I expected my brother to lecture me, to tell me I was acting recklessly. Instead, after a beat of silence, he let out a heavy sigh.
"I told you to be careful with him when he started seeing you behind my back. If you hadn't been so damn crazy about him, I wouldn't have even bothered acknowledging him." His voice lowered, almost contemplative. "But honestly? This is probably for the best."
He hesitated, then added, "You know, before Mom and Dad even knew about you and Jonah, they already picked out someone for you. Remember that guy who always stared at you like he was hypnotized? Turns out, he's been waiting for you to break up. Just the other day, he was joking about crashing your wedding if he thought Jonah wasn't good enough..."
At his words, an old memory resurfaced—one I had buried long ago.
Back then, my parents had indeed mentioned another suitor, but Jonah and I had already been secretly dating for two years.
I was devoted to Jonah. How could I have even considered marrying a stranger?
I still remembered the way Jonah had reacted when I told him.
He was furious.
The moment I hung up the phone, he had pinned me against the wall, his kisses burning with possessiveness, as if he could erase the mere thought of another man.
"Arabelle, you can only marry me—no one else!"
His voice had trembled, his eyes red with emotion. That night, he had held me so tightly, whispering over and over that I was his forever.
He had even finally admitted to my brother that he had been dating me, confessing that we had already made a lifelong commitment to each other.
Ronan had scolded him for sneaking around behind his back, but in the end, he let it go—on one condition.
"Promise me," my brother had demanded, "that you'll love and cherish her more than I ever could."
Jonah had knelt right then and there, swearing without hesitation.
"In my life, I will only love Arabelle."
His "life" turned out to be incredibly short.
The wedding was just ten days away and I had no time to waste.
I cut my brother off before he could say anything else. My voice was calm, but my decision was already set in stone.
"Then let him be my groom. He doesn't need to crash my wedding."
As soon as I finished speaking, movement by the doorway caught my eye.
Jonah.
He had returned—probably to grab the ID card he had forgotten—but now, he stood frozen in place, staring at me as if I were a stranger.