I Married the Doctor and Left My Cheating Fiance"

The night before the wedding, I took Neal Dickerson's call in the hospital.

Sonia Swanson, the ceremony goes ahead tomorrow.

But we'll hold off on the marriage license for now.

The hand holding the billing slip went stiff.

Why?

A beat of silence on the line.

Georgina Swanson feels insecure.

She gave you seventeen years of being the dutiful daughter. We can't just leave her out in the cold.

"I'll get the license with her first. Give her some standing."

The blood rushed to my head.

"And me? What do the seven years I've spent with you count for?"

I was the one. The Swansons' real daughter, lost for seventeen years.

But from the day they brought me home.

Every bit of care, every bit of favor still went to Georgina, the one who'd been swapped at birth.

Neal's voice turned a great deal colder.

"Sonia, the wedding is still yours. You're the one I want to marry, always."

"It's just a piece of paper. Don't make so much of it."

"Everyone knows you're my wife."

Then my birth mother's voice came down the line.

"Sunny, Georgie is your sister, after all. Can't you give way to her just this once?"

I bowed my head and hung up, quietly.

Right. It's only a piece of paper.

You wouldn't care about it at all.

...

The door of the dressing room swung open.

Neal stood there in his suit, brows faintly drawn.

"Sonia, we didn't get the license, but this wedding is top-tier in every way."

"You know I haven't shortchanged you."

He held out a cup of warm milk.

"Drink it. You'll be on your feet a long time during the ceremony."

I didn't take it.

My eyes had landed on Georgina, just behind him.

Her bridesmaid dress was cut almost exactly like my gown. She even had a tiara on her head.

Georgina caught me looking and dropped her gaze at once.

"Sonia, Neal had this made for me. I never imagined it would look so much like your gown."

"Sonia, please don't be angry with Neal."

She came forward and slipped her hand through Neal's arm.

Her eyes reddened, her voice gone soft and small.

"If it really bothers you, I'll leave right now."

Neal reached over and patted the back of her hand.

"Don't talk nonsense. You're a daughter of the Swansons too. No one would dare send you away."

He turned his head and looked at me.

"Sonia, Georgina's health is fragile. Quit scowling at her."

"It's a piece of paper. Who out there doesn't know you're the one I'm marrying?"

I looked at that expression of his, so utterly certain he was in the right, and a bone-deep tiredness came over me. I didn't even have the strength left to argue.

I lowered my eyes and said it softly. Fine.

It was a quiet goodbye.

Neal blinked, then his tone eased.

"There you go."

He raised a hand to fix my veil.

I tilted my head a fraction and slipped away from it.

His hand froze in midair, then drew back as if nothing had happened.

"Come on. The officiant is waiting."

The venue was full of roses, my favorite flower.

But now the scent only struck me as sharp and absurd.

The ceremony went smoothly.

Up on the dais, Neal read his vows to me, tender and full of feeling.

The guests applauded, one after another.

My birth parents sat at the head table, faces full of satisfaction.

Until the bouquet toss.

The officiant asked with a smile,

"Who will the bride pass this happiness on to?"

I had just started to turn.

Neal pulled the bouquet from my hands.

He walked straight down off the dais and handed it to Georgina.

"Georgina, don't be afraid."

"Today isn't a day about anyone leaving anyone. You'll always have a place in our hearts."

The whole room fell silent in an instant.

Georgina pressed a hand to her mouth, tears spilling down in great drops.

"Thank you, Neal."

I stood up on the platform, watching the two of them so cozy together, and all at once I was just tired.

So this was the wedding Neal had promised me.

After the ceremony came the toasts.

Neal stayed glued to Georgina's side the whole time, terrified someone might jostle her.

I carried my own glass and walked ahead, alone.

A friend who knew us couldn't help herself.

"Sonia, what's gotten into Neal?"

I took a small sip. Something rose in me and just as quickly went flat.

"Apparently the bride doesn't matter much either."

She stared at me, lost for words.

It wasn't until the banquet broke up that Neal finally came over to me.

He carried the faint smell of liquor.

"Worn out from today, hm?"

He reached out to drape an arm over my shoulders, but his palm closed on nothing.

I stepped back.

"It's late. Let's go home."

Displeasure flickered across his face, his brows knitting again.

"Sonia, what are you sulking about now?"

I didn't answer. I just walked straight for the door.

My phone buzzed in my bag.

I pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

A message from Graham.

"Nine tomorrow morning, outside the courthouse. Don't be late."

I looked at the screen for a few seconds.

Then my fingers moved over the keys.

"I'll be there."

The bridal suite was dead quiet.

Neal sat on the couch and tugged his tie loose.

"Sonia, get me a glass of water."

He said it so easily, the same as he had a thousand times before.

I went to the kitchen, poured a glass of warm water, and set it on the coffee table.

He picked it up, took a sip, and his brows pulled tight.

"Why is it plain water?"

"Liquor upsets your stomach. You always used to remember that."

I looked at him, my voice level, without a ripple.

"We're out of honey."

"We're out of honey, and it never occurred to you to stock up?"

"Sonia, you really have gotten more and more careless lately."

His phone rang, right on cue.

He glanced at the screen, and his face melted into tenderness.

"Georgie, what's wrong?"

"Your stomach's hurting again? Did you eat something bad tonight?"

"Don't cry, I'm coming right now."

He hung up, stood, and grabbed his coat.

"Georgie's stomach is acting up at the hotel. I'm going to go check on her."

"Get some sleep. Don't wait up for me."

I stood in the middle of the living room, watching his back.

"Neal."

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me.

Impatience in his eyes.

"What is it now?"

"I already agreed to give you the wedding. What more do you want?"

"Georgie's alone at the hotel, and she's sick."

"Stop fighting with her at times like this."

I didn't say anything. I just watched him, quietly.

Eight years.

From the day the Swansons found me and brought me home, Neal had been right there beside me.

Back then he was good to me.

I'd say I wanted the honey cake from that place on the South Side, and he'd stand in line two hours to bring it back.

I'd say I was scared of the dark, and he'd keep a video call open all night just to be there.

But once Georgina was diagnosed with depression, everything changed.

He handed all his patience, all his favor, to the fake heiress who had lived my life for seventeen years.

And I became the one who had to be understanding. The one who always gave way.

"Go, then."

I drew my eyes back, my voice so calm it surprised even me.

Neal paused.

His expression eased a little.

"It's good that you understand."

"Tomorrow I'll buy you that bag you've been wanting."

The door shut with a dull, heavy sound, like something inside me broke along with it.

I went to the coffee table and poured out that glass of plain water.

Then I walked into the bedroom and opened the closet.

Half of it was Neal's clothes.

I took out the things that were mine, one piece at a time.

On the dresser sat the frame from our eighth anniversary.

In the photo, Neal had his arm around my shoulders, grinning wide.

I slid the picture out and dropped it in the trash can beside me.

The drawer was full of little odds and ends, gifts he'd given me over the years.

I swept all of it into a garbage bag.

By the time I finished, it was two in the morning.

The phone screen lit up.

A message from Neal.

Georgie's asleep. I'm staying here with her tonight.

Send me next month's medical bill for your mom in the morning. I'll have finance wire it.

I looked at the message.

Then I pulled the black supplementary card out of my wallet.

Neal had given it to me two years ago.

He'd said he would cover my adoptive mother's care to the end.

That card had held me captive for two years.

It had held captive every single thought I'd had about leaving.

When I cut it in half, I realized the chain that had held me for two years gave way with the smallest, softest sound.

I didn't reply to him.

Outside the window, the night spread out, soft and quiet.

I zipped the suitcase shut, leaned back against the bed, and closed my eyes.

Tomorrow.

It would all be over.

Nine the next morning.

There weren't many people outside the courthouse.

The early-autumn wind had a chill to it, and I pulled my coat tighter.

A black car stopped at the curb.

The door opened, and Graham Fox stepped out.

He wore a clean white shirt, glasses resting on his nose.

There was something gentle and unhurried about him.

Have you been waiting long?

He came up to me and took the suitcase without a word, as if it were the most natural thing.

Just got here.

I looked at him, and something warm stirred in me.

Graham was my adoptive mother's attending physician.

And the only person at the hospital I'd really been able to talk to these past few years.

Yesterday, after I learned Neal had no intention of getting the marriage license.

I'd sat alone on the bench in the hospital hallway, and for a moment everything had blurred.

Graham had handed me a cup of hot cocoa.

Sonia, if all you need is a marriage certificate to put your mother's mind at ease, I can help.

I'd thought he was joking.

But his eyes were serious.

You don't have to answer right away. And you don't have to feel like you owe me anything.

As it happens, I could use a marriage too, to get my family off my back about settling down.

We can sign a prenup. Each of us gets what we need. And if it makes you uncomfortable, just pretend I never said it.

I said yes.

Because I'd run out of time to keep waiting on Neal.

My adoptive mother's condition was getting worse, and her one great wish was to see me married.

Let's go in.

Graham gave a gentle smile and pushed the glass door open for me.

The process moved fast.

Forms, photos, the vows.

The official seal came down on the red booklet.

I looked at the two people in the photo, and for a moment everything blurred again.

Graham handed me one of the booklets, the faintest smile in his eyes.

Sonia. Congratulations on the marriage.

He paused, then added, softly,

And if you don't mind, from now on I could call you Mrs. Fox.

I took the certificate, and the breath I'd been holding finally eased out of me.

Thank you, Graham.

We walked out of the courthouse.

The phone in my bag started buzzing.

I took it out and glanced at the screen.

Neal.

I pressed answer.

His voice came through at once, tight with barely held anger.

Sonia, where the hell did you go?

"Georgina wanted soup from the deli on the South Side this morning. I told you to go get it. Why didn't you answer my messages?"

I held the phone a little away from my ear.

A second's pause, then it came out easily.

"I didn't see them."

"You didn't see them?"

Neal let out a cold laugh.

"Are you still sulking over yesterday?"

"Sonia, can't you act your age?"

"Georgina has severe depression. Do you really not rest until you've set her off?"

Listening to him lay it all on me, I almost wanted to laugh.

"Neal, am I your maid?"

The line went quiet for a beat.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

I watched Graham a short distance away, loading the luggage.

"If I buy anything, it'll be for myself. I don't have time to wait on your precious sister."

"Sonia!"

Neal's voice shot up.

"So you've grown a temper now, have you?"

"Don't forget, next month's nursing fees for your mother still haven't been paid."

"Keep talking to me like this, and you can figure out next month's bill yourself."

"Sonia, you know that's not a small amount."

He was using it to threaten me again.

But right now, I just didn't care.

"Suit yourself."

I was about to hang up.

Graham came over just then, an open bottle of water in his hand.

"Sonia, have some water. Let's get in the car."

Neal's voice turned to ice.

"Who's that next to you?"

"Sonia, who are you with?"

I didn't answer. I just pressed the button to end the call.

The instant the screen went dark, a text came through from Neal.

"Sonia, save your little games."

"Get to the hospital within half an hour, or you'll deal with the consequences."

I dropped the phone back in my bag and took the water from Graham.

"Let's go. To the hospital."

Downtown General Hospital.

The door to the room stood half open.

I had just reached it when I heard voices from inside.

"Mom, don't worry. Neal said he'll hire the best nurse for her."

It was Georgina's voice.

My own mother sighed.

"Georgie really is the sensible one."

"Sonia's just so petty. She was even giving you dirty looks at the wedding yesterday."

"If Neal didn't dote on you, who knows how she'd treat you."

I pushed the door open.

The voices cut off at once.

Neal was standing by the window. When he saw me come in, he smirked.

"And here I thought you had some backbone. In the end you came crawling over like a good girl."

He walked up to me and looked at me.

"Who was that man on the phone?"

"You'd stoop to a cheap trick like that, just to spite me?"

I didn't look at him.

I went straight to the bed and looked at my adoptive mother lying there.

Her face was pale, an oxygen mask over it, and she was deep in sleep.

"Sonia, what is wrong with you?"

My mother stood up, frowning.

"Neal asked you a question. Have you gone mute?"

"Do you have any idea how much money Neal has spent on that woman who raised you?"

"He's done all this, and you're still not satisfied?"

I turned my head and looked at this woman.

"Mom."

My eyes stung before I could stop it.

"Did you forget? I'm the real daughter you lost for seventeen years."

My mother froze, her eyes flickering away.

"Of course I know that."

"But I watched Georgie grow up too. What's so wrong with giving way to her?"

I twisted my mouth into something that wasn't a smile.

"Right. Give way to her."

"Give her my room. Give her my clothes."

"And now even my fianc. I'm supposed to hand him over too, is that it?"

"Sis, don't say that."

Georgina stood up, her eyes red again.

"Sis, don't blame Mom, and don't blame Neal."

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have kept treating this place like my home."

"I'll leave right now. And I won't ever come back to Auntie's room again."

Neal grabbed her and pulled her behind him.

"Sonia, that's enough!"

He dug a payment slip out of his pocket and slapped it on the table beside us.

"Next month's fees for your adoptive mother. I already had my assistant pay them."

"Apologize to Georgina right now, and we'll forget this ever happened."

He looked at me, and his eyes were certain.

Certain that I'd bend for money.

I looked at the payment slip.

Then I calmly took another receipt out of my bag.

"No need."

I laid the receipt down on top of his slip.

"It's already paid in full."

"From today on, my adoptive mother's care is no concern of yours, Mr. Dickerson. And you can keep it off your ledger of favors too."

Neal glanced down at the receipt.

The amount on it came to a full two hundred thousand.

Something jolted behind his eyes.

"Where did you get that kind of money?"

He knew there was no way I could come up with that much.

"That's none of your business, Mr. Dickerson."

I pushed his payment slip back at him.

"From now on, you don't need to trouble yourself over my adoptive mother."

With that, I turned to go.

"Sonia, stop right there!"

Neal caught up in a few strides and seized my wrist.

His grip was hard enough to make the bone ache.

"What exactly are you trying to pull?"

I wrenched my arm free.

"Neal, you think far too much of yourself."

I walked out of the room without looking back.

Graham's car was parked at the curb.

As I climbed into the passenger seat, I turned my head and caught Neal just reaching the door.

Graham didn't glance at him. He started the car.

My bag hadn't been zipped shut, and a bright red booklet slid out with the motion.

Neal's eyes locked on that flash of red.

"Sonia! What is that?"