Chapter 1

Three months before my wedding, my fiancée posted a baby bump photo on her Ins.

It was her with my adopted brother.

The caption read:

[Legally welcoming our little one!]

My adopted brother, Noah, commented with a celebratory emoji.

My mom liked it.

[Once the baby is born, I'll take care of them. You two can enjoy your time together.]

I couldn't help but hit reply with a question mark.

The next second, Chloe's furious texts flooded my phone.

"He's just stepping up as the father figure for a bit, to give the baby a stable start. Once the baby is here, things will go back to normal between us, and I'll be yours again."

"Don't be so petty. My mom also said we should wait until your career is stable before getting legally married—having the wedding first, then doing the paperwork later, isn't that good enough?"

I calmly hummed in response, then deleted every single post related to Chloe on my Ins.

I updated my status:

"Need a bride. Any takers?"

Chloe Davis was the first to reply.

[Leo Hayes, are you insane? I'm just temporarily with Noah, do you really have to make this public knowledge?]

[Who are you posting this for? I'm warning you, don't make things difficult for Noah!]

My adopted brother, Noah Hayes, quickly followed:

[Chloe just wants to give the baby a legal identity. I won't steal her from you. When you two eventually marry, my child can even call you Dad.]

My mom, Brenda Hayes, scolded me for being ungrateful:

[You get a child without all the hard work. Noah is helping you so much; you should be thankful.]

Below, a flurry of Chloe's friends joined in the mockery:

[They're practically brothers anyway, right? Who cares who she marries? Noah can have her on weekdays, and you get the weekends!]

Everyone was joking, laughing.

I stared at the screen for a long time, my eyes burning. Tears eventually blurred my vision, hitting the phone screen.

They were the ones who messed up, yet they were acting so righteous, pointing fingers at me.

It was ridiculous.

These people weren't worth my tears.

I wiped the wetness from my face with a harsh gesture. Amidst the chaotic comments, one stood out:

Mia Sterling asked, "Is the bride spot still open?"

Mia was my childhood friend.

After college, I stayed local, while she went abroad for her master's.

Once Chloe and I started dating, Mia had intentionally kept her distance. We hadn't seen each other in years.

While I was still reeling, her call came through.

"Leo, I've always liked you."

"You know how much I despise your adopted brother; I would never get involved with him. All these years, I've focused on my career, my relationship history is clean, and I have no messy social connections."

As soon as she finished speaking, a document popped up on my phone—it was an agreement to transfer all her assets.

"This is all my sincerity," her voice was a little shaky. "Would you consider me?"

A lump formed in my throat. I suddenly remembered a time in elementary school when our teacher gave her two of her favorite chocolates as a reward.

She was so tempted, swallowing secretly, but she didn't keep a single one. She put both into my pocket.

She'd always been like that, pouring her heart out, giving me her best.

I took a deep breath. "I will."

Love had left me scarred. I'd planned to live alone.

But Grandma's dying wish was to see me have my own family, with someone who genuinely loved me.

Chloe didn't deserve that, but Mia would be the best choice.

Her voice trembled with surprise. "I'll finish up work as fast as I can. I'll be back in two weeks to marry you."

"Leo, you won't change your mind this time, right?"

The vulnerability in her tone reminded me of our childhood promise—I'd once laughed and said I'd be her groom when we grew up.

"No," I whispered. "Mia, let's pinky swear."