Unexpected Love

Bonny’s POV Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I woke up before sunrise with a smile on my face, knowing that by noon I would finally become Mrs. Seth Raymond. I had dreamed of this day for years. Ever since high school, Seth had been the center of my world. He was my first love, my first kiss, my first promise of forever. And today, forever was supposed to begin. I stood outside the magistrate’s office in a simple white dress, clutching a bouquet of pink roses so tightly that my fingers ached. It was not the grand wedding every girl imagined, but I did not care. We did not have money for a huge ceremony, and besides, love was enough for me. At least, that was what I believed. I checked the time again. Seth was thirty minutes late. I bit my lip and tried to calm myself. Maybe there was traffic. Maybe he got delayed at work. Maybe he was planning some romantic surprise. Another fifteen minutes passed. Then another fifteen. An hour. People came and went through the magistrate’s doors. Some smiled, some laughed, some signed papers and left hand in hand. Every passing couple felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest. I pulled out my phone and called Seth again. No answer. I called once more. Still nothing. By the seventh call, my hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone. Finally, he answered. “Hello?” “Seth!” Relief flooded through me so fast that tears filled my eyes. “Where are you? I’ve been waiting for an hour.” There was silence on the line before he sighed. “Bonny… I’m not coming.” The world around me seemed to stop. “What?” “I said I’m not coming today.” I laughed weakly, sure I had heard wrong. “Stop joking. This isn’t funny.” “I’m serious.” My knees nearly buckled. “Seth, what are you talking about? Today is our wedding day.” “Something important came up.” I stared at the screen in disbelief. “More important than marrying me?” “Bonny, don’t make this harder than it already is.” Harder? My chest tightened painfully. “We planned this for months. You proposed to me. You said you couldn’t wait to call me your wife.” “I know what I said.” “Then come here.” He exhaled sharply, irritated now. “I can’t.” Tears rolled down my cheeks, threatening to ruin the makeup I had spent an hour doing that morning. “Please, Seth,” I whispered. “Don’t do this to me.” Before he could answer, a woman’s voice sounded in the background. “Tell that i***t to stop begging and hang up already.” My blood ran cold. That voice. I knew that voice. I knew it very well. “Who was that?” I asked, gripping the phone so hard my nails dug into my palm. “No one,” Seth said quickly. “Don’t lie to me. I heard her.” “You’re imagining things.” Then the woman laughed. Sharp. Cruel. Familiar. I felt sick. “Seth,” I said slowly, “who is there with you?” Silence. Then his tone changed completely—cold, careless, like I meant nothing. “It’s Amelia.” My best friend. The bouquet slipped from my fingers and fell to the pavement. “Why… why is Amelia with you?” “She’s with me because she belongs here.” I could barely breathe. “What does that mean?” Before Seth could answer, Amelia took the phone. “It means he’s with me, Bonny,” she said smugly. “Has been for years.” My heart stopped. “No…” “Yes.” She laughed again. “You really are pathetic. Planning weddings while sleeping beside a man who doesn’t love you.” My lips trembled. “Amelia… you’re my friend.” “No, sweetheart. I was your replacement until Seth was ready to leave you.” The world spun around me. I grabbed the wall beside me to stay upright. Then she delivered the final blow. “And that precious little Kristy you adore so much?” she said sweetly. “She’s Seth’s daughter.” I couldn’t hear anything for a moment. Kristy. Her four-year-old niece. The child I babysat. The child who called me Auntie Bonny. “No,” I whispered. “That’s not true.” “It is. We’ve been a family for years. You were just too stupid to notice.” My stomach twisted violently. Four years. They had betrayed me for four years. Every smile. Every hug. Every dinner. Every lie. “Give Seth the phone,” I begged. “Please. Let me speak to him.” But all I heard was their laughter before the call disconnected. I stared at the dead screen. Then my legs gave out. I sank onto the pavement in my white dress, uncaring of the dirt, uncaring of the strangers staring at me. Tears poured down my face in hot, endless streams. I had no parents who cared enough to comfort me. My adopted family only remembered me when they needed money. Seth had been the only person I believed was truly mine. And now he was gone too. I wrapped my arms around myself and cried until my chest hurt. That was when a deep voice nearby cut through my misery. “I don’t tolerate incompetence.” I looked up through blurred eyes. A tall man stood several feet away, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. He looked expensive, powerful, and furious. His jaw was clenched as he spoke into his phone. “She was supposed to be here an hour ago,” he snapped. “Did you explain how important this was?” A nervous male voice answered through the speaker. “We did, sir, but we can’t reach her.” “Then find her.” “We tried. She didn’t report to work either.” The man’s expression darkened. “Useless.” He ended the call and rubbed his temple in frustration. A moment later, the phone rang again. “And?” he barked. “We still haven’t found her, sir.” “Then stop wasting my time and find another woman.” The assistant hesitated. “Another woman?” “Yes,” the man said coldly. “I’m not leaving until I’m married today.” My breath caught. Another woman. A marriage. An escape. I rose slowly to my feet, wiping my tears with trembling fingers. This was insane. Completely insane. But what did I have left? No groom. No dignity. No future. Before fear could stop me, I stepped toward him. “I’ll do it.” He turned. His dark eyes swept over my ruined makeup, tear-stained face, and wedding dress. I swallowed hard, forcing strength into my shattered voice. “I said… I’ll marry you, if you’re willing.”