The grand cathedral in Westlands was filled with Nairobi's elite. Crystal chandeliers bathed the hall in golden light, and guests in designer outfits whispered behind silk fans.
At the altar stood Adrian Kibet, his expression calm, confident, and perfectly composed.
And beside him…
Wasn't Lydia.
It was Melissa Kamau, his cousin—the woman Lydia had silently competed with for years.
---
Lydia froze in the doorway.
Her fingers trembled as she clutched the small purse she'd brought.
Adrian had called her last night, his voice unusually warm. "Come to the cathedral tomorrow. I have something to tell you."
She thought it was finally happening.
She thought he was finally going to marry her after three years of quiet promises.
But now—
Now he was about to marry someone else.
---
The priest's deep, gentle voice echoed through the hall.
"Do you, Adrian Kibet, take Melissa Kamau as your lawfully wedded wife?"
Adrian smiled faintly, his eyes soft as he looked at Melissa.
"I do."
---
The applause rose like a cruel wave.
Lydia's heart felt like it had been ripped out of her chest. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
Around her, whispers slithered like snakes.
"Isn't that Lydia Njeri? Wasn't she dating Adrian?"
"She was foolish. Adrian was never going to marry someone like her."
"Melissa was always the better match. More family power, more money. Lydia was just… entertainment."
---
Her knees nearly buckled.
She had been entertainment?
Three years of love… for nothing?
She tried to turn away, but a cold, sharp voice stopped her.
---
"Don't you dare make a scene."
Her mother, Miriam Njeri, stood behind her, arms folded, her face expressionless.
"I warned you," Miriam said in a low tone. "Men like Adrian don't marry for love. They marry for power."
Lydia blinked rapidly. "You… you knew?"
"Of course I knew." Miriam's eyes narrowed. "Melissa is from the core family. You are not. This was always the outcome."
---
Her father, Patrick Njeri, strode over, his voice booming across the pews.
"Are you satisfied now? Do you see why Bernard Kang'ethe was the right choice? At least Bernard asked for your hand! But you… you were too blinded by foolish romance!"
---
Lydia's lips trembled.
Bernard Kang'ethe. The man her parents wanted her to marry—cold, arrogant, controlling. She couldn't stand him.
"I… I won't marry Bernard," she whispered.
Patrick's eyes hardened.
"Then who will have you now? After this humiliation? You've ruined your value!"
---
On the altar, Adrian lifted Melissa's veil and kissed her.
The guests clapped, cameras flashed, and the cathedral filled with cheers.
And Lydia… felt like she was drowning.
---
She turned and walked out.
The late afternoon sun hit her face, blinding her. Tears blurred her vision as she stumbled down the marble steps, away from the laughter inside.
She didn't know where she was going. She just needed to get away.
---
And then she saw him.
---
Ethan Karuri.
Standing quietly beneath a jacaranda tree, leaning against an old, dusty Toyota.
Plain white shirt. Faded jeans. Shoes so worn they looked ready to fall apart.
To anyone else, he was invisible—a man no one would bother greeting.
But when Lydia's tear-filled eyes met his, she froze.
---
There was no pity in his gaze.
No mockery.
Just a calm, still depth—like a silent ocean that hid something she couldn't name.
For a moment, the chaos in her heart stilled.
---
She walked straight to him.
Her voice shook, her words tasting like desperation and defiance all at once.
"Will you… marry me?"
---
Ethan blinked slowly.
His calm eyes didn't waver.
"Are you sure?" he asked softly.
Lydia hesitated. She thought of Adrian's kiss, of her parents' scorn, of the whispers she'd heard inside the cathedral.
"Yes," she whispered.
Even if it made no sense. Even if it was madness.
"Yes."
---
The next morning, headlines exploded across social media.
"Rejected at the Altar? Lydia Njeri Marries a Nobody Hours After Adrian Weds Melissa Kamau!"
Photos of the rushed civil wedding flooded the gossip blogs—Lydia in her same cream dress, Ethan in plain clothes, signing papers at the registrar's office.
No flowers. No guests. No ring.
---
Miriam was livid.
"You've humiliated this family!" she screamed over the phone.
Patrick roared too.
"You've destroyed your future!"
But Lydia said nothing.
Because for once… she didn't care what they thought.
---
That evening, in a quiet, modest apartment, Ethan poured her a glass of water.
"You don't have to explain," he said softly. "If this was just to escape them, I understand."
Lydia stared at him.
"Why… why did you agree so easily?"
Ethan's gaze was calm. Unreadable.
"Because sometimes," he said quietly, "you don't help someone for a reason. You help them simply because they shouldn't have to break alone."
---
And far away, in a dark, glass-walled office, a man placed a photo of the civil wedding on a polished desk.
"It's confirmed," he said into the phone. "Young Master Ethan Karuri is married."
On the other end, a deep, commanding voice replied:
"Leave him for now. But remember—he's not who they think he is. The day he decides to return… they will all kneel."