The Billionaire's Stolen Heiress

AVA'S POV "Don't marry him." The whisper was so close that I instinctively flinched, my fingers tightening around the bouquet until the stems pressed painfully into my palms. I turned so quickly that the delicate lace of my veil slipped from my shoulder, expecting to find someone standing behind me with a frightened expression or a guilty smile. Instead, I found nothing but familiar faces. My bridesmaids were laughing softly as they adjusted one another's dresses, completely unaware that my heart had just skipped a beat. The wedding coordinator was reminding everyone to smile for the cameras, while my adoptive mother stood near the window, dabbing away happy tears with a handkerchief she had carried all morning. No one had spoken. No one even seemed to notice the panic spreading across my face. Yet I knew, with a certainty that made my skin prickle, that I hadn't imagined it. The voice had sounded desperate, almost pleading, as though someone had tried to save me from making the biggest mistake of my life. I drew a slow breath, forcing myself to calm down. It had been an emotional week. Between the wedding preparations and the endless stream of guests arriving from different cities, I had barely slept. Maybe exhaustion was playing tricks on my mind. Maybe every bride questioned herself before walking down the aisle. Still, as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't ignore the strange feeling that something invisible was quietly waiting for me beyond those cathedral doors. My mother noticed my silence immediately. She crossed the room, her warm hands gently smoothing the wrinkles from my veil before resting on my cheeks. "There she is," she whispered with a smile that trembled around the edges. "The most beautiful bride I've ever seen." I laughed softly, though it sounded weaker than I intended. "You have to say that. You're my mother." She shook her head. "No. I'm saying it because it's true." Her eyes shimmered with tears as she looked at me, and suddenly she wasn't seeing the twenty-four-year-old woman standing in front of her. She was remembering the little girl she and Dad had brought home all those years ago, the child who had been afraid of thunderstorms and insisted on sleeping with a night-light until she was ten. "Your father would've cried today," she said, smiling through her tears. "He always pretended to be the tough one, but he adored you." The familiar ache settled in my chest. Three years had passed since cancer stole him from us, yet there were days when the grief still felt fresh. I remembered sitting beside his hospital bed, promising him that I would be happy no matter what happened. His last words to me had been, 'Choose the man who makes you feel safe.' Back then, I had believed that man was Ethan. Even now, I wanted to believe it. "I wish he could walk me down the aisle," I murmured. My mother squeezed my hands. "He'll be walking beside you in here," she replied, placing a hand over my heart. I nodded, blinking back tears. Before she could say anything else, my phone buzzed on the dressing table. Unknown Number. I frowned. There was no message—only a blank notification that disappeared before I could open it. "Everything okay?" my mother asked. "Probably just spam," I lied, though an uneasy feeling crept over me. It was the third strange thing that had happened this week. First, the recurring dream of a burning mansion. Then the whisper. Now a message that vanished before I could read it. The wedding march began to play, its familiar melody drifting through the cathedral walls. The coordinator smiled brightly and gestured toward the doors. "It's time." My heartbeat thundered against my ribs as the massive oak doors slowly opened, flooding the entrance with warm afternoon light. One by one, hundreds of guests rose to their feet, their smiles widening as they caught sight of me. White roses lined the aisle, their fragrance mingling with the soft scent of candle wax, while colorful beams from the stained-glass windows danced across the polished marble floor. It was breathtaking. It was everything I had dreamed of since I was a little girl. Yet instead of excitement, I felt a strange heaviness settling inside me, as though my heart knew something my mind didn't. I took my first step, then another, smiling politely at relatives and friends who watched me with admiration. At the end of the aisle stood Ethan Carter, dressed in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. The moment our eyes met, his face lit up with the same smile that had made me fall in love with him three years earlier. Suddenly, the fear inside me eased. See? I told myself. Everything is fine. By the time I reached him, my breathing had steadied. Ethan leaned closer and whispered, "You look so beautiful that I almost forgot my vows." I laughed quietly. "That's not exactly reassuring." He chuckled, lifting my hand to his lips. "Don't worry. I could never forget the most important day of my life." His voice sounded sincere, and for a moment, I believed every word. The minister smiled warmly and opened the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of two people whose love has brought them to this moment..." I barely heard the rest. I was too busy looking at Ethan, imagining the life waiting for us after today. A small apartment that we'd eventually replace with a house. Weekend grocery shopping. Lazy Sunday mornings. Children who inherited his smile and my stubbornness. Ordinary dreams, perhaps, but they were mine. Then, without warning, Ethan's phone vibrated sharply inside his jacket. He frowned, clearly intending to ignore it, but it buzzed again almost immediately. "Sorry," he whispered apologetically before glancing at the screen. The transformation on his face happened so quickly that I almost doubted what I had seen. Every trace of warmth disappeared. The color drained from his face, and his grip on my hand loosened. His eyes widened with something that looked alarmingly close to fear. "Ethan?" I whispered. "What's wrong?" He stared at the phone for another second before slipping it back into his pocket. "I... I need a minute." I blinked in confusion. "A minute? Right now?" "I'll be back," he said, though his voice lacked its usual confidence. "I promise." Before I could stop him, he released my hand and hurried toward a side door, leaving me standing alone before the altar as a murmur of confusion rippled through the cathedral. I watched the door swing shut behind him, unaware that it was the last time I would see the man I had come there to marry.