Accidentally Married – “What do you possibly mean by that?” Jessica asked, standing outside the courthouse with her phone pressed so tightly to her ear her fingers hurt. She had been arguing with Burke for the last ten minutes while strangers walked past pretending not to stare. Today was supposed to be her wedding day. She and Burke, her high school sweetheart, were meant to meet here at ten thirty sharp and finally get married after five years together. “Burke, it’s ten forty-five,” she said, her voice trembling now. “Where the hell are you?” There was a pause on the other end, too long, too heavy. “Jessica… I’m not coming.” Her stomach dropped. “What do you mean you’re not coming?” she asked, already feeling tears burn behind her eyes. “Burke, this is our wedding day.” Another silence. Then he sighed, annoyed, like she was inconveniencing him. “I don’t think I love you enough to marry you,” he said flatly. “Honestly, I can’t picture spending my life stuck in a house with you.” The words hit her so hard she almost lost her balance. For months they had planned this wedding together.
Burke knew how badly she wanted a home someday, with a backyard and children running around in the grass. They couldn’t afford it yet, but they always said they’d build that life together. “I don’t care about the stupid house,” Jessica whispered quickly. “We don’t need a yard. We can figure things out later.” God, she sounded pathetic. The entire reason they were having a tiny courthouse wedding was because they were broke. Neither of them had family money. They were both orphans who had built a future around each other because there was nobody else. Then suddenly, a woman’s voice drifted through the phone. “Burke, babe, are you coming back to bed or what?” Jessica froze. “Who was that?” she demanded, her voice cracking. “That was Emma, wasn’t it?” Her best friend. The same Emma who helped her pick out wedding shoes three days ago. Burke exhaled sharply, like he was tired of dealing with her. “Fine. Yeah, Emma’s here,” he said coldly. “And honestly? I’m done pretending. I don’t want to marry you. I don’t even want to be with you anymore.
Emma gets me in ways you never could.” Jessica felt like she couldn’t breathe. “You’re too emotional all the time,” he continued cruelly. “Everything with you is heavy. This whole desperate housewife thing you had going on was getting kind of sad.” “No… please,” Jessica begged openly now, tears ruining her makeup as people passing by openly stared. “Please don’t do this.” But all she heard was silence. He had hung up. Her hands shook violently as she tried calling him back, but the call failed instantly. Blocked. Jessica stared at the screen for a long moment before her knees finally gave out beneath her. She cried her eyes out. She could barely breathe through the humiliation. But through her sobbing, another voice suddenly cut through the noise. “I thought you said she’d be here on time?” a man snapped sharply into his phone nearby. The doctors had told Xavier that his grandfather had no more than two weeks left to live. In a moment of desperation, he had lied and said he was seeing someone. He never expected that lie to corner him this badly. His grandfather, Dawson Delgado, had only one final wish. He wanted to see Xavier married before he died.
Only then would he transfer the company fully into Xavier’s name instead of handing control over to outside management. Dawson trusted Xavier’s abilities. He knew his grandson was disciplined, intelligent, and more than capable of running the company. What frightened him was the thought of Xavier ending up alone one day, with no family left beside him and no one to carry the Delgado name forward. He refused to watch everything he had built with decades of work and sacrifice slowly slip out of the family’s hands. Xavier understood why this mattered to him. After his parents died in a terrible car accident, Dawson had raised him alone and spent his entire life making sure Xavier never lacked anything. He owed the old man more than he could ever repay. That was what pushed him into agreeing to the marriage. Brian, his assistant, had told him about a private contract marriage agency. The arrangement was simple. You paid for a temporary wife, kept up appearances for a set amount of time, and walked away quietly once the contract ended. Xavier had signed the papers without thinking too hard about it. One year of marriage. No emotional attachment. After that, they would divorce peacefully and go their separate ways. At least, that had been the plan. Now he stood outside the courthouse, staring at the entrance while irritation slowly twisted in his chest.
The woman he was supposed to marry had disappeared without a word. He checked his watch again and exhaled sharply. “I’m sorry, sir. Let me try contacting her again,” Brian said quickly before ending the call. Xavier lowered the phone with a frustrated sigh. “What a complete waste of time.” His jaw tightened as he glanced toward the courthouse doors again. He hated people who wasted his time, and the fact that the woman had disappeared after receiving part of the payment only made his mood darker. His phone rang again almost immediately. Xavier answered before the second ring. “And?” he snapped. Brian hesitated for half a second before speaking. “The agency can’t reach her either.” Xavier’s expression hardened. “She’s completely unreachable right now,” Brian continued carefully. “Why don’t you come back to the office and we’ll reschedule? The agency said they can send another candidate.” “No.” Xavier’s voice was flat and firm. “I’m not leaving this courthouse without a marriage certificate.” The pressure in his tone made Brian fall silent for a moment. Before Brian could respond, a soft voice suddenly cut through the tension behind him. “I’ll marry you.” Xavier turned sharply.
A woman stood only a few steps away from him. Mascara stained the skin beneath her eyes. Her white dress looked elegant despite being slightly wrinkled at the hem, and her trembling hands gave away how shaken she really was. For a second, Xavier simply stared at her, confused by how calmly she had offered something so absurd to a complete stranger. The woman lifted her chin, even though her eyes still looked painfully glossy. “I’ll marry you,” Jessica repeated quietly.