Seth Mack
**Chapter 1: How About Swapping Him Out?**
Hailey Myers stood in a pure white wedding dress.
The strapless design complemented the diamond necklace at her throat, and the voluminous skirt made her waist look exceptionally slender.
Even without a trace of makeup, her delicate face was captivating.
“You look absolutely stunning,” the bridal shop attendant gushed. “When is Ethan supposed to get here?”
“Thank you.” Hailey smiled politely. “He's on a business trip overseas and couldn't make it back.”
Hailey had been lost by a careless nanny when she was just three months old. She'd lived in orphanages and even public parks, often going hungry and having to take on under-the-table jobs to survive. She had been through hell and back before the Myers family finally found her at sixteen.
But by then, her parents had already adopted Makayla.
Hailey ended up feeling like an outsider, watching as Makayla claimed not only her parents' affection but also the room that should have been hers, and the title of the Myers family's eldest daughter.
To avoid hurting Makayla, the family never publicly announced Hailey's true identity, claiming only that they had taken in a goddaughter.
It was Old Mr. Ford, a close friend of the family, who took a liking to her. Seeing that she and his grandson, Ethan Ford, were in love, he took it upon himself to arrange their engagement.
Hailey's hands rested on the skirt, a precious touch. Soon, she would have a home of her own, and someone who would love her forever.
Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a photo from an unknown number.
She tapped it open, and the smile instantly froze on her lips.
The photo showed a cozy lawn wedding. A bride and groom were locked in a passionate embrace, kissing deeply.
Hailey knew both of them all too well—Makayla and Ethan.
“Ms. Myers, are you… are you okay?” the attendant asked cautiously. “Ms. Myers?”
Hailey snapped back to reality, her voice trembling slightly. “I'm fine. Could you please help me out of this dress?”
Hailey rushed to the wedding venue from the photo. Her chest heaved from running, her legs felt numb. She stared at the lively reception and the photos on the welcome sign, a film of moisture blurring her vision.
She quickly wiped her eyes, desperately searching for any proof that this was all a terrible mistake. *Ethan can't be here. He just can't be!*
But when she saw that familiar figure, she staggered back a step. Her eyes burned, an undeniable sting turning them red.
Hailey couldn't lie to herself anymore. There he was, her fiancé, Ethan Ford, wearing the same groom's suit from the photo. He had his arm wrapped around Makayla, who wore a wedding dress, as they were surrounded and teased by a group of friends.
The grating voices reached Hailey's ears…
“Damn, Ethan, you're the man! Bagging both of the Myers sisters. Some guys have all the luck.”
“If you ask me, you should just make this wedding real and dump that half-deaf Hailey.”
“Totally. It'd be embarrassing for everyone to find out the great Ethan Ford's wife is disabled.”
“Not just disabled, but uptight too. I bet she's like a dead fish in bed, right?”
The taunts hit one after another, crashing through Hailey's eardrums and straight to her heart. She'd met most of Ethan's friends before. They had always been polite, gentlemanly. She never imagined this was how they really saw her—as something so pathetic.
Ethan's back was to Hailey, so she couldn't see his expression. But she could clearly see her sister, Makayla, lean into his chest and say sweetly, “I already have so much. But Hailey… she only has Ethan. I don't have to fight her for him.”
“Just having this wedding is enough to make me happy.”
Ethan's hand tightened on Makayla's waist. He slid his cool glass up from her collarbone, tracing a teasing line across her cheek, making her burrow deeper into his arms. “See? Makayla's the understanding one. As long as you don't run your mouth in front of Hailey, whatever she has, I'll give you double.”
“And you all remember this…” Ethan paused, his voice turning colder. “Hailey isn't disabled. Her hearing in her left ear just isn't as good as a normal person's, that's all.”
“Right, right, whatever you say, Ethan,” his friends chorused with smirks.
Ethan's words struck Hailey like a bolt of lightning, shattering her heart into a million pieces. The pain drained the color from her face, her lips trembled, and tears she couldn't control began to fall.
The ache quickly spread through her whole body, and even her left ear began to throb with an unbearable pain. The lively sounds of the party became a muffled drone, as if coming from behind a thick wall.
The love she had been so sure of had completely crumbled in that single moment.
She had met Ethan when she returned to the Myers family at sixteen. Back then, no one wanted to talk to the awkward new girl, but he was the only one who noticed her in the corner.
He patiently taught her how to use complicated silverware and how to distinguish valuable art from high-end fashion. He would take her hand and guide her through crowds, never seeming to mind her ignorance.
When she was eighteen, a fire broke out at the Myers' estate. She was trapped, and it was Ethan who rushed in to save her, ignoring everyone who tried to stop him.
In that fire, his back was badly burned. And while trying to shield him from falling furniture, she injured her left ear, leaving her with only ten percent of normal hearing in it.
From that day on, Ethan became the only person she could trust, the brightest light in her life.
She had always believed, with unwavering faith, that they would get married and Ethan would love her forever.
Only now did she realize it wasn't true. His tenderness and protection could also be “given in double” to Makayla.
Their so-called love, their supposed exclusivity, was nothing but a carefully concealed lie.
“Isn't that Hailey?” Someone's voice cut through the noise, and all eyes turned to her.
Ethan's eyes met her disappointed gaze. His face changed instantly. He instinctively pushed Makayla away and strode over, grabbing her wrist. “What are you doing here?”
Hailey's left ear was throbbing. Ethan's voice shattered into fragments, crashing around in her head.
She looked at the impeccably dressed Ethan, her voice hoarse. “You lied to me about a business trip… so you could give Makayla a wedding?”
A flicker of guilt crossed Ethan's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. “Hailey, our wedding will be even grander than this. It will be held with the blessings of all our elders. Isn't that enough?”
“You've been away from the family for too long. You don't know how things work in this circle. It's normal. Makayla already promised she won't compete with you. You'll still be my legal wife.”
“You can just pretend none of this ever happened.”
“Legal wife?” Hailey clenched her fists, stubbornly holding back her tears. She stared at him. “But you'll still be hugging and kissing other women? Enjoying the perks of having both of us?”
Ethan fell silent. It was the most honest answer he could give.
Hailey yanked her wrist free. The red mark he left behind was glaringly bright. “Then I wish you and Makayla a long and happy life together. I'll let her have my 'legal' position, too.”
A traitorous tear rolled down her cheek. Through her blurry vision, she could see the triumphant smirk Makayla couldn't suppress.
A bitter smile touched Hailey's lips. In the end, no one had ever truly loved her. Her parents, her sister, her fiancé… it was all just an act.
“Hailey!” A jolt went through Ethan. He instinctively reached for her, but she dodged him.
Hailey turned and walked away, her pace quickening. The static in her left ear grew louder, making her head split with pain.
She didn't know how long she ran before she finally stopped. Trembling, she pulled out her phone and dialed Old Mr. Ford's number. She owed an explanation to the one elder who seemed to actually care about her.
“Grandpa Ford, I… I want to call off the engagement with your family.”
There wasn't a hint of surprise in Old Mr. Ford's voice. He only paused for a moment before saying, “You don't have to cancel it. How about I swap him out for you?”
“Swap him out? For who?”
“Ethan's uncle. Kai Ford.”