Married to the wrong billionaire

Serena's POV

Three hours.

That was all the time I had left before I was supposed to walk down the aisle.

Three hours before I became Andrew Whitmore's wife.

I stared at myself in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman sitting in front of it.

The wedding dress was beautiful.

Too beautiful for a wedding I never wanted.

The long white fabric spread around me like a dream I had been forced to wear. My hair had been carefully styled, my makeup was flawless, and diamonds rested against my ears.

Everything about me screamed bride.

Except my heart.

My heart was somewhere else.

With Kelvin.

I closed my eyes.

Don't worry, Serena. I'll find a way.

Kelvin's voice echoed in my head.

He had said those words two nights ago when I broke down in his arms.

"I don't want to marry him," I had whispered.

"I know."

"My parents won't listen to me."

"I know."

"They're going to ruin everything if I refuse."

Kelvin had held my hands tightly.

"Then I'll find a way to stop the wedding."

At the time, I had wanted to believe him.

But now, sitting in that wedding dress, I wasn't sure there was any way out.

My father had made that very clear.

The wedding wasn't just a wedding.

It was a business deal.

Andrew's family owned one of the largest investment firms in the country, and my father's company desperately needed the partnership. The marriage would bring the two families together and secure a deal that could change everything.

My feelings had never been part of the equation.

Neither had Kelvin.

When I first introduced Kelvin to my parents, I had been stupid enough to believe they would be happy for me.

They weren't.

My father had barely looked at him before telling me that the relationship was over.

My mother had tried to make me understand.

"It isn't personal, Serena."

But it was.

It was my life.

And they were deciding who I would spend it with.

Andrew.

A man I barely knew.

A man who had returned after ten years in America and somehow become the answer to every problem my family had.

I opened my eyes.

Then something came to me.

My sister.

I turned toward the small table beside me.

There was a framed photograph of the two of us.

She was younger in the picture, smiling brightly with her arms wrapped around me.

My little sister.

The person I had always promised to protect.

And suddenly, I remembered something she had told me months ago.

It had seemed insignificant at the time.

She had mentioned Andrew.

Not just his name.

Their past.

They had known each other in high school.

They had dated.

They had loved each other.

She had even told me they had once talked about a future together before Andrew's parents sent him to America to continue his studies.

Ten years.

Ten years had passed.

And Andrew had returned.

Now our parents wanted me to marry him.

I had never connected the two things.

Not until now.

I remembered all the times my sister had brought him up during our conversations.

"Andrew was always so stubborn."

"You know, he used to hate coffee."

"Andrew and I used to..."

She never said much.

But she said enough.

And every time she mentioned him, there was something in her voice.

Something I had never paid attention to.

I slowly stood.

My reflection stared back at me.

"No."

The word left my lips before I could stop it.

I shook my head.

I couldn't do this.

Not to her.

Maybe she had moved on.

Maybe she no longer loved him.

Maybe Andrew didn't feel anything for her anymore.

But I couldn't take that chance.

Because if I married Andrew knowing what I knew now, I would be doing something I could never forgive myself for.

I would be choosing a business deal over my sister.

Just like my parents had chosen the business deal over me.

My hands trembled.

Then another thought came.

Kelvin.

He had promised he would find a way.

Maybe this was the way.

Not to fight my father.

Not to stand in front of hundreds of guests and announce that I refused to marry Andrew.

But to disappear.

If I was gone, my father would have to make another choice.

And I knew my father well enough to know what that choice would be.

His business deal mattered too much.

He wouldn't cancel the wedding.

He would find another bride.

My sister.

I swallowed hard.

The thought broke my heart.

But somehow, it felt like the only solution.

I walked toward the wardrobe and pulled out a small bag.

My hands moved quickly.

A few clothes.

My phone.

Some money.

Nothing else.

I didn't leave a note.

If I did, my father would find me before I could get away.

I walked back to the mirror.

The bride staring back at me looked terrified.

But underneath the fear was something else.

Relief.

For the first time in weeks, I could breathe.

I reached up and removed the diamond earrings.

Then the necklace.

Then I slowly stepped out of the wedding dress.

The beautiful gown pooled at my feet.

I looked down at it.

Tomorrow, people would call me selfish.

Ungrateful.

A runaway bride.

Maybe they would hate me.

Maybe my sister would hate me too.

But one day, I hoped she would understand.

I wasn't running away from my family.

I was running away from a life that wasn't mine.

And perhaps...

I was giving my sister a chance at the life she once wanted.

I picked up my bag.

Before leaving, I looked around the room one last time.

The flowers.

The veil.

The dress.

Everything prepared for a bride who would never arrive.

I opened the window

And left.

Three hours before my wedding...