He Switched Brides On My Father's Anniversary

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The night our engagement party ended, the news of my fiancs scandalous one-night stand spread through the city like wildfire.

When I confronted him, he calmly told me it was just an accident. He promised it would never happen again and even pledged to cover my sisters medical bills.

Because I was desperate for the money, I didnt push him any further.

After that, Lucien Weston became the perfect partner. He reported his whereabouts every hour, and even my sister called him a saint. I never brought up his betrayal again.

That was until our wedding day.

Just before we were set to exchange our vows, he leaned into my ear and whispered,

I didnt just cheat on you. I cheated on you with your sister.

She loves a good thrill. Im taking her and running away in a few minutes.

He brushed away a tear that had escaped my eye and continued,

Your sister was never sick. Faking that illness was just an excuse for us to get a room together.

Im leaving now. Be a good girl and clean up this mess. Dont cause any trouble.

My lips trembled, but I couldn't even manage to ask why. He just smiled tenderly.

Then again, you have nowhere to go.

An orphan with no family, used by me for all these years... you have no choice but to wait for me to take you back.

1.

The officiant hadn't noticed the change in the atmosphere yet and continued with the vows.

Groom, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold...

Lucien let go of my hand in front of everyone. With a playful, mocking smirk, he interrupted the ceremony.

I do not.

No one wants to marry an unrefined orphan who couldn't even keep her own child alive.

Thank you all for coming to witness my wedding. However, the bride today isn't Bianca Vance.

My fingertips nearly tore a hole through the fabric of my wedding dress.

The officiant looked at him in shock. A wave of mocking laughter and jeers erupted from the crowd.

Lucien really knows how to play the game. He chose the anniversary of Biancas fathers death just to humiliate her.

He said hed give her a new home, but he just wanted to set her world on fire. This day will haunt her for the rest of her life!

They were right.

Today was indeed the anniversary of my father's passing.

Five years ago, my father died in a car accident, leaving me completely alone in the world.

February 18th had become my permanent nightmare.

When Lucien insisted on setting the wedding for today, he had said,

Baby, let go of the past and embrace a new life.

Our wedding will be your rebirth.

But reality had just slapped me across the face.

I reached out a trembling arm, trying to grab Luciens hand, but he dodged me.

Stop joking, Lucien. Its not funny...

Suddenly, the chapel doors swung open.

Hayley Thorne walked in slowly, wearing a stunning, snow-white bridal gown.

Lucien, are you ready to go with me?

Before Hayley even reached the altar, Lucien had already strode down the steps. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply.

It was a long, passionate kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, he tucked Hayley into his chest. He looked back at me with a cold, hollow smile.

I wasn't joking. She is the real bride of the day.

She and I planned every detail of this banquet together. The chandeliers, the bouquets, the dressDthey were all her choices.

That dress youre wearing and your title as the bride? Theyre both fakes.

Hayley grabbed the hem of her skirt, her eyes brimming with triumph.

Three years ago, I was hiding under your bed and didn't get caught. We don't want to hide anymore.

Just now in the dressing room, we couldn't keep our hands off each other.

Those protection wrappers in your car? I left them there on purpose.

My throat felt like it had been sliced by a blade. It took everything I had to squeeze out the words.

I treated you like my own sister. Why did it have to be today? You both knew...

Lucien chuckled, his response dripping with indifference.

Watching you play the fool, thinking you were living in a fairy tale... it was fun.

The girl is impatient. I have to take her away now.

You handle the rest. Just like you did when you found out I cheated three years ago. Youre an expert at it by now.

The contempt in his eyes mocked my three years of stupidity.

Hayley, my familys foster daughter, was the last person I had left after my father died.

When she was diagnosed with a heart condition, she needed expensive specialized medication to stay alive.

For three years.

The medical bills totaled over eight hundred thousand dollars.

I worked day and night, taking every side job possible to support her.

When I first found out Lucien was cheating, she cursed him out and even went to his place to hit him.

But she had come back covered in hickey marks.

I thought she had been bullied. I even crawled out of bed while suffering from a stomach ulcer to take her to the hospital.

Only today did I realize why her eyes were filled with such boastful pride that day.

Everything I cherished was a lie.

2.

The dress and the venue were all rentals.

When I was kicked out, I only had a thin T-shirt to shield me from the cold.

I walked aimlessly down the street until my phone buzzed.

A message from an unknown number appeared.

Leave Lucien. I will help you.

I just found it hilarious.

Lucien was all-powerful in this city, and I didn't have a cent to my name. Where could I go?

When I got home, loan sharks were already blocking my front door.

Wheres the fifty thousand you owe us? Pay up!

Last month, Hayley said she needed twenty thousand for surgery.

I had exhausted my friends and colleagues, so I had to go to the sharks.

The leader of the thugs gripped an iron pipe. I backed away, my heart racing.

I have the money... don't come any closer.

I dialed Luciens number right in front of them.

Once, twice... it took ten calls before he finally picked up.

Lucien, I need you to wire me fifty thousand...

A womans soft, giggling voice came from the other end.

Sister, this sounds a lot like begging. Wheres your humility?

Come on, repeat after me: Please, master, give me some money...

Hayley laughed wildly. I suppressed my rage and shouted Luciens name.

The phone was grabbed away, and his calm, lazy chuckle drifted through the speaker.

Checking up on me?

Didn't you hear? Were on our honeymoon.

Your sister and I are busy picking out some spicy lingerie. Did you want to listen in and learn a few things?

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone, fighting back tears.

You said youd take full responsibility for Hayleys medical bills. I borrowed money for her last surgery, and the collectors are here.

Lucien laughed, his tone incredibly cold.

I did say Id handle Hayleys bills, butD

Hayley isn't sick. The doctors were just actors I hired. All that money went toward her designer bags and dresses.

Why on earth would I reimburse you for that?

Bang!

The thug behind me slammed his pipe against the ground. My legs went weak, and my voice turned into a scream.

Lucien! Theyre going to kill me!

Then Ill come and collect your body.

I don't like being interrupted when Im in bed. You know that.

The line went dead.

I felt like a drowning person in a vast river, unable to find a single piece of driftwood. I was suffocating in despair.

I sold the bracelet my father had left me and scraped together five thousand dollars.

I promised the thugs Id have the rest in three days.

Inside the silent house, the red Happy Marriage stickers on the walls felt like a cruel joke. My heart was as cold and gray as the concrete outside.

I opened Hayleys chat and typed out a message.

If you feel even a shred of guilt for the disgusting things your mother did to my father, pay back that fifty thousand!

The day after I sent the message, Lucien returned.

I had just moved from our marital home to a tiny rental when I saw his black Maybach parked outside.

He rolled down the window and looked down at me.

Youre truly heartless.

What happened with Hayleys mother is the trauma of her life. How could you bring it up so casually?

Shes been crying ever since she saw your message. She has nightmares every night and is in therapy now!

I thought my heart was already dead.

Yet, a sharp, stinging pain still radiated through my chest.

And my fathers death isn't the trauma of my life?

You chose his anniversary to hold a wedding and then humiliated me by ditching me at the altar. Did you ever think about how I felt!

Tears fell along with my scream.

My body shook uncontrollably, and I almost collapsed.

Lucien leaped out of the car and instinctively caught me, pulling me into his arms.

Why are you screaming? Did you forget what the doctor said after you lost the baby?

What if your episode triggers again from the stress!

His worried expression wasn't faked.

That was the thing about Lucien.

After I lost the baby and developed severe depression, I had tried to end it all many times.

He would grab the hand I used to hold the knife and force me to cut his own wrist instead.

Blood would splatter on both of us as he held me tight.

I won't let you hurt yourself. If someone has to die, itll be me!

Back then, his care was also unmasked.

But on our wedding day, he had said,

No man wants a woman with a broken womb.

The disgust in his eyes then was just as real.

He loved boldly.

And he hated just as fiercely.

I pushed him away with all my might.

If you have even an ounce of regret, pay off that fifty thousand.

Lucien watched me stumble back. He lowered his hand, his face turning icy.

I made myself clear on the phone. I won't pay a single cent.

The doctor said Hayley needs closure to heal her heart.

Write a letter of forgiveness to her and her mother on behalf of your father.

3.

Hayleys mother had worked at the same company as my father.

She had made a clerical error that cost the company five million dollars. Fearing the consequences, she framed my father.

My father, pitying a single mother, didn't report her and took the blame himself.

But her crimes were eventually discovered, and she was sent to prison, where she died after being bullied by other inmates.

My father was supposed to be a director, but he lost everything because of her. He remained a low-level clerk for the rest of his life.

Later, he even took Hayley in out of the kindness of his heart.

The Thorne family ruined his career while he was alive, and now I was expected to sign a letter of forgiveness after he was dead?

No way.

I won't write it. Hayley doesn't deserve it.

Luciens face darkened, his voice dropping an octave.

Say that again.

Hayley and the entire Thorne family don't deserve a thing! My father should have sent her mother to rot in hell!

He suddenly let out a cold laugh and dialed a number.

I know where Bianca Vance is. Apartment 3 on Zero Road. Bring a few more guys for the debt collection.

My eyes widened in horror.

Lucien! What are you doing!

Giving you a little lesson, obviously.

Two unmarked vans roared onto the scene. A dozen men armed with iron pipes jumped out, looking for blood.

Think you can run without paying?

My legs were too weak to move. I grabbed the car door as Lucien was about to close it, begging him.

Lucien, take me with you!

Bang!

Luciens response was slamming the door shut.

The force of the door crushed my hand. My palm turned purple, and my fingers were bent out of shape.

The car sped away.

Iron pipes and fists began to rain down on me like a storm.

I curled into a ball, protecting my head as blood and tears blurred my vision.

Once they were tired of beating me, the thugs spat on me and gave me a final deadline.

As I drifted into unconsciousness, I felt someone lift me into their arms.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed.

Youre awake? Drink some water. You have surgery this afternoon.

Lucien reached out to brush the hair away from my face. He held a glass of water to my lips.

I turned my head away, refusing to drink.

I tried to move my hands, only to find my wrists and ankles were shackled to the bed. Panic made my voice sharp.

Let me go! What are you doing!

Hayley was sitting on Luciens lap. She leaned in with a pout.

Sister, its your fault for not writing that letter. I got so upset that Im sick again.

The doctor says my heart is failing. I need a new one.

Were a perfect match. Lucien is just letting you help me out with this little favor.

I stared at them in terror as Lucien spoke with total indifference.

Were giving yours to Hayley. Youll get an artificial one.

Once the surgery is a success, Ill dedicate myself to our family.

We can even have another wedding. Consider it my way of making it up to you.

Tears welled in my eyes. Looking at Luciens heartless face, I felt a bone-chilling fear.

Why...

Lucien, we were together for five years. Three years ago in the mountains, I almost died in that flood to save you...

Luciens expression turned instantly cold. He roared at me.

Enough! You actually have the nerve to bring up the mountains!

Hayley was the one who saved me. What did you ever do?

The day the flood hit, I watched you run away to save your own skin! I will never forget your back as you abandoned me! Since that moment, every day I spent with you was just for revenge!

I stared at him, dazed. I tried to speak.

Hayley leaned into my ear and whispered a provocation.

After you saved him and went to get medicine, I was the one who stayed by his side. Of course he thought I was his savior.

Don't be stupid. His heart has been mine for a long time.

I suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming down my face.

Lucien, you are such a fool.

You think Hayley is as sweet as she looks? Three years ago, you were a nobody. Why would she save you? You think shes with you now for love? Its only because...

Shut up!

Lucien stood up in a rage, his voice harsh.

It seems you haven't learned your lesson yet!

Take her to the OR for the heart transplant immediately!

Since she has such a big mouth, don't bother with the anesthesia!

I was wheeled into the operating room.

The steady beep of the machines echoed in my ears.

I stared at the ceiling, a single tear rolling down my cheek.

I was going to die.

Suddenly, the lights flickered and died. The operating room was plunged into darkness.

The surgeon quickly threw a gown over me and scooped me up.

Lets go. Ill handle the aftermath!

I looked into his eyes above his surgical mask and nearly screamed in shock.

It was... him?