I thought I was living my dream when I married Damian, but it all turned into a nightmare before the reception. I ended up burying my husband three days after our wedding, only to come face-to-face with him behind the wheel of a taxi.This isn\u2019t something I can tell the people around me, so I have to use the anonymity of the internet for it. You can call me Paige. I\u2019m 28, and just a few months ago, I was the picture-perfect bride.But my soulmate, whom you may call Damian, died after we said I do. They say life flashes before your eyes when you\u2019re going to die, but our entire relationship flashed before mine as I saw him drop to the ground.\n\n\n\n

Damian and I met at a small caf\u00e9 where I used to work part-time. He was one of those quiet, polite customers who always tipped well and read a book while drinking coffee.\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d had a crush on him since I first saw him. But when he asked me out, I was shocked. He was gorgeous with his sharp cheekbones, warm hazel eyes, and quiet confidence.\n\n\n\n

I was just an average girl from a lower middle-class family, so I couldn\u2019t believe he was interested in me. But he was, and from our first date walking on a local pier, it felt like we were meant to be.\n\n\n\n

Just a year later, we were standing at the altar in front of our closest friends. It was the happiest day of my life. Damian couldn\u2019t stop smiling at me as I cried while reading my vows. We were about to start the next amazing chapter of our lives together.\n\n\n\n

But that dream ended abruptly. Before the reception, while taking some pictures with friends, Damian suddenly collapsed. At first, I thought he was joking. But when he didn\u2019t get up, I froze.\n\n\n\n

People surrounded him, and someone called 911. The paramedics worked on him right there on the dance floor, but nothing they did worked.\n\n\n\n

They rushed him to the hospital, and I followed them in a daze. A doctor came out hours later, his face grim, and told me Damian didn\u2019t make it. They said it was a heart attack. He was only 32 years old. How does a healthy man just die like that?\n\n\n\n

I could barely hold myself together the following days. It was all a blur until the funeral when his family showed up. I\u2019d only met them once before, and that one meeting was enough.\n\n\n\n

Damian had warned me about them but hadn\u2019t told me everything. His adoptive parents were snobbish and controlling. But one of Damian\u2019s friends, Adam, confessed to me that they were also filthy rich.\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamian didn\u2019t tell you about his family\u2019s wealth because he didn\u2019t want it to affect how you saw him,\u201d he said in a low voice.\n\n\n\n

I honestly never knew despite him telling me he had a successful business. Yet, it made sense. That also had to be why they didn\u2019t approve of our relationship. I wasn\u2019t from the \u201cright\u201d kind of family and Damian hadn\u2019t invited them to our wedding.\n\n\n\n

But now they were here and spent the entire service throwing daggers at me with their eyes. I overheard his mother whisper to someone, \u201cShe was probably after his money and caused his death. Get our lawyer on the phone.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I wanted to yell that I didn\u2019t even know Damian had a lot of money, let alone want it. But what good would it do? They\u2019d already made up their minds about me, and I just didn\u2019t have the energy to fight anyone.\n\n\n\n

Three days after the funeral, I couldn\u2019t take the grief and the emptiness anymore. My apartment felt suffocating as every corner held a memory of Damian.\n\n\n\n

The sadness was overwhelming and was giving me strange thoughts. On top of that, his family had started to call me. I never answered, but their voice messages were terrifying.\n\n\n\n

I needed to get away, so I threw some clothes into a small suitcase, grabbed my passport, and called a taxi. My plan wasn\u2019t fully formed. I just knew I had to leave the city or country. Maybe I\u2019d go to Mexico or Aruba. Anywhere that wasn\u2019t here.\n\n\n\n

When the taxi pulled up, I climbed into the backseat and stared out the window. I barely noticed the driver as I settled into the leather and tried to breathe deeply.\n\n\n\n

I froze. My chest tightened, and my heart started pounding. That voice was Damian\u2019s. I whipped my head around and focused on the rearview mirror. Those eyes. Those unmistakable hazel eyes.\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamian?\u201d I croaked. \u201cBut\u2026? How? How are you here? What?\u201d\n\n\n\n

My words made no sense, but suddenly, he swerved the car away from the road toward the highway and parked on a quiet street. For a moment, he didn\u2019t say anything.\n\n\n\n

I could see his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly like he was bracing himself for something. Then he turned around and looked right at me.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Paige,\u201d he said softly without any preamble. \u201cI know this is a lot to take in. I\u2019ll explain everything. Please don\u2019t hate me.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I sat with wide eyes and an open mouth for the entirety of Damian\u2019s explanation. It was too much to believe.\n\n\n\n

First, he told me about his family. They adopted him as a teenager and used his brilliance to expand their shady business empire, which was failing spectacularly before him. Eventually, he became the brains behind some of their most successful (and probably illegal) ventures.\n\n\n\n

For a while, he was just glad that he had proud parents and could contribute to the family who had given him a home when no one else would. But he grew tired of the illegal things.\n\n\n\n

Damian knew it was only a matter of time before they were caught, and he didn\u2019t want to be left with nothing. So, he started a legit business and grew it into such a success that he decided not to work with his family anymore.\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when they turned on him. They wanted to control this venture, but Damian managed to put their threats off until he met me. Well, their shady business was also failing without him.\n\n\n\n

So, they threatened to ruin me and our lives if Damian didn\u2019t give them a piece of the cake.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t let them touch you,\u201d Damian said, rubbing his face. \u201cThey would\u2019ve destroyed you to get to me. So I did the only thing I could think of. I made them believe I was dead.\u201d\n\n\n\n

He went on to explain how he staged everything. There\u2019s apparently a medication that can slow your heart rate so much that it mimics death. With the help of a professional fixer who knew the right people to pay off, he faked the collapse, the hospital pronouncement, and even the funeral.\n\n\n\n

When I asked how he escaped his grave, Damian laughed and said he wasn\u2019t in the coffin at all. He had to be there for the viewing service, but the fixer got his people to take him out at some point without anyone noticing.\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t know what to say when he finished. Was I in a George Clooney heist movie?\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know I hurt you,\u201d he said as his eyes watered. \u201cBut I did it for us. I couldn\u2019t let them win.\u201d\n\n\n\n

My mouth opened, but nothing came out, so we stayed in that cab on that quiet road for hours without speaking, except for a few whispered, \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d\n\n\n\n

It was there that the dam unleashed. I spent hours yelling while he tried to justify his actions. \u201cYOU LET ME THINK YOU WERE DEAD!\u201d I cried out.\n\n\n\n

By the morning, I was all cried out, and my voice was hoarse, but I finally asked, \u201cWhat now?\u201d It wasn\u2019t like we could go back to how things were. He was supposed to be dead. His family could easily see him here.\n\n\n\n

Damian then explained his idea for the future. By faking his death, he ensured that all his legitimately earned assets were transferred to me. His family couldn\u2019t touch them now. All I needed to do now was to sell and split it with him.\n\n\n\n

But soon enough, he was moving abroad for good. I was shaking my head, still in disbelief, when he asked me something outrageous.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know that I hurt you terribly, but is there any way you\u2019d want to come with me?\u201d he asked.\n\n\n\n

I scoffed and remained quiet for a long time, but eventually, I answered.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t just pick up where we left off, even in another country,\u201d I told him. \u201cI\u2019ll do whatever you need with the assets and the money, but you broke my heart. I don\u2019t think I can trust you enough to start over. I need space.\u201d\n\n\n\n

He nodded seriously. \u201cI understand. Take all the space and time you need. I have to leave later today. But I\u2019m not giving up on us, Paige. I\u2019ll wait for as long as it takes.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Before Damian left, he left me his contact information and promised to check in when he could.\n\n\n\n

For the next few weeks, I was furious. I didn\u2019t respond to his texts. But I did start arranging to sell his business and consolidate assets. That brought some trouble with his parents, who wanted to claim what Damian had left me after his \u201cdeath.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I had to see them several times in the presence of lawyers, and they were scary people.\n\n\n\n

But there was nothing they could do legally to take anything from me, and my attorneys weren\u2019t afraid of them. So, his parents were forced to back off, and I was free to sell what I needed.\n\n\n\n

When all was said and done, I started to see what Damian had done as the right choice. He was protecting himself and me from them. It was reckless and stupid but also selfless.\n\n\n\n

Weeks later, I realized something: I still loved him. Despite what he put me through, my heart hadn\u2019t let go. I picked up my phone and dialed his number.\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere are you?\u201d I asked. \u201cI\u2019ll go there, but never do that to me again.\u201d\n\n\n\n

And that was it. Now, I\u2019m in another country where they speak an entirely different language, but the beach is 30 minutes away.\n\n\n\n

I had to give up everything, and it was worth it. Damian and I had another wedding and actually got to enjoy it this time. His parents won\u2019t ever find us, and we\u2019re living our best life.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"