I had loved Connor Delgado in secret for fifteen years. In the fifteenth year, our families finally agreed to a marriage alliance.
At the altar, Connor shoved a ring onto my finger. It was a full size too big. As it slid loosely past my knuckle, I caught a glimpse of the engraving on the inner band.
They weren't my initials. They belonged to him and Jade Winfield.
After the vows were spoken, Connor leaned in, his voice a freezing whisper against my ear.
"You stole Jade's life. Did you really think you could steal her fiancé, too?"
——
The ring slipped from my finger and clattered onto the floor. Before the echo died, Connor's younger sister let out a sharp laugh from the front row.
"She's a cripple," she sneered, loud enough for every guest to hear. "How dare she fantasize about marrying my brother?"
"Mediocre and a thief," another voice added. "She should just go to hell."
Connor's lips curled into a smirk. The guests whispered and pointed. My parents stood abruptly, faces ashen, trembling with suppressed rage.
Leaning on my cane, I watched the ring—the one that never belonged to me—roll down the steps and vanish into the confetti.
"Mom, Dad," Connor addressed his parents, his tone venomous. "Take a good look at the daughter-in-law you've chosen."
The screen behind us flickered to life. Image after image scrolled by.
Photos of me. In disarray. In bed with a man who wasn't Connor.
"I, Connor Delgado, will not marry a woman this filthy," he declared.
I stared at the screen, hollow. A cold numbness spread through my chest. I didn't react because I already knew.
It had happened last weekend, right after the engagement announcement. Connor had summoned me to a private room—ostensibly to talk, but really to punish me on Jade's behalf.
Jade had plied me with alcohol until the room spun. Then Connor threw me to one of his friends, manufacturing these photos to destroy my reputation.
But they didn't know the truth. The man in the photos wasn't Connor's buddy.
I didn't refute the accusation. Instead, my mouth twisted into a broken smile.
"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law," Connor continued, twisting the knife. "This is your 'good' daughter. A shameless slut who disgraces the family name."
He stepped closer to my parents. "Do you regret it now? You had eyes but no vision. You claimed the wrong daughter and got this counterfeit instead."
I looked at his furious face. My nails dug into my palms until the skin broke, my heart feeling carved out with a dull blade.
Then he made his move. He grabbed Jade's hand and pulled her onto the stage.
"The only woman I love is Jade Winfield," he announced. "Those wild women outside—even if they crawl into my bed, they'll never enter my heart."
Agreement rippled through the crowd. They whispered that Connor and Jade were made for each other, that I was the interloper who'd forced my way between true lovers.
I should get lost. I should die. I should go to hell.
Connor gripped Jade's hand, turning to storm out.
I caught his sleeve.
"Connor," I said, low but steady. "The Delgado family shares. Do you want them, or not?"
He froze. Turned. His eyes burned with hatred.
"Samantha," Jade cut in, her voice dripping with pity. "Other than using money to threaten him, do you have any way to keep a man?"
She mocked my despicable methods. But Connor didn't know the truth: Jade Winfield was the one rotten to the bone.
He looked ready to devour me whole. Yet the threat worked. With a jaw clenched tight enough to snap, he stayed through the rest of the agonizing ceremony.
Jade, seeing him stay, looked at Connor with tear-filled eyes of betrayal. She let out a sob and fled the venue.
The moment the ceremony ended, Connor abandoned me to chase after her.
In full view of the city's elite, I became the most pathetic bride of the century.
That night, the news was everywhere.
Delgado-Winfield Marriage Scandal: Bride Ringless at Altar. Groom Injured in Car Accident Chasing True Love.
I simmered soup overnight, pouring my pathetic devotion into a thermos, and went to the hospital.
At the door, I froze.
Inside, Connor and Jade were locked in a passionate embrace. When he saw me, he didn't pull away. His hand tightened on the back of her head, deepening the kiss—punishing me with their intimacy.
I watched them entwined. A sharp pain lanced through my chest.
Taking a breath, I mustered the last shreds of my dignity and pushed the door fully open.
Jade scrambled up like a startled bird, her lips swollen and red. She smoothed her hair, glaring.
"Do you have any manners?" she snapped.
I met her gaze, expression flat.
"Jade," I said calmly. "Tonight is my wedding night with Connor."
The color drained from her face—as if I'd grabbed her by the throat.
