After She Married My Cousin Instead

"Summer's a star now, and Jason's her agent? Total power couple. Ethan trying to crawl back? Pathetic..."The whispers kept going. Summer leaned into Jason, all smug."That's ancient history," she said, voice sweet. "Jason's the one I really love."Silence.They looked so picture-perfect, no one wanted to dig up the past.I barely glanced their way before flagging down a waiter.One coffee. No drama.I just wanted my parents to show up, say whatever they had to, and let me bounce.Jason didn't love that I was chilling.He strolled over, fake grin locked in place, voice dripping with sarcasm."Ethan, wow, didn't recognize you. You look beat. That job of yours eating you alive?"Heads turned. Cue the peanut gallery. They jumped in like I was still twelve."Ethan, you really should've picked a better job. Lawyers work nonstop and don't even make that much. Pushing thirty and still single? Embarrassing.""No wonder you skip these get-togethers. Total disappointment."I locked

"Yeah, Ethan's decent, but way too uptight. Still holding a grudge after all these years. If he ever needs Jason and Summer? Good luck."Jason waltzed over, fake smile in place, pride flashing in his eyes. He raised his wine glass and stopped right in front of me."Ethan, don't let them get to you. I'm still your cousin. If you ever need anything, I'm here."Summer let out a snort. "Seriously, grow up. Learn how to deal with people. Just look at you—total train wreck."My parents were shaking with anger. I held them back, forcing a smile."You're right. Every word."Then I guided them to a table and sat down.The food started rolling out, and so did the toasts. Everyone kept pushing Summer to spill about her time overseas."There must be tons of musicians out there. Had to be tough standing out, huh?"Summer leaned into Jason, kissed his cheek, then beamed."It was rough, but Jason always believed in me. Without him, I probably would've quit and ended up stuck in some tiny of

Lydia looked up at me, brows pinched. "Headache again?"She gently pressed her fingers to my temple, massaging it like we weren't standing in the middle of a drama bomb.Jason squinted. "And you are?"Lydia shot him a look—cool, sharp, unimpressed.Then the hotel manager stepped in with a smile so polite it almost bent in half. "Ms. Lambert, what brings you here today?"She gave a nod. "Just here to announce my engagement. Figured it was time my fiancé's family heard it from me."The whole room froze.One of my cousins gasped."That's Lydia Lambert! CEO of Lambert Corp!"You could almost hear the shift. Every face flipped from smug to stunned.Lambert Corp ran Seaport—and had serious pull across all of Carmoria.I didn't say much. Just stood by Lydia and gave her the rundown.Her face darkened. She turned to the manager. "Pull the surveillance footage."Jason went pale fast."No need! Seriously, it's not that deep. We're family—let's not blow this up."Lydia's stare went

Tears streaked down her face. "You'll save me, right? You won't leave me again? It was all on me. I'll make it right this time. I swear. I finally see it—you were the only one who ever really loved me. Jason just used me. All he cared about was the money..."I didn't flinch. Just strapped the oxygen mask on her to shut her up.Once she was loaded into the ambulance, I headed straight back to work.Didn't stop until the next night.Lydia had dropped off a stack of late-night snacks for the whole team—something warm to keep them going.The second they sipped the cream soup, smiles cut through their tired faces."Mr. Exeter, your fiancée's a saint. This is the second night she's done this. We barely had time to eat, but please thank her for us."Just hearing her name warmed me up inside.I'd only had a few bites when someone burst into my office."Mr. Exeter, someone's looking for you. Your friend Summer—she's in critical condition. You need to get to the hospital."One of her f