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00:01slow down alex what's wrong kathleen can't keep up i lay back on the velvet sheets giving in to
00:09the rhythm i scratched his muscular back craving more the sound of my voice lit something in him
00:14he couldn't hold back i was just alex's dirty little secret i'd asked him to marry me three
00:20times kathleen come on i'm the ceo of echo tech we're scaling up just wait a little longer each
00:26time he laughed it off with the same excuse that was always his answer and like an idiot i always
00:31did three years waiting in the shadows of his penthouse i showered alone and left ethan barged
00:38in and flopped down next to me you're not gonna believe this alex the guy who swore he'd never
00:43get married is shopping for an engagement ring guess who my pulse spiked was he finally doing it
00:50was the wait over heat rushed to my cheeks what for me okay be serious he's my best friend
01:00bros before you know the rules plus you two hell would freeze over first remember when he caught
01:06you riding that smut in high school you were mortified it's isabella i could barely hear him
01:14i pressed my nails into my palm until it hurt something inside me snapped like a wire finally
01:20pulled too tight ethan i'm getting married too clear your schedule i need you to be my best man
01:30what to celebrate my engagement ethan dragged me to our usual bar downtown since when does my baby
01:36sister have secrets i lied because of grandma's alzheimer's she wants to see me in a wedding
01:42dress guilt gnawed at my insides i couldn't tell him that for three years i'd been sleeping with
01:48his best friend so who's the lucky bastard just as the screen unlocked a large hand reached from
01:54behind and snatched the phone away who's our little k texting this late erasing the very few photos we had
02:00together making sure ethan would never see them i wasn't a girlfriend i was evidence something to hide
02:05hey bro give her phone back stop picking on her like we're back in middle school
02:12relax just making sure no one's messing with our little kitty because i was his wild little kitten
02:18the one who left scratch marks all over his back i tried to shove the thought away i snatched my
02:23phone
02:23back and turned on my heel behind me ethan shoved alex go apologize you idiot alex chased me out to
02:32the
02:32parking lot he grabbed my arm and insisted on driving me home i tried to shake him off instead
02:38he pulled me in hard my face hit his chest a cherry red lipstick stain on his white collar alex
02:44we need
02:45to stop this i'm getting married are you serious k are you mad because i deleted the photos come on
02:53you know why i did it we can't let ethan find out that'd be awkward for everyone i mean it
03:01alex he'd
03:02never had to think about me walking away i was always the one waiting always the one reaching
03:09he couldn't even process it stop being mean sent bent at me ver stop being so dramatic kathleen you're
03:17just stressed before i could answer his phone buzzed isabella's name flashed on the screen
03:23alex i totally messed up the q3 projections i'm so sorry can you come over please
03:31i'm on my way wait for me he hung up and touched my hair his voice going soft in that
03:38way i used to
03:39mistake for tenderness we'll talk about this later k you can grab an uber from here right he didn't
03:45wait for an answer i stood in the parking lot and watched his taillights disappear into the dark
03:50work emergency it was always a work emergency like in march our three-year anniversary i'd rented a
03:58beach house weeks in advance a whole week along the coast just the two of us and his phone rang
04:04gotta go babe work emergency you understand i waited seven days he never came back
04:14i didn't realize what it really meant not until ethan showed me isabella's instagram
04:19he seriously made you uber home such an asshole and i guarantee it was isabella again
04:27look at this he spent the whole week with her
04:30he pulled up isabella's ig story archive isabella in a bikini all sun and smiles on the beach and
04:38stretched out on a lounge chair behind her asleep sunglasses on completely at ease was alex the date
04:45stamp march 14 the exact week i'd been waiting alone at that beach house the caption read our first spring
04:53date my mind went blank then it came apart our anniversary was their beginning he kept me buried
05:00and gave her the world i was done done hiding done waiting done being something he was ashamed of
05:06and texted him i needed to end it in person not that it counted as a breakup you can't break
05:13up with
05:13someone who never even admitted you existed to him i was just a hookup he never had to answer for
05:19i went to his office i reached for the handle then a voice slipped through the door soft sweet calling
05:24we should totally do paris next weekend hold on isabella there's something i need to tell you
05:29my stomach dropped paris a proposal that's what this was then the sound fabric shifting something
05:39scraping the floor in his office where he used to take me before i could stop myself i shoved the
05:46door
05:46open alex was sprawled on the leather sofa isabella was crouched at his feet gathering scattered papers
05:54tight pencil skirt sheer black stockings anyone walking in would have assumed the same thing
06:00i swallowed the bile rising in my throat and forced a smile i wasn't gonna let them see me break
06:05what a coincidence my wedding is next weekend i just emailed you the evise alex don't forget to
06:12check it isabella looped her arm around alex's overplaying her excitement oh my god kathleen
06:18you're getting married alex you have to be there all right i'll let you two catch up we can reschedule
06:24she strutted out the door clicked shut the next second alex lunged he slammed me hard against the
06:31wall chest to chest his breath came hot and furious against my neck that's what this is you want me
06:38jealous years kathleen years of this the lies the guilt trips backing me into a corner that's all
06:47you've ever done three years of begging three rejected proposals and he thought i was trapping
06:53him something inside me went still i don't even remember how i got out of his building the next
06:58two days learned i moved through everything like a ghost somewhere along the way i ended up in a bridal
07:06boutique i took a selfie and sent it to ethan his response came instantly damn my little sister's
07:15all grown up two minutes later he posted it to instagram it was the first text from alex in days
07:22he clearly saw ethan's post think this through kathleen is this really what you want using your
07:28brother to pressure me into proposing ethan slid a glass of beer across the bar to me he'd noticed
07:34something was off and dragged me out for a drink maybe it was the alcohol maybe the guilt had
07:40finally gotten too heavy to carry but i couldn't hold it in anymore i had to tell my brother the
07:47one
07:47person who loved me most ethan i need to confess something i slept with your best friend you mean
07:54alex k i knew you had a crush on him in high school he was your first love right i
08:00nodded slowly
08:01was it that obvious then why did alex string me along for three years ethan pulled me into a hug
08:08look now you're both moving on right it was just a small chapter in your life three years
08:15and it was just a small chapter my first love ended without so much as a goodbye i chugged my
08:21beer
08:22then another ethan tried to take the glass he was too late what the hell how much did you drink
08:28your hands are ice alex grabbed my fingers oh touch her ethan slapped his hand away hard
08:34for the first time in my life i saw real anger aimed at his best friend you know the rule
08:41best friend's sister is strictly off limits my brother and his best friend were at each other's
08:48throats and it was all because of me so you know did kathleen tell you ethan grabbed alex by his
08:54collar pulling him close oh i know i've always known exactly what you are the kind of guy who
09:02leaves a trail of broken hearts and never loses a second of sleep over it i don't give a damn
09:07how
09:07many women you sleep with but you do not touch my sister ethan i swear to god i would never
09:12hurt her
09:12i couldn't stand listening to his lies anymore hadn't he hurt me enough already they're shouting
09:18mixed with the blaring sports game on the bar tvs made my skull throb stop just stop i pressed my
09:26palms against the bar trying to steady myself my head felt like two semis were crashing into each
09:32other inside my skull alex insisted on taking me home he swore he wouldn't ditch me halfway this time
09:38ethan didn't look happy about it but he let him alex scooped me up and carried me toward the parking
09:43lot if you just stopped fighting me for once i wouldn't alex's friends were walking out of the
09:47vip exit isabella was right in the middle he suddenly let go i was too drunk to catch myself
09:53i hit the ground hard and winced oh this is kathleen ethan's sister she got totally wasted so i'm just
10:01giving her a ride the explanation came too quickly too defensively like he'd just been caught cheating
10:07he hauled me to my feet no carrying this time just an awkward grip on my arm maybe it was
10:14the alcohol
10:15but a sudden rush of courage flooded my chest i lifted my chin and smiled at the group hey everyone
10:21since i'm just the best friend's sister you're all invited to my wedding next weekend why can't you
10:28ever just behave did you really have to embarrass me in front of everyone alex shoved me into the
10:33passenger seat started the engine and sped through the dark streets to drop me off the second i made
10:39it inside i barely reached the bathroom before i threw up then i stumbled into my bedroom opened my
10:47closet and pulled out my love diary three years of a secret affair all of it pressed between those
10:53pages movie dates flights secret dinners abroad i'd hidden it carefully terrified someone might find it
11:01because i knew alex would hate that i grabbed scissors and cut page after page memory after
11:07memory until the whole thing was shredded beyond recognition then i dumped every last piece into
11:13the trash bin outside three years tossed out like garbage the next morning ethan told me alex had
11:20vanished he didn't show up at echo tech for a week no one knew where he went honestly ethan i
11:25don't
11:25care i have a wedding to plan ethan smiled softly patting my hair infectionately the night before the
11:33wedding i posted an ig story finally saying yes tomorrow for real this time the reactions flooded
11:42in instantly likes comments congratulations pouring in from every direction tears pricked my eyes
11:48this was what it felt like a relationship you could share with the world one that didn't have to hide
11:56and i was feeling it for the first time then my phone rang it was alex i was getting married
12:03tomorrow
12:03why was he calling now i hesitated then swiped to accept deafening club music and roaring cheers
12:10blasted through the speaker alex oh hey it was isabella why was she calling me from alex's phone
12:21alex hated anyone touching his phone and yet somehow isabella was holding it oops just playing
12:29with alex's phone and push the wrong button i was about to hang up when someone background shouted
12:34truth or dare alex what's your biggest regret alex's voice drifted over sounding drunk biggest regret
12:41dragging out a situation for way too long she checked all the boxes but man she was too needy
12:49always pushing for some kind of commitment you know how clingy younger girls get exactly women start
12:57pushing for commitment and suddenly the fun's gone you need a girl like isabella
13:05young pretty and actually chill about it isabella's sugary voice slipped back in
13:11stop it you guys alex might already have a girlfriend wouldn't she be upset hearing all this
13:18oh please he's been single for what three years never seen him tied down alex didn't say a word
13:25i laughed under my breath and cursed myself what exactly had i been waiting for
13:31then another guy phi shouted over the music okay next question craziest thing you've done recently
13:38unbothered planning planning a proposal
13:44i already bought the ring just waiting for the perfect moment the entire table lost their minds
13:49whistles cheering it's isabella right you two practically live at the office
13:54no wonder you're always working late you've totally been hooking up i couldn't listen anymore
13:59i hung up and blocked his number i stepped into the mermaid gown i had dreamed of since i was
14:04a
14:04little girl i snapped a mirror selfie and posted it to my ig story today's the day 10 minutes later
14:11a dm popped up from alex is he still drunk oh shit i had forgotten to block him on ig
14:19i blocked his
14:20account for good locked my phone and set it down a few minutes later my wedding coordinator knocked
14:25it's time when the doors opened my hands were shaking i stepped into the custom crystal heels
14:31thorn had designed for me my steps echoed softly down the aisle
14:36thorn was gentle the whole way through steady in a way that helped quiet my nerves
14:42we exchanged rings the priest was just about to start our vows everything was unfolding perfectly
14:49until raised voices echoed from the hallway the chapel doors slammed open alex stormed in
14:55he was dressed in a custom white tuxedo looking exactly like a groom earlier that morning alex had
15:02woken up with a pounding hangover he opened instagram and saw my post me in a wedding dress holding a
15:11bouquet glowing with happiness alex stared at the photo for a long time a smug grin spread across
15:16his face his heart beating uncontrollably he typed out a quick dm to me since you're already in a wedding
15:22dress i'll give you what you've always wanted wait for me he opened the drawer and reached in
15:30pulling out two velvet boxes each one held a ring ones he'd bought and tucked away meant for our
15:39anniversary he'd hidden them away but now he figured he had to bring them out early to marry me then
15:48he
15:48slipped into a fresh custom white tuxedo staring into the mirror he pictured the two of us me to
15:55have and hold altar from this day forward exchanging our vows the image made him smile he pulled up my
16:04post check the location tag and headed out on the way to the chapel his phone rang
16:12hey bro just wanted to say good luck today after you admitted last night that the ring was actually
16:19for kathleen nobody's making isabella jokes anymore good don't let any of those stupid jokes get back to
16:26her she'll throw a fit move it as apollo bisar before it trees right on here sorry bro we wouldn't
16:33do that again oh and heads up i think isabella used your phone to call kathleen after you were drunk
16:38it's fine this is though ben water's here she's just playing this fake wedding game to get my attention
16:44anyway by the time he reached the chapel he was smiling he adjusted his collar in the rearview mirror
16:53smoothed his hair and stepped out time to punish this lying little kitty a burly security guard
17:01stepped into his path private wedding sir invites only i don't need an invite i'm the groom alex
17:10coughed i need to be our scurry some drozing their fempriate getter alex scoffed today's groom is
17:16mr thorn sterling the guard didn't move impossible you've got the wrong guy
17:21he firmly believed that i would never marry anyone but him he let out a low laugh she's really taking
17:28this joke far he could already picture it he'd push those doors open and i would run down the aisle
17:35in my dress throwing myself into his arms crying that i finally got what i wanted the guard interrupted
17:41his fantasy he pointed to the massive welcome sign near the entrance a breathtaking engagement photo of
17:47me and thorn with our names printed under it in elegant gold script and it's guys i blast it's your
17:53mate abracar no that guy's a paid actor no i don't know his actor she's faking this wedding to provoke
18:01me
18:02you don't get it this entire setup is for me she pushes boundaries when she wants attention
18:07then he stopped dead i was standing at the altar in my magnificent dress
18:13bouqueted in hand bathed in golden sunlight alex's jaw dropped then the priest asked
18:21kathleen black do you take thown sterling to be your lawfully wedded husband i looked into thorn's
18:28eyes and smiled softly i do wait alex roared his voice cracking stop the wedding there's been a mistake
18:39ethan thought alex was just running late he grabbed alex's arm trying to pull him into a seat
18:44alex ripped his arm away and marched straight towards the altar well played kathleen you win
18:50you wanted to marry me you wanted to go public well here i am now pay off this cheap actor
18:54you hired
18:55and let's go i never expected alex to show up and cause a scene what i expected even less he
19:00actually
19:00believed this wedding was ours before anyone else could react ethan launched forward he grabbed alex by
19:06the sleeve absolutely furious are you out of your damn mind stop making a scene sit down before you
19:13humiliate yourself any further and if you ruin my sister's wedding i swear to god i will end you
19:19something shifted in alex's expression like a memory clicking into place he pulled out his phone
19:24opened his personal email he scrolled and found it the official wedding invitation i had sent him days
19:30ago still unread it was real i never lied i wasn't trying to make him jealous i wasn't trapping him
19:36i was actually marrying another man defeated and pale alex stumbled into a seat next to ethan his eyes
19:42burned with helpless rage locked on me he looked at me with such overwhelming tenderness my heart skipped
19:48a beat he slid the diamond ring onto my finger then lifted my veiled and in front of everyone he
19:54kissed
19:55me after the ceremony thorn led me toward the bridal suite but alex stumbled into our path and blocked
20:01the way drunk eyes bloodshot move thorn firmly pushed me behind his broad shoulder you better rethink
20:07whatever you're about to do your little startup is in a critical vc funding round one call from me
20:12and every investor backing echo tech disappears by morning i don't give a damn alex struggled wildly
20:18his red eyes fixated on me kathlyn we were together for three years how could you do this to me
20:24he
20:24slapped alex across the face hard first you were never together you exploited her feelings for three
20:30years while offering nothing then another punch harder alex hit the wall a trickle of blood sliding
20:38down his lip second who the hell do you think you are raising your voice at my wife he lifted
20:44his hand
20:45again ready for a third i caught his wrist he stopped instantly i stepped around him and faced
20:49alex the pathetic man i'd loved so desperately i lifted my hand and slapped him with everything i had
20:56i had held back that slap for three years alex you said your biggest regret was dragging out a
21:02relationship with a needed girl well let me tell you mine my biggest regret was wasting three years
21:07loving you but thankfully three years wasn't that long it was just enough time to realize you're
21:12absolutely worthless i reached for thorn's hand we turned and walked away behind me alex broke inside
21:20the quiet bridal suite i pulled out a first aid kit and carefully dabbed antiseptic on thorn's knuckles
21:25alex's earring must have nicked his skin when thorn hit him his hand was still bleeding i noticed him
21:30quietly studying my face i'm not mad that you hit him really that chapter is over thorn didn't push for
21:35details he just pulled me into his arms holding me tight my mind wandered back to the day we first
21:41met
21:41a month before the wedding i told him everything the three-year secret affair the three rejected
21:45proposals the lies the tears if this makes you uncomfortable we can cancel i'd even offered him
21:50an out i don't care about your past i just want you he'd only looked at me and said after
21:54we got
21:55engaged i took him to meet my grandma she was crying when she took his hands you two will be
21:59happy
21:59take care of my cake i'd been close to her since i was a little girl she bought me my
22:03first puppy her
22:04alzheimer's had stolen so much from her even as her memories faded she remembered me and my wedding
22:09even today he'd personally driven across the city to bring her to the chapel thorn suddenly murmured
22:14breaking the silence you know when alex crashed the chapel i thought you might run away with him
22:18right in front of your grandma i thought of alex bursting in wearing that ridiculous white suit
22:22it was so pathetic never i only want you i'm your wife thorn i smiled tracing his arm i laced
22:28my
22:28fingers through his trying to reassure him but kathleen there's something i need to confess a sudden
22:34wave of panic hit my chest what was he going to say thorn let out a soft laugh and rubbed
22:39my tense
22:39shoulders relax sweetheart don't be so anxious i just wanted to tell you i fell in love with you
22:44at first sight three years ago at a charity gala i stopped breathing he had been watching me i asked
22:49around afterward but i heard you were supposedly taken so i waited when my family started setting
22:53me up he made sure his name was first on the list he tucked a stray piece of hair behind
22:58my ear
22:59softly he said i knew you'd been hurt i knew trust would take time but unlike him i'll only ever
23:04cherish you i'll wait for you no matter how long it takes our honeymoon lasted a month and it felt
23:08like stepping into a life i'd only ever read about he rented a private yacht down the coast lit up
23:14the
23:14night sky with custom fireworks held my hand as we walked along beaches until my feet ached the way he
23:19looked at me made my chest ache like i was the most breathtaking sight he'd ever laid eyes on we
23:25walked
23:25through crowded city streets holding hands we kissed in public without a hint of shame my wife
23:31he introduced me to every friend with the same quiet pride no secrets no hiding no suddenly dropping my
23:37hand when someone walked by this was what true love felt like but alex still wasn't ready to let me
23:42go
23:42and he was about to ruin everything i'd blocked alex's number before the wedding but he kept calling
23:47from unknown numbers the first call his voice was furious entitled kathleen you can't do this to me
23:52you betrayed me come home right now i hung up and blocked the number the second call his voice
23:56shifted sounding sickeningly gentle come back k i'll forgive you i didn't even speak block that
24:04number too the third call he was sobbing barely breathing i messed up isabella meant nothing please
24:09k just give me one more chance across the room thorn quietly set a glass of juice beside me he
24:15turned
24:15to leave wanting to give me privacy i reached for his hand before he could leave and held on his
24:20eyes
24:20met mine i gave a small shake of my head he nodded then sat beside me our fingers intertwined i
24:25looked
24:26up into his eyes but spoke into the phone my voice was calm and steady this was never only about
24:30isabella eventually it would have been someone else for three years you hid me you never chose me i
24:35don't love you anymore don't call me again my husband wouldn't appreciate that then i hung up
24:39dropping the phone on the table thorn immediately pulled me against his chest for the first time in my
24:44life i felt completely utterly safe after we returned from our honeymoon ethan asked me out
24:50for coffee okay i may have seriously screwed something up i put down my latte and gently
24:56squeezed his hand i'd never be mad at you ethan then he exhaled and told me everything back when
25:01he'd seen alex buying the ring and then he told me about the fight he'd assumed what everyone else
25:06assumed but it was for isabella i just wanted to gossip but i gave you the wrong info it spiraled
25:10from
25:11there you were right and i was wrong after the wedding alex had gone to him and explained the
25:16ring had always been for me maybe it was a misunderstanding but it doesn't matter anymore
25:19does it ethan nodded i knew the truth didn't matter to him all he cared about was that alex
25:24had broken his baby sister's heart and even if alex hadn't cheated he still wasted my three years
25:30i was done making excuses for him he didn't deserve my forgiveness there's more apparently isabella's
25:36first date instagram post was completely staged she was obsessed with alex when she found out he
25:42booked a private vacation she deliberately scheduled the retreat when alex rushed over for his work
25:47emergency she secretly snapped those misdating photos to post online a pathetic attempt to erase
25:53arrival alex fired her and i cut alex off we're done you lost your best friend any regrets families
26:00before friends always speaking of alex want to know what's been going on with him i said goodbye
26:06to ethan and headed home i walked over sat on the arm press of his chair and gave his chin
26:12a gentle
26:12tilt to pull his attention away from the screens pulling me securely onto his lap so i wouldn't fall
26:18i held up my phone pointing to a breaking news headline breaking etutech funds dry up founder alex
26:26vance files for bankruptcy i fake glared pinching his nose you play the perfect gentleman so well
26:32who knew my sweet husband was secretly bankrupting people in his spare time i'm a little bit drunk i
26:39know you're the one to blame tensed slightly his grip on my waist tightening i hope i didn't overstep
26:44he looked genuinely nervous i just wanted to make him pay that bastard wasted three years of your life
26:51overstep not even close only thorn could confess to ruining a man's life and still sound like an
26:58absolute gentleman he never made me feel like i was a burden he made me feel like i was the
27:02most
27:02important person in the world well i still have to punish you i sentence you to a lifetime of sleep
27:10deprivation as a dad thorn froze slowly an unfiltered wonder flooded his dark okay i'm going to be a
27:20father i nodded bearing my face in his neck from that day on thorn became impossible in the best way
27:27he furiously researched how to be the best dad ever he bought designer cribs and transformed half our house
27:35he even drove us to my grandmother's to share the good news i think he truly kept the promise he'd
27:41made
27:41to her and from then on we lived our happily ever after
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