My First Love Blackmailed Me Into Marriage

“Hey, what are you staring at? Can’t you see your boyfriend’s a mess? Aren’t you gonna help him?” Cayden Spencer’s voice was thick with sarcasm as he shot a dirty look at Aitana Nguyen, who stood motionless off to the side.

Aitana’s thoughts were spinning, but before she could get a word out, Cayden let out a dramatic, over-the-top groan. “Ahh! It hurts! It hurts…”

Like a jolt of electricity had hit him, he jerked upright, shoving away the hand that had been pressing on his knee. “Dr. Nguyen, you’re pressing the wrong spot.”

Jaxxon Nguyen didn’t even flinch. His voice stayed measured. “The fluid buildup in your knee has gotten worse. We need to drain it.”

The young nurse nodded along. “That’s correct.”

Every bit of color drained from Cayden’s face. “Drain it? How?”

The nurse mimed a syringe, her thumb pushing down. “We’ll use a needle about this thick to puncture the synovial membrane.”

A cold wave of fear washed over Cayden. “Is it gonna hurt?”

“It’s just a needle, no big deal,” she said with a shrug.

Cold sweat beaded on Cayden’s forehead.

Then, out of nowhere, he turned to Aitana, his whole demeanor flipping to desperation. “Aitana, can we get back together? Stay with me, and I won’t hold you or your dad responsible. Just cover my medical bills, and I won’t go after any more compensation. I’ll even drop the charges against your father.”

Aitana didn’t so much as blink. “When did you visit the Alps?”

Cayden looked baffled. “What?”

“Where’d you learn to flip-flop like that?” she shot back, a razor-sharp edge to her voice.

“… …”

Done with the charade, Aitana cut straight to it. “Cayden, if you can’t understand plain English, let me spell it out: we’re over. You started this mess, and I’m not scared of whatever you bring. So let’s see how it plays out.”

She hit him with a cold stare, then spun on her heel for the door.

Cayden’s face twisted with fury, a curse slipping under his breath as he watched her walk away.

“You fond of that leg?” Jaxxon’s voice dropped, low and dangerous.

Cayden’s eyes popped wide. “This is between me and my ex. What’s it to you?”

Jaxxon gave a subtle nod to the nurse, who quickly slipped out, leaving Cayden squirming.

Jaxxon’s tone was calm, deliberate. “You realize, the day they wheeled you into the ER, if the disciplinary committee found out what you had on you…”

Shock flickered across Cayden’s face.

That day, when Cayden was rushed in, Jaxxon was the attending. Cayden had a fibula fracture with an ankle dislocation—blinding pain. He cussed out anyone who tried to touch him.

“I’ll take it from here,” Jaxxon had said, taking the scissors off an intern and slicing open Cayden’s skin-tight jeans like he’d done it a thousand times. Minutes later, Cayden’s leg was casted, but he’d completely forgotten about the incriminating receipts stuffed in his pocket—a couple for spa visits and one very sketchy tax invoice.

“So what if I hit up a spa with my friends? That a crime?” Cayden spat, defiant.

“I don’t care who you go with,” Jaxxon warned, his voice icy. “But if you mess with Aitana again, consider that leg—and your freedom—kissed goodbye.”

Cayden was thrown. “You know Aitana? What is she to you?”

“My wife.”

Cayden was absolutely floored, his brain struggling to process. “You’re kidding, right? We broke up just a few days ago…”

“We got our marriage certificate today.” Jaxxon flipped it open just long enough for Cayden to catch a glimpse.

Cayden’s disbelief twisted into defiance. “You do know fake certificates are illegal.”

Jaxxon’s smirk was cold. “So is bribery.”

Cayden’s bravado crumbled. Panic crept in.

Jaxxon remained unbothered, like none of it even registered. On his way out, he tossed out one last casual warning: “Be careful. You just might end up needing a very expensive prosthetic.”

A chill shot down Cayden’s spine.

……

Stepping out of the room, Jaxxon was caught off guard when he spotted Aitana sitting on a bench near the nurse’s station.

“Were you waiting for me?”

Aitana lifted her head, then stood. “Can we talk?”

Jaxxon nodded, guiding her to a small meeting room down the orthopedics hall.

He handed her a bottle of water, the cap already loosened, and set it gently in front of her. “What’s up?” he asked, lowering himself into the chair beside her.

For a second, Aitana was struck by how thoughtful he was. Then she pulled herself back to the point. “Cayden Spencer, my ex…”

“I know.”

Aitana bit her lip, feeling stupid for stating the obvious. “Jaxxon, as spineless and obnoxious as Cayden is, he knows how to manipulate and bully people. I can handle our issues, but I don’t want our marriage to cause problems for you at work.”

“Is there a problem?” Jaxxon asked evenly.

Aitana paused, thrown by his calm.

“You don’t need to assume anything about me being your husband,” Jaxxon said, pulling out their marriage certificate and laying it in front of her. “Think this certificate is just for show?”

Her eyes dipped to the red booklet, then drifted up to Jaxxon’s face. “Why do you even carry that around? You didn’t show it to Cayden, did you?”

A beat of silence. “I knew about your relationship with him when he came to the hospital.”

“Huh?”

“Your mom brought him.”

Aitana’s eyes widened. “You met my mom? She never said she saw you.”

“It was chaos. She didn’t recognize me.”

Aitana studied him then, really studied him. He wasn’t the same person she used to know. It wasn’t just how he looked—it was the way he carried himself, the way he thought. There was an alluring mystery about him that pulled her in.

In just three days, Jaxxon had tied everything up with a speed that felt almost too perfect.

Her brows knitted as she scrutinized him. “You planned this, didn’t you?”

Jaxxon looked away, dodging her piercing gaze. “Using those photos from my client meetings to threaten me, pretending you can’t do laundry, mixing up clothes on purpose, and only dropping what you knew about Cayden after we were married—what are you really thinking, Jaxxon?”

In his office, Aitana had settled into his chair, quietly taking in his workspace. The desktop monitor glowed with the hospital’s patient management system; a closed MacBook sat next to it.

The desk was a grand, old oak one—cluttered. On the left, stacks of manuals and books on bones, joints, and 3D printing. On the right, a mountain of medical records and diagnostic reports. With all the recent upheaval, the neat order from her last visit had dissolved into mess.

Not wanting to disturb anything, Aitana clutched the lunchbox she’d brought, careful not to add to the chaos.

Arturo Howell walked in, spotted the container, and asked, “Still bringing lunch for Jaxxon?”

“Huh?” Aitana’s brain stalled for a second.

Arturo nodded toward the box in her hands. “Yeah, his lunch?”

“Oh, uh, sort of,” she replied, dodging the whole backstory.

Arturo said, “I asked him to join us in the cafeteria, but he wouldn’t come.”

“Wait, Jaxxon didn’t eat lunch?” Aitana’s guilt hit her all at once.

“He was slammed all morning. When you called, he finally caught a break—and then you showed up with your classmate’s family.”

The guilt flooded in. Before she’d left, her parents had insisted she take the meal, and she’d grudgingly gone along. Now she was grateful for their wisdom.

“But he’s only working a half day today,” Arturo added. “Should be heading out soon.”

“Oh,” she breathed, feeling a tiny bit better.

Arturo returned to his tasks, and Aitana sat there in Jaxxon’s chair, lunchbox in hand, lost in her head.

When Jaxxon got back, he found her sitting all prim and proper in his seat, back straight, posture almost too obedient.

“You’re back?”

Her eyes flicked over his shoulder, noting no one else. “Where’s Beau?”

“In his room.”

“All sorted?” she asked.

“All set.”

Jaxxon washed his hands, catching Arturo shooting him a knowing look through the mirror. Arturo stood. “I’ll leave you two. Got patients to see.”

With Arturo gone, Aitana didn’t waste any more time. “Beau’s family isn’t doing great. Can we minimize his dad’s treatment costs?”

“Sure.” Jaxxon dried his hands, flicking the faucet off with a paper towel.

“Did they pay an upfront deposit today for his admission? My dad ran into the same thing paying for Auntie Liang. If they run out of money mid-treatment…”

“Don’t worry, it’s handled,” Jaxxon assured her, settling into another chair. “In the future, I’ll take care of his matters. You don’t need to.”

“But he’s my classmate…”

“Just because he’s your classmate, does that mean you’ll be helping him forever?”

Aitana caught the edge in his voice. He was clearly irritated, and that sparked her own temper. “When did I ever say I’d help forever?”

Jaxxon’s face turned stony. “How much do you even make? Even if you gave everything you had, it wouldn’t be a drop in the bucket.”

She knew she didn’t have the money to solve Beau’s problems alone. As his senior and classmate, she could reach out to Arlo Spencer or the university for help. But the way Jaxxon threw her low income in her face—it stung. Humiliating and infuriating at once.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re so successful, so capable, and someone like me isn’t even worthy of being your friend, right?” Aitana snapped, shoving the lunchbox into his hands as she stood to leave.

In a flash, Jaxxon grabbed her wrist, yanking her back with surprising force.

She stumbled, losing her balance and landing sideways right into Jaxxon’s lap. He shifted the lunchbox out of the way just in time, but Aitana ended up wedged between his legs.

As she fell, she instinctively reached out to brace herself—her elbow accidentally pressing straight into Jaxxon’s groin. The sudden, intimate contact sent a rush of heat to her face as she scrambled to right herself.

A low, muffled groan escaped Jaxxon, the discomfort all too clear.

Mortified, Aitana shot to her feet and retreated to a safe distance. “I—I’m so sorry…”

Jaxxon’s brow furrowed, the warmth of her still lingering against him. The accidental touch left a hollow ache of want.

“No need to apologize if it wasn’t on purpose,” he said, setting the lunchbox aside and swiveling the chair toward her. “Hang tight while I wrap up a few things, and I’ll drive you home.”

Aitana’s heart was still pounding from the whole mess.

Even though it was an accident, her mind wouldn’t stop spinning.

She sat, her fingers absently brushing the spot on her forearm where she’d made contact—or at least, where she thought she had. Her thoughts raced, the memory stubbornly replaying no matter how hard she tried to push it away.

“Hey, what do you say we hit the fair together next weekend?” Jaxxon suggested.

Aitana managed a smile. “Sure, that sounds fun.”

On the drive home, Jaxxon was unusually quiet. Aitana glanced over and noticed his brow was still furrowed.

“Everything okay?” she asked, concerned.

“Yeah, just thinking about work,” he replied, though his tone was distant.

Aitana let the silence be, turning her focus back to the road ahead. The cityscape blurred past, the familiar route home a comforting backdrop.

When they finally pulled into the driveway, Aitana let out a small sigh of relief, grateful for a sliver of normalcy. “Thanks for the ride.”

Jaxxon nodded, offering a faint smile. “Anytime.”

She lingered in the car for just a second, stealing one last glance his way before stepping out. She didn’t know what was weighing on him, but she hoped he’d open up when he was ready.

Inside, she found her parents already busy in the kitchen, her mom prepping dinner with that effortless rhythm she had.

“Hey, kiddo,” her dad greeted, glancing up from chopping vegetables. “Good day?”

“Pretty good,” Aitana replied, joining them at the counter. “What’s for dinner?”

“Your favorite,” her mom chimed in, her smile warm as always. “Spaghetti Bolognese.”

A wave of gratitude washed over Aitana—for the simple, steady comfort of it all. In this kitchen, with the clatter of pots and the smell of home-cooked food, the day’s tangled mess just seemed to melt.

As she slipped into the rhythm of helping with dinner, a flicker of contentment glowed inside her. Despite all the craziness, she knew she was surrounded by love that made everything else feel manageable.

Her mind wandered back to Jaxxon, and she hoped that whatever was hanging over him would find its way to peace soon. In the meantime, she’d be here, ready to listen, with an open heart.