~GRAYSON~
Lily’s fingers traced the edge of the bridal magazine, her soft smile lighting up the living room of my apartment—one among many.
I stared at the pages of white dresses and flower arrangements she had been circling for the past hour.
“I still think the outdoor ceremony by the lake would be perfect,” she said, glancing up at me. “Something big. We’ve waited this long. . .I want it to feel like us. Extravagant. I want everyone talking about it.”
I reached over and tucked a strand of her light brown hair behind her ear.
Lily Sinclair was my childhood sweetheart. She knew every version of me—the reckless teenager, the hungry rookie, the man who had climbed his way to captain of the Blackridge Wolves.
Marrying her had always been the plan. The only plan.
“Whatever you want,” I told her. “As long as you’re the one walking toward me, I don’t care where it happens.”
She leaned in and kissed me, softly.
The front door opened without a knock.
I heard my father’s voice next. “Grayson. I need a word.”
Lily pulled back immediately. She knew that tone.
Richard Shaw never showed up unannounced unless something was wrong. She gave my hand a gentle squeeze, gathered the magazines, and quietly slipped out of the living room toward the bedroom without needing to be asked.
I stood as my father entered. He looked more stressed than usual—shoulders tense, jaw locked.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
He didn’t sit. “It’s time we repay the Monroe family for everything they’ve done for us.”
I knew that name. My father never let me forget it.
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“This weekend,” he said, voice flat, “you will marry William Monroe’s daughter. There will be no delays.”
The words didn’t make sense at first. I stared at him, waiting for the punchline that never came.
“You’ve got to be joking. Tell me you are.”
“No. This isn’t a joke son, this is reality.” His eyes met mine without flinching. “The Monroes are the reason this family has anything. They’re the reason we went from struggling to millionaires. They’re the reason you’re on the path to becoming a billionaire through the opportunities Monroe Athletics opened for you. William Monroe funded my business when no one else would. He used his influence to get you onto the Wolves and kept doors open that would have stayed shut. We owe them. And debts like this don’t stay unpaid forever.”
My pulse started pounding in my ears. “What the hell does that have to do with me marrying his daughter?”
“It settles everything. Publicly.”
Everything? One marriage?
I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing once before turning back on him. “And what happens to Lily? We’ve been planning our life since we were teenagers.”
“You end it.”
The sentence felt like a punch to the gut.
“I love her,” I said. “I’ve loved her my entire life. You expect me to just throw it all away, father?”
My father’s expression flickered with something that might have been regret, but it disappeared quickly. “I’m sorry, son. My hands are tied. This is bigger than what either of us wants.”
Anger ripped through me so fast I had to clench my fists to keep from putting one through the wall. “You made a deal with my future without even asking me.”
“Watch your mouth.”
“How can I stay quiet about this?” My voice rose. “I’ve done everything this family needed. I bled for my team. I became the captain they wanted. Their money isn’t the only reason I made it. And now you’re telling me I have to marry a stranger and destroy the one relationship I never wanted to end?”
He didn’t answer. He just looked at me with the same exhausted expression he used when a decision had already been made.
“This weekend,” he repeated. “Be ready.”
Then he left. Like he hadn’t just given me news that would make me miserable for the rest of my life.
The silence he left behind was deafening.
Lily appeared in the doorway moments later, arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes searched my face.
“What was that about?” she asked quietly. “I heard a lot of shouting.”
I couldn’t find a gentle way to say it.
“I have to marry someone else.”
Her face went still. “What?”
“William Monroe’s daughter. This weekend. My father just informed me it’s already decided.”
Color drained from her cheeks. “And you agreed?”
“I didn’t get a choice.”
“There’s always a choice!” Her voice cracked.
“How could you even let him make that decision for you? We’ve been together for years, Grayson. We’re planning our wedding. And you’re just going to marry some girl because your father said so?”
I closed the distance between us and took her hands. They were cold.
“I don’t want her,” I said roughly. “I want you. I’ve only ever wanted you. But if I refuse, it doesn’t just hurt me—it destroys everything my father built. Everything the Monroes made possible for us. I can’t walk away from this wedding without burning my entire family down.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but the anger didn’t fade. “So I’m just supposed to accept that you’re going to be someone else’s husband?”
I cupped her face, forcing her to look at me. “Listen to me. I will do everything in my power to make that girl hate me. I’ll be cold. Distant. Impossible to live with. I’ll give her every reason to want out as fast as possible. The second she files for divorce, it’s over. I’ll come back to you. I swear it.”
“And until then?” Her voice trembled. “What am I supposed to do while you’re playing sweet, devoted husband with another woman?”
“Stay with me,” I said, almost desperate. “I won’t let go of you. I don’t care what the papers say or what the public thinks. You’re the one I love. You’re the one I’m coming back to. I’ll keep you close. I’ll still see you. Nothing about how I feel changes just because of a ring on my hand.”
Lily stared at me for a long moment, torn between heartbreak and the fierce loyalty that we’ve always had.
“You’re asking me to share you,” she whispered.
“I’m asking you to trust that this is temporary,” I answered. “I will make her want out. I will end this as fast as I can. Just. . .don’t leave me while I do it.”
She didn’t say yes.
She also didn’t pull her hands away.
“Okay.” She finally said. “But I’m only giving you a month. Get rid of her as quickly as you can.”
Everything I had built my future on had just been ripped apart and rewritten without my consent.
Blair Monroe.
I didn’t know her.
I already resented her.
And if I had to marry her to protect everything my family owned, then I would make damn sure she regretted every second of being tied to me.
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.