Unclaimed Vows

NYX The rain had cleared around five in the afternoon, leaving the city pavement slick and dark. My shift at the hospital had run two hours over because a resident had somehow managed to misplace a chart. By the time I finally reached the high-rise on Michigan Avenue where I lived with my fiancé, Tristan, my feet were throbbing inside my leather flats. All I wanted was a hot shower, a cold glass of Pinot, and ten minutes of absolute quiet before Tristan started talking about our wedding seating arrangements again. There was a reason we had hired wedding planners: to handle most of the work. But Tristan kept insisting on inviting more business associates, as if our wedding were an opportunity for him to make business connections rather than celebrate our marriage. I wanted a small, intimate wedding with only close family and friends. Unfortunately, that was where the seating arrangements had become a problem. My dream wedding was turning into a business convention. When I arrived at our floor, I pressed the brass fob against the sensor and waited for the soft chime before pushing open the heavy mahogany door. The penthouse was quiet. Too quiet for a Tuesday evening. Normally, Tristan had his phone blaring on speaker while his assistant rattled off stock quotes, or he was pacing across the floor and complaining about his father’s board members. Instead, there was only the hum of the central air and a faint, sweet scent lingering in the entryway. It was fruity and floral—and it definitely wasn’t my perfume. I set my tote bag on the entryway console. The sound of my keys dropping into the marble dish echoed down the long hallway. “Tristan?” No answer. I slipped off my flats, exhausted after my twelve-hour shift at the hospital. All I wanted was a glass of wine and some sleep. The moment I stepped into the hallway, I heard it. A rustle from the master bedroom at the end of the corridor, followed by muffled voices and low, heavy panting. Fast, harsh breathing. The unmistakable sound of two people coming down from a climax. I froze. I didn’t burst into tears. I simply walked down the dark hardwood corridor with quiet, deliberate steps and pushed the bedroom door wide open. There, tangled in the high-thread-count sheets we had picked out together in Paris, were my fiancé, Tristan Belmont, and my stepsister, Lexi. Tristan lay on his back, his dark-blond hair a mess against the pillows. His broad shoulders were bare and glistening with sweat. Lexi was curled against his side, her bottle-blond hair spilling across his chest. Her bare back faced me from my position in the doorway. She was still panting, one hand—its fresh, flawless French manicure still perfectly intact—resting on his chest while Tristan slowly and lovingly caressed her pale back. I narrowed my eyes and tightened my grip on the doorknob, making the hinges creak. They both froze. Tristan’s eyes snapped to mine first. For a fraction of a second, his face went completely blank, his smooth, polished executive mask slipping away. Then came the panic. Lexi didn’t even bother to cover herself immediately. She simply pulled the sheet up to her waist, a slow, ridiculously smug smile spreading across her face. “Nyx!” Tristan breathed. He scrambled to pull the sheet higher, his elbow striking Lexi in the ribs and causing her to tumble out of his arms. It would have been comical if this had been happening in a drama series instead of my own life. Lexi quickly composed herself after her brief tumble and sat up, dragging the silk sheet with her to cover her chest. However, she made no real effort to hide the red marks blooming across her neck. Her blue eyes locked onto mine, and the corner of her mouth twitched into something sharp and entirely deliberate. “You’re home early,” Lexi said, her voice smooth and dripping with the soft, pampered lilt she used whenever she wanted something from my father. “We thought you had night rounds.” “Get out.” My voice didn’t shake. It didn’t even sound like mine. It was flat, cold, and stripped of all warmth. Tristan threw his legs over the side of the bed, yanked on his boxer briefs, and stumbled toward me. “Nyx, wait. Look at me. It’s not—it isn’t what it looks like. We had too much to drink. She came over to discuss the rehearsal dinner and guest list. One thing led to another… I was confused! It was a mistake, all right? Just a mistake!” “Don’t touch me.” I stepped back before his hand could reach my arm. “A mistake?” Lexi purred. She sat up and ran a hand through her messy blond hair, letting the sheet slip just enough to be provocative. “Don’t lie to her, Tristan. Tell her the truth. You’ve been coming to my apartment for three months because she’s always too busy at the hospital to give you any attention.” Tristan glared at her, his face flushing red. “Shut up, Lexi!” Then he turned back to me. “Nyx, babe, look at me. It meant nothing. I love you. We have the wedding in two months. The Harrington and Belmont families are merging!” I looked at him—really looked at him—and wondered how I had ever allowed myself to be fooled by his polished, high-society charm. He wasn’t a partner. He was an entitled, arrogant boy hiding behind his family’s name and fortune. I reached down, took off the five-carat diamond engagement ring from my finger, and tossed it onto the mattress. It landed with a dull thud between Lexi’s bare knees. “Keep it,” I said to her. “You wanted my leftovers so badly? Now you can have him.” “Nyx, stop being dramatic!” Tristan’s panic turned into irritation as I turned on my heel and walked toward the walk-in closet. “You’re throwing a tantrum! Where do you think you’re going?” I ignored him. I pulled out my heavy leather duffel bag and a hard-shell suitcase. I didn’t care about the designer dresses or expensive shoes. I opened my safe, retrieved my passport, medical license, personal investment documents, and the deeds to my independently owned properties. I shoved them into my bag, along with a week’s worth of practical clothes and my laptop. Tristan stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, watching me pack with a condescending sneer. “You’ll be back by tomorrow night, Nyx,” he said confidently. “You can’t just walk away from this. Our families spent millions planning this wedding. Your father will be furious with you.” I zipped my duffel bag shut, grabbed my suitcase, and walked straight past him. Lexi stood near the edge of the bed, wearing one of my silk robes and holding a glass of my expensive wine. “Thanks for the ring, sister,” she taunted, raising her glass. “It fits better on me anyway.” I stopped in front of her. Without saying a word, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face so hard that the wine spilled all over her silk robe. She shrieked and stumbled backward onto the bed. “Don’t ever call me your sister again,” I said coldly. I turned and walked out of the bedroom, heading down the hallway toward the main door. “You’re making a massive mistake!” Tristan yelled as I pushed past him into the foyer. “If you walk out that door, we’re done! Do you hear me? Done!” I paused at the threshold, my hand resting on the heavy metal door handle. I turned back just enough to see Lexi standing at the end of the hallway, wrapped in my silk robe and watching me with a quiet, triumphant smirk. “We were done the second you let her into this apartment,” I said softly. I slammed the door behind me. The heavy click of the lock sounded like a gunshot in the quiet corridor. Once I reached the underground parking garage, I threw my bags into the trunk of my SUV, climbed into the driver’s seat, and locked the doors. My hands gripped the leather steering wheel. For three full minutes, I simply sat there in the darkness, watching my breath fog the windshield. No tears came. Only an empty, hollow quiet. I turned the key. The engine roared to life, filling the concrete space with a low rumble. I shifted into reverse, backed out of the parking space, and drove toward the exit gate. The moment I was on the road and away from the apartment building, I used a voice command to call my brother, Zeus. He answered on the second ring. “Nyx? Where are you? The board meeting for the fashion house just wrapped up.” “Zeus,” I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through my veins. “I caught Tristan and Lexi together in bed at my apartment.” Silence hung heavily on the other end of the line for three agonizing seconds. Then came the cold, murderous tone my brother reserved for corporate enemies. “I’m coming over. Where are they?” “No.” I cut him off immediately. “I’m already in my car. I threw the ring at her and left. I’m calling off the wedding.” “Good,” Zeus said without hesitation. “He was an arrogant snob anyway, and Lexi is a parasitic plague. What do you need me to do?” “I’m liquidating my secondary holdings and leaving Chicago,” I told him as I continued driving. “I need you to handle the press and the wedding cancellations. Freeze any joint investment accounts linked to the Belmonts immediately. Make sure Lexi doesn’t get a single dime from the family trust.” “Consider it done,” he replied smoothly. “Where are you going, Nyx?” “I don’t know yet. Somewhere far away. Somewhere quiet where nobody knows the Harrington name. I’m going to open my own clinic, buy a piece of land, and build a life that actually belongs to me.” “Do you have enough cash flow?” “Our mother’s estate funds are intact, I have the inheritance money she left to us, and I have my medical license. I’ll be fine. Once I settle down and buy a place, I’ll send you my new location.” “Keep your phone on,” Zeus ordered softly. “If Tristan or his family tries to contact you, let me know. I’ll ruin their social standing before they even know what hit them. You know how important their image and name are to them.” “I know you will. Thanks, Zeus.” “Be safe, sister.” I hung up, merged onto the highway, and dialed Artemis and Apollo next. They were studying at the university library when they answered on speaker. “Hey, Nyx!” Apollo’s energetic voice bounced through the car speakers. “You said you were bringing us takeout tonight?” “I’m not, guys,” I said gently. “Listen to me carefully. I’m leaving town for a while.” “What? Why?” Artemis asked, her voice instantly laced with concern. “Did something happen with the wedding?” “Tristan and I are done,” I said, keeping the details sparse. “And Lexi made her choice. I don’t want you two getting dragged into the middle of it. Just focus on your exams and let Zeus handle the family drama. I’ll call you as soon as I get where I’m going.” “Is Lexi involved?” Apollo asked, his tone dropping into a scowl. “I swear, that girl ruins everything she touches.” “It doesn’t matter anymore,” I replied. “I love you both. Work hard, stay close to Zeus, and don’t give Dad a hard time.” “Call us every day, Nyx,” Artemis pleaded. “Promise?” “I promise.” I ended the call and contacted my father next. His line went straight to voicemail. He was still in an international real estate acquisition meeting. I waited for the tone, took a deep breath, and spoke clearly into the receiver. “Dad, it’s Nyx. The wedding is off. I caught Tristan with Lexi tonight in my apartment. I’ve already handed my proxy shares to Zeus to manage, and I’m leaving Chicago to start fresh somewhere else. Don’t worry about me. I’m safe, I have money and my medical license. Tell Victoria not to bother reaching out. I know she’ll try to defend her daughter, and I’m not in the mood to hear it. I’ll contact you when I’m settled.” I ended the call. Then I turned the wheel south, entered my destination into the navigation system, took the interstate on-ramp, and set my sights on Texas. Destination: Oak Ridge, Texas. No high society. No fake heiress drama. No unfaithful men. Just me, a plot of land, and a brand-new life.