Husband By Error
Series One:
On her wedding day, Isabella Hernando stared into the mirror and wondered-
how could she possibly marry someone she barely remembered?
Miguel Martez, the man she was arranged to wed, was only a childhood friend who had long since disappeared.
But just before the ceremony was about to begin, Miguel vanished without a trace.
To save the family's reputation, Maximilian Martez, his elder brother, was forced to take his place at the altar-
without anyone knowing, not even the bride herself.
But when Isabella finally stood before the man,
she was shocked.
That face, those eyes... that voice...
Series Two:
Adeline Martez is a quiet, introverted girl who grew up cherished and spoiled by her parents. Marriage was never something she worried about-until the day her parents announced her arranged match.
Her groom-to-be?
Jason Castello-the man she despised most.
Her senior.
Her tormentor.
The shameless bully who had made her school days miserable.
Adeline fought with everything she had to escape the engagement.
But the harder she pushed him away, the tighter Jason held on.
One stubborn cat.
One relentless dog.
When hatred sparks, tempers clash, and neither is willing to surrender-
how does a battlefield turn into a marriage?
Chapters
Share
Chapter 5
The grand doors of the wedding hall swung open, and Isabella stepped inside, her heart pounding beneath layers of silk and lace.
The murmur of the guests dimmed into a faint hum. Rows of familiar faces blurred together-relatives, friends of her late father, distant cousins she barely recognized. Everyone turned toward her, their eyes bright with admiration and curiosity.
The melody of the wedding march filled the air, but the music couldn't drown out the rush of blood in her ears.
Then she froze.
At the far end of the aisle stood a tall man-broad-shouldered, sharp-featured, and utterly impossible to mistake.
Her chest tightened.
Maximilian Martez.
What on earth was he doing here?
Her mind spun. Martez... Maximilian Martez? That cold, arrogant CEO from the partner company?
He must be the eldest son of the Martez family. How had she never realized it before?
But then-where was Miguel?
A wave of unease rippled through her. Something wasn't right.
"Ahem... let's welcome the bride!" the preacher's voice echoed, pulling her back into the moment.
The guests clapped politely, unaware of the confusion flashing across her eyes. Isabella forced herself to breathe, to walk forward, even though her steps felt heavier with each beat of the music.
When she reached the altar, Maximilian's gaze locked on her. His eyes were cold and unreadable, like twin pieces of polished obsidian.
"Why are you here?" Isabella whispered, her lips barely moving. "You're not Miguel, are you?"
"Miguel is my brother," Maximilian replied smoothly, as if discussing business. "He couldn't make it. I'll be marrying you instead."
Her heart stuttered.
"What?" she hissed under her breath. "Is this some kind of joke?"
He didn't blink. "No joke. Consider it a... family adjustment."
Her stomach twisted. A family adjustment? What was she, some product being exchanged between brothers?
He leaned closer, his voice dropping low enough that only she could hear.
"Honestly," he murmured, "whoever the groom was, it wouldn't have mattered to you, would it? So why not make this simple and finish the day?"
For a heartbeat, she was too stunned to reply. Then disbelief gave way to fury.
She wanted to tell him off-to shout that she wasn't some accessory for the Martez family's convenience-but before she could, she saw her mother's radiant smile from the front row.
It was the first genuine smile her mother had worn in years.
Isabella's throat tightened.
"Miss Hernando," Maximilian whispered again, his words sharp as glass. "I'm only doing this because my mother asked. Don't expect to enter this family easily. One year from now, this farce ends."
Her pulse spiked. "One year?"
He tilted his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Too long for you? Six months, then?"
Isabella clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms.
"Mr. Martez," she hissed, voice trembling with fury, "if it weren't for our mothers pushing for this, I would never agree to marry you."
His chuckle was low and mocking. "Didn't you agree to this marriage just to prove yourself worthy of our family? And now that I've taken Miguel's place, you don't seem to mind."
Her eyes flashed. "Enough, Mr. Martez," she said through gritted teeth. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve your contempt-but I'm not as lowly as you think."
"Really?" he murmured, his gaze lingering on her face. "All women say that. Until they need something."
The words hit her like a slap.
Her breath caught. She wanted to fight back-to throw his arrogance in his face-but her mother's voice from the audience echoed faintly in her ears, "Be calm, my dear. Don't make a scene."
So Isabella smiled instead. A small, practiced smile. Cold and unyielding.
"Then you'll learn soon enough," she whispered. "I'm not one of those women."
The ceremony continued.
The preacher's voice filled the room, solemn and distant, as if from another world. Rings were exchanged, vows spoken through gritted teeth. Applause broke out as they sealed their vows with a mechanical grace neither believed in.
Isabella stood there, expression unreadable. Not a flicker of joy touched her eyes.
After the ceremony, as the crowd dispersed into laughter and chatter, Isabella caught her mother's soft voice calling out.
"Isabella."
She turned, quickly wiping away the faint sheen of tears threatening to form.
"Yes, Mom."
Mrs. Hernando reached for her daughter's hands, holding them tightly. Her eyes shimmered with pride and something else-relief.
"My dear child," she began, her voice trembling, "you're now Maximilian's wife. My only advice is this: no matter what happens, stay by your husband's side. Be patient, be kind. A good marriage takes time."
Isabella blinked, confused. Maximilian's wife?
"Mom," Isabella said softly, her voice trembling, "did you know about this? About him?"
Her mother hesitated-just for a moment-but that flicker of guilt didn't escape Isabella's eyes.
Mrs. Hernando sighed quietly and squeezed her daughter's hands.
"My dear... after the ceremony began, Mrs. Martez told me everything," she said gently. "Miguel... ran away, Bella. He left a message saying he couldn't go through with the wedding."
Isabella froze, her breath catching. "He... what?"
"She was devastated," her mother continued, her voice quivering. "But she begged me not to let everything fall apart. And then-then Maximilian stepped forward. He offered to take responsibility. He didn't want to disgrace either family."
The words tumbled out of her, a desperate blend of explanation and comfort.
"Bella, I know it's sudden, but maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Maximilian is more mature, more stable. He's responsible, successful... he's the kind of man who'll protect you. Any mother would be grateful for a son-in-law like him."
Isabella stared at her mother, disbelief clouding her eyes.
"So, because Miguel ran away, you just-let his brother marry me?"
Mrs. Hernando's expression wavered. "It wasn't like that, Bella. Think about it-would you rather have faced humiliation in front of everyone? Mrs. Martez was trembling with shame. And when Maximilian volunteered... I thought-maybe it was fate's way of giving you a better future."
"Fate?" Isabella echoed faintly, her chest tightening. "Mom, I don't even know him. I mean, I didn't know Miguel that well either, but at least we shared childhood memories. But this Maximilian..."
"I know," Mrs. Hernando whispered, brushing a tear from her daughter's cheek. "But he's not like other men. He could've walked away too-but he didn't. That shows something, doesn't it? Responsibility. Honor. Maybe he's not easy to read, but I believe there's kindness underneath."
Isabella bit her lip hard, trying to keep her emotions from spilling over. Her mother's sincerity hurt more than anger ever could.
Mrs. Hernando's tone softened again, trembling with hope.
"Bella, please... don't see this as misfortune. Sometimes, what feels wrong at first is what saves us in the end. Maximilian will take care of you-I can feel it."
Isabella lowered her gaze, her vision blurring. "Take care of me..." she murmured, her voice hollow.
Her mother pulled her into an embrace, holding her close as if to shield her from a truth too heavy to bear.
"Promise me, Isabella," she whispered. "Be patient. Be kind. No matter what happens, stay strong."
Warm tears slipped down Isabella's cheeks as she clung to her mother. The hum of laughter and clinking glasses faded into the distance.
In that moment, her world felt smaller-heavier-like a dream she hadn't chosen but could no longer escape.
Across the room, Maximilian Martez watched her silently, his expression unreadable.
And when Isabella finally lifted her gaze, their eyes met-clashing like two enemies who had never even spoken.
God... how am I supposed to live with a man this narcissistic?
***
You may also like
7.2
Betrayed by her sister. Killed by her husband.
Reborn, Sarah returns with one goal-revenge.
This time, she won't be the fool.
And with the Knox, the most dangerous man by her side...
she'll ruin them all, and take back everything that belongs to her.
Promotional line: They killed me once. This time, I'll destroy them first.
8.5
A spiked martini at her second-anniversary party led Amelia to stumble into a dark VIP suite, where she unexpectedly lost her virginity to a stranger.
Returning home, the morning light revealed her husband, Kyler, reeking of another woman's perfume, with red lipstick on his collar and a fresh scratch below his ear.
The suffocating guilt of her own mistake instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp block of ice. Kyler, instead of apologizing, mocked her and threatened to cut off her ailing mother's nursing home funding if she didn't play the loving wife.
His two years of coldness and refusal to touch her, claiming stress, were exposed as a pathetic, disgusting lie. Amelia, refusing to be a victim, filed for divorce and began a digital hunt for the IP address that had wiped the club's security servers.
Amidst this escalating fight, she encountered Kyler's formidable half-brother, Jonas Brown, her old academic rival. The familiar scent of crisp cedar and dark tobacco, combined with a fresh scratch on his hand, sparked a terrifying, impossible suspicion.
Then, trapped in his car, a phone call confirmed her custom Cartier ring was missing from the very penthouse suite where she'd spent that fateful night. The horrifying truth slammed into her: Jonas was the stranger. Without a word, she Venmoed him $5,000.00 with the note: "Service fee and hush money." This was war.
8.7
At my father's wedding reception, my new stepmother demanded I give her the sapphire necklace my mother left me when she died.
I told her no. So she had her enforcer throw me to the floor in front of two hundred guests.
He ripped the chain from my neck, shattering my mother's gemstone on the marble floor. When my childhood maid, Arlene, tried to protect me, he kicked her so hard her head cracked open against a stone pillar. My father, a New York mob boss, saw the whole thing and did nothing but laugh with his new bride.
Any love I had for my family bled out on that floor with Arlene.
That night, I found Damien Flynn, my father's sworn enemy. I was supposed to be my father's greatest asset-a virgin daughter to be sold for an alliance. I decided to burn that asset to the ground.
7.2
Blurb:
They said loving him would ruin her, and they were right.
Adrianna never meant to fall for Xavier Palmer, the cold, untouchable billionaire whose name alone could silence a room. He was dangerous, controlling, and completely out of her world.
But the moment he claimed her as his, there was no escape.
What started as a forced bond quickly turned into something far more dangerous. Obsession and possession, a love so intense it blurred the line between protection and destruction.
Then everything shattered.
A brutal accident leaves Adrianna fighting for her life... and Xavier drowning in guilt, rage, and a darkness no one has ever seen before. While she lies unconscious, he hunts for the truth behind the attack, unaware that betrayal is closer than he thinks.
When Adrianna finally wakes up, nothing is the same.
Secrets have been buried, a child has been lost, and enemies are closing in.
But Xavier has made one thing clear.
He will destroy anyone who dares touch what belongs to him, even if it means becoming the monster she fears.
Even if it means losing her forever.
7.3
After losing both her parents at a tender age, Ciara experiences coldness despite having her best friend Carlista whose parents chose to raise her, she faces several oppositions from extended family and even outside pressure as a result of her inherited wealth; she falls in love with her best friend's brother who refuses to acknowledge their relationship to the public.
9.2
Swapped at birth, Eileen was returned to her real family on her eighteenth birthday-only to be betrayed by them that very night.
To protect their precious fake sister, her three brothers forced Eileen and sent her to prison.
For four brutal years, she was beaten, humiliated, and abandoned, while not one relative came to see her.
When she finally walked free, her family and fiancé still treated her like a stain. So Eileen cut them off for good.
Then a limited-edition limo stopped at their door, and the man beside her made the whole family tremble.
It turned out Eileen had long since made a name for herself around the world.
"Mess with my woman, and I'll make you fucking regret it."