His Unwanted Wife, His True Love

I was the Morgan family's charity case, secretly in love with their eldest son, Desmond. For years, he promised me a future, a life where I wasn't just the orphan they took in for good press.

Then, at the dinner where I thought he would propose, he introduced me to his fiancée, a beautiful tech heiress.

As I reeled from the heartbreak, his younger brother, Antone, swept in to comfort me. I fell for him, only to discover I was just a pawn in his game-he was secretly in love with Desmond's fiancée and was using me to keep me away from them.

Before I could even process this second betrayal, the Morgan parents announced they were marrying me off to a disabled tech mogul in Seattle to secure another business deal.

The final blow came on the family yacht. I fell into the ocean with the fiancée, and I watched as both brothers-the man I once loved and the man who pretended to love me-swam right past me to save her, leaving me to drown.

In their eyes, I was nothing. A placeholder, a business asset, and ultimately, a sacrifice they were willing to make without a second thought.

But I didn't die. As the private jet carried me to Seattle to marry a stranger, I took out my phone and deleted every last trace of the Morgan family from my life. My new life, whatever it held, had begun.

Chapter 1

Dallas Cole stood by the window, her heart a steady, hopeful rhythm against her ribs. The grand Morgan family dining room was set for two tonight. Not for a family dinner, but for her and Desmond. Just them.

She smoothed down her simple blue dress, a dress he'd once said matched her eyes. For years, their love had been a secret, a stolen thing in a house where she was only ever the "charity case," the orphan the Morgans took in for good press.

But tonight felt different. Desmond had promised a special evening, a real date, a conversation about their future.

Footsteps echoed in the marble hall. Dallas turned, a smile already on her lips.

The smile froze.

Desmond was not alone. A woman stood beside him, her hand tucked into the crook of his arm. Chelsea Taylor. The daughter of a tech CEO, beautiful and composed, the kind of woman who belonged in this world. Dallas was just a guest.

"Dallas," Desmond said. His voice was cool, the same voice he used in boardrooms. "This is Chelsea. My fiancée."

The word hit her like a physical blow. Fiancée.

Dallas looked from Desmond's unreadable face to Chelsea's polite, curious smile. There was a flicker of something else in Chelsea's eyes, though-a brief, possessive assessment that was gone as quickly as it appeared. She felt the performance begin, the one she'd perfected over a decade of living on the Morgans' terms. She smiled back.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chelsea. Congratulations."

Her voice didn't shake. She was proud of that.

"Thank you, Dallas," Chelsea said, her voice like honey. "Desmond has told me so much about you. You're like a sister to him."

Like a sister. The words were a casual cruelty.

Later, after Chelsea had been shown to a guest room, Desmond found Dallas in the garden. The air was cold, but she didn't feel it.

"I had to do it, Dallas," he said, not meeting her eyes. "It's a merger. Billions of dollars. Our family's future."

"And our future?" she whispered, the words barely audible.

"This is my duty," he stated, his jaw tight. "I thought you, of all people, would understand."

He saw her as an asset, just like his parents did. An understanding, convenient part of the family structure. Not someone he loved. Not enough to fight for.

"I understand," she said, her voice hollow.

He nodded, relieved. "Good. I knew you would."

He turned and walked back into the warmth of the house, leaving her alone in the dark. The pain was a vast, empty space inside her.

She stayed in the garden for what felt like hours, a ghost amidst the perfectly manicured roses. She moved through the Morgan mansion like a phantom for days, her heart a numb, heavy stone in her chest. She ate when told, smiled when expected, and died a little more each time she saw Desmond and Chelsea together. They looked perfect, a power couple forged from ambition and wealth.

One evening, she found herself on the veranda, staring into the manicured gardens, when a familiar voice broke the silence.

"You look like you could use a friend."

Antone Morgan, the younger brother, leaned against the doorway. He was the family's free spirit, a musician with a charming smile and an easy laugh that always seemed to put people at ease. He'd been on tour in Europe for months.

He walked over and draped his jacket over her shoulders. "It's cold out here."

Dallas flinched at his touch but didn't pull away.

"I heard about Desmond," he said softly, his voice full of sympathy. "He's an idiot."

Tears she hadn't allowed herself to cry suddenly blurred her vision.

"I always knew he didn't deserve you," Antone continued, his thumb gently stroking her arm. "I've watched you for years, Dallas. I think I've been in love with you since the day you arrived."

The confession was so unexpected it stunned her. She looked at him, at his earnest, handsome face, and a tiny, fragile seed of hope began to sprout in the wasteland of her heart.

Antone was nothing like Desmond. He was warm, attentive, and he saw her.

In the weeks that followed, Antone was her shadow. He took her on long drives, played her songs he'd written "just for her," and listened for hours as she poured out her heartbreak. He held her when she cried and made her laugh when she thought she never would again.

He was slowly, carefully, healing her.

One night, he took her to a small, private observatory he'd rented. He knew she loved the stars, a passion she'd shared with her late father.

"I wanted you to see something beautiful," he said, his arm wrapped around her waist.

Under the vast, starry sky, he kissed her. It wasn't like Desmond's calculated, possessive kisses. It was tender, passionate, and felt impossibly real.

"I love you, Dallas," he whispered against her lips. "Let me love you. Forget him."

And in that moment of weakness and longing, she let herself believe him. She fell into his arms, into a relationship that felt like a lifeline. She was reckless, desperate, and she began to fall in love with Antone Morgan.