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"The whole three years? The entire time we were together?"
He nodded, unable to meet my eyes.
"Not constantly. Just... when she felt lonely or depressed. I couldn't say no to her."
Suddenly, everything made sense.
All the cancelled dates, the late nights out, the excuses.
"Did you love her?" I whispered.
"No!" he said urgently.
"That was just... physical. But I loved you. You were the one I wanted to marry."
I felt bile rise in my throat.
"So you sleep with her, but marry me? What was I to you, Brandon? Your safe backup?"
"No! You made me want to be a better man! With Chloe... that was just old habits."
Just then, the study door pushed open.
Nathan stood there, face icy.
"I've heard enough," he said. I realized his phone had been on the line the whole time—I had texted him to stay on the call before I went in.
Brandon looked at us in horror.
"You... recorded this?"
"Oh yes," Nathan said coldly.
"And this recording, along with what Chloe provided, will ensure you never bother us again."
But Brandon's expression shifted from horror to rage.
"You think this stops me? I have enough power to ruin you both!"
"No," a new voice spoke. Brandon's father, Richard, stood in the doorway, face pale.
"You've done enough, son."
The next few weeks were a whirlwind.
Brandon was shipped off to the family's "branch office" in Europe.
Chloe entered rehab to deal with her dependency issues.
The Scott family reinstated their investment, even increasing the amount.
It seemed like everything was resolved.
But one night, I woke up to find Nathan gone from bed. I found him in the study, staring at a computer screen.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He motioned for me to come over.
The screen showed Brandon's Instagram—he had posted a photo of the Eiffel Tower.
Caption: "Sometimes you have to lose everything to find yourself. New journey. #Reborn"
"He looks... fine," I said cautiously.
"Too fine," Nathan whispered. "Brandon never accepts defeat. He's planning something."
"Maybe he changed," I suggested.
Nathan shook his head.
"Men like that don't change, Emily. They just wait."
He closed the laptop and pulled me onto his lap.
"But whatever he plans, we'll face it. Together."
I kissed him, trying to chase away the worry for both of us.
But deep down, I knew he was right.
This didn't feel like an ending.
More like a pause.
A month later, we held our wedding again—a small, intimate ceremony with just our closest friends and family.
No distractions, no drama this time.
When I looked into Nathan's eyes and said "I do," I felt it was a promise for a lifetime.
Later, at the reception, he pulled me aside.
"I have something for you," he said, pulling out a small box.
I opened it and gasped. Inside was an old key.
"Is this?"
"The key to your grandmother's wine cellar," he smiled. "I bought the winery. For us."
Tears welled up in my eyes. "You did that?"
"That's where we started," he said simply.
"Now it will be part of our future."
As I hugged him, I saw Michael approach, looking serious.
He whispered something to Nathan, and Nathan nodded.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Nothing to worry about," Nathan assured me, but I saw the shadow in his eyes.
I found out later that Brandon had disappeared from Europe.
No one knew where he was.
But in that moment, I chose to focus on my husband, our new marriage, and the life we were building.
Whatever the future brought, I knew we would face it.
Together.
