The Wife Behind His Revenge

The Betrayal Amelia Carter smiled as she stepped out of the elevator. Tonight was supposed to be the happiest night of her life. She looked down at the small velvet box in her hand and smiled again. Inside was a silver watch she had spent three months saving for. Daniel loved watches. And tonight, she was going to surprise him. Her boyfriend of four years had asked her to meet him at the Grand Royal Hotel at eight. I have something important to tell you, he'd said. Those words had been replaying in her mind all afternoon. Amelia had spent hours wondering what he could possibly want to tell her. Maybe he was finally going to propose. The thought made her cheeks warm. She had imagined this moment many times. Daniel on one knee. A beautiful ring. His promise that they would spend the rest of their lives together. She had even chosen her dress carefully—a simple, elegant blue dress that Daniel once told her looked beautiful on her. She wanted tonight to be perfect. She adjusted her hair and walked toward the ballroom. The hotel was more beautiful than usual. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting golden light across the marble floor. Waiters moved between elegantly dressed guests carrying trays of champagne. Amelia smiled politely at a few familiar faces. Then she heard applause. She stopped. Her smile slowly disappeared. Why was everyone clapping? She frowned and looked toward the ballroom doors. Perhaps Daniel had planned a surprise. Her heart began beating faster. She pushed the door open. And froze. Hundreds of people filled the beautifully decorated ballroom. At the center of it all stood Daniel. Her Daniel. He was wearing a black tuxedo, his dark hair perfectly styled. He looked exactly like the man she had fallen in love with four years ago. But he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Victoria. Amelia's older sister. Victoria stood beside him in a stunning white gown. Amelia's fingers went cold. For a moment, she couldn't understand what she was seeing. Then Daniel lowered himself onto one knee. The entire room erupted in cheers. "Victoria Carter," he said, holding out a diamond ring, "will you marry me?" Amelia stopped breathing. The velvet box slipped from her fingers. It hit the marble floor. Clack. The sound seemed impossibly loud. Several heads turned. Daniel's eyes met hers. His smile vanished. "Amelia?" Her sister slowly turned around. Their eyes met. For a few seconds, nobody spoke. Amelia stared at the diamond ring in Daniel's hand. Then she looked at Victoria. "What's going on?" Victoria's expression changed. She looked almost guilty. Then she glanced at Daniel. Daniel stood up quickly. "Amelia, I can explain." She laughed. It was a small, broken sound. "Explain what?" He took a step toward her. "Please. Not here." "Not here?" Amelia repeated. Her voice trembled. "You asked my sister to marry you in front of everyone, and you're telling me not to make a scene?" Whispers spread through the room. Amelia could feel dozens of eyes on her. Some were curious. Some sympathetic. Others were simply enjoying the spectacle. Her mother quickly approached her. "Amelia, control yourself." Amelia stared at her. "Control myself?" Her voice cracked. "Mom, he's my boyfriend." Her mother looked away. That tiny movement told Amelia everything. Her stomach dropped. "You knew." Silence. "You all knew." Victoria stepped forward. "Amelia..." "Don't." Amelia raised her hand. "Don't call my name like you're sorry." Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She looked at Daniel. "How long?" Daniel said nothing. "How long have you been seeing her?" "Amelia, it's not what you think." She smiled bitterly. "Then tell me what I'm supposed to think." Daniel finally lowered his eyes. "Three months." She looked at Victoria. "Is it true?" Victoria's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry." Those two words were enough. Amelia felt something inside her go numb. "Did you ever love me?" she asked Daniel. Daniel looked at her. "I cared about you." That was worse than a lie. Amelia nodded slowly. "Right." She bent down and picked up the velvet box. Her hands were shaking. She opened it. The expensive watch she had bought for him gleamed beneath the ballroom lights. She had imagined him opening it tonight. She had imagined his smile. She had imagined him pulling her into his arms. Now it felt like the most foolish thing she had ever bought. She closed the box. "Congratulations." Victoria's eyes widened. "Amelia—" "Congratulations to both of you." She turned around. And walked away. She didn't run. She didn't cry. She refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her break. But the moment the ballroom doors closed behind her, her strength disappeared. The first tear fell. Then another. She pressed her hand against her mouth as a sob escaped. She hurried down the corridor, ignoring the curious looks from hotel guests. When she reached the elevator, she pressed the button repeatedly. "Come on..." The doors opened. She stepped inside. The moment they closed, she leaned against the wall and finally allowed herself to cry. Four years. Four years of loving Daniel. Four years of believing he was different. Four years of defending him whenever her family questioned their relationship. And he had chosen her sister. Her own sister. Her phone began vibrating. Daniel. Amelia stared at his name on the screen. The call ended. Seconds later, it rang again. She rejected it. Another call. She turned the phone off. She looked at her reflection in the elevator mirror. Her eyes were red. Her carefully arranged hair was beginning to fall apart. She barely recognized the woman staring back at her. "Never again," she whispered. She didn't know whether she was talking about Daniel or love itself. Outside the hotel, the night air hit her face. She walked toward the pavement without knowing where she was going. Rain began falling. At first, it was light. Then it became heavier. She stood beneath a streetlight, holding the velvet box against her chest. She had lost the man she loved. But she didn't yet know that tonight would cost her much more than her relationship. Across the street, a black luxury car was parked. Inside it, a man watched her through the rain-covered window. He had said nothing throughout the entire scene. Tall. Impeccably dressed. Cold. His dark eyes followed Amelia as she walked away from the hotel. Adrian Blackwood. The most powerful business entrepreneur in the city. And the man who had been waiting five years for the Carter family to fall. His assistant sat beside him, watching Amelia disappear into the darkness. "Should we proceed with the plan?" Adrian's eyes remained on the empty street. "Yes." The assistant hesitated. "Even after what just happened?" Adrian finally looked away. "Especially now." He picked up his phone and glanced at a photograph on the screen. Amelia Carter. Twenty-three years old. The youngest daughter of Richard Carter. The daughter Adrian had chosen. Not because she was weak. Not because she was easy to control. But because she was the one person the Carter family would never expect him to use. "Find Amelia Carter," Adrian ordered. His assistant nodded. "And what should I tell her?" Adrian's expression remained unreadable. "Tell her..." He paused. "...I have a proposal she won't be able to refuse." Outside, Amelia disappeared into the rain, unaware that a stranger had just decided to change the course of her life. And she had no idea that the man waiting for her would become both her greatest mistake... and the greatest love of her life.