His Brother's Bride

I wasn’t supposed to be here. Not in this dress. Not in this mansion. And definitely not in this engagement. The lights in the ballroom were too bright. Everything glittered—gold chandeliers, champagne glasses, smiles that didn’t reach anyone’s eyes. It was beautiful, sure. But it felt fake. The kind of beautiful that made you feel like a lie. They were all here for us—for Daniel and me. The perfect couple. The future Mr. and Mrs. Moretti. I smiled on cue, nodded when someone said congratulations, and tried not to let my mouth twitch when Daniel squeezed my waist a little too tightly in front of people. To them, he was charming. Polished. Powerful. The Moretti heir. The man who had everything under control. To me, he felt like a stranger I was slowly being forced to memorize. “Smile a little more, Nina,” he whispered into my ear without looking at me. “They’re watching.” I smiled. But inside, something twisted. My mother caught my eye from across the room. She gave me that look—chin slightly raised, eyes sharp beneath her lashes. The one that said: Don’t ruin this. Don’t forget why you’re here. I hadn’t forgotten. Not for one second. This wasn’t about love. This was about business. Survival. The Morettis were bailing out my father’s company, buying his debt and saving him from the kind of disgrace he couldn’t recover from. In return, I was the offering. The deal. The cost. Daniel didn’t love me. I didn’t love him. But we were going to look perfect doing it. I needed air. I whispered something to Daniel about the bathroom, and he nodded, barely breaking from a conversation with some finance giant. I slipped out of the ballroom and into a quieter hallway. My heels echoed against the marble floor, and for the first time that night, I exhaled. I stood in front of a tall mirror and stared at myself. I looked… expensive. The dress was tailored to my skin. Hair pinned. Makeup flawless. But my eyes looked tired. Older. Like I was watching my life happen from behind a glass wall. I didn’t even hear the footsteps. “You clean up nice.” I turned. And everything in me paused. Alec. Leaning against the wall like he’d been waiting for me. Black shirt rolled at the sleeves, collar undone. No tie. His hair slightly messy, his smirk exactly the same. My stomach twisted. “You shouldn’t be here,” I said, voice too low. “Missed me?” “You weren’t invited.” He shrugged. “Didn’t come for the food.” I crossed my arms, trying to steady my heart. “Why are you here?” He didn’t answer right away. He just looked at me—slow, calculating. Like he was trying to find something in my face. Finally, he said, “Had to see it for myself. My brother’s fiancée. The family’s golden prize.” My jaw clenched. “Don’t do that.” “Do what?” “Talk like you’re above all this. You walked away.” “And you walked straight into it.” His words hit harder than they should’ve. I looked away, but he stepped closer. “You don’t belong in his world, Nina.” “You don’t know what I belong to.” “I know you.” “You used to know me,” I snapped. “Before you left without saying goodbye. Before you ghosted me like I meant nothing.” That wiped the smirk off his face. I hadn’t meant to go there—not so fast, not like that—but the words came out before I could stop them. Alec’s jaw tightened. “You think I left because I wanted to?” “You think I care why?” I said, voice sharp. “You were the first person who ever made me feel… seen. And then you disappeared.” He took another step closer, eyes dark. “I didn’t come to fight you.” “Then why are you here?” I asked. “To ruin things? To stir up old wounds? You think this is fun for me?” “I came to see if you were happy,” he said quietly. I laughed. It came out bitter. Ugly. “Well, take a look. I’m engaged to your brother. The world thinks I’m winning.” “But you’re not.” There was silence. Thick and heavy between us. Alec moved slowly, like he wasn’t sure if he should. Then he reached out and touched my hand. Just barely. Just enough to make my skin remember. “I never stopped thinking about you,” he said. I pulled my hand away. “Don’t.” “I mean it.” “Don’t do this, Alec. Don’t come back after all this time and say those things like they’ll fix anything.” He looked at me like he wanted to say more. Maybe he would have. But we both heard the footsteps. I turned before he did, and my heart stopped. Daniel was standing at the end of the hallway. His expression was unreadable. Calm. Controlled. Too controlled. I stepped back instinctively. “Alec,” Daniel said slowly, walking toward us. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” “Guess I’m full of surprises,” Alec replied. The air between them crackled. Brothers. Same blood. But nothing alike. Daniel looked at me. Then at Alec. “I see you’ve caught up,” he said coolly. “We were just—” I started. Daniel held up a hand. “No need to explain. You’re free to talk to whoever you want. Until the wedding, anyway.” There was something in his voice. A warning dressed up as a joke. Alec smiled like he wasn’t affected. “Don’t worry, big brother. I was just leaving.” He looked at me once more before he turned. Then he walked away, and I felt the ghost of his presence stay behind, haunting the air around me. Daniel stepped closer. His tone dropped. “Do I need to remind you who you’re marrying, Nina?” I met his gaze. Steady. Cold. “No,” I said softly. “You remind me every day.” He stared at me for a long second. Then walked away without another word. I stood there, alone in a hallway that suddenly felt like a trap. The wrong man had kissed me once, years ago. And now I was marrying the right one for all the wrong reasons.