The Billionaire's Broken Bride,Rescued by Her StepbrothersChapter 1
The day we were supposed to register our marriage, my fiancé Kenneth Matthews showed up late. Again.
There was a woman in the passenger seat.
He glanced at me standing in the wind, shivering, and let out a quiet laugh.
"The registration office is closed? Guess we can't get that marriage certificate after all."
"This little thing's so clingy. She won't go to a single prenatal checkup unless I'm there. Wears me right down." Kenneth looked at her with a smile dripping with affection. "Betty Simmons, how about we wait until after she has the baby, and then we'll register?"
"She's been so good about it, really. Never once tried to take your place."
"You've waited this long already. What's another year or so?"
The numbered ticket in my palm was crushed into a tight ball.
I turned and dropped it in the trash, then lifted my gaze to her flat little stomach.
"Fine."
My mother had remarried into a wealthy family. There were two stepbrothers waiting to meet me there.
——
The truth was, I'd known about Kenneth's affair since the beginning of the year.
One of the Syndicate's guys tipped me off.
"Boss has been making a lot of trips to the college district lately. You might want to keep an eye on that."
It didn't take long to find out.
The girl was barely in her early twenties, a college student named Eleanor Harding.
She'd started waitressing at one of our restaurants late last year. Her family didn't have much, but she was undeniably pretty.
"Don't worry too much about it, though."
"I think the boss is just chasing a thrill, reliving old times. Why else would he pick someone who looks so much like you?"
I stared at the photo on the table. The girl stood under a cherry blossom tree, smiling at the camera. There was a faint echo of my own face in hers.
From that day on, I waited. Waited for Kenneth to come clean.
But I never expected him to bring her right to my doorstep.
And throw in a two-for-one deal.
"Betty, I know you're the best." Kenneth reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
He cradled my face in his hands, the calluses on his palms rough against my cheeks.
"She's fragile. If she loses this baby, her first, it could do real damage to her body."
"I can't stand the thought of a young girl suffering because of me. Just wait a little longer. Next year, we'll register. I promise."