From Betrayal to Bliss

“The post went live at 8:00 PM, announcing my engagement to Ava Green, the woman I' d chased for three years. My heart was full; our future, a perfect blueprint, finally felt real. Then, her phone rang. It was Ben Carter, her childhood friend, and the way she fled to the balcony, her face pale, sent a jolt of dread through me. She returned to tell me Ben' s grandmother was dying and had one last wish: to see him settled with a fiancée. He wanted Ava, my fiancée, to pretend to be his for a few days to grant a dying woman peace. "A small lie?" I scoffed. We were getting married in less than two months, and she was willing to fly across the country to play house with her ex-crush. My carefully constructed world crumbled as she packed, ignoring my pleas, placing my brand-new engagement ring on the nightstand. She walked out, leaving me in a deafening silence. As I stared at the ring, a white-hot rage surged through me. Three years, my devotion, all thrown away for a lie. She chose him, manipulated by his family drama. This wasn' t just about her; it was about proving something. What if I showed her a man who was truly settled, with a fiancée? I picked up my phone, scrolled to a name I hadn't thought of in years, and made a call. "Chloe," I said, my voice strange. "Are you busy on October 8th? Do you want to get married?"”