Marrying His Brother After He Ran

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As we passed our old high school, Wright suddenly spoke.

Georgia, let's call off the wedding. It's in three days, I know, but...

My expression remained flat. For a trainwreck who can't keep herself out of trouble?

Wrights eyes flared with warning. No matter how much of a mess she is, I'll always be there to clean up after her. As long as her feelings for me are real.

I stared at this man I had loved for nine years. Finally, I smiled and nodded. "Fine. Then I hope you get exactly what you wanta trainwrecks pure, unadulterated heart."

Nine years of devotion. The love had died a slow death long ago. It was time to go home, inherit the family empire, and marry the childhood ward my grandfather had groomed to be my husband.

........

Wrights cool, detached eyes flickered in surprise. He hadn't expected someone as notoriously rigid and proper as me to speak with such biting sarcasm.

Then his lips curved downward into a frown. "Georgia, I admit Ive wasted nine years of your life. But I hope you won't let jealousy drive you to do something that hurts her."

He didn't bother to examine the shift in my demeanor. He simply chalked it up to bitter, ugly envy.

I looked at this man. The man I had chased for nearly a decade, whose love I could never quite grasp. Suddenly, the whole thing felt incredibly hollow.

He used to say we both needed to work hard for our future together. But in reality, he had just stood by, coldly watching me sink deeper and deeper into a relationship I couldn't escape.

He didnt love me. He didnt care about my soul, my hopes, or my quiet suffering. To him, I was just a walking stereotypethe rigid, disciplined heiress bound by duty and etiquette. I was boring. Not even half as exciting as his precious scarlet letter.

I used to think that even if he strayed, he would eventually find his way back to the right path. That we would face the world together as partners.

Now I saw the truth. Some people are just destined to remain in the gutter.

"Wright, I knew you wouldn't forget our nine-year promise."

A tall woman in a striking scarlet dress stepped out from behind him. Jet-black hair, blood-red lipsshe was breathtakingly, aggressively beautiful. She carried herself with an easy, untamed confidence, sliding her hand effortlessly around Wrights arm.

"I heard you finally gave up on me and were getting married. Why didn't I get an invitation? And if you're really tying the knot, why did you come to meet me today?"

Scarletts barrage of questions made the usually taciturn Wright flush a deep crimson. He answered in a panicked rush:

"Who said I was getting married? It's completely untrue."

As the words left his mouth, he cast a tense, guilty glance at me, terrified I would expose his lie.

I lowered my head, hiding the bitter smirk playing on my lips. "He's right. It's entirely untrue."

No wonder Wrightwho was supposed to go wedding dress shopping with me todayhad suddenly taken a detour to our old school.

Scarlett tossed her long hair back with a carefree laugh. "Georgia, honestly, youre hopeless. I gave you nine years, and you still couldn't lock him down? If I were you, I would've just pounced on him the way I did back in the day."

If I hadn't known Scarlett's true colors, I might have actually believed she was just a bright, free-spirited beauty.

She smiled, reminiscing about the past. Wright reached out to hold her hand, his tone firm:

"I'm not the kind of guy who settles for just anyone."

I didn't believe a word of what Wright usually said, but that statement? I agreed with it completely.

Even when Scarlett had cheated on him a dozen times with wealthy patrons to secure her modeling careergetting caught red-handed in hotel rooms more times than I could countWright had remained fiercely, pathetically loyal, begging her not to leave him.

You have to understand, Wright came from old money. He was notoriously proud, cold, and untouchable; most people couldn't even get him to spare them a glance. Yet Scarlett could pull his heartstrings with a single look, making him lose his absolute mind.

Scarlett smiled seductively, leaning into him. "Didn't you say you wanted to show me what it feels like to ride in a Maserati again? Let's see if you're still as good as you used to be."

Wright's eyes darkened with raw desire. He didn't even try to reject the invitation.

I watched them walk away hand in hand. I didn't say a word to stop them.

When I was seventeen, my grandfather bypassed my greedy, vulture-like uncles and handed me my first major project as a test for the family inheritance.

But my first campaign was publicly exposed for plagiarism.

Wright, representing our partner firm, mobilized his own resources to prove someone had deliberately copied and leaked my pitch.

A classic damsel-in-distress rescue. Cliche, but incredibly effective.

I fell head over heels for this quiet, serious, meticulous man.

We both carried the crushing expectations of our families. In the eyes of high society, we were the perfect golden couple.

When Wrights mother was driven to suicide by his father's mistress trying to force her way into the estate, I used my family's PR machine to block the mistress from taking her place.

When his illegitimate half-brother tried to steal his shares, I helped him land a massive international client, securing his position.

When he was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer and admitted to the ICU, I wrote him letters by hand every single day, pulling strings to get them delivered to his sterile room.

I was naturally quiet and reserved, but I spent hours scouring the internet for jokes, reading them over and over until I laughed out loud, just so I could write them down and coax a smile from him.

Over three years of cancer treatments, I wrote a thousand letters.

I stood outside that ICU window, watching him in secret, a thousand times.

The day his cancer went into complete remission, Wright wrote back to me for the very first time:

My life was as flat and colorless as water, but meeting you made it burn.

We had walked through the valley of death together. It was indeed a burning, passionate survival story.

I thought our silent bond didn't need to be spoken. I thought we were partners, chosen for life.

But then Scarlett burst into our lives like a force of nature.

On the day he was discharged, Scarlett, carrying a bundle of fiery red roses, collided straight into his chest. She laughed and said, "Hey handsome, you broke my flowers. You have to pay me back. These were meant for my sweetheart, but since they're in your hands now, I guess you're my sweetheart!"

He had frowned, but he hadn't pushed her away.

At the time, I didn't realize that single collision had knocked her straight into Wright's heart. If I had known, I would have thrown myself between them without hesitation.

After that, Scarlett pursued Wright relentlessly.

She held up massive signs in public, filled his driveway with elaborate flower arrangements.

Wright went from frowning and avoiding her to smiling the moment she entered the room.

Finally, in front of the entire student body, Scarlett presented him with a giant cardboard box.

Wright had rubbed his temples, a helpless, indulgent smile on his face. "Fine, I give in. Just stop making a scene."

But Scarlett opened the box. "Give in to what? I'm just delivering your lunch. Pay up."

Wright's face flushed. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply. "Stop playing with me."

Three months.

In three months, Scarlett did what I couldn't do in three years.

Since then, Scarlett loved to flaunt her hold over him in front of me. "I heard you two have known each other forever. You don't still think of him as your cold, older-brother figure, do you? Let me tell you a secret. That untouchable prince of yours? To me, he's just a toy."

Wright didn't feel insulted. He would just affectionately ruffle her hair and say, "You'd better play with me for the rest of your life."

Scarlett would slap his cheek playfully, her eyes dripping with triumph. "Do they know that the great, dignified Wright Geller is just a begging dog when he's with me?"

Wright would stare at the love bites on her neck, his smile wild and reckless. "Then you'd better tell them I'm a dog that bites."

Scarlett would hit him in mock annoyance, and they would kiss passionately, completely ignoring my presence.

Then she'd look at me. "And what about your dear 'sister' here? I hear you two have been partners in crime for years. Everyone in town thinks you're a couple."

Wrights brow would furrow with undisguised disgust. "Being with someone as stiff and boring as her doesn't compare to being ruined by a beautiful mess like you."

It felt like a physical blow to my chest, stealing my breath.

He proved it with his actions. Even after Scarlett humiliated and betrayed him countless times, he never looked at me.

He was willing to throw his dignity away, punching her new boyfriends, getting into ruinous fights with her wealthy sponsors, dragging his own reputation through the mud. He refused to let go.

But his burning obsession couldn't keep her.

"I just wanted to see what it felt like to tame the untouchable bachelor," she told him one day. "I'm bored now. Bye."

That night, she posted a picture on a luxury yacht, wrapped in the arms of an international media mogul, captioned:

[Next goal: Becoming his muse.]

Scarlett repeated her tricks, chasing after the billionaire, turning herself into a joke across two continents.

Wright didn't say a word. He simply brought me a business proposal:

"Didn't you say we were partners? Help me regain my position in the company. When this is over, there will only be you by my side."

...

Women always have this savior complex.

For nine long years, I thought I was dragging Wright out of the quicksand. I helped him secure sole control of the Geller empire.

But to him, that success was just leverage to win Scarlett back.

I used to feel so bitter. How could I lose to someone so shallow?

Now, I just felt thoroughly disgusted.

If he wanted to chain himself to a toxic wreck, then I wished them a lifetime of misery together. May they never set each other free.

The news of Wright canceling our wedding swept through our social circles. Many mocked me behind my back for being a pathetic, desperate hanger-on who got dumped at the finish line.

My grandfather called me. "Are we still going ahead with the wedding?"

I gave a quiet hum of agreement.

Grandfather sighed softly. "If you don't want to, sweetheart, we can call it off. I won't force you."

My voice was light, untroubled. "A stray dog can never compare to a loyal, well-trained hound at home, Grandpa. Besides, if I don't get married, my uncles will keep circling the estate like vultures. I've played this game long enough. It's time to settle down. The wedding goes on. There's no reason to waste a multi-million-dollar ceremony just because the groom ran away. We'll just swap him out. It's no big deal."

In our world, true love is a luxury few can afford. I had accepted that reality long ago.

I went to my final bridal fitting alone. The moment I walked in, I noticed the sales associates looking at me with absolute dread and embarrassment.

Sensing something was wrong, I stepped deeper into the boutique.

The wedding dressthe one my mother had custom-ordered for me the year I was bornwas currently draped over Scarlett.

I turned to the manager, my voice cold. "Who gave permission to let someone try on a gown stored under the Lawson family name?"

A sales girl rolled her eyes at me. "The Lawson family? This is Mr. Geller's future wife's dress. Everyone knows your engagement is off, so what does this dress have to do with you? Can't even keep her own man, yet she's trying to claim a priceless designer gown."

The girl stepped in front of me, physically blocking me from touching the fabric.

I let out a dry, cold laugh, looking past her to Wright. "I wasn't aware this dress had a new owner."

Wright, dressed in a matching tailored tuxedo, didn't look even remotely guilty. He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world:

"Scarlett is the wife I've chosen."

He slid a black Amex card onto the counter. "There's five million on here. Consider it payment for the gown. Don't make a scene."

Scarlett giggled, covering her mouth. "Oh, Wright, even if this thing were dripping in real diamonds, it wouldn't be worth five million. You really do spoil me."

Having no interest in their cheap theater, I walked past Wright, my face expressionless.

"Take it off."

Wright stepped in front of me, a warning in his eyes. "Georgia, don't force me to play dirty with you."

I smiled. The moment Wright decided to cancel our wedding and humiliate my family, we were already past the point of civility.

"I won't repeat myself. Take. It. Off. Or I'll gladly strip your sweetheart naked right here in front of everyone, so they can get a good look at her famous figure."

Scarlett knew I wasn't bluffing. She pouted, suddenly playing the victim. "Fine, Wright. Since Georgia wants it so badly, I'll just let her have it."

I refused to play into her hands. "Who knows if you've already ruined it. I want to watch you take it off."

I didn't trust Scarlett as far as I could throw her.

Wright glared at me, his eyes burning with hatred, as if I had subjected his precious angel to some unspeakable torture.

"Georgia!"

Scarlett let out a triumphant smirk and pulled me into the fitting room. "Sure, then. Come watch."

I kept quiet, watching her slide the zipper down. She exposed her flawless skin and suddenly spoke:

"Do you want to know why Wright would rather be my dog than look at you? Because to him, Im the one who wrote him those thousand letters when he was dying of cancer. Im his entire survival story."

I froze, staring at her in utter disbelief.

Her grin widened.

"You stayed by his side for all those years. You blocked his dad's mistress after his mother died. You saved his inheritance. So why couldn't you stay with him when he needed you most? Why did you give up on writing those letters?"

She looked at me with the smug satisfaction of a victor.

"Did you really think Wright kept you around for nine years out of affection? No, Georgia. He kept you around because he hated you. He hated you for leaving him halfway. He hated that your love wasn't strong enough to stay."

A cold numbness spread from my chest to my fingertips.

Everything in the last nine years had been a massive, tragic misunderstanding.

Scarlett stepped closer, smiling. "Its maddening, isn't it? You were the one who wrote the letters. You were the one who pulled strings to get him the best oncologists when his family gave up on him. But he thinks it was me."

I stared at her, my hands shaking. She tilted her head innocently.

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't steal your credit. Wright assumed it all on his own from the moment I ran into him. He said you were too stiff and boring to ever write such beautiful, funny letters. He said only someone as wild and vibrant as me could have saved his soul."

At that moment, I felt a wave of profound, pathetic irony.

No verification. No questions.

Wright had simply decided that Scarlett was his savior because she fit the fantasy.

Suddenly, Scarlett raised her hands and violently slapped her own cheeks. She dragged her nails down her collarbone, leaving angry red welts, and began to shriek:

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have touched your dress! I'm so dirty, I'm just a terrible person!"

Wright burst through the door. Seeing Scarlett disheveled, crying, and covered in scratches, his face contorted in rage.

He raised his hand and slapped me across the face.

My head spun from the force of the blow, and I stumbled against the wall.

"Georgia! I'm the one who called off the wedding! If you have a problem, take it out on me!"

Remembering what Scarlett had just told me, I opened my mouth to speak. I wanted to ask him if he would feel a single shred of remorse if he knew the truth.

But before I could speak, he cut me off:

"You insisted on coming in here just because there are no cameras. You wanted to hurt her! Well, you got what you wanted. Are you happy now?"

He pulled out his phone right in front of me and dialed a number.

"Announce it to the press immediately. I am marrying Scarlett Young. From this day forward, if anyone so much as touches a hair on her head, they answer to me!"

He glared at me. "If you ever go near my wife again, I will destroy the Lawson family if it's the last thing I do!"

He took off his tuxedo jacket, wrapped it around Scarlett, and ushered her out.

The store owner, who had rushed over after being alerted by the staff, began apologizing profusely:

"I am so sorry, Miss Lawson. I was out of the boutique today and didn't brief the staff properly. I will personally resolve this misunderstanding with your fianc."

She looked pale, terrified that this disaster would get her blacklisted from the entire luxury industry.

"Don't bother. He is not my fianc."

I wasn't going to take my anger out on an employee. I merely said, "Clean the gown. I'll need it in three days."

The manager blinked. "But... isn't the wedding off?"

"The wedding is on schedule," I replied coldly. "But you'll need to size up the groom's tuxedo. My new fianc is three inches taller."