Chapter 1
The church was full. Three hundred guests. My wedding dress cost more than most people's cars. And my groom was at the altar, kissing my maid of honor.
"Dylan, what the hell is this?" My voice cracked across the silence like a gunshot.
He didn't even flinch. He pulled away from Amber slowly, wiped his mouth, and looked at me like I was the one who'd interrupted something important.
"Serena, calm down," he said. "It's not what it looks like."
Amber smoothed her bridesmaid dress and tilted her head, her lips still wet.
"Babe, he was just nervous," she said sweetly. "I was calming him down. You know how close we are. Don't make this weird."
Three hundred guests. My parents. His parents. Every business partner the Lawson family had ever worked with. And she just called me "babe" with his saliva still on her mouth.
I dropped my bouquet.
"You were calming him down," I repeated flatly. "With your tongue."
A few gasps rippled through the pews. Dylan's mother stood up from the front row, her face tight with embarrassment.
"Serena, dear, let's not cause a scene. These things happen. Men get nervous before—"
"Mrs. Lawson," I cut her off, "your son had his hand on her ass. I saw it. Everyone in the third row saw it."
The third row shifted uncomfortably. Someone coughed.
Dylan finally stepped toward me, reaching for my arm.
"Serena, you're embarrassing yourself. Amber and I grew up together. She's like a sister. Can we just do this? Everyone's waiting."
Like a sister. The same thing he'd said when I found her underwear in his car. The same excuse when she answered his phone at 2 a.m. The same line every single time.
I looked at him. Really looked at him. The man I'd spent four years with. The man my parents had hand-picked because his family's construction company needed our family's capital.
Then I looked at Amber. Smirking. Confident. Like she'd already won.
Something cold settled in my chest. Not heartbreak. Not anymore.
Clarity.
"You want me to not make a scene?" I said quietly. "Fine."
I reached up and unclipped my veil. The lace drifted to the marble floor.
"The wedding's off."
Dylan's face went white. "What?"
"You heard me." I stepped back. "Marry her if you want. I'm done."
His mother rushed forward. "Serena! Think about what you're doing! The merger between our families—"
"Is no longer my problem."
I turned and walked down the aisle, three hundred pairs of eyes on my back. My heels clicked against the stone. No one moved.
Then, from the last pew, a man stood up.
I'd never seen him before. Tall, dark suit, jaw like it was carved from marble. He watched me with an expression I couldn't read.
As I passed him, he spoke.
"Wrong groom," he said. "Right decision."
I stopped. Looked at him.
"Who are you?"
He smiled. Just barely.
"Ask me again in an hour."
"Dylan, what the hell is this?" My voice cracked across the silence like a gunshot.
He didn't even flinch. He pulled away from Amber slowly, wiped his mouth, and looked at me like I was the one who'd interrupted something important.
"Serena, calm down," he said. "It's not what it looks like."
Amber smoothed her bridesmaid dress and tilted her head, her lips still wet.
"Babe, he was just nervous," she said sweetly. "I was calming him down. You know how close we are. Don't make this weird."
Three hundred guests. My parents. His parents. Every business partner the Lawson family had ever worked with. And she just called me "babe" with his saliva still on her mouth.
I dropped my bouquet.
"You were calming him down," I repeated flatly. "With your tongue."
A few gasps rippled through the pews. Dylan's mother stood up from the front row, her face tight with embarrassment.
"Serena, dear, let's not cause a scene. These things happen. Men get nervous before—"
"Mrs. Lawson," I cut her off, "your son had his hand on her ass. I saw it. Everyone in the third row saw it."
The third row shifted uncomfortably. Someone coughed.
Dylan finally stepped toward me, reaching for my arm.
"Serena, you're embarrassing yourself. Amber and I grew up together. She's like a sister. Can we just do this? Everyone's waiting."
Like a sister. The same thing he'd said when I found her underwear in his car. The same excuse when she answered his phone at 2 a.m. The same line every single time.
I looked at him. Really looked at him. The man I'd spent four years with. The man my parents had hand-picked because his family's construction company needed our family's capital.
Then I looked at Amber. Smirking. Confident. Like she'd already won.
Something cold settled in my chest. Not heartbreak. Not anymore.
Clarity.
"You want me to not make a scene?" I said quietly. "Fine."
I reached up and unclipped my veil. The lace drifted to the marble floor.
"The wedding's off."
Dylan's face went white. "What?"
"You heard me." I stepped back. "Marry her if you want. I'm done."
His mother rushed forward. "Serena! Think about what you're doing! The merger between our families—"
"Is no longer my problem."
I turned and walked down the aisle, three hundred pairs of eyes on my back. My heels clicked against the stone. No one moved.
Then, from the last pew, a man stood up.
I'd never seen him before. Tall, dark suit, jaw like it was carved from marble. He watched me with an expression I couldn't read.
As I passed him, he spoke.
"Wrong groom," he said. "Right decision."
I stopped. Looked at him.
"Who are you?"
He smiled. Just barely.
"Ask me again in an hour."