Prologue
Adrian held the pure white wedding gown tightly in his arms, his heart pounding with excitement. Tomorrow, he was going to marry the love of his life. He clutched the bundle of white fabric against his chest, rubbing it against his face and kissing it over and over again. Just imagining how breathtaking she would look in it tomorrow made his heart race uncontrollably.
No, he couldn’t wait. He had to see it now. He needed to see her in the dress, to witness her beauty this very moment.
Adrian grabbed the gown and dashed down the hallway, heading straight for his fiancée’s room.
“Vanessa! Look, our wedding dress just arrived!”
Too excited to wait for a response, he kicked open the locked door without hesitation.
“Vanessa—”
The moment his eyes landed on the scene inside the room, Adrian froze in place. The wedding gown slipped from his hands and fell to the floor like freshly fallen snow.
On the bed, two naked bodies tangled together, lost in shameless passion.
They didn’t stop even as Adrian stood there, watching. If anything, their entanglement grew even bolder under his gaze.
A chill swept through Adrian’s entire body, as if he’d been plunged into icy waters. The blood surged to his head in an instant.
The woman moaning in pleasure on that bed, the very woman he was supposed to marry tomorrow, the woman he had sworn to cherish for a lifetime — was betraying him. In the cruelest, most shameless way imaginable. Tearing his heart apart, leaving nothing but devastation behind.
Adrian didn’t know how to release the storm of grief and rage raging inside him.
It was the woman on the bed who spoke first.
“Adrian, I don’t love you anymore. Honestly, you’ve always been delusional. The only reason I was with you was because you’re good-looking. Marriage? What a joke. With what? You’ve got nothing but a pretty face! You’ll never give me the life I want, never help me climb into high society. Why on earth would I marry you?”
“I love you… more than life itself. I’d fight for you, work for our future…” Adrian choked out every word, as if each syllable tore at his throat.
“I don’t care,” the woman sneered, clinging tightly to the man beside her. “How long would I have to wait for your so-called hard work? But he… he can give me everything I want right now.”
Reality struck hard, leaving no room for doubt. Vanessa was a gold-digger, blinded by wealth and status. No matter how stunningly beautiful she was, no matter how much he loved her, the fire of fury and heartbreak burned too violently to contain.
“As for tomorrow, marry whoever you want,” Vanessa said carelessly as she casually dressed, completely indifferent, as though none of this had anything to do with her. “Don’t worry, I’ll disappear on my own. I won’t embarrass you.”
Adrian could only watch as Vanessa left the room, leaning sweetly against the man she’d chosen. He laughed bitterly, a twisted, mocking smile on his face. In that moment, something inside him died. He swore he would never trust another woman, never offer up his heart again.
Vanessa Whitmore… I’ll make sure you regret this for the rest of your life.
Time would pass. Wounds would eventually fade. But this betrayal, it would leave a scar forever.
