The Man I Married Twice

CHAPTER 7 — HEARTBREAK

My feet felt heavy as I walked toward him.

Then he turned. And I froze. I'd never seen him so stiff and cold like this. He walked toward me slowly, stopping just close enough.

“Do you care to explain?” he said, his voice tight.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Then I remembered everything my mother said. Everything at stake. My heart broke quietly as I made the decision.

“Daniel…” I swallowed. “I’m sorry this is happening.” I took off the ring and placed it in his hand. “I can’t marry you.”

The words felt like glass in my throat. For a second, he didn’t react. Then he turned away. “I knew this would happen.” He laughed bitterly. “Your family never liked me.”

I wanted to defend him. To fix it. But there was no fixing this.

“Daniel, don’t—”

“Don’t say what?” he snapped, cutting me off.

His composure was gone. Completely.

“You still haven’t told me how you’re suddenly engaged to Liam Kingsley.”

There was a pause.

“Unless you’ve been cheating on me.”

“I never cheated on you!” I said quickly. “Let me explain—”

“There’s nothing to explain,” he shot back. “You’re not trustworthy. Just like your father.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” I said, my voice breaking. “It was either my father’s company collapses or—”

“Or you marry into something better?” he interrupted harshly. “Don’t act like you’re the victim here.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Exactly. You’re always sorry.” He let out a dry, humorless laugh, shaking his head like he didn’t recognize me anymore. “Do you even hear yourself? Sorry doesn’t fix anything, Melissa.”

His eyes flickered over my face lingering for a second too long before hardening again. “If you weren’t so weak,” he continued, his voice tightening, “maybe you’d actually stand up to your parents for once.”

The words stung.

“If I’m weak, then you’re strong,” I said, my voice breaking despite myself. “So help me. We can fight this together.”

I reached for him.

For a second—just a second—it looked like he might let me.

But then something shifted in his expression. He stepped back immediately. “Fight together?” he scoffed, though his voice wasn’t as steady as before. “You’ve already chosen your side.”

“I didn’t choose this!”

“Didn’t you?” he shot back quickly. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you just traded up.”

My stomach dropped. “That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?” he pressed, stepping closer again, his voice low but intense. “You’re marrying into one of the most powerful families in the country. You get the name, the status, the influence—everything people spend their whole lives chasing.”

“That’s not what I want!”

“Then why does it look like ambition?” he snapped. “Why does it look like you saw an opportunity and took it?”

I shook my head, tears spilling over now. “You don’t believe that.”

His jaw clenched. For a moment, he didn’t say anything. And in that silence, I saw it. The hesitation. The hurt. The part of him that didn’t want to believe what he was saying. But then his expression hardened again, like he was forcing himself to hold onto the anger. “Maybe I didn’t,” he said quietly. “But you’re making it very easy to start.”

“Daniel—”

“No,” he cut in, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “You don’t get to stand there, cry, and expect me to pretend this is okay.” His voice cracked slightly on the last word, and he looked away quickly. That hurt more than anything. “I loved you,” he added, softer now. Not accusing. Not shouting. Just… broken.

My breath caught. “I still—” He stopped himself abruptly, swallowing the rest of the sentence. His hands curled into fists at his sides. For a second, I thought he might come back. That he might choose me anyway.

But then the anger returned, covering everything else.

“This is your fight now,” he said more firmly. “You don’t expect me to go against the Kingsleys. You know better than that.”

Suddenly— Camera flashes. From the trees. The bushes. Paparazzi.

Daniel cursed under his breath, his composure snapping back into place like a shield. “Of course,” he muttered bitterly. “Perfect timing.”

He looked at me one last time. And this time, the anger wasn’t the only thing there. There was something else. Something softer. Something unfinished. But he turned away before I could reach it.

“I’m done.”

And just like that, he walked away. I didn’t stop him. I couldn’t. His car drove off, leaving dust and silence behind.

And I stood there alone. Crying quietly beneath the rustling leaves.