Chapter One: The Bride Who Never Made It to the Altar
Aria's POV
Every little girl dreams about her wedding day. Mine was supposed to be perfect.
The ballroom downstairs glittered beneath crystal chandeliers, hundreds of white roses lined the aisle, and somewhere beyond the closed doors of the bridal suite, a string quartet was rehearsing the song I had chosen months ago. Family, friends, business associates—everyone who mattered was already taking their seats. In less than thirty minutes, I would marry the man I'd spent the last five years loving. Or at least... that was the plan.
"You've been staring at yourself for almost five minutes."
Lily's voice pulled me from my thoughts. She stood behind me, smiling as she straightened my veil.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to find an excuse to run."
I laughed softly. "Is it that obvious?"
She rolled her eyes. "You're nervous, Ari. Every bride is."
Maybe. Or maybe what I was feeling wasn't nerves at all. For weeks, something had been bothering me. Ethan had become... distant.
There were late-night phone calls he always stepped outside to answer. Meetings that suddenly couldn't wait. Messages he'd hide the second I walked into the room.
Every time I asked if everything was okay, he'd smile, kiss my forehead, and tell me work had been driving him crazy. I wanted to believe him. Love wasn't supposed to survive without trust. A knock sounded at the door.
The wedding coordinator stepped inside carrying a black envelope.
"Miss Winters, someone insisted I give this to you before the ceremony."
She handed it to me and quietly left. I frowned, turning the envelope over in my hands. There wasn't a name. No handwriting. Nothing.
Lily leaned closer. "Who's it from?"
"I have no idea."
Breaking the seal, I pulled out a photograph. The room suddenly felt too quiet. My fingers froze. My heartbeat stumbled.
"No..."
The whisper barely escaped my lips. It was Ethan. There was no mistaking him. He was wearing the same charcoal suit he'd picked out for today.
The woman standing in front of him had her arms wrapped around his neck. They were kissing. Not a friendly kiss. Not something that could be explained away. The kind of kiss shared between two people who knew each other far too well.
A timestamp sat in the corner of the photograph. Today. Forty-eight minutes ago.
Lily took the picture from my shaking hand. "Oh my God..."
"There has to be an explanation," I said quickly. The words sounded desperate, even to me. "There has to be."
Another piece of paper slipped from the envelope and landed on the floor. I bent down and unfolded it. If you want the truth… Suite 1708. Come alone.
I stared at the words until they blurred. Someone could be lying. Someone could be trying to ruin my wedding. But if they weren't… I couldn't walk down that aisle without knowing.
...
The hallway outside Suite 1708 was unnaturally quiet. I stopped in front of the door.
My hand hovered over the handle. This was ridiculous. I should turn around. I should go downstairs. I should marry the man I loved.
Instead, I pushed the door open just enough to hear the voices inside.
"I almost felt sorry for her."
The woman's voice was light. Amused.
Then Ethan laughed. The sound I'd fallen in love with. "Don't." My entire body went still.
"She was useful."
Useful?
My breathing caught.
"So after today," the woman asked, "the company becomes yours?"
"Control of it," Ethan corrected.
"Her grandfather was smarter than I expected. The shares don't transfer until we're legally married."
"And after that?"
A pause. "I'll get her signature on the remaining documents."
"What if she refuses?"
He laughed again. That laugh. The one I'd once thought was warm.
"I've spent five years making sure she trusts me."
Five years. Five years. Every anniversary. Every promise. Every whisper I love you. Nothing more than an investment.
The woman laughed before kissing him. "I can't believe she never figured it out."
"She sees what she wants to see."
Something inside me shattered so quietly that no one else would ever hear it. I stepped backward before they could notice me. One step. Then another.
By the time the elevator doors closed, tears were already streaming down my face. Downstairs, my guests were waiting for a bride. But the woman who had walked into that hotel this morning… She no longer existed.
