My Accidental Husband

ELENA I stared at my phone for the umpteenth time in thirty minutes, waiting for that notification. “If you keep staring at your phone every five seconds with that dreamy look in your eye, everyone will know what’s up.” Angela, my partner, chuckled. “Oh, hush.” I grinned at her, “I’m just waiting for the—” A ping echoed in the air, and I looked at my phone, staring at the message notification that had just come in. We’re ready, ma’am. “Yes!” I squealed, my joy was through the roof. “I’m guessing they’ve arrived.” Angela grinned, and I did a little dance as I picked up my bag. “Of course.” Angela chuckled, “You’re so in love, all that’s left is for you to puke rainbows from all that sweetness. Come on, dear, go get your man.” Without hesitation, I darted out of my office, down to the garage, got into my car, turned on the ignition and drove out as fast as I could. Today was the day. I was finally going to get the man of my dreams. I would finally propose to Jason. After three years of dating and planning our future, I was taking the next step to making it come true. I’d been planning this surprise proposal for months, wanting every little detail to be perfect. No flaws, no mistakes. I glanced at my bag on the passenger seat, as if I could see the cute velvet ring box inside, along with the two Maldives tickets I’d secured for us. Jason would be so happy. I could almost picture his face when I finally popped the question and presented the tickets. A short while later, I arrived at Jason’s company, and my eyes narrowed in on the black car parked off to the right. I grabbed my bag, got out of the car, and motioned at the people inside the black car. The door slid open, and five people came out. One held a “SAY YES” banner, another held a beautiful Valentine’s cake, and one carried a lunch-dessert pack for two and an iced bucket of champagne. They smiled at me, their excitement on their faces, or maybe I was the overly excited one. We walked into the building. I watched as everyone who looked our way gasped, staring at the celebration behind me. A smug smile crossed my face. I was a woman who knew what I wanted and would do everything to get it. For now, Jason was what I wanted, and I knew him— “I’m sorry, Ma, you can’t go in.” I froze, brought back to reality by the voice that broke my daydream. “What?” I looked down at the face before me. His secretary. “I can’t let you in. Mr. Quinn is very busy at the moment.” I blinked and then looked back at the parade behind me. I was sure she saw them; there was no way she didn’t. “Look behind me, Sarah. I’m sure you can see that my meeting here is a matter of urgency.” She nodded, “Yes, ma’am, but I can’t let you through.” I frowned and immediately stopped myself. I was going to let anything ruin my day. “I’m going to walk through that door, and you will not stop me.” I pushed past her and walked toward the door. “Surprise!” The party of people behind me yelled as I yanked open the door. “Oh, s**t!” Jason cursed. He and his assistant sprang apart, with his hand furiously working up his zipper and Ruby, with her back to us, fixing her shirt. I blinked. My brain was not catching up with what my eyes were staring at. I walked into the office that reeked of…sex? No, that can’t be. There was no way the man I loved, the man I was going to propose to, was cheating on me. My heart dropped as my gaze darted from Jason to Ruby. The signs were there, and not only that, the most embarrassing moment of my life was just caught on camera. I turned to the surprised crowd behind me. “All of you should leave.” They glanced at each other, hesitating. “I said, leave...” “Yes, ma’am.” They turned around and walked away. “For the love of God, why the f**k didn’t you tell me you were coming?!” Jason yelled, and I looked at him, taking in his less disheveled appearance. “Jason…” I trailed off, the lump in my throat growing bigger by the second. “Did you…. Did I just see you shoving your tongue into your assistant’s throat?” His gaze clouded. “She has a name. Her name is Ruby.” “That wasn’t the question I asked you.” I was seconds from losing it; my hands trembled at my side. “If you’re asking if I was kissing my woman before you so rudely interrupted, then yes, I was.” Oh God. I’m going to throw up. “Y-your woman?” I asked, watching as he pulled Ruby closer and kissed her again in front of me. The world spun, and I stumbled backward. My heart pounded in my ribcage, and my eyes stung with unshed tears. “My woman.” He repeated, pinning me with his gaze. “After everything? Really? How could you do this to me?” “How could I? Tell me, when have you ever done anything for me?” “What?” I exclaimed. “Have you ever taken care of me as you should have? Loved me as you should have?” “Loved you?” I repeated, my voice shaking. The first tear fell, and I angrily wiped at it. “A few seconds ago, I was about to propose to you, and you’re asking if I ever loved you?” “You’re delusional, Elena. I would never marry someone like you. You’ve made my life nothing short of miserable. Meeting you was my greatest and biggest mistake.” “While Ruby, on the other hand,” he turned to her, calling her name with such reverence that it made my heart squeeze with pain. “Is much more than you’ll ever be. She gets me, she satisfies me and attends to every single one of my needs. She’s a much better wife material than you’ll ever be. Now, if you’re done here, get out. I’d like to be with my woman.” “You heard him, Ms. Reeds. Leave.” My gaze darted between the two of them, watching Jason touch and grope her body. I turned just as they began another hot make-out session. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. I won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me break down. So with one last glance at him over my shoulder, I said, “You’ll regret this, Jason. I promise you,” and walked out.