On my wedding day, Brian never showed up. I was humiliated, certain he’d abandoned me. But the next morning, I spotted him in my father’s office, signing papers.

When I barged in, my father smugly revealed the truth: “He agreed to leave you forever in exchange for money.”

Brian’s eyes filled with tears. “Jane, it was for Maxine — my niece. She needed emergency heart surgery. Your father offered the money if I walked away. I couldn’t let her die.” My heart shattered, but I saw the love in his eyes. “You should have told me,” I whispered. “We could have faced this together.”

We refunded our wedding expenses to pay for Maxine’s surgery. She survived, and three months later, Brian and I married quietly without my father, who I cut from my life for good. With love and hard work, we built a home and a family — proving that no amount of money could ever break us apart.