A Mistake Called Love
“Young Master Ethan, sir is calling you downstairs in the living room. A letter has arrived from the Blackwood family, and your presence is required. Everyone is waiting for you,” Amelia said.
“Yes, Amelia. Tell them I’ll be there in five minutes.”
I jumped out of bed and exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself and hide my excitement. I was sure it had to be news about the marriage arrangements. Damien and I were childhood lovers. Even though things between us had been tense the last few months, I was certain that once we married, every misunderstanding between us would finally be solved.
This marriage was never just about love. It also held great importance for the business partnership between my family, the Ashfords, and the Blackwoods — the two richest families in our country. When our parents found out that Damien and I were in love, they arranged this marriage when I was sixteen and he was seventeen. It had been four years since then, and finally, we were going to be married.
I composed myself and walked down the stairs toward the living room. As an omega born into one of the richest families, I was expected to follow strict rules and maintain proper etiquette befitting our social status. I couldn’t behave recklessly, no matter how badly I wanted to. Knowing my limits and behaving accordingly was something I had been taught — and had followed without question — since childhood.
As I stepped off the last stair and walked toward the blue silk-covered sofa with a smile on my face, I noticed something was wrong. Everyone had lost their composure. Father’s fists were clenched so tight his knuckles had gone white. Mother’s face was tight with anger. Vincent, my alpha brother, gripped his glass so hard I thought it might shatter in his hand. My smile vanished the moment I understood something terrible had happened. I sat down slowly.
“Yes, Father. You called for me.”
Inside, I was dying to know what was written in that letter, but I couldn’t ask outright — it would be considered rude.
Father took a deep breath, steadying himself. Mother moved closer and placed her hand over mine, gripping it tightly while keeping her posture straight and her gaze fixed ahead. Her cheeks and ears had turned red.
“Your marriage to Damien has been cancelled by the Blackwood family,” Father said.
My face went blank. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.
He continued, “Damien says the love between you two has faded with time. He believes it was nothing more than a childhood attraction he mistook for love, and he doesn’t want to rush into marriage. That is why they have called it off.”
When I heard the reason, some twisted part of me wanted to laugh. But my mind went numb instead, and tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them. I wiped them away quickly, making sure no one saw. As someone born into this family, I wasn’t allowed to show weakness in front of others. I straightened my back and said, “I understand, Father. I will keep this in mind and make sure to maintain proper distance from Damien at college.”
Father exhaled. “I will withdraw our business partnership with the Blackwoods. Don’t worry — I will find a suitable alpha for you to marry.”
“Yes, Father.” I rose from my seat. “I still have final assignments to finish. I’ll go back to my room and study.”
Mother looked at me, her eyes glassy, and forced a smile even as her fists stayed clenched. “Take care of yourself, and rest well,” she said. I nodded and turned away.
By the time I reached the stairs, tears were already streaming down my face, and my chest ached with a pain I couldn’t name. Somewhere inside, I had worried about the distance that had grown between Damien and me — because of Julian, who used to be my best friend and was now closer to Damien than I had ever been. But I never imagined it would end like this.
I never thought Damien would call five years of love a mistake — a childhood crush that meant nothing. Just because of a few months of misunderstanding, he had ended everything. And it was only a month before our wedding, right after finals. Seriously?
I locked my door and collapsed onto the sky-blue sheets, burying my face in the pillow. The composure I had fought so hard to keep finally broke. I cried until my eyes were swollen and raw.
A knock sounded at my door. I quickly wiped my tears, steadied myself, and opened it. It was Vincent.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes, brother. I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile.
He stepped forward without another word and pulled me into a hug, one hand resting on my head, stroking gently. “He wasn’t worth it,” he murmured. “It’s his loss. He lost you. Don’t worry — you’ll find someone so much better.”
I held onto him for a moment, gathering myself, then pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. “Of course,” I said, managing a small smile. “Besides, his mother was always so cunning, and his father had the face of a rogue. At least now I’ll never have to look at either of them again.”
Vincent laughed and cupped my face in his hands. “We all love you. You deserve so much better than him.”
I nodded. “Goodnight, brother. I should rest — I have class in the morning.”
“Goodnight.” He kissed my forehead and walked off toward his own room.
I took a deep breath, returned to my bed, and lay down, willing myself to forget everything that had happened so I could wake up on time for tomorrow’s class.
