Page 138 of Broken Destiny

Across the patio, my fiancée, Tatiana, signalled for me to come over from the bar where I had just placed my drink order.

She looked dazzling in a low-plunge cherry red dress that accentuated every curve of her body, and diamonds sparkled at her ears and along her wrist.

In less than a week, I would beherhusband, the envy of every young bachelor at the party.

The thought should have filled me with pride or joy or love, but instead it weighed like a stone on my chest.

My youngest sister, Cat, walked over and joined me at the bar.

The bar had been set up beneath a white canopy, its marble countertop lined with bottles of top-shelf liquor—single-malt scotches, rare bourbons, imported wines, and champagne chilled in oversized silver buckets filled with crushed ice. Behind it, a professional mixologist expertly crafted drinks with practiced precision.

Cat now had a toddler, Kate, and watching her balance motherhood, work, and her charities with such ease made me admire her. She had built a life that felt very different from mine.

“Are you okay?” she asked, eyebrows drawn together, pinching her chin.

“I will be, don’t worry,” I replied.

“It’s pretty hard not to... especially after what you told us a couple of days ago,” she said. “Are you sure you want to get married to Tatiana even though you’re still in love with Nyah... sorry, Jiya?”

My fingers curled harder around the glass.

“I’m not in love with her, Cat. I don’t even hate her anymore. I feel nothing towards her... nothing.”

The words left my mouth easily, but they rang hollow the moment I said them.

The last couple of months had reminded me how good we had once been together, how naturally we had fallen into the rhythm of being a family.

I was going to miss the children, and the time we had shared nowfelt almost surreal, like a glimpse into a life I was never truly meant to have.

Part of me had wanted to tell Lucas and Emma the truth about their mother. Yet I knew I would never do that. They did not need to carry the burden of adult mistakes or hear bitterness that did not belong to them.

When I hugged them goodbye, I had held onto each of them for a few seconds longer, trying to memorize every small detail, uncertain when I would see them again.

“You should go into the movie business, Caleb,” Cat said, cutting into my thoughts.

“Why?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

“Because you’re a good actor,” she replied with a small, knowing smile.

I scoffed, then found my lips matching her smile.

“Now grab your drink, and let’s go mingle,” Cat said.

I picked up my glass, but the cold condensation against my palm did little to steady the restlessness inside me.

Are you sure you want to get married to Tatiana even though you’re still in love with Nyah... sorry, Jiya?

The question dragged my thoughts back to the night everything had spiralled.

It had been only a couple of days since my confrontation with Jiya. I had left after handing her the wedding card, convinced that I had finally closed that chapter of my life.

Yet anger had followed me all the way back to Vancouver, burning hotter with every mile. The evidence I had seen felt undeniable, and I could not silence the rage that came with it.

The moment I returned, I gathered my family in the dining room of my parents’ house and told them everything.

“So you’re telling me she’s changed her name from Nyah to Jiya?” Sophia asked.

I nodded.