I Walked Away From the Man I Never Married

“I’m sorry, Ms. Kiera Dane, but we can’t release a copy of this marriage certificate. According to our records, you were never legally married to Mr. Rowan Cross.”

That can’t be true. Rowan told me he filed our marriage papers three years ago.

“Ms. Dane, Mr. Cross is married — just not to you. He’s been legally wed for the past three years to a woman named Seraphine Vega. Does that name sound familiar?”

Seraphine. My closest friend.

Three years back, one of Rowan’s rivals shoved Seraphine off a rooftop, thinking she was the woman Rowan actually loved. She survived but fell into a coma. Rowan insisted I become her caretaker, saying we owed her my life. That was before I accidentally heard him say:

“Kiera? She has no idea the marriage was staged. She’s been tailing after me for twenty years, like some loyal little puppy. I only kept her around because I felt sorry for her — she was useful.”

And the final blow? When Seraphine finally regained consciousness, Rowan chose her. He abandoned me at the moment his enemies targeted me again — and I lost our baby because of it.

That was the end of everything. I called my mother and asked her to arrange a new marriage, packed up my things, and walked out of his life… only for him to show up on my wedding day, begging.

But by then, it was far too late for his love to matter.