"What did you say?" Daniel furrowed his brows, his expression filled with confusion. "Tracie, what are you talking about? There’s no other bride. It’s always been you. I’m just... I’m busy right now. Things are complicated. I can’t think about a wedding until all this is settled."
I stood still, my face a mask of calm that barely concealed the storm brewing inside me. "Stop," I said firmly, shaking my head. "Enough with the lies, Daniel. I know everything. You really thought I wouldn’t figure it out? You thought I wouldn’t understand Italian?" The volume of my voice was high as I spoke. "You actually thought you could talk about marrying Ginger Massey to save your company, right in front of me?"
His expression faltered. "Tracie, I—"
"No," I cut him off, fury bubbling up. "I remember all of it. You and your friends, laughing at me. Thinking I wouldn’t catch on. Well, I did, Daniel. Every last word."
He froze, trying to find the right words, his mouth opening and closing in silence. "Tracie, please... I’m sorry. I never meant for it to go down like this. But I didn’t have a choice."
"No choice?" I repeated, disbelieving. "Explain that to me."
Daniel ran a hand through his disheveled hair, a look of guilt washing over him. "I have to marry Ginger," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper, almost pleading. "It’s for the family. If I don’t, the company will fail. Can’t you see what that means? Eddy Insurance is the biggest healthcare provider in America. If I can’t fix this... if I can’t save it... everything will crumble. The business, my father’s legacy... everything."
I crossed my arms, forcing myself to stay composed. "So, that’s it? You marry her, and I just sit on the sidelines, waiting?"
"It’s not like that," he said quickly, his voice filled with desperation. "It’s not serious. It’s just an arrangement. Tracie, I still love you. You don’t understand the pressure I’m under."
I took a slow breath, trying to push my emotions down. "What if I could help you?"
Daniel blinked, shocked by my words, before—disgustingly—he laughed.
"Help me?" he scoffed. "Tracie, this isn’t some little problem. Do you have any idea what this really means? This is beyond anything you can fix. You don’t have the resources. You don’t have anything."
His words felt like a slap in the face, but I refused to let him see my hurt. I shrugged, forcing a cold, indifferent smile. "Fine, Daniel. Do what you have to do."
Without another word, I turned and walked away, leaving him standing there, lost in his own mess.
The bar was dimly lit, the low murmur of conversations blending with the clink of glasses. I sank into a corner booth, nursing my drink, trying to numb the ache in my chest.
How had I let it get to this point? How had I given so much to someone so blind, so self-centered?
I swirled the ice in my glass, the soft clinking filling the silence. The betrayal. The lies. The years I had wasted with him... Then, my phone buzzed.
Expecting nothing more than a message or spam, I checked it—and my grip on the glass tightened.
A wedding invitation.
From Ginger Massey.
My stomach churned as I opened it. The elegant script mocked me as I read. The wedding would be grand, lavish—everything her family could provide. And she had sent this to me directly.
We all went to the same high school years ago. Ginger always had her sights on Daniel, but back then, he had chosen me. She’d hated that, lost to someone like me—someone they thought was nobody. But they didn’t know the truth of who I was.
Now, she was shoving her victory in my face. She had finally claimed him, and she wanted me to see it.
Anger surged through me, a fire that burned hot and wild. If they thought they could get away with this, I’d make sure their wedding was destroyed.
I arrived at the wedding fashionably late, making sure to grab everyone’s attention the moment I walked in.
"Is that a wedding dress?" someone whispered.
"It can’t be," another voice murmured.
"Wait... look at her neck! Is that... the Cartier necklace?"
"The limited-edition one? There were only three made!"
"The last time anyone saw it, the Lady of the Whitaker Clan was wearing it. Who is she?"
"Sorry I’m late," I said, smoothly making my way to the front where Ginger and Daniel stood. I tilted my head slightly, meeting Ginger’s glare with a small, knowing smile. "Wouldn’t miss your big day for anything. Wishing you both the best."
Ginger’s nostrils flared, her forced smile faltering. "You’re wearing white," she said sharply. "Only the bride wears white. Surely you know that?"
I glanced down at my gown, feigning surprise. "Oh, did I? But white is such a lovely color, don’t you think?"
"Lovely or not," she snapped, raising her voice so everyone could hear, "you’re out of place. Where did you even get that gown? That necklace?"
She added, louder still, her words aimed to wound, "Let me guess—did you take out a loan for this stunt? Or is it a fake?"
A few chuckles rang out from the crowd, her jab landing as intended. I smiled back, calm and unbothered.
"You don’t know, do you?" I began, my voice cutting through the murmur of the room. "I am the daughter of the Whit—"
Before I could finish, a loud gunshot rang out.
The room went still. Laughter stopped. Silence consumed the space.
Then, chaos.
Screams erupted as people scrambled toward the exits, high heels clattering against marble floors. Daniel grabbed Ginger’s arm, dragging her away toward the hallway. He left. That was it. He just left.
What a coward.
With no other choice, I followed the frenzied crowd.
The hallway was a disaster. Bodyguards lay sprawled across the floor, blood pooling beneath them. More screams echoed as more guests rushed to escape the madness.
I hurried, my steps quickening as I tried to make sense of the chaos. Another explosion shook the building, the deafening blast sending debris flying.
I stumbled, coughing through the dust, but managed to steady myself. The hallway ahead was blocked by rubble, forcing me to turn back.
Then came another round of gunfire, closer this time.
I crept forward, drawn by equal parts fear and curiosity. A door was slightly ajar, and I peered inside.
A man in a hoodie stood in the center of the room, a gun in his hand. The scent of gunpowder still lingered.
And there, on the floor, lay Penny Eddy—the CEO of Alliance Insurance and Daniel’s father. Blood pooled around him, staining the plush carpet.
My heart skipped a beat, and as I turned to leave, footsteps sounded behind me.
I slowly turned, and the sight that met my eyes made my heart freeze in my chest.
