Altar Betrayal, Return My Trust Fund

At our wedding, my fianc looked me in the eye and dropped a bombshell.

Even though I'm marrying you, my heart will always belong to my childhood sweetheart.

The ballroom fell into a deafening silence.

Every guest turned to look at me, expecting me to scream, flip the cake, or leave in tears.

Instead, I started clapping. I smiled and said, "Since you feel so miserable, I won't stand in the way of true love. Just remember to return my trust fund money."

Suddenly, my fianc was the one who looked panicked.

...

At the altar, Jace Sterling looked like a man attending a funeral rather than his own wedding. His eyes were red, brimming with unshed tears.

A mutual friend tried to smooth things over. "Tiana, did you do something to upset Jace? Just apologize to him after the ceremony. Don't make a scene today."

I looked at Jace with genuine concern.

His face was deathly pale. I thought he was physically ill and was about to suggest he go lie down in the bridal suite.

Then, a woman appeared at the entrance of the hall. She stared at Jace with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

When Jace saw her, his eyes lit up with a terrifying, desperate glow.

He set his champagne flute down and turned to me. "Tiana, there's something I have to say."

"I'm marrying you, but Penny will always have my heart. You love me so much, so you must want me to be happy, right? You won't mind this small truth?"

The room went icy cold.

Our friend's mouth hung open, his face twitching as he tried to find a joke to save the moment.

But Jace didn't let him speak.

"I'm serious," Jace added, his voice steady now. "I'm grateful Tiana is willing to marry me, but Penny is my one true love."

Penny Underwood was the girl he grew up with.

Listening to his firm, resolute voice, I felt a wave of pure absurdity wash over me.

This was our wedding day. After this, we were supposed to sign the papers and start our lives together as a couple.

By saying this in front of everyone, he wasn't just being honest. He was slapping me in the face in front of the entire city's elite.

I felt a stinging heat in my cheeks. The pitying stares from the guests felt like needles pricking every inch of my skin.

Jace stared at me, waiting for my submission.

He had chosen her. Even at the altar, he was willing to throw me away for a memory.

We had been together for three years. For three years, I had been the perfect, submissive girlfriend.

I had given up a prestigious job offer in London just to stay in New York with him.

I had poured my soul into this relationship.

He hated driving and the subway, so I became his personal chauffeur, driving him through snowstorms and rain.

He hated corporate cafeterias and takeout, so I spent hours every evening perfecting gourmet meals tailored to his taste.

When Jace finally asked me to marry him, I was over the moon. I wanted to scream my happiness from the rooftops.

And then, just as I reached the peak of my joy, he shoved me into the dirt.

I opened my mouth to ask him why, but I realized any question would just make me look more pathetic.

So, I swallowed the agonizing pain in my chest. I began to clap, a bright smile fixed on my face.

"Since you're so miserable, I won't be the villain who steals someone else's love. Penny is right there, so why don't you marry her instead?"

I paused, then added, "But don't forget to wire back the three hundred thousand my father gave you for our house deposit."

Jace's face twisted in an instant. "Tiana, how can you be so shallow? It's always about money with you!"

"You've been a stay-at-home housewife for years. I paid for everything while we lived together. Did I ever complain?"

"You're a talentless loser with no ambition. You aren't half the woman Penny is. How dare you even mention the money?"

I froze, staring at him.

The man in front of me looked cruel. His words were like jagged blades, carving into my heart until it was a bloody mess.

I realized then that I didn't know Jace Sterling at all.

He had become a complete stranger.

We met years ago at an international alumni mixer.

I noticed him immediately. He was handsome and carried himself with a quiet, shimmering grace.

Back then, no one understood my art, but Jace did.

He was kind, gentle, and encouraged me to keep painting when I was at my lowest.

I have to admit, his presence was the only ray of sunshine in my gray life.

It was love at first sight. As we spent more time together, I became obsessed with his every virtue.

When I found out he was single, I pursued him relentlessly.

Jace acted like my attention was a burden. He told me he was only in the city for his MBA and didn't want a distraction.

He even told me about a woman he loved deeply. Even though they were apart, he couldn't move on.

His honesty only made me admire him more.

I stayed by his side, waiting for him to notice me.

To put it nicely, I was a devoted suitor. To be blunt, I was his lapdog.

One night, we were out late in a rough neighborhood when a riot broke out. He huddled in my arms, shaking with fear.

I pulled him into a dark alley, praying the thugs would pass us by.

I was terrified too, but I knew I had to be the strong one. I had to protect him.

But Jace was too striking. He caught the eye of a group of men with metal bats.

Seeing their predatory smiles, I shoved Jace behind me.

Even now, I can feel the sickening thud of the iron rods against my back. I can still hear the sound of my own bones cracking.

My mind went blank, except for one single thought.

Jace is behind me. He can't get hurt. I have to save him.

Even if it costs me my life.

Luckily, the police arrived just in time. I was barely clinging to life when they found us.

Once I knew Jace was safe, I finally let the darkness take me.

When I woke up in the hospital, Jace was sitting by my bed.

He saw me open my eyes and began to sob, his tears falling onto my hand. He held me gently and whispered, "I'm so glad you're okay."

From that day on, everything changed.

He stopped pushing me away. He was no longer distant or cold.

He told me, "I still can't forget Penny, but will you give me time?"

I said yes instantly. I loved him so much it hurt.

Part of me worried he was only accepting me out of a sense of debt, like I had trapped him into loving me.

But Jace held me and said, "When you stood in front of me that night, I felt safe. I want us to be together forever."

We became a couple. I made a silent vow to protect him and cherish him for the rest of my life.

I knew deep down that Penny still held a piece of him.

But I didn't care. As long as he was with me, I believed I could make him love me back.

When he moved back home, I followed him without hesitation.

My parents were furious. They didn't want me to abandon my career for a man. They begged me to stay and even offered Jace a position in the family firm if he stayed.

But Jace hated the idea of being an expat. He wanted his life back home.

I couldn't lose him. I was terrified that a long-distance relationship would wither and die.

So, I defied my parents. They were so angry they cut me off and kicked me out of the family group chat.

I didn't care. I only wanted Jace.

Penny reappeared exactly one month ago. The night she came back, Jace came home completely wasted.

He stumbled through the door with a bottle of bourbon, crying his eyes out.

I had never seen him break down like that. Not during the riot, not during the rescue.

The only time he'd cried was when I woke up from my coma.

Seeing him in such agony made my heart race. I panicked, thinking something terrible had happened to him.

I tried to soothe him, taking the bottle from his hand. Suddenly, he grabbed me and kissed me with a desperate hunger.

In our three years together, he rarely touched me. He always said he wasn't a very physical person.

I had always suppressed my own desires because I didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

His sudden passion caught me off guard. I felt a rush of hope.

But then, as things got heated, he gripped my shoulders and groaned, "Penny, I love you so much. Please don't leave me again."

He said her name so clearly, with such raw devotion, that I couldn't ignore it. I couldn't lie to myself anymore.

Still, I stayed. I tucked him into bed and went out to the balcony to breathe the cold night air.

The next morning, Jace was a different person.

His warmth vanished. He looked at me with nothing but irritation and disgust.

The meals I spent all afternoon cooking would be thrown into the trash without a single bite.

Even though he treated me like dirt, I couldn't bring myself to leave.

I kept thinking that if I just loved him a little more, he would come back to me.

I was living in a fantasy.

The night before our rehearsal dinner, things hit a breaking point.

I had taken a sleep aid, but I woke up in the middle of the night to find the bed empty.

The living room lights were on, and I heard muffled noises.

Worried, I crept out of the bedroom. I saw Jace and Penny locked in a passionate embrace on the sofa.

In that moment, it felt like someone had plunged a knife into my chest and twisted it.

They held each other for a long time before finally pulling apart.

Jace was weeping. "Penny, you still want me, don't you?"

Penny looked at him with tragic longing, whispering about how much she had missed him over the last three years.

Their display of affection made my heart bleed. It was a suffocating kind of pain.

I watched from the shadows, numb. I didn't even have the courage to walk out and confront them.

Jace squeezed her tight and sobbed, "Penny, take me away. Let's just run."

My heart skipped a beat. Surprisingly, I wasn't angry about being cuckolded. I was just terrified of losing him.

Penny shook her head. "Seeing you happy is enough for me."

Jace just kept crying, burying his face in her neck.

I watched him act in a way he never had with me. He was vulnerable, desperate, and small.

It was disgusting.

With me, he always played the part of the refined, untouchable gentleman. He made me feel like my desire for him was a stain on his purity.

And yet, here he was, begging for crumbs of affection from another woman.

I couldn't watch anymore. I went back to the room.

Hours later, Jace crawled back into bed and fell into a deep sleep beside me.

I sat up and looked at him. He smelled like her perfume. His pale neck looked so fragile in the moonlight.

I slowly reached out my hand. If I just squeezed, I could end this misery.

But then, I remembered the last three years. I remembered his smile when we were happy.

I told myself, "Tiana, you love him. Give him one last chance."

After I walked out of the wedding, I didn't look back. I had just reached the hotel exit when my phone rang.

It was Jace. I wanted to ignore it, but my thumb hit the green button out of habit.

As soon as I picked up, his voice shrieked through the speaker. "Tiana, are you insane? How could you do that to me? Get back here right now! Do you have any idea how much you embarrassed me?"

"How can you be so petty? You know Penny is special to me. Why are you comparing yourself to her? Besides, didn't you say you loved my honesty?"

He went on and on, every word a fresh wound.

I leaned against a pillar, clutching my chest, trying to catch my breath.

He kept ranting about how immature I was. He started listing Penny's virtues, dragging my dignity through the mud.

"Tiana, you're a parasite. You have nothing without me. How are you going to survive?"

"If you come back now and apologize to me and Penny, we might still be able to save this marriage. Otherwise..."

I couldn't take it. "Jace, I saw you both that night."

There was a pause. "What?" he asked, his voice wavering.

The pain in my chest finally started to numb. "I took my pills, but I had a nightmare. I dreamed you were leaving me and wouldn't look back when I called."

"I woke up and went to the living room. I saw you and Penny on the sofa I spent weeks picking out. I saw everything."

The background noise on his endDthe music, the chatter of the guestsDsuddenly went silent.

After a long silence, Jace spoke softly. "I just wanted closure. You lived in Europe, Tiana. Can't you be a bit more open-minded?"

I laughed. It was a cold, hollow sound.

Does closure require sleeping with your ex?

I lived abroad, and I never cared about his past. I didn't care if I was his first or his tenth.

But I didn't learn to be "open-minded" about betrayal. I believed that love meant loyalty.

At that moment, I finally accepted the truth. Jace never loved me.

I was just the backup plan, the loyal dog he could kick whenever he wanted.

Now that his queen was back, I was expected to move to the kennel.

I went home, packed all his things into boxes, and left them on the curb.

I didn't sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face.

The next morning, someone started pounding on my door like they were trying to break it down. I opened it to find Jace and Penny.

Penny was beautiful, I had to admit. Standing next to Jace, they looked like a catalog couple.

I thought I could be calm, but seeing him still made my heart ache.

I didn't let him speak. "Are you here to return the house deposit?"