My Fiancé Took Her on Vacation Instead of Marrying Me? I Married WAY Better novel · Chapter 12 of 24

Chapter 12: On His Knees

Henry came up behind me and looked over my head through the gap in the curtain.

"I can handle this," he said. "Or I can stand right behind you. Your call."

"Stand behind me."

I opened the front door.

Bryce looked up at me from the step.

His eyes were red, and he was still in the gray sweater from the all-hands.

He held the ring box higher.

My ring. The cloudy little diamond, back in its velvet slot.

"Amanda," he said. "Please."

"Get up, Bryce."

"No. Not until you hear me."

Across the street, a porch light came on.

"I was an idiot," he said. "I've been driving around for four hours, and I know that."

"Okay."

"Annul it." He nodded at the house behind me, at Henry, without looking at him. "You can do that, right? It's been a week. It doesn't count. We'll go to City Hall on Monday. Tomorrow. Tonight, if you want. I'll find a judge."

"I don't want."

"You don't mean that." His voice broke. "Three years, Amanda. Three years. You don't throw that away for some guy you met on a bench."

"You threw it away for some girl you met in November."

"Kylie meant nothing."

"Did you sleep with her?"

He hesitated.

I watched him decide whether lying was worth it anymore.

"Only since December," he said. "And only because you were never around. You were buried in the Coral Bay deck every night. You were never home. What was I supposed to do?"

December.

December was when I asked him if we could get married at City Hall before Valentine's Day.

He'd said it while he was texting her.

"You said yes to our wedding," I said, "and went to bed with her the same month."

"It was a mistake."

"For three months."

"I'm here, aren't I?" His voice went up. "I'm on my knees on a stranger's step in the middle of the night. What more do you want?"

"Why are you here, Bryce?"

He blinked.

"Because I love you."

"Today. You love me today."

"I always loved you."

"You loved me yesterday, when you asked thirty-six people to sign a page about me?"

He didn't answer.

"You found out at eleven-fourteen this morning that my grandfather owns the building," I said. "And now you're on your knees."

His expression shifted.

The crying stopped.

"Okay, fine. You want to talk about it? Let's talk about it. You lied to me for three years about who you were. You let me struggle. You watched me nearly lose the company in 2024 and you never said a word."

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