The Billionaire's Naughty Christmas Bride

I'm staring at my boyfriend of 6 years in his apartment, frozen in shock. There's a ring on the table, balloons tied up, a cute banner that says “Will you marry me?” He's on the other side of the room, and he's not alone. There's a woman on his waist, kissing him and she's not me. Their clothes are strewn along the floor, hands busy on each other's bodies. She tells him she loves him and he says he loves her back. My feet are stuck to the ground and my heart is beating a mile a minute, trying to deny what I'm seeing. I had planned a surprise to ask my boyfriend, Max, to marry me, so why am I the one getting shocked? Then it finally clicks. Max, the love of my life, is cheating on me. A couple of hours ago, I'd snuck into his apartment to plan a surprise engagement with a ring I got custom-made. I'd spent all my savings on it and a good part of my rent. But it didn't matter because we were in love. A lot of things didn't matter to me. The fact that his mom hated my guts and always went out of her way to humiliate me. The fact that he didn't once try to defend me because he didn't want his mom to be offended. The fact that my mother never respected my relationship and always tried to set me up on dates with old, rich men. The fact that he never showed up in public with me or got me gifts. I didn't care for all that. All I needed was Max. “Max?” I call out to him, barely able to hold myself up. “Max...” I say and it comes out like a whimper. He turns to me in shock. Lipstick smeared around his lips. He doesn't even try to fix his shirt. “Fuck.” he spits out. I can tell he's annoyed from his tone. “What are you doing here, Anesha?” “I–” The words die on my lips. “How many times do I have to tell you not to show up here without telling me first?! You're so bloody annoying. I swear all you do is piss me off.” The woman turns to me, amused. “Wait, is this your little girlfriend? The brokie with the mom who's trying to pump her out?” I freeze instantly at her words. What? He told her about me. About everything. I grow limp, waiting for him to deny it. “Shut up, Lilith. This is not funny. I didn't think she'd be here.” “You told her about me? About that?” “It's nothing serious. Just pillow talk between lovers.” I can't believe my ears. “Lovers? You love her?” “What do you expect? We've been together for three months now. Mom invited her for the anniversary after I told her we'd be getting married soon. She was so excited.” I clutch my chest, struggling to breathe. Tears blurring my vision as I try to look at him. “Married? What about me? We've been together for six years now. I'm your girlfriend!” “Come on, Anesha. You didn't think we'd end up together, right? I'm an Escarrá. A high value man like man needs someone worthy of his status. Someone like Lilith.” he pulls her close, smiling into her eyes. “Listen, the s*x was good, but that's all it was.” My feet give way beneath me and I fall to the ground, sobbing loudly. All those trips. The late hours at work. This was why. My heart is bleeding, and I can't even fight for myself. He smirks proudly at me. “I can send you a little something for your troubles later. In the meantime,” he cups her ass, drawing her in for a kiss. “i'm gonna need some alone time with my wife.” They kiss like I'm not there. My heart is beating loudly in my ears, threatening to burst out my chest. His mother knew this? She was in on this. All this while she'd been nothing but a thorn in my flesh for no reason when her son was cheating on me for a whole year. “Maybe we should hire your little girlfriend to decorate. This is quite the setup.” she says to me and sits at the table, fingering the steak. “You seem like a sweet girl. Don't worry. I'm sure something is going to work out for you soon.” she snickers as I struggle to get to my feet and rush at her. Max grabs me and throws me, kicking and screaming, out the door. I slam my empty glass on the table in the rowdy bar. “And that is how my night went.” I say drunkenly to the stranger I'd been venting to the whole time. He looks at me, eyes unreadable. Those deep green eyes make me feel hot all over. Or is that just the alcohol? “You've been through quite an ordeal.” His voice, slow and smooth, rolls through me, comforting and understanding. I launch into another rant, tears rolling down my eyes. “Damn right I have! All for the overgrown mama's boy. That retarded, ugly ass, dumb ass, cheater! I should have yelled at his mother when I had the chance. Told her her style was wack, and she could shove her dresses up her snobby ass. I should have put him over my legs and beat him up, but he'd probably like that. That crazy, no good, lying brute!” There's a glimmer in his eyes when I'm done speaking. He sips on his drink to hide his smile. I stare at him as best I can. It's hard not to see how handsome he is despite his age. He c***s his brow at me and I smile sweetly. “You're not married, are you?” “No, I'm not. Marriage isn't on my to-do list.” he says bitterly, downing the rest of his drink. “Let's get married.” I blurt out. He looks at me like you'd look at a child doing a trick. “I'm much too old for you, darling.” “I don't mind. The older the berry, the sweeter the wine.” I mumble, hiccuping. What the hell was I saying? I just got dumped. “You don't even know my name.” “I can just call you Daddy till I find out.” His eyes darken for a minute. He gives me a slow once over, settling on my lips. I gulp, a heat rising in me that I can swear isn't the alcohol. “Can I call you that? Daddy?” I whisper. “Deimos.” he drawls, eyes finally settling on mine. “Deimos.” I roll the word in my mouth, moaning it softly. It's familiar, but I'm too drunk to care where I've heard it. I move towards him, emboldened by the alcohol swimming in my veins. “Don't you think couples should be compatible before they get married? Should we test it out with a kiss?” I reach for his face gently and he doesn't back away. Suddenly I feel nauseated. I turn away from him at the last minute. Toppling the chair as I fall to my knees on the floor and vomit. Pathetic, I think to myself as my eyes close and my head hits the ground.