"Either way, Nadia will be the bride for this wedding. Your mother has to wait, even if she's on her deathbed, for all I care."
I stared at him, barely recognizing the man in front of me. The same Jonah who had once held my hand and vowed to love me forever was now casting me aside like I was nothing more than a trivial inconvenience.
As he turned on his heel and walked away, I felt something inside me snap. My fingers clenched around my phone as I dialed a familiar number.
"Ronan," I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. "I need a new groom for the wedding in ten days. Can you help me find one?"
——
Silence. Then, my brother's incredulous voice. "Arabelle, what the hell is going on? You're replacing the groom? Marriage isn't a joke! Mom will be devastated if she finds out!"
It was precisely because I knew my mother couldn't handle the shock that I turned to my brother for help. For six years, Jonah had refused to meet my parents. So, even though my mother knew I had a boyfriend, she had never seen his face.
"Ronan, I'm serious. I can't marry him."
I had no intention of committing bigamy.