Chapter 1
The wedding hall sparkled like a dream.
Crystal chandeliers shimmered above hundreds of guests. White roses lined the aisle. Cameras flashed as society's elite filled the seats, waiting to witness the union of two powerful families.
Amelia Lawson stood at the entrance in a custom-made white gown worth more than her yearly salary.
Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.
Five years.
Five years of loving Daniel Moore.
Five years of loyalty.
Five years of believing he loved her just as much.
The music began.
The doors opened.
And Amelia walked down the aisle with a soft smile, her heart racing with nervous excitement.
Daniel stood at the altar, handsome in his tailored black suit. He smiled at her — warm, charming, perfect.
Or so she thought.
Halfway down the aisle, her phone vibrated inside her bouquet.
She ignored it.
It vibrated again.
And again.
A strange feeling crept into her chest.
When she finally reached the altar, Daniel leaned closer and whispered, "You look beautiful."
Something in his voice felt… wrong.
During the vows, her best friend, Sophie, kept glancing at her phone and smirking.
Amelia's unease grew stronger.
When it was time to exchange rings, her phone buzzed again.
This time, she looked.
A message from an unknown number.
A video.
Her hands trembled as she pressed play.
The world around her disappeared.
In the video, Daniel was in a hotel room.
With Sophie.
Laughing.
Kissing.
Undressing.
And then Daniel's voice echoed clearly through the speaker:
"Once I marry Amelia, her inheritance becomes mine. After that, I'll divorce her. She's too naive to suspect anything."
The phone slipped from her fingers.
Gasps filled the hall.
The screen had connected to the wedding projector.
Everyone had seen it.
Her parents. The guests. The press.
Daniel's face drained of color.
Sophie stood frozen in the crowd.
The silence was suffocating.
Then whispers began.
"Oh my God…"
"She didn't know?"
"How embarrassing…"
Amelia's ears rang. Her vision blurred.
Five years.
All a lie.
Daniel grabbed her arm. "Amelia, listen, I can explain—"
She pulled away slowly.
For a moment, everyone expected her to cry.
To collapse.
To beg.
But Amelia surprised them all.
She bent down, picked up her phone, and turned to face the crowd.
Her voice was calm.
Dead calm.
"The wedding is canceled."
Shock exploded through the hall.
Daniel's expression twisted. "Don't do this—"
She looked at him like he was a stranger.
"No," she said quietly. "You already did."
Without another word, she lifted her dress and walked down the aisle alone.
Not as a bride.
But as a woman reborn.
Outside the hall, rain had begun to fall.
As she stepped into the storm, someone stood waiting beneath a black umbrella.
Tall. Cold. Imposing.
Adrian Kane.
Daniel's powerful, ruthless uncle.
The man Daniel feared more than anyone.
Adrian studied her with unreadable eyes.
"You just embarrassed my family," he said calmly.
Amelia met his gaze, fire burning in her chest.
"Good," she replied.
A slow, dangerous smile curved Adrian's lips.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
And in that moment, Amelia made a decision that would change everything.
"If I marry you instead," she said boldly, "will you help me destroy them?"
The rain poured harder.
Adrian's eyes darkened.
And the war between love and revenge had just begun.