He Cheated Before Our Wedding, So I Slept With My Future Uncle‑in‑Law

The night before the wedding, Zamir Peterson vanished. Sol Smith couldn’t find him anywhere in Manchester. Drained down to her bones—body and heart—she got a text from an unknown number.

“Zamir is in the south part of the city.” An exact location followed.

Without a second thought, Sol Smith grabbed a late-night cab to the address. She found him at an upscale business club on the south side of the city. The door was cracked open. Through the gap, she saw a man in a crisp suit sprawled across a plush sofa, surrounded by a crowd, blowing out cigarette smoke like he’d been born doing it.

One of his friends lifted his glass. “Zamir, your wedding to Sol Smith is only three days away. Congrats on finally landing a beauty like her.”

Sol had heard that some men got cold feet before the wedding—needed space to sort their heads out. Maybe Zamir was no different. She was almost ready to give him that grace when his cold, dismissive voice cut through her thoughts.

“I only said yes to her proposal because I felt backed into a corner. Logically? She doesn’t do a damn thing for my career. Sure, she’s beautiful, but even the prettiest flower loses its shine after a while.”

Sol was already twenty-three. Give it a few more years, and she’d be past her prime, no match for the fresh, exciting eighteen-year-olds.

“You thinking about calling off the wedding?” one of his friends asked.

“A woman can’t be spoiled! If she tries to corner me into marriage, I have to teach her a lesson. Otherwise, where’s my freedom once we’re married?”

“You’re smart when it comes to women. She’s an orphan—no family to back her up. After three years by your side, she won’t walk away now that you’ve made it.”

His friend turned to the woman beside Zamir and teased, “With someone as charming and capable as Carly at your side, who’d ever want to let you go?”

Zamir turned and kissed the young woman, whose beauty was more delicate than any flower. He looked every inch the roguish gentleman. “Jealous? Go find your own.”

Carly Perkins, curled up in Zamir’s arms, playfully smacked his chest. “Oh, stop it! You’re such a tease!”

Their flirting, completely unbothered by the people around them, was clearly a familiar show for the group.

“Carly, you’ve been with Zamir for so long. Haven’t you thought about upgrading your status?” someone joked.

Carly gazed at Zamir with pure adoration. “As long as I can be with Zamir, titles don’t matter.”

In stark contrast to Sol Smith’s need for commitment, Carly seemed compliant and understanding.

Zamir basked in the young woman’s admiration. But when he caught sight of Sol Smith’s unsteady figure in the doorway, Carly’s lips curled into a sly smile. Her slender arm tightened around his neck, her voice silk-smooth. “Zamir, are you really skipping the wedding? What if Sol Smith gets mad and dumps you…”

“She wouldn’t dare. Who else would want her if not me?” Zamir replied with certainty.

Smoke hung thick in the room, blurring his handsome features. Sol Smith felt her heart freeze. Her nails bit into her palms.

Years ago, when her father suggested she marry into the Lopez family, she couldn’t stomach the thought of an arranged, loveless marriage. She left home in the middle of the night, chasing true love.

Not long after, she rented an apartment—and caught the attention of a group of shady guys who made her safety a nightmare. Just when she was trapped, Zamir showed up and pulled her out of danger.

The young man—slim in a white shirt and black pants—took on three attackers by himself, driving them off even after getting hurt. Then he calmed her with that gentle voice of his.

As she tearfully cleaned his wounds, she learned he was looking for a place to stay. She offered him a room at a price he could afford.

Zamir was kind, caring, ambitious, and a great cook—always going the extra mile for her.

Eventually, romance bloomed between them. She secretly arranged an investment in his startup, supporting his dreams without bruising his pride. He thrived. Within three years, his company went public.

On the day the company went public, she rented out a restaurant and bought a diamond ring, then proposed to him in front of everyone. She thought he was sharing her joy. Looking back, every overlooked sign had been the truth she refused to see. He never meant to marry her. He saw her proposal as an ultimatum.

Steeling herself, Sol Smith pushed the door open. The suite went dead silent. Zamir’s carefree smile vanished, and he shoved Carly away.

“Sol, what are you doing here?”

He moved toward her, reaching for her hand. Sol Smith stepped back, dodging his touch.

“If I hadn’t come, I’d never have known how you really feel,” she said, her voice steady even as tears threatened to fall. “If you didn’t want to marry me, you could’ve just told me. I wouldn’t force you.”

Zamir tried to explain, flustered. “It’s not like that. You misunderstood.”

He shot his friends a pointed look, and they filed out one by one. Carly was the last to pass. Her lips curled in provocation. “Sol Smith, you and Zamir are so close. You’re always right behind him…”

Before she could finish, Sol Smith’s hand swung up and cracked across Carly’s face. “Who do you think you are? You have no right to speak on what’s between Zamir and me.”

Carly’s eyes welled with tears as she looked at Zamir with pitiful innocence. “Zamir…”

“Sol, take your anger out on me. Don’t go after innocent people.” Zamir’s face tightened as he moved protectively in front of Carly.

The sight pierced Sol Smith straight through the heart. Her fingers trembled as she fought to keep her composure. “When did this start?”

Zamir loosened his tie, irritation flickering across his face. “We’ve been through so much together. Do you really not trust me?”

It was because she’d trusted him too much that she’d never doubted him.

Her gaze turned sardonic as she forced a smile. “Can you prove it?”

“What do you want me to do to prove it?”

“Fire her.”

“No way. She hasn’t done anything wrong. Besides, if I fired her now, what would people think?”

Zamir answered without missing a beat, gripping her shoulders as his voice dropped into something somber. “We’ve just started to enjoy our life, Sol Smith. Don’t be paranoid. I’m working hard for our future. Carly and I are innocent. How could you ruin a young girl’s reputation like that?”

His defensive tone, wrapped in absurdity, only exposed how empty his lies were. The more he tried to justify himself, the clearer his guilt became.

Sol stood there, watching him weakly deflect, and found it almost laughably pathetic.

Zamir, whose eyes had once been full of admiration for her, had been changed by the business world. His heart got lost in the chaos and indulgence—and he betrayed her along the way.

Her eyes unfocused for a moment as she swallowed the bitterness. “Think whatever you want, Zamir. Make a choice.”

Despite their years together, she wanted to give him one last chance.

In the end, Zamir let her down.

“I won’t go along with your madness and drag innocent people into this. Carly is talented and essential to the company.”

Essential to the company—or to him?

Sol Smith suddenly felt no urge to keep up this pointless interrogation.

Seeing her about to leave, Zamir grabbed her arm, anger flashing in his eyes. “If you don’t apologize today, the wedding’s off.”

Sol Smith let out a soft retort. “Do you really think there’s any point?”

Ignoring the look on Zamir’s face, she left without looking back.

Once inside the car, her defenses crumbled. The tears finally fell—for three years of unwavering devotion that now felt utterly wasted.

To hell with true love.

On the way to the airport, she stared out at the passing city lights and dialed a familiar number she’d neglected for far too long. “Dad, I’ve changed my mind. I’m willing to come home and go through with the engagement. Give me a week to wrap things up here.”