Chapter 1My Father Picked Me a Fiancée

On the eve of our wedding, my fiancée Aria’s childhood sweetheart came back.

Caleb Chrest, the golden boy who once had the world at his feet, had been reduced to a simpleton by a tragic accident. Now, he wouldn't let anyone near him except Aria.

I thought she would keep her distance.

After all, eight years ago, they had destroyed each other, a spectacular implosion that ended with Caleb fleeing the country and Aria’s entire family in the hospital. Since she’d been with me, I was her entire world. Our friends always teased her about it, calling her famously devoted now that her long-time crush—me—had finally become her fiancé.

But now, she was on the phone, frantically arranging to pick him up, so absorbed she didn't even notice I’d come home.

"Cancel the setup at the venue for now," she was saying, her voice strained. "Caleb can't handle the idea of me getting married."

She let out a soft, confident breath. "Don't worry, Ethan won't mind. He loves me so much. He even cut ties with his family just to marry me..."

Aria was so certain I’d do anything for her.

What she didn't know was that my father's favorite game was pretending to disapprove. Not only had he prepared an astronomical "dowry" to help this 'imposter' heiress secure her position in the Monroe family, but he had also hand-picked another fiancée for me long ago...

...

A few days ago, I’d heard rumors that Caleb was back in the country, demanding that Aria come get him. I didn't think anything of it. She hadn't reacted to the news either, other than being too nervous and excited about our wedding to sleep.

But now, the wedding I had dreamed of for years was just an inconvenient ceremony she needed to postpone.

Her line was busy, so I drove to the hotel myself. The grand ballroom, which had been nearly transformed for our ceremony, was stripped bare. Everything had been packed away. The hotel manager conveniently avoided me.

I went home, a cold fury simmering in my gut.

Just as I was about to confront her, two vases came hurtling toward me.

"Thief! Robber! Who said you could steal my Aria?"

Shards of porcelain skittered across the floor, one slicing into my calf. I cried out in pain, stumbling backward. But Caleb wasn't finished.

He lunged at me, grabbing a handful of sharp fragments as if he couldn't feel the pain, and tried to throw them at my face. I instinctively threw my arms up to block him.

"Caleb!" Aria screamed, rushing out of the kitchen and grabbing his hand.

The throbbing pain in my leg mixed with a surge of angry, wounded betrayal. This was the woman who used to fret over a papercut on my finger, and now she hadn't even glanced at me.

"Caleb, are you trying to destroy your hand?" she cried, her voice laced with panic. She immediately fetched the first-aid kit and began tending to his wounds, her brow furrowed with heartache.

I looked around, and a wave of dizziness hit me. It wasn’t just Aria who seemed like a stranger; the whole house was alien. The designer watches she’d given me, the latest season's menswear—all of it had been moved into a new, separate room. The rest of our home was a scene of utter devastation. Our wedding portrait and all our other photos together were shredded on the floor. The festive crimson banners we’d hung were torn down and crumpled. Anything red, anything that symbolized our union, had been destroyed.

The Monroe family's housekeeper was cleaning up the mess, while Aria's neat handwriting on sticky notes directed her where to place Caleb’s garish action figures. She’d even installed protective corner guards on the tables. She was still so meticulous, just as she had been when she designed every inch of this home with me.

But this was supposed to be our home.

The unease I'd been feeling solidified into a cold, hard dread.

"Aria, what is the meaning of this?"

It was as if she’d only just remembered I existed. She turned, the gentle, placating smile she’d been giving Caleb freezing on her lips. Her eyes darted around the ruined room, and a look of guilt and panic flashed across her face.

"Ethan..."

As she started to rise, Caleb wrapped his arms around her waist and started to sob like a child. "Aria, why were you mean to me just now?" he wailed, then pointed a trembling, accusatory finger at me. "Was it because of him? Because of this pretty boy who stole you from me?"

Aria finally noticed the blood trickling down my leg. With a sigh of resignation, she gestured for the housekeeper to come bandage my wound, then pulled me tensely into the study.

"Ethan, please don't be angry with Caleb," she began, her voice hesitant. "I know he's older than you, but mentally... he's stuck at around ten years old."

"He's always been possessive," she continued, her tone pleading. "I just looked away for a second and he destroyed the house. You can understand that, can't you?"

She wouldn't meet my eyes, but her resolve hardened. "You know what happened. After his family went bankrupt, his parents disappeared. He doesn't remember any of his other relatives or friends. Caleb... he only has me now."

Then came the final blow. "He'll be living with us from now on."

The decision was so sudden, so absurd, it was almost laughable.

"No. I don't understand, and I don't accept it." The words felt like acid on my tongue. "First you cancel the wedding, now you're redecorating our home for him. Should I just give him my spot in our bed, too?"

A look of relief washed over her face.

"Oh, so you already know about the wedding?"