Chapter Twenty-Three – Asher
Twenty-Three
ASHER
Years Before I Met Katie…
The Mariah & Asher Brooks Wedding
The Hilton Hotel
Manhattan, New York
Manhattan looked its best whenever it dressed this way—the skyline glimmering under the last stretch of daylight, the sun hanging low beneath the clouds before slipping away, red and white traffic lights threading through the streets below.
I took it all in, letting the moment settle over me—reveling in my last night as a single man.
Unlike the last time, when I proposed to a woman wrapped in red flags, Mariah was the kind worth settling down forever for.
We were dreamers—both of us building companies we swore were right on the edge of taking off—and somehow, in the middle of all that uncertainty, we were already building a family.
I scrolled through the photos on my phone, pausing on her ultrasound pictures.
Can’t wait until tomorrow, Mariah. Love you.
“Asher?”
Her voice cut through the quiet, and I turned around.
“I really need to talk to you.”
“Can it wait until after the rehearsal dinner?”
She shook her head. “No. Not this.”
“Okay.” I gestured for her to come closer.
She walked toward me slowly, and with every step, it became harder to ignore the redness in her eyes, the way her hands trembled slightly at her sides.
“Why are you crying?” I asked, pulling her into my arms. “Did something happen?”
“A lot of things happened.” She avoided my gaze. “But…this is about us. And the baby.”
Something in my chest tightened. “Did something go wrong at the appointment this morning?”
“No. The baby’s fine.”
I exhaled, tension easing—just slightly.
“But he’s not going to be Asher Jr.”
“I told you the name was up to you.”
She finally looked at me.
“He’s not yours, Asher.”
For a moment, everything around us seemed to fall away—the city, the noise, even the air between us—until all that remained were those four words, sitting heavy and immovable between us.
“I’m sorry?” I stepped closer. “What did you just say?”
“He’s not yours,” she repeated, her voice quieter now. “I thought the timeline felt off, but then—”
“You’ve been sleeping with someone else?”
She didn’t answer right away, just pressed her lips together in a way that told me everything I needed to know.
“Why would you wait until now to tell me this?” I asked, my voice lower than I expected. “You had days…weeks—hell, months.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you.”
I let out a hollow laugh. “Well, you’ve managed it anyway.”
“I still love you,” she said quickly. “I always will. But I don’t think we’re right for each other long term. Don’t you see that too?”
“Yeah,” I said. “That must be why I proposed in front of all your friends and family.”
“We’re both struggling, Asher,” she pressed. “We don’t have any money. We don’t have anything stable yet.”
“So that gives you a free pass to cheat and lie about the baby being mine?”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” She stepped closer. “We’re living off ideas and hopes instead of reality. You told me yourself you might have to move in with a friend because you can’t cover rent.”
“I’m choosing to invest in my company,” I said.
“The same company you’ve been building for four years?” she asked, her tone sharpening. “With nothing to show for it?”
I held her gaze. “So this is about money.”
“I want to be with someone who has their life figured out,” she said, the words coming faster now. “Someone who isn’t going to drag me down with him.”
She froze immediately after, like she wished she could take it back. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine,” I cut in. “You said exactly what you meant.”
I pulled off my engagement ring, staring at it for a second longer than I should’ve.
For a split second, I considered throwing it into the street below—watching it disappear like everything else—but I didn’t.
I turned toward the door.
“Asher, wait.” She stepped in front of me. “I hope we can still be friends after some time.”
I stared at her. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” She reached for my face, but I caught her wrist before she could touch me.
“You cheated on me, lied about a baby, and now you want to be friends?” I let go of her hand. “Tonight will be the last time I ever speak to you.”
“Asher, please…just let me say one more thing.”
“That’s about all I’m giving you.”
“You’re a great guy,” she said, tears spilling over now. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
“I’m not.”
I wanted to say more—to match the damage she’d just done—but I didn’t trust myself to open my mouth without making things worse. So I turned and left her standing there.
The wedding is off…
Please tell everyone. I’m going home.
Cousin Bryan
Wait, WHAT?
Aunt Hannah
Isn’t the rehearsal dinner tonight?
Chris
What the hell happened?
I shut off my phone and slid into a cab as guests stepped out of cars ahead of me, laughing, dressed for a night that wasn’t happening anymore.
“Where to?” the driver asked.
I hesitated for a second before giving him my address, then leaned back against the seat and pressed my hands over my face. It didn’t matter. The tears came anyway.
* * *
When I got home, I tore through everything—pictures, ultrasound printouts, anything with her face on it—until there was nothing left to see.
Then I looked at the product I’d spent four years building. All the time, all the effort, all the belief that it would eventually become something worth the sacrifice.
For the first time, it felt just as hollow as everything else.
I tossed it into the trash.
I didn’t know what I was going to do next, but I knew one thing with absolute certainty: I would never let myself feel like this again.
Never trust like that again.
And if anyone ever found themselves walking toward a marriage without seeing the truth for what it was—
I’d make damn sure they did.
Even if it destroyed everything.