthony a couple of times over the last two years.Family dinners. Engagement parties. Events where she had been too focused on Ethan to pay attention to anyone else.

But the little she had noticed about Anthony had always been the same.

He was cold.

Distant.

Like he had never approved of her relationship with his step-brother.

Now, sitting across from him in an empty restaurant, Ivy realized something that unsettled her.

She didn't actually know him at all.

She didn't know what he wanted. She didn't know why he was here. And she definitely didn't understand why he seemed so determined to help her.

"Thank you for meeting me," Anthony said.

His voice was calm, controlled.Ivy said nothing.She waited.

"I won't waste your time with small talk," he continued. "You're in the middle of a crisis. Your wedding was supposed to happen hours ago. People are already wondering why it didn't. Your father's reputation is at risk. And you're trying to figure out how to survive what comes next."

Ivy's expression hardened.

"That's very observant," she said. "But I still don't understand why you care. We barely know each other."

Anthony nodded slightly.

"No, we don't."

His eyes stayed on hers.

"But I know my step-brother. I know what he's capable of. And I know what he did to you."

His jaw tightened.

"And I'm not going to sit back and watch him walk away from it like nothing happened.

Something shifted in his expression.Something that made Ivy wonder if this was about more than Ethan.

"I have a proposal for you," Anthony said.

A strange feeling settled in Ivy's stomach.

"What kind of proposal?"

"Marry me."

For a second, she thought she had misunderstood him.

"What?"

"Marry me," he repeated.

His tone didn't change.

"Tomorrow. Quietly. Only family. The public doesn't need to know."

Ivy stared at him.

Then she let out a disbelieving laugh.

"You're insane."

She pushed her chair back.

"Sit down," Anthony said.

His voice wasn't harsh, but there was something about it that made her stop.

She hated that she listened.

But she sat.

"Think about this logically," he said. "Right now, you're the woman Ethan Jake cheated on. The bride whose wedding fell apart before it even started. People will talk. They'll create their own version of what happened."

"That's not fair."

"No," Anthony said. "It isn't."

He leaned back slightly.

"But unfair things still happen."

Ivy looked away.

"What exactly are you suggesting?"

"That you change the story."

She looked back at him.

"What?"

"What if instead of being the woman Ethan destroyed, you become the woman who moved on? What if you marry someone who actually chooses you?"

Ivy's laugh was bitter.

"You don't choose me. You barely know me. And from what I've seen over the past two years, you've spent most of your time acting like you couldn't stand me."

Anthony's expression softened slightly.

"I never thought you were beneath me."

A pause.

"I thought you were too good for Ethan."

Ivy went quiet.

Anthony continued.

"This would be a marriage of convenience. One year. After that, if you want a divorce, you'll have it."

He watched her carefully.

"You'll have enough money to start over. Your father's reputation will be protected. And Ethan will have to live with the fact that he lost you."

Ivy narrowed her eyes.

"So this is revenge."

Anthony didn't deny it.

"Yes."

The honesty caught her off guard.

"But it's also survival."

Ivy stood.

"I need time to think."

"Of course."

Anthony didn't try to stop her.

"Sleep on it. But I'll need your answer tomorrow. After that, the offer is gone."

She left the restaurant feeling like her entire life had been turned upside down.

When she got home, she told her parents.

Her mother's face went pale.

Her father immediately shook his head.

"Absolutely not."

"Ivy, you cannot marry someone you barely know just because Ethan hurt you."

"I'm not doing this because of Ethan," she said quietly.

She looked between them.

"I'm doing this because of me."

Her parents went silent.

"If I don't do this, I'll spend years being known as the woman Ethan Jake cheated on."

Her voice cracked slightly.

"That will follow me everywhere. People will remember his betrayal before they remember anything else about me."

She looked at her father.

"But if I marry Anthony, then my life doesn't end with Ethan. I move forward. I prove that what he did didn't destroy me."

Her parents exchanged a look.

"What does Anthony get from this?" her father asked.

Ivy hesitated.

"Revenge."

A pause.

"And maybe something else. I don't know."

Her father stayed quiet for a long time.

"If anyone finds out this was planned..."

"It wasn't planned," Ivy interrupted. "Anthony made the offer. I'm considering it. That's all anyone needs to know."

"And if people find out you married Anthony days after ending your engagement?"

Ivy swallowed.

"Then the story changes."

Her mother looked confused.

"How?"

"Then I'm not the woman who was abandoned. I'm the woman who found something unexpected."

Her father sighed.

"I don't like this."

He looked at her.

"But I understand why you're thinking about it."

That night, sleep refused to come.

Ivy lay awake thinking about Anthony.

The man who had spent two years keeping his distance.

The man who barely spoke to her, yet somehow understood exactly what she was going through.

She thought about marrying a stranger.

She thought about trusting someone she didn't know.

And then she thought about the alternative.

A lifetime of being connected to Ethan's betrayal.

By morning, she had made her decision.

At exactly 10 AM, she called Anthony.

"I've decided," she said.

There was a brief silence.

"And?"

"I want to meet. We need to discuss everything. The terms. All of it."

"Dinner tonight," Anthony replied. "I'll send you the address."

"Anthony."

He paused.

"Why are you really doing this?"

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then his voice lowered.

"Because I spent two years watching you love someone who didn't deserve you."

A pause.

"And I'm not going to watch you suffer because of his mistakes."

The call ended.

And Ivy sat there wondering what exactly she had just agreed to.