Chapter 178
BTHAN-
I watched them on the ground together and hated that it made sense.
Olivia in his arms. Roman bleeding and still holding her like she was the only thing that mattered.
I was pissed he had lied. Pissed he had gotten my sister pregnant. Pissed I had thanked him for bringing her home while he already knew what his hands had been doing.
I also wanted to be happy for them. Despite what he’d done. Despite the lies.
That was the part that made me angry with myself. Roman would always be my best friend. Nothing would change that. But it still hurt.
The truth was I trusted Roman more than any other man to take care of my baby sister.
Roman looked at her like the rest of the world was a problem he would solve later, and I hated how much that looked like love when I had spent the last fifteen minutes trying to beat it out of him.
I got up. Not bothering to say another word. I would talk to them another time.
I walked into the house and straight to my father’s office because if I stayed on the driveway I would either hit him again or hug him, and neither one was useful yet.
My father looked up from the desk expecting to hear about my sister’s condition. I didn’t come to report on that. I came to tell him the truth, hoping it would be enough to get him to stop the wedding.
“You have to stop the wedding between Olivia and Nico.”
He stared at me as though I had lost my mind. “What are you talking about. The photographs are already being processed. The invitations are out.”
“Olivia is in love with someone else.”
His mouth flattened. “Who. If it is Luca Vescari, I will not allow it. That boy is not good enough for my daughter.”
“It is not Luca.” I stood in front of the desk and did not sit. “It is someone I love. Someone I trust.”
“I want a name.”
“Roman.”
The office went quiet.
Dad looked extremely shocked. He did not hide it well.
The close friend. The basketball player who ate at our table. The boy who had been in this house so long he almost counted as family.
I did not mention she was pregnant.
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1843 Mon, Sep 21 MJ.
The Nockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
I knew it was better to wait until after a marriage to inform him of that.
Thought for a long time. Fingers on the pen.
“Roman loves her,” he said. Not quite a question.
“And you think he can treat your sister well.”
“I wouldn’t trust anyone else with that job more than Roman.” The words surprised me by being true even while my knuckles still hurt. “He would burn everything down before he let someone else hurt her. He cares about her and she will not marry anyone else. You know how stubborn Olivia is. It’s not just that. Have you seen her interact with Nico? The two of them can’t seem to get along.”
Dad leaned back. I watched him turn my words into something he could live with.
Alliance still useful. Vale money. A public face. A man already known to the family. Better than Vescari. And the two of them actually loved each other. It was a perfect match and he knew it.
“All right,” he said.
I waited for the rest.
“The wedding arrangements will continue. This time the groom will change to Roman.”
Relief hit so hard I had to lock my knees.
“Announcements will be corrected,” Dad went on, already writing it in his head. “Quietly, if possible. Publicly, if necessary. Nico will be released from this arrangement. Richard will be informed. Olivia will be seen with Roman.”
“Thank you father, I am sure this will work. You will not be disappointed.”
He gave me a look that said he would believe that when the papers were signed. “Send Roman in if he is here. I will speak to him myself. And Ethan.”
“Yes.”
“If you are wrong about him, it becomes your mistake as much as hers.”
I nodded.
Outside, I did not go back to the driveway immediately.
I stood in the hall and let the relief exist next to the anger.
My best friend was going to marry my sister. My father had just made it official before I had even forgiven either of them.
It was the best ending I could get for them. Despite how pissed I was that they’d kept such a big thing from
Then I went to find Roman, and tell him that if he wanted Olivia, he was going to have to take her the way this family took everything.
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The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
In public.
her husband
There was no other way.
AD
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The Mockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.