You Left the Altar, I Married Your Brother

My husband was flying home from a business trip, and he insisted I pick him up at the airport. Instead, I ran into Ethan Whitmore—the ex who had abandoned our wedding two years ago to travel the world with his intern. I was wearing sunglasses, but he recognized me immediately. “Claire Bennett, are you really that desperate to get married?” “The second you heard I was coming home, you rushed straight to the airport.” I gave him a hesitant look. “You're…?” He tossed his hair and stepped forward to take my hand. “Come on. It's not like I meant to stay away this long.” “You know Sophie hasn't been doing well mentally. She's always wanted to travel around the world.” “We spent a little longer in a few countries than we planned. That's all.” “But the trip's over, and I flew straight home to marry you, just like I promised!” I stared at his wrinkled clothes, his scruffy beard, and the hair he kept slicking back. Only then did I recognize the ex who had run out on our wedding two years ago. But had no one told him I'd married his brother that very day? … I took a long look at them. Sure enough, it was Ethan Whitmore and Sophie Miller. They were both wearing designer clothes, but they looked a lot more weathered. Their skin had darkened, too. I was puzzled. Since when did traveling around the world do this to people? At the same time, I felt relieved. Thank God I hadn't married Ethan. The only reason I'd agreed to the arranged marriage in the first place was that he'd been handsome, clean-cut, and sporting an eight-pack. But now Apparently, his looks hadn't had much staying power. Good thing he wasn't my husband. I took off my sunglasses and gave them a polite smile. "Oh, it's you two. You look so different, I didn't recognize you." Sophie immediately sneered. "Drop the act, Claire. You knew Ethan and I were coming home today, so you came here to corner us." "Seriously, are you that scared no one will marry you?" Then she let out a mocking laugh. Ethan ruffled her hair and tapped the tip of her nose, looking more amused than annoyed. "Behave. You're supposed to be a bridesmaid when Claire and I get married." Sophie pouted. "Fine. I honestly don't know what you're thinking." "Claire's older, jealous, and not remotely sweet. All she does is cling to you. Why would you marry a woman who has nothing going for her except her face?" "Don't say that," Ethan said. "You'll hurt her feelings." "After the wedding, I'll take you around the world again." Their conversation left me speechless. I stared at them like they were idiots. I was just about to interrupt their increasingly deranged exchange when Ethan turned to me. "Don't be upset, Claire. Sophie's just a kid at heart." "You know her father died saving my life. I've looked after her ever since. I've made sure she never went without anything, but she still grew up without a father's love. She doesn't always think before she speaks." "Besides, her mental health hasn't been stable since she lost him. Once we're married, I hope you'll help me take care of her." "She'll be joining our company, too. You should help her out at work." I rolled my eyes as gracefully as I could. Did Ethan even hear the garbage coming out of his mouth? I raised my hand and showed him my wedding ring. "See this, Ethan? This pigeon-blood ruby ring is worth a hundred million dollars. My husband gave it to me." "Thank God I didn't marry you. Otherwise" I looked him and Sophie up and down with open disdain. "Move. You're in my way. I'm here to pick up my husband." Ethan laughed scornfully. "Do you think I'm an idiot, Claire?" "Our marriage was a business alliance. We invited practically every prominent person in America to our wedding two years ago. Everyone knows you're supposed to marry me." "Stop saying things just to spite me. I know running out on the wedding embarrassed you, but I had a reason. I'm back now, so quit making a scene. You should be grateful I'm still willing to marry you." "Is there something wrong with your brain?" I asked. His smile grew even more condescending. "You're a woman who got left at the altar. Everyone would laugh at you. Who else would marry you?" The sheer confidence of this oblivious idiot made me laugh. So that was why he'd dared to run out on our wedding. He'd assumed no one else would want me once he abandoned me! What an ego. I was the daughter of the richest man in the country. The line of men willing to marry me could stretch all the way to France. And Ethan wasn't the only Whitmore son. After Ethan walked out two years ago, his grandfather Arthur offered to call off the wedding and apologize to every guest himself. I told him I'd rather speak to Adrian. To make amends, Arthur gave me the five-percent interest in the family trust that had been set aside for Ethan. The Whitmore Group shares Ethan owned outright were separate. Apparently, Ethan had no idea his trust income was gone. Of course he didn't. He'd deliberately cut off all contact for Sophie's sake. How would he know? I just hoped he'd still be smiling when he got back to the Whitmore estate that night.When my father first took me to the Whitmore house to choose a fiancé, I heard Ethan talking before we even stepped inside. "You can kill me if you want. I'm not marrying Claire Bennett." I crossed him off my list on the spot. But then he saw me at a party, fell for me at first sight, and declared that I was the only woman he would ever marry. At first, I didn't want to give him a chance. But he shamelessly pursued me for more than six months. Since he didn't seem to have a string of lovers, I finally said yes. It wasn't until later that I learned about Sophie Miller—the intern whose education his family had funded and whom he spoiled like a princess. On our wedding day, Ethan received a video call from her. "Ethan, remember your promise? You said you'd take me around the world when I graduated." "I'm waiting at the airport. If you're not here by three, I'll jump off the building!" Without a single word of explanation, Ethan ran out in front of all our guests. He sent me two texts, then vanished. [Sophie's father saved my life. She's the only daughter he left behind. I can't let anything happen to her!] [Don't worry. I'll marry you as soon as our trip is over. Then I'll take you anywhere you want.] The Whitmores were furious. To make things right with my family, Arthur Whitmore promised me: "Claire, this is our fault. We failed to raise him properly. Tell me what you want, and we'll make it happen." I asked to speak to Adrian Whitmore, Ethan's older brother and the CEO of Whitmore Group. He'd been overseas developing a new business when I'd first come to choose a fiancé. He had only recently returned. I thought he was a much better option. "If Adrian is willing, I'd like him to stay and marry me." Arthur let us talk privately. When we came back, Adrian took my hand in front of the guests and we went ahead with the ceremony. We signed the marriage paperwork a few days later. I pulled myself out of the memory and checked the time. Adrian's flight should have landed by now. Right on cue, my phone started vibrating nonstop. Every message was from him. "Honey, my flight's delayed. Change of plans. Don't wait around for me." "Let Leo pick me up." "Miss you so much." "I expect a kiss the second I get home." "Love you. Kisses." Then came a giant blown-kiss sticker. A little smile tugged at my lips, and the tension left my face. Even the sight of my awful ex—now my brother-in-law—became slightly more tolerable. Ethan folded his arms and eyed my phone with a smug half smile. "Wow. You really came prepared. Where did you find the actor?" "Don't pull stunts like this, Claire. You're making yourself look ridiculous." He stepped closer and reached for my hair. I immediately stepped back, leaving his hand hanging in midair. "I told you, I'm married. Keep harassing me, and my husband will break your legs." Ethan looked as though I'd told him a hilarious joke. He pointed at my neckline and raised an eyebrow. "That brooch is for the spouse of whoever runs the family. Why would you be wearing it if you'd married someone else?" The emerald brooch was a Whitmore heirloom. It was their family's private tradition to pass it to the spouse of the person who took charge of the family. How did someone the family had all but disowned have the nerve to say that? "The man I married is—" Before I could finish, Sophie cut in. "Wow, Claire! Is that the emerald family brooch?" "I've heard it's priceless. Too bad I wasn't born lucky. I'll never get to wear jewelry that exquisite." Her eyes instantly filled with tears. She linked her arm through Ethan's and said sadly: "Ethan, could you ask Claire to let me borrow it?" "I know I lost my father and I'm hardly in a position to ask for anything that beautiful. I know the brooch belongs to your wife." "But could I wear it just once? So I can pretend I married you, too?" She started sobbing. Ethan looked heartbroken. He turned to me with an apologetic expression. "Claire, you're going to be my wife. Surely one brooch doesn't matter that much. Can't you just give it to Sophie?" "She's young, and she's had such a hard life. Let her have this. I'll buy you a nicer one someday. I promise."I laughed, this time out of sheer anger. "If your brain's broken, Ethan, go see a doctor. She's a few months older than I am. Does she seriously think she's a baby?" "Even I couldn't give birth to a child that shameless." "A few years of being spoiled, and she thinks she's an heiress entitled to anything she wants." "If you've got the money, buy your own. Why are you always after my things?" "A little self-awareness wouldn't hurt." At my words, Sophie's tears started falling on command. "If you don't want to lend it to me, just say so! Why humiliate me?" "You haven't even married Ethan yet. What right do you have to wear the Whitmore family heirloom? Have you no shame?" After Sophie's father saved Ethan, the Whitmores had paid for her education to repay his sacrifice. They'd also promised her a job at one of their companies. Before she even graduated, she had joined the company as an intern. Somehow, she'd managed to hook Ethan there. But no matter how she spun it, she was still just an intern the Whitmores had sponsored. When Sophie complained that she'd grown up without a father, Ethan had actually asked his grandfather to adopt her. She was already an adult. Arthur saw what she was after. He refused outright. Ethan, however, felt terribly guilty. From then on, he treated Sophie like she was made of glass. He frowned. "Sophie isn't like you. She lost her father, and I'm the only one she can count on. Grandpa refused to give her a place in the family trust. That's why she feels so insecure" I interrupted with a suggestion. "You want Sophie added to the trust? That's easy." "If you want to look after her for the rest of her life, marry her." "What are you talking about? Sophie is just just an intern I sponsor. You're the one I want to spend my life with!" "She's family. You're the woman I love. If you keep talking like this, I'm really going to get angry." I felt sick listening to him. I wasn't wasting another second. I turned and walked away. I wasn't going to wait for a flight that hadn't even landed. I texted Adrian that I'd meet him at the estate and stepped outside. A discreet Maybach pulled up, and Leo got out to open the door. "Mrs. Whitmore, Mr. Whitmore asked me to pick him up later. Would you like me to take you home first?" Adrian had closed a major deal on his trip. Knowing he was coming home today, Arthur had specifically asked us to have dinner at the family estate. Suddenly, someone shoved past me and climbed into the car. Once Sophie had settled in, she sneered. "Aren't you married? Why are you still trying to catch a ride in a Whitmore car? Go ride in your husband's." Sophie recognized the Maybach. It belonged to Ethan's brother. Ethan clearly recognized it, too. He seemed flattered. His brother barely acknowledged him, much less sent a driver to pick him up. He sat beside Sophie, fastened her seat belt, and turned to me. "You can sit in the front. Sophie's used to sitting next to me. I'll have the driver take you back to the Bennett house first." "No need. I have my own car. Leo, take them to the estate. I've got other plans." I took out my key and pressed the unlock button. Nearby, the lights of a Lamborghini Veneno flashed twice. I caught the flash of jealousy in Sophie's eyes before I drove away. Ethan sighed. "There she goes, getting upset again. She really needs to work on that temper" Then he asked Leo: "Did my brother send you to pick me up?" Leo answered honestly. "No. I'm here to pick up Mr. Whitmore." There were two seconds of silence before Ethan spoke. "What a coincidence. Where is he?" "His flight was delayed." I went to a spa and enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing treatment. When dinnertime approached, I drove back to the estate. The moment I got out, I saw the two of them waiting outside the front entrance. Apparently, when Leo brought them back, Arthur had thrown down his cane as soon as he heard who it was. He hadn't even let them inside. "Get out! Why bother coming back? You might as well have stayed gone for good!" Ethan and Sophie had stayed on the front steps, hoping Arthur would come out and let them explain. When he saw me arrive, Ethan rose and blocked my path. His dejected expression vanished, replaced by excitement. "I knew you loved me, Claire! You heard Grandpa wouldn't let me in, so you came running!" "Perfect timing. He adores you. Go in and talk to him for me." Sophie appeared beside him and jabbed a finger at my face. "You're still holding a grudge because Ethan left the wedding for me, aren't you?" "Is that why you made Arthur punish us?" She lunged forward to grab me. I stepped aside, and she landed face-first on the ground. Her knee started bleeding. Tears immediately streamed down her face. Ethan pressed his lips together and rushed to examine her injury. With practiced ease, he gathered her into his arms and soothed her until she finally smiled through her tears. Only then did he remember me. He sighed. "Claire, I don't even recognize you anymore." "Sophie never means any harm. If you want to marry me, you need to learn to be more understanding." "Apologize to her, and we'll forget about it this time. But I expect you to work on your attitude." I laughed in disbelief. "Should I pay her damages, too? For wounding her fragile little heart?" Greed flashed in Sophie's eyes. "I still need a car. The one you were driving today looked pretty nice." A Lamborghini Veneno. One of only three in the world. Worth more than twenty million dollars. Sophie certainly wasn't shy about her greed. Once again, Ethan made a decision on my behalf. "It's not often Sophie likes something this much. Give her the car. Consider it compensation for hurting her." I looked at him calmly. "Keep dreaming." When Sophie reached for my brooch again, I unpinned it and held it out of reach. "Marry him first. Then we can talk about a wedding present." Ethan snatched it from my hand before I could pin it back on. I shoved past him and headed straight for the house. "Stop!" Realizing I had no intention of playing along, Ethan's face darkened. His voice turned threatening. "Let me make this clear, Claire. Unless you apologize to Sophie, you can forget about marrying me. You'll never set foot in this house!" Thud! A cane suddenly came flying out and struck him squarely on the head. From several yards away, Arthur's powerful voice rang out for everyone to hear. "You idiot! Show your brother's wife some respect!"