All Chapters of After She Married My Cousin Instead: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Seaport City, CarmoriaWhen I hit the hotel lobby, barely anyone had shown up yet.I grabbed a quiet seat, flipped open my laptop, and dove into a tough case.Then the doors swung open—Summer Tucker and Jason Perry strolled through the doors.All eyes on them.Relatives swarmed instantly, laying it on thick."Summer's killing it—big name overseas, and married to a total success story!""Heard the Carmoria Music Association begged her to come back and perform. She's making the whole family proud!""Summer, my kid's obsessed with the violin. He won't shut up about you. Mind giving him a lesson or two?"Summer flashed that polished smile, curling into Jason's side. "Please. We're family. Just hit me up if he needs help."That opened the floodgates. Compliments flew like confetti. Suddenly, everyone remembered they were related, trying to score points.Summer tilted her chin up, soaking it all in like she was headlining a show.I wrapped up my work, popped off my headphones, an

Chapter 2

"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

Chapter 3

"If you hadn't been so harsh back then, maybe it wouldn't have blown up like that," she snapped.***Her words dragged me back.In our last life, we met at some art show. Clicked fast, started dating, then tied the knot like it was meant to be.We threw a big party—friends, family, the works.That's when Jason crashed it.Slick suit, smug face, playing Mr. Perfect.The second Summer saw him, she froze.Didn't think much of it at first. But after that? She started drifting. Pulled away.Stopped sleeping in the same room.Something felt off. I just didn't wanna admit it.We liked the same stuff. Wanted the same things. I loved her. No way she'd cheat, right?But then she started staying out late. Always on her phone.One night after work, I saw her outside—wrapped up in Jason's arms.That broke me.I snapped. Demanded answers.She shot back, "Ethan, look at you! You're always exhausted, sloppy, like some washed-up old man. Jason's everything you're not—charming, clean, in

Chapter 4

"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

Chapter 5

I didn't say a word. Just walked into the private room.Two steps in—ran straight into Jason."Ethan, let's get this straight. Stop hanging around Summer. She's my wife now. Don't think I don't see through this little dinner stunt. If your life's a mess, that's your problem. Quit using 'family' as an excuse to creep into ours. Cut the crap. You're only making us hate you more."I raised a brow. No point arguing."Noted."***After Summer and Jason left, the spotlight finally swung to my family.Uncle Tony jumped in first. "Kelly, Brian, this wasn't some big event—why host a family dinner outta nowhere?"My parents shared a grin, then grabbed my hand. "Actually, we've got some good news. Thought we'd celebrate with everyone."I was just about to spill it when the door flew open.Jason stormed in, fuming."Ethan, did you smash Summer's violin? That thing's worth like 800 grand!"Summer rushed in after him, clutching the wrecked violin, eyes blazing."I actually felt sorry fo

Chapter 6

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

Chapter 7

I let out a dry laugh. "I work hard, keep it real. I can be with whoever I want. Summer, you're not exactly one of a kind."Outside of putting on a show, she had nothing going for her.I turned to walk off.But she latched onto my wrist, eyes glossy. "I know I'm not perfect, but... you were my husband. How can you be with someone else?"Make it make sense.Didn't stop me from shutting her down. "We've split. Twice. Two lifetimes. You picked Jason both times. The least you can do now is vanish."She clung tighter, eyes getting glassier. "How'd you meet her?"That one actually made me pause.It wasn't just the three of us who came back after the crash. Lydia passed through the same area and landed in the past too. She started digging, trying to figure it all out—and that's how she found me.We got close unraveling the mystery, and somewhere in the mess, we fell for each other.But Summer had wrecked me deep. Took Lydia and me five years to finally make it work.I tightened my

Chapter 8

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

Chapter 9

I filled Lydia in on how Summer wouldn't leave me alone.Her smile dropped, and she gripped my arm tighter. "Just focus on your break. Once she's out, I'll handle it."Lydia always had my back, no questions asked. Knowing she'd take care of it? Total relief.As soon as we got home, I crashed into bed and didn't wake up till morning.The wedding venue looked exactly how I pictured it. Everything down to the last detail—perfect. Even our outfits were custom-made by some top designer overseas.When Lydia and I got together, she swore she'd give me the best. Said she'd make up for all the crap I'd been through.And she meant it.But just seconds before we could say our vows, Summer rolled in—literally—in a wedding dress and a wheelchair.Clutching a bouquet, she stared at me like some tragic heroine. "Ethan, you can't marry her! In both timelines, you were mine. You'll always be mine!"The crowd gasped. Lydia's hand clenched around mine, face gone pale.I gave her hand a quick sq

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