I Switched Fiancés After His Betrayal with My Stepsister Novel Chapter 1 – On the night before our engagement, I stumbled upon Johan Walker and Neriah Myers wrapped up in each other’s arms. Johan stood with his back to the entrance, pressing my father’s stepdaughter against the living room wall.
“Marrying her is purely a family deal. You’re the one I truly love,” he muttered. “Don’t worry, even if I marry her, I won’t touch her. She’s disabled, and just looking at her turns my stomach.”
Outside, I stood frozen, my nails digging into my palms as I watched the whole sordid scene unfold.
The next day, the engagement venue sparkled with floral arrangements, and guests filled the room. The host announced that we were about to become lifelong partners.
I spun around to face Johan’s older brother, Isaac Young, who was currently dealing with temporary blindness.
“Isaac,” I declared, “will you marry me?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, a wave of commotion swept through the crowd. The host’s microphone fell to the floor, producing a screeching sound. My father, Clay Myers, lunged forward, tugging at my dress.
“Adaline, what nonsense are you talking?” he shouted. “Johan is your fiancé. Have you lost your mind?”
His words came out in bursts, his chest heaving with effort. My stepmother, Bria Davis—Neriah’s mother—gently patted his back, trying to calm him down. Her gaze at me was cold and disapproving.
“Adaline, marriage isn’t something to joke about. Do you realize what you’re doing? Choosing a new fiancé on your engagement day—are you trying to ruin our family’s reputation?”
Ignoring her, I turned back to Isaac Young. He was even more handsome than Johan.
“I know exactly what I’m doing, and I’m certain. He’s the one I want to marry.”
Marrying someone who didn’t love me was out of the question. If I must marry, Isaac Young would at least bring fewer complications.
Seeing my resolve, my father’s anger boiled over. He shrugged off Bria’s attempts to comfort him and slapped me hard across the face.
“Adaline, is this how you repay me for raising you? You agreed to date Johan, and now you want to switch to his brother? How can I show my face after such disgrace?”
Holding my stinging cheek, a blend of sorrow and hurt surged through me. Was this really my father, the one who once cherished me? He had died with my mother, after all. The loving father I once knew disappeared with her.
I brushed away the tears at the corners of my eyes, determined not to appear weak. Sensing the tension, Neriah tried to smooth things over.
“Sis, don’t blame our parents for being upset. They care about you. You’re disabled, and now you want to marry a blind man? People will just laugh at the Myers family. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—I’ve heard blind men aren’t very… capable.”
Her snide remarks made my skin crawl. I ignored her, refocusing my attention on Isaac Young, who was seated in a wheelchair. I wanted to move closer, to lessen the distance between us.
Johan abruptly stepped in my way, eyes filled with undisguised disdain.
“Adaline, trying to make a scene? Pick your moments better.
“Your family begged for our engagement, paid millions in dowry, and now you want to marry my disabled brother. What, hoping for another payout? Myers family, we’re not your cash machine. If you don’t want this, leave. Plenty would be thrilled to have me.”
His eyes were fierce with simmering anger, bitter not because I was breaking off the engagement but because of the embarrassment it caused him. Johan, after all, valued his reputation above everything.
Sensing the brewing storm, Chaya Dixon, the matriarch, hurried forward to calm the situation. She held my hand, kindly advising me.
“Adaline, I’m not sure what Johan might have done wrong for you to want out like this. If it’s significant, I apologize on his behalf. As for our second son, Isaac, his eyesight isn’t good, and he’s not interested in romance. We can’t push him into marriage. Marrying Johan would be ideal.”
Chaya Dixon was a shrewd woman. She had chosen me for the alliance because she’d done her homework on my exceptional business acumen. Bringing me into the family would be beneficial for the family enterprise.
Even with my leg disability, I wasn’t weak. I owned half of the family shares my mother left me. Plus, I was the eldest daughter from a prestigious family.
Neriah, on the other hand, was merely the child brought in by my father’s second marriage.
Gathering my courage, I turned to Isaac Young.
“Isaac, would you…”
Before I could finish, Isaac replied without hesitation.
“I would be honored to marry you.”