The Billionaire I Married by Mistake

Anaya Mehra stared at her reflection. The woman looking back at her should have been happy. Today was her wedding day. The day she had dreamed about for years. The day she would marry the man she loved. Yet as she sat in front of the vanity mirror, an uneasy feeling settled deep inside her chest. "You look beautiful." Her mother's voice broke through her thoughts. Anaya turned and smiled. Mrs. Mehra stood in the doorway, tears already shining in her eyes. "Mom." "Don't say anything." Her mother immediately waved a hand. "If you say anything sweet, I'll start crying." A laugh escaped Anaya. The tension in her chest eased slightly. "You've been crying all morning." "And I'll continue crying." Her mother walked forward and adjusted a strand of hair that had escaped from Anaya's bridal hairstyle. "My little girl is getting married." The words made Anaya's eyes sting. Suddenly, this felt real. After three years together... After countless promises... After months of wedding planning... She was finally marrying Vikram. The love of her life. At least, that's what she believed. A knock sounded on the door. Then another. Without waiting for permission, her cousin Riya rushed inside. Immediately, Anaya noticed something was wrong. Very wrong. Riya looked pale. Terrified. As though she'd seen a ghost. "Riya?" No response. The room fell silent. Even her mother frowned. "What happened?" Riya swallowed hard. Then looked toward Mrs. Mehra. "Aunty... can I speak to Anaya alone?" The request instantly made Anaya nervous. Her mother hesitated before nodding. "Of course." A few moments later, they were alone. The second the door closed, Riya handed over her phone. Her hands were shaking. "Look." Confused, Anaya accepted it. "What am I looking at?" "Just... look." Anaya glanced down. And stopped breathing. A photograph. Her fiancé. Vikram. Kissing another woman. Her heart stopped. "No." Her voice barely came out. "No." She looked again. Then again. And again. Each swipe revealed another photograph. Another betrayal. Another lie. Another piece of her heart breaking. The dates were recent. Not months ago. Not years ago. Today. Her hands began to shake. "This isn't real." But even as she said the words, she knew they were a lie. Because the man in the photographs was unmistakably Vikram. The man she was supposed to marry in less than an hour. Tears burned her eyes. "Tell me this is fake." Riya's silence was answer enough. The phone slipped from Anaya's fingers. Landing on the floor. Everything around her blurred. The flowers. The dress. The room. The future she had imagined. Gone. Gone in a matter of seconds. Suddenly, the door opened. And the last person she wanted to see stepped inside. Vikram. Smiling. Relaxed. Completely unaware that his secret had just been exposed. "There you are." His smile widened. "The guests are waiting." Then he noticed her face. The tears. The silence. The phone on the floor. His smile disappeared. "Anaya?" She stood. Slowly. Her entire body trembling. "How long?" His face paled. "What?" "How long?" The room felt suffocating. The walls seemed to close in around her. "Anaya, what are you talking about?" She picked up the phone. Opened the photographs. And threw it toward him. His expression changed instantly. Fear. Guilt. Panic. Everything she needed to know. Everything she never wanted to see. The truth. A broken laugh escaped her lips. Three years. Three years of trust. Three years of love. Destroyed by a single look. "You were going to marry me." Her voice cracked. "While sleeping with someone else." "Anaya, listen—" The slap echoed through the room. Neither of them moved. For a moment, even time seemed to stop. Vikram stared at her. Shocked. She stared back. Heartbroken. And furious. For the first time in her life... She hated him. And somewhere outside the bridal suite... The wedding music continued playing. Completely unaware that the wedding had already ended.