Chapter 1: Runaway Brides and Broken Deals

I married my sister’s fiancé—because she ran, and someone had to face the music. Turns out, my new husband was the town’s golden boy, now a big, lost kid after an accident. On our wedding night, I taught him how to play the 'honeymoon game.' Now, he wants to play every chance he gets…

My older sister’s fiancé was Henry Stanton, the oldest son of the powerful Stanton family in Maple Heights—and the Assistant District Attorney.

Maple Heights was a proud, sleepy Southern city, the kind of place where everyone knew your business, and a family name meant everything. The Stantons’ big Colonial house with its azalea-lined lawn was the stuff of local legend.

Henry was the bachelor every girl in town dreamed about; our marriage had been set up as a perfect match. The local paper had splashed their engagement across the society pages after the Harvest Ball.

But not long ago, Henry was hurt working a case in Savannah. After his head injury, people whispered that he’d changed—like he’d turned into a big, lost kid who barely remembered his own name.

It was the sort of tragedy folks talked about in church pews and over coffee at Betty’s Diner: Henry Stanton, courtroom star, now a shadow of himself.

My sister never liked Henry much—she always thought he was a spoiled rich boy. All she wanted was to bring home a husband who’d make Dad happy.

When Henry was still himself, my sister couldn’t find a way to break off the engagement. But now, with Henry’s mind muddled, she finally saw her chance. Every day, she’d grab Dad’s arm and wail:

"Daddy, how can you do this to your own daughter? You know Mom would never stand for it!"

"Daddy, don’t make me marry a man who can’t even take care of himself!"

"If Mom knew, she’d come back and haunt you!"

Dad was so worn out, he stopped coming home just to avoid her.

Finally, with the wedding approaching, my sister made up her mind to run away. The night she left, she found me, determination in her eyes.

"Aubrey, let’s run away together."

I blinked at her, completely lost. "What? Why would I run too?"

She thumped me on the head. "You really don’t get it? This contract can’t be broken. If I bolt, Dad’s gonna make you marry Henry instead!"

Suddenly, I felt a rush of emotion—my sister, looking out for me. I hugged her tight and cried, "Sis, you’re the best!"

She smiled, patting my back. "Hey, big sisters are like second moms. Since we lost ours, who else is gonna look after you?"

After our little meltdown, we packed everything we could carry and headed out.

We crept to the backyard fence, but just as we started climbing over, our golden retriever Rusty snagged my dress with his teeth. Rusty had a nose for trouble and a knack for making things more complicated.

Looking into his sad brown eyes, I hesitated. Memories flashed—running through the sprinkler with my sister and Rusty in the summer heat, all of us laughing and breathless. I tugged my sister’s sleeve. "Let’s take Rusty with us. He’s family."

Rusty whined under the fence, looking heartbroken. My sister sighed and nodded. "Yeah, we can’t leave him."

I scrambled back down to carry Rusty over. But just as he landed on the other side, we heard the porch light snap on and footsteps pounding inside.

The Carter house was suddenly blazing with lights. Doors banged open, slippers slapped against the floor, and voices called out from every corner. We’d been caught—no way out.