The Accidental Husband

The Accidental Husband

Gavin

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My father, a titan of industry, called me in to seal my fate: an arranged marriage to solidify his empire. All eyes were on me, Liam Hayes, heir to the powerful Hayes Group, as I consented, the word heavy with unspoken guilt towards Olivia, the woman I loved for seven years. That night, back in the modest apartment I shared with Olivia-where I was just "Liam, the architect"-her phone buzzed, illuminating a message preview from "Alex Reed": "I miss you, Liv. Can't stop thinking about your birthday." My blood ran cold. Alex, her childhood friend, the one she always spoke of with strange fondness. I opened her password-free messages, and my world shattered. Conversations spanning months, years, filled with "I love yous" and "I wish we could be togethers." Then, tonight's texts: "He's with his parents. So boring. I wish you were here." Followed by, "I can't wait. I love you so much, Alex." I scrolled further, reading complaints about my "lack of ambition," our "boring life," realizing how she saw me: a placeholder. The pain was a physical blow. Seven years, a lie. The woman sleeping peacefully beside me was a stranger, a user. How could I have been so blind, so stupid? The guilt I felt about my arranged marriage vanished, replaced by a searing clarity. I was the fool, not the disloyal one. A cold resolve set in. I wouldn't be her safety net anymore. My relationship with Olivia was over, and the prearranged marriage to Charlotte Davies, the woman I hadn't even met, suddenly felt like my only escape.

Introduction

My father, a titan of industry, called me in to seal my fate: an arranged marriage to solidify his empire. All eyes were on me, Liam Hayes, heir to the powerful Hayes Group, as I consented, the word heavy with unspoken guilt towards Olivia, the woman I loved for seven years.

That night, back in the modest apartment I shared with Olivia-where I was just "Liam, the architect"-her phone buzzed, illuminating a message preview from "Alex Reed": "I miss you, Liv. Can't stop thinking about your birthday." My blood ran cold. Alex, her childhood friend, the one she always spoke of with strange fondness.

I opened her password-free messages, and my world shattered. Conversations spanning months, years, filled with "I love yous" and "I wish we could be togethers." Then, tonight's texts: "He's with his parents. So boring. I wish you were here." Followed by, "I can't wait. I love you so much, Alex." I scrolled further, reading complaints about my "lack of ambition," our "boring life," realizing how she saw me: a placeholder.

The pain was a physical blow. Seven years, a lie. The woman sleeping peacefully beside me was a stranger, a user. How could I have been so blind, so stupid? The guilt I felt about my arranged marriage vanished, replaced by a searing clarity. I was the fool, not the disloyal one.

A cold resolve set in. I wouldn't be her safety net anymore. My relationship with Olivia was over, and the prearranged marriage to Charlotte Davies, the woman I hadn't even met, suddenly felt like my only escape.

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My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.

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