I Dumped My Cheating Ex and Married His Boss Uncle

Outside the courthouse, Astrid clutched the paperwork, biding her time. Her father's dying wish had been to see her married. She'd brought it up with River Knight—her boyfriend of three years—more times than she could count, but he'd always found a way to dodge the topic. So last night, she'd done it: she'd messaged the one man who'd once asked for her hand, telling him she was ready. No reply came, but here she was anyway, rolling the dice.

Five minutes past nine, and he still hadn't shown. Just as she was about to call it quits, she heard measured footsteps behind her. She looked up—straight into Magnus Marshall.

"Mr. Marshall?" she blinked, briefly thrown, then gathered herself in a hurry. "Sorry—Mr. Marshall. I've taken a few personal days. I'll be back at work soon."

Magnus Marshall was the head of the Marshall family and her boss. In less than three years, he'd taken the family name and lifted it somewhere serious. With his stern demeanor and commanding presence, a single look from him could make anyone squirm. And Marshall Group's policy was brutal: if you weren't pulling your weight, you were gone.

She couldn't afford to lose this job—not this paycheck.

"I'm not here about work," he said, gaze fixed on her. "You said you wanted to marry me. I've brought the paperwork. Shall we go in?"

With that, he started toward the entrance.

Astrid's jaw dropped, and she scrambled to stop him. "Mr. Marshall, this is a mistake! I never said I wanted to marry you!"

Magnus pulled out his phone and held up last night's message.

Astrid's eyes went wide. It was the message she'd drafted, all right. She fumbled for her own phone, and the truth hit her like a brick: she'd sent it to the wrong contact. The message meant for the person listed just below Mr. Marshall had gone to him instead.

Mortified, she couldn't even form a sentence.

Magnus pocketed his phone and held out a prenuptial agreement.

Hesitating, she took it and flipped through the pages. The terms were simple: a one-year marriage. After that, she was free to walk away. In exchange, he'd give her a house, a car, and an extra million dollars.

Confused, she looked up. "Why me?"

Magnus kept his expression flat. "My family has been on my back about settling down. After a year, we get a quiet divorce, and I'll say we just didn't work out."

Astrid waited a beat, then started handing it back. "I'm sorry, Mr. Marshall—"

Her phone rang before she could finish. It was her stepmother, Abby Carter, and her voice shook. "Astrid, where are you? It's your father. He isn't doing well."

Panic slammed into Astrid. She clutched her phone and looked at Magnus. A thousand questions spun in her head, but this wasn't the moment for any of them.

She had no choice but to make a split-second decision. "Alright, Mr. Marshall. I'll sign the agreement now. But after we get the marriage license, would you come with me to the hospital?"

Magnus nodded.

It was early, not a holiday, so the courthouse was basically empty. They filled out forms, took the pictures, and walked out with their marriage certificate before either could blink.

Astrid didn't spare the certificate a single glance. She just rushed Magnus to the hospital.

Abby stood waiting outside the room. She started to say something, then caught sight of the man beside Astrid. "Who is this…?"

"Aunt Abby, I'll explain later. I need to bring him in to see Dad first."

Abby nodded.

Her father's condition had been diagnosed too late. She and Abby had poured every penny of their savings into treatment, and none of it had been enough. Before pushing the door open, Astrid wiped her face clean, took a deep breath, and forced a smile.

Her father had once been big and full of life. Now he lay thin and skeletal, but his eyes lit up the moment he saw her. "Astrid. You're here."

"Dad, how are you feeling?"

"Much better."

His voice was barely above a whisper. He tried to lift his hand, and Astrid caught it in hers quickly.

"Don't worry about me, and don't run yourself ragged. Your aunt mentioned you're juggling five jobs and getting maybe four hours of sleep. I know how sick I am. Let's stop the treatment. Tell the doctors we're going home."

He tried to sit up, and Astrid gently held him down, fighting the tears clawing at her throat.

"It's fine, Dad. I'm young. I don't get tired. You just focus on getting better—you're going to be fine."

She looked away, not letting him see her cry.

Morrison seemed to notice there was someone else in the room. He reached out weakly. "Is that River? River, you came to see your uncle too?"

Astrid stiffened, throwing a quick glance at Magnus. She started to explain, but Magnus stepped forward and took her father's hand.

"Dad, I'm Astrid's husband. Sorry I didn't come sooner. But rest assured—we're already married. I'll take care of her, and I'll protect her. Always."

Astrid was stunned.

He'd stepped into the role without missing a beat and made those promises like he meant them.

Morrison beamed as much as a dying man could, patting Magnus's hand. "Good. Seeing you married, that makes me happy. I won't be around much longer. Astrid's a little headstrong—please be patient with her. Dad…"

Pain hit him before he could finish, and he couldn't go on.

Astrid quickly handed him water, hoping to wet his dry lips. But instead, he reached out—grasping for something. She instantly took his hand, barely holding herself together.

"Dad, I'm listening. I promise I'll be happy. You don't have to worry about me."

"Astrid…"

Just saying her name seemed to take all his strength.

"I'm here, Dad. I'm right here."

He gripped her hand hard, and Astrid wished she knew how to help. She didn't.

Abby, hovering at the door, turned and slipped into the hallway, her grief too heavy to watch.

Magnus took Morrison's other hand, his voice low. "Dad, if there's anything you need to say, tell me. I'll make sure it gets done."

Morrison looked at him slowly, as if he wanted to say something. But then, with one last glance, his hand went limp. He was gone.

Astrid stared at the hand growing cold. She didn't move.

She couldn't react. She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. She wanted to scream for her father, but the words died in her throat.

Throughout Morrison's funeral, Magnus ran point on everything.

On the day of the burial, Abby came up to Astrid and Magnus. "I've been so busy these past days, Astrid, I haven't had the chance to ask—how did you end up with…"

She glanced at Magnus. Honestly, she was pleased. The circumstances were awful—a crisis wedding and all—but funerals were foreign to both her and Astrid. Without him, the two of them would've been completely lost.

Instead, he'd handled everything without a hitch and left them with nothing to do but grieve.

Astrid was still trying to figure out how to explain when Magnus put a steadying hand on her shoulder. "I'm her boss, so I know her situation well. I know about her family's struggles and her history with River Knight. She married me to fulfill her father's last wish, but..."

He paused.

"I've had feelings for her for a long time. This marriage means more to me than she knows. Please rest assured, Aunt Abby."

Astrid looked at him, incredulous. He gave her a knowing look, and it clicked—he was saying what needed to be said to put Abby at ease.

So Astrid smiled at Abby and added, "Don't worry, Aunt Abby. I wouldn't marry just anyone, even for Dad. River cheated on me with his own cousin, so I ended it. I've known Magnus for a while... We didn't rush into this."

Abby studied them, her brow furrowed, but eventually she nodded. "Alright. Since you've both thought it through, that's enough for me. Oh!"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out two bank cards, holding them out to Astrid. "Astrid, this is what your father managed to leave you, and what I'd saved up. It's not much, but now that you're married, think of it as your dowry."

Astrid knew there wasn't much left after her father's treatment. These cards held every spare penny Abby and her brother had saved. She pushed them back at once. "Aunt Abby, I can't take this. How will you and Baylor manage?"

"We'll manage. Baylor's in school during the day, and I can take any work I can find. But you—now that you're married, you're not starting from nothing."

Astrid started to argue, but Magnus slid his own card across to Abby. "I almost forgot, Aunt Abby. This is a gift from both of us. No password on it. Please, use it for you and Baylor."

Abby looked at it, then handed it back to Astrid with a smile. "Astrid, your father and I agreed: we're not taking your money. You two are building a life now, and expenses will be steep. Keep it."

Astrid tried to protest, but Abby was already turning away. Then she paused, looking over her shoulder at Magnus. "Magnus, having money doesn't give you the right to mistreat my Astrid. If I ever find out you have, I'll be at your door."

And with that, Abby was gone.

Astrid held the cards, her chest tight.

Magnus noticed the look on her face. "They want you to have it, so keep it. You can always find another way to help her later."

That made sense, but before she could respond, a thought struck her. She turned to him. "Mr. Marshall, if I'm not mistaken... River Knight is your nephew, isn't he?"