My Fiancé Married Me To My Rival

At my best friend's birthday party, I drank tainted wine and passed out.

When I woke up, I heard the doctor say it could cause severe nerve damage.

I teased my fiancé Cayden Hewitt, asking who I was and where I was.

He hesitated, staring at me, then called my rival Liam Hewitt. "You're Julia. He's your fiancé. You're getting married soon."

I froze, thinking he was joking too.

My best friend, Vivian Green, slipped her arm through Cayden's, looking every bit like a couple in love.

...

I had expected Cayden to laugh and say, "You're my dearest Julia, of course."

We had been together three years, the couple everyone envied.

But Cayden paused for two seconds. "Hold on."

Before I could stop him, he pushed his chair back and ran out.

He cornered the doctor, asking if alcohol poisoning could cause memory loss.

After a vague response, he did something that stunned me.

He made a call and summoned Liam Hewitt, my rival.

Before entering my room, they spoke at the door.

Probably checking through the window to see if I was asleep, Cayden didn't lower his voice. "When we go in, say you're her fiancé. She doesn't remember anything now."

My heart sank inch by inch. In Cayden's voice, I heard no worry or panic, only excitement, barely concealed glee.

"I asked the doctor. Her condition is temporary. She might recover soon," Cayden said.

Liam's deep, magnetic voice came low. "Then why drag me into this charade?"

His tone carried impatience and a chill.

He was Cayden's cousin, and we had clashed countless times, publicly and privately, each encounter a battle to tear the other apart.

Cayden coughed and lowered his voice. "Just do what I say. Think of it as doing me a favor."

"No way," Liam shot back coldly, starting to leave, but Cayden must have grabbed him.

"Come on, man, don't go. I'll be straight with you. She's been pushing for the wedding a lot lately, and it's driving me crazy. Since she doesn't remember anything, just give your cousin a break, let me have some peace for a while."

Liam let out a cold laugh. "That's not the whole story, is it?"

Cayden coughed again. "I... I've got someone else to keep happy. Besides, you're not losing out here."

My hand tightened on the bedsheet, my heart adrift like a lone boat on a stormy sea.

"Think about it," Cayden went on. "If you're her fiancé, you can get her to sign that relocation agreement. You've been frustrated about her holding out on that, haven't you?"

A heavy echo rang in my hollow chest. I couldn't believe the person I had been so close to hours ago could betray me like this.

In my panic, the door swung open. They walked in, followed by Vivian.

When Cayden saw my eyes open, he froze, then quickly pushed Liam forward. "You're Julia. He's your fiancé. You're getting married soon."

He didn't forget to distance himself. "I'm his cousin. We'll all be family soon."

I tried to sit up, but my trembling hand braced against the bed. "You..."

Vivian stepped forward, casually slipping her arm through Cayden's.

Her head rested lightly on his shoulder, as if she, not I, had been his partner for three years.

Cayden's eyebrow twitched in surprise, but he quickly composed himself.

His glance at me held a flicker of guilt, and he touched his nose awkwardly.

The last shred of confusion and hope in me cleared, leaving only pain lingering in every breath.

I steadied myself, lifted my head slightly, and gave Liam a faint smile. "No wonder you're the only one here who feels familiar."

Liam's brow furrowed, his sharp eyes studying me, as if trying to see through my thoughts.

I shifted and sat up fully. "Fiancé... sorry, I forgot your name. Take me home."

Ten minutes later, the three of us sat in Liam's silver Bentley.

Through the rearview mirror, I caught Vivian and Cayden clinging to each other like inseparable twins.

They stole glances at me now and then. Cayden looked suspicious, while Vivian wore a faint smirk of triumph.

When the scent of cedar brushed past me, I snapped awake, warily eyeing Liam as he leaned close.

His expression stayed calm. He fastened my seatbelt without a word and sat back.

As he started the car, his glance held a hint of teasing. "Isn't it normal to buckle my fiancée's seatbelt? Haven't I done this for you before?"

I forced down the panic in my chest and looked away. "I don't remember."

He reached out, patting the back of my hand. "No worries. It'll come back to you."

Something in his words must have struck a nerve with Cayden. His face darkened, and he pulled his arm away from Vivian. "Liam, don't say I didn't warn you. The Hewitt family values propriety. Until the wedding's official, keep your hands off Julia."

Liam let out a scoff.

Though his eyes stayed fixed on the road, I sensed mockery in them.

"Cayden, you're overstepping. This is between me and my fiancée." He emphasized the word "fiancée," each syllable deliberate and heavy.

Vivian's face soured. She leaned forward from the back seat. "Julia, do you really not remember anything?"

She had asked me this several times since the hospital room.

When I confirmed again, her expression finally eased.

She grew chatty, as if eager to fill in my "memories."

She said we had been best friends from high school to college, so close that after my family fell apart, she took care of me.

That much was true.

But hearing it from her now felt like each word stabbed my heart.

She held the arm of the man I had loved for three years, her eyes smiling as she spoke of our past. "My parents treated you better than they treated me. If I had a brother, I'd have kept you in the family as my sister-in-law."

She paused, glancing quickly at Liam. "But now you've found your happiness, Julia. I truly wish you joy forever."

Her words sounded heartfelt, but my eyes burned, and I turned to stare out the window.

"Wait, where are we going?" Cayden noticed the route was off and sat up, urgency in his voice.

He hesitated, stumbling over his words. "Liam, you're going the wrong way. Vivian's place is in that direction."

Liam glanced at me, unfazed, one hand on the wheel. "Wrong? I'm taking my fiancée to our home, of course."

I stared at him, stunned.

I had been so caught up in the sting of betrayal from those two that I nearly forgot the man in front of me was far more dangerous.

Liam was likely the one person in the world who wanted me to lose my memory most.

Three years ago, the Hewitt Group's real estate project on the south shore of Riverhaven stalled.

Over two thousand households relocated smoothly, and the project, a blend of a shopping complex, modern residences, and a tech park, was set to launch quickly.

But an old villa, covered in ivy from base to roof, stood stubbornly in the way at the key location.

It was the only keepsake my parents left me.

They died in a plane crash years before, their bodies never found, their assets carved up by shareholders under clever pretenses.

The house, neglected for years, only came back to me when I turned eighteen, its floors littered with the bodies of stray cats and dogs.

Some kittens and pups still wandered in and out, dragging in random scraps.

I spent ages cleaning it up, but the outdated fittings made it unlivable, so I left it to the strays and returned occasionally to tidy.

That was when the Hewitt Group showed up with a contract, coldly discussing prices, their bulldozers already parked outside.

The courtyard walls had long collapsed. To them, it was just a crumbling hazard.

I refused.

That refusal made me and Liam sworn enemies. His people came in waves, polite at first, then threatening.

I was already with Cayden by then, and he always looked helpless when the topic came up.

"Julia, you know my family still doesn't accept us. I'm not even a nominal shareholder in the Hewitt Group. It's my uncle's company, and now Liam runs it."

I knew he resented his uncle, Gordon Hewitt, for sidelining him, a nephew given no role or influence.

How could he beg on my behalf?

So I clashed with Liam head-on, smashing his car once, splashing paint on his lackeys.

The past six months had been quieter.

Cayden claimed he pleaded with his uncle multiple times, finally convincing him to pause the project.

Not long ago, he reassured me. "Once we're married in a year or so, my uncle will respect our bond and leave your house alone."

Why a year or so? He said he wanted to build his career first.

"Liam can't handle the entire Hewitt Group alone forever. He'll need my help eventually."

Now I understood.

It wasn't about career or marriage. He just wasn't ready to let go of Vivian.

After graduation, Vivian warmly invited me to move into her small apartment.

The two-bedroom place was a foothold her parents bought her in Riverhaven.

I once saw it as a cozy home and Vivian as my only family in the world.

Now, I fought back the ache in my chest and forced myself to think clearly.

When did they get together?

Liam had said "home" so naturally that I couldn't find words to argue.

I also couldn't face returning to Vivian's place with a clear mind.

I feared I'd break down in that familiar space.

"We're here." Liam's cool voice snapped me out of my tangled thoughts.

He got out and opened my door.

His words were aimed at the two in the back. "My fiancée isn't feeling well, so we won't keep you. Get out and grab a cab across the street."

Cayden gave him a complicated look, then stepped out, pulling Vivian along.

Liam unbuckled my seatbelt and, without warning, lifted me out of the car.

The sudden weightlessness made me instinctively wrap my arms around his neck, letting out a startled cry. "Ah!"

"Liam! What... what are you doing holding her?" Cayden spun around, sounding more shocked than I was, his voice edged with anger.

The culprit only adjusted his grip, his hand steadying the hem of my skirt as he held me.

He smiled calmly. "Why so worked up? I'm just carrying my girlfriend."

A faint unease stirred in me, growing from deep within.

Liam strode forward confidently.

As he walked, he spoke in a voice only we could hear. "Is playing amnesiac fun?"