###Chapter 1

“Miss Ward, we’ve found a body. The features matches your mother. We need you to come in and identify it.”

My smile, reflected in the bridal shop mirror, shattered with a single phone call.

When they pulled back the sheet, her body was barely recognizable. Her eyes—gone. Her organs—ripped out.

I collapsed, screaming and the world turned black.

When I came to, my fiancé, Colin Marks, was sitting by my side. He gently wiped away my tears and kissed my forehead.

“They caught the bastard who did it,” he whispered. “I made sure… he paid for what he did to your mom.”

He swore that, for the rest of his life, he’d love and protect me the way she used to.

But that night, jolted awake by another nightmare, I caught something outside the bedroom. Through the crack in the door, I saw Colin holding my half-sister, Piper Ward, in his arms.

She was sobbing into his chest, her whole body trembling.

“If she ever finds out the truth… she’ll kill me.”

Colin cupped her face, gentle as ever.

“Hey, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know those guys were scammers. You’re a victim too.”

The chill in my bones cut deeper than any winter wind. I could hardly breathe.

So this was it. My mother died… because of Piper. And the man who swore to protect me was shielding her.

Colin finally sent Piper home and turned around—only to see me, collapsed on the floor.

His expression flickered—guilt, frustration—then hardened.

“So you heard everything?”

His tone turned cold, like I was the problem.

“Don’t blame Piper. Your mom got greedy, okay? She kept pestering Piper to help her ‘invest’—she brought this on herself.”

He tossed a blank check on the table like it meant nothing.

“Write whatever number you want. But forget what you’ve heard. Let’s pretend nothing happened for the meantime. The wedding’s in five days. We’ll go through with it—peacefully.”

I stared at the man who once swore he'd love me for the rest of his life. Now, he felt like a stranger.

I wiped the tears from my face.

If my wedding was doomed to become my mother’s funeral, then five days from now… I’d return the favor—with interest.

***

I said nothing. He grew impatient, yanking off his tie and tossing it on the nightstand.

“If you get it, then go to sleep.”

But something snapped in me. The grief, the rage—it all poured out, raw and shaking.

“Pretend? Are you fucking serious?!”

“You knew. You knew my mother was the only family I had. And you knew how much it meant to her to see me walk down the aisle in white. And Piper fucking destroyed it!”

Did he really not understand why my mother was desperate to make money?

Colin’s family had looked down on us from the start. His parents barely tolerated me. And my mother—God, she tried so hard to make me worthy in their eyes. That’s why she went to Piper, thinking maybe this time, things would be different.

I could still hear the officer’s voice in my head: “Your mother tracked those people down to try and get her money back. She didn’t know they were part of an organ trafficking ring. They butchered her and took everything they could use.”

I couldn’t stop crying. Each word came out like a blade. “If it weren’t for Piper and her mother, none of this would’ve happened. All I want is justice for my mom and you want to keep me from that?”  

“Enough, Anneliese!” Colin barked, his face suddenly dark. “Piper was scammed too. She lost everything. And you? Instead of showing any compassion, you’ve been running around spreading that she’s your dad’s bastard child. Do you even have a heart?"

"Compassion?" I let out a hollow, bitter laugh. "What about my mom? She died in the most horrific way!"

“She died because she got greedy and made stupid choices,” he scoffed. “Piper had nothing to do with it. Don’t even think about laying a finger on her.”

His voice was frost-edged now. I shook from the inside out.

I gripped the front of my shirt like it would hold my chest together. The floor blurred under the torrent of my tears.

“Colin,” I whispered. “Have you forgotten? When you were kidnapped—who risked everything to save you? Who fought off those men with her bare hands?”

“And what about the day she was in that hospital bed and you knelt at her side and promised you’d never hurt me? That you’d take care of me for the rest of your life?”

His jaw clenched, his expression hardening. “Don’t throw ancient history in my face. I’ve given you and your mom everything for years—food, clothes, status. Whatever debt I had, I paid it off a long time ago.”

Then, as if to twist the knife deeper, he let out a bitter laugh.

“This is about money, isn’t it?”

He flicked the check at me again. It sliced across my cheek, drawing blood.

I bit down hard, fists clenched. “I don’t want your money. I want Piper to be held accountable for what she’s done.”

He chuckled, a smug little breath through his nose. “Go ahead. Let’s see which law firm dumb enough to take that case and face me in court.

“Know your place.” Then his eyes narrowed. I won’t have a hysterical lunatic as my wife. This ends now.”

His phone rang. He glanced at the screen—and just like that, his face lit up.

“A gift? From you? That’s so thoughtful. Honestly, those clients only signed because of you.”

“What? No ride? Don’t worry, I’m coming to pick you up right now. Just stay put.”

He didn’t even look back at me as he walked out.

I stared at the door as it closed behind him. My tears burned down my cheeks like acid.

Fine. If this is how it’s going to be—so be it.

I just stood there, staring after the man I used to love, tears burning down my face. Fine. If that’s how he wanted to play it—then so be it.

I turned to pack my bags. But then the phone rang again.

“Miss Ward,” the paralegal said cheerfully, “since you’ve dropped the charges in your mother’s case, we’re closing our investigation. Just letting you know.”

###Chapter 2

I froze. Dropped the charges? What the hell were they talking about?

I rushed to the law firm as fast as I could. But by the time I got there, the file—my mother’s case file—was already shredded into confetti.

Everything blurred. I collapsed to my knees, grabbing the lawyer’s sleeve, my voice breaking.

“You promised. You said you’d help me get justice for my mother!”

The lawyer looked uncomfortable and let out a long sigh.

“The person who withdrew the complaint… was your husband. Mr. Marks. None of us are in a position to go against him. I’m truly sorry.”

And just like that, with a small nod, he had security drag me out into the street.

But I wasn’t giving up.

There had to be someone in this godforsaken city who still had a spine.

Hands shaking, I called every top law firm I could find. One by one, they turned me away. The replies were all the same.

“Sorry, Miss Ward. Mr. Marks made it very clear—anyone who touches that case is out of business by morning. We can’t help you.”

I dropped to the pavement. My palm landed on jagged concrete, blood seeping from the cut—yet I barely felt a thing.

When I was sixteen, my father threw Mom and me out. The same day, Piper and her mother moved in.

I still remember Piper—just thirteen—smirking from the staircase. That’s when I learned the truth. My father had been cheating for years.

Mom and I ended up on the streets. One freezing night, we stumbled into the middle of a kidnapping. A bunch of black-clothed guys dragging a young man in to a van, Colin Marks, heir to the Marks Family, was being dragged into a van.

Mom didn’t hesitate. She jumped in, fought the men off, saved Colin—almost died doing it. Stabbed over and over.

Afterward, Colin brought us into his home, against his parents’ wishes.

Mom turned down his offer to support us. Instead, she worked as a housekeeper in the Marks’ estate. I transferred to Colin’s school. Day after day, I watched that sweet, kind boy grow into someone I couldn’t help falling for.

He loved me back. On my 20th birthday, he held my hand, knelt in front of my mom and promised he’d spend the rest of his life protecting me.

But all that started changing a year ago.

He went to karaoke with some friends. When he got back, he started talking about Piper… differently.

“She’s not who I thought she was,” he said one night. “She’s working three jobs to pay for school. Can you believe that?”

“And get this—some rich guy tried to hit on her, said he’d spoil her rotten. She stood up and slapped him across the face. What a feisty girl.”

Then he added, “I know you two never really got along. But maybe it’s because you never gave her a real chance. If you just spent some time with her, maybe you’d see how lovable she is.”

My gut was screaming at me that something was off. But I brushed it aside. Told myself I was just being paranoid. That I was overthinking things.

And then, not long after, a friend told me that Colin had bought a bracelet. Not just any bracelet—a vintage piece that once belonged to a real-life European princess. Not only did she wear it, it was apparently one of her favorites.

So naturally, I thought… maybe he bought it for my birthday.

But on the day of my birthday, Piper posted on Instagram. That exact bracelet, worth millions, was wrapped around her wrist. In the photo, a man’s hand was holding hers—fingers laced.

That night, I waited until the last birthday candle burned itself out. Colin never came home.

It was the first time he ever forgot my birthday.

After that, he always had some excuse for missing our important dates—anniversaries, celebrations, milestones. There was always something that came up.

At the same time, Piper’s Instagram kept updating—his familiar silhouette in the background, his ringless fingers holding a wine glass, his toned body behind a fogged-up shower door…

Six months ago, we’d signed our marriage certificate. He told me he wanted to give me the perfect wedding.

Now I know… there won’t be a wedding at all.

I picked up the phone and dialed.

“You wanted my shares in Marks Corporation, right?” I said coldly. “I’m signing them over. All of them.”

It was a “gift” he gave me the day he finally won me over—those shares. I told him it was way too much, but he held my hand tight and insisted I sign the papers.

That gentle voice still echoes in my mind like a cruel memory,

“Baby, if you want the stars or the moon, I’ll give them to you. What’s a few shares compared to that?”

I know now—what we had, it was real. But people change. Hearts grow cold. And love? Love is never immortal.

The boy who once held me like I was his whole world—he’s long gone. Swallowed by time.

Just as I ended the call, my phone lit up with a message from Colin.

[Calmed down yet? I’ve arranged the cemetery and paid for the funeral. Satisfied now? Stop testing my patience.]

Another one followed almost instantly:

[Did you not see my message? Get to my office now. Sign the non-prosecution agreement for Piper.]

Something in me finally broke. I called him. My voice was shaking with rage.

“Why the hell should I sign that form for her? And if I say no, what then? You gonna press my bloody finger onto the damn paper?”

###Chapter 3

He hung up. Cold. No hesitation.

Seconds later, he sent a photo.

It was a scanned document. An investment contract signed between my mom and Piper.

Bold letters in the center screamed at me:

Investments carry risk. All losses due to personal judgment errors are the client’s own responsibility.

My mother’s signature and fingerprint sat neatly at the bottom.

He’d been preparing for this. His legal team—massive, ruthless—ready to crush me like I was nothing.

Still, I went to the Marks Corp building.

In the elevator, I ran into Piper.

She was wearing a custom Chanel gown, carrying a handbag worth more than most people’s cars and of course—the princess bracelet shimmered on her wrist.

She looked like royalty. Like someone born into love.

Her lips curled into a smile the second she saw me.

“Oh no, Annelise... you look awful,” she cooed. “Guess it’s true what they say—when a woman gets old, the bloom fades. No wonder Colin lost interest.”

Then, with mock concern, she said, “Still haven’t buried your mom? Want me to help plan the funeral? I mean, we are family after all.”

My hands curled into fists. Rage boiled up inside me until it threatened to burn me alive.

“You knew it was a scam,” I hissed. “You knew! That was telecom fraud and tricked my mom into giving up every cent she had!”

She feigned hurt, but the corner of her lips twitched with amusement.

“How could you accuse me like that? I was just trying to help,” she said sweetly. “Your mom wanted to earn more for your wedding dowry. I couldn’t say no to her, could I?”

My chest tightened. I could feel the blood rushing to my head. 

“Boy, that old hag love you like the world, didn’t she?” she sneered. 

Then she leaned in close and whispered near my ear, “One day, I stepped on Mr. Marks’s favorite peonies—on purpose. The butler said he’d dock her three months’ pay. She begged on her knees. Right there.”

“I found out later she hadn’t taken a day off in months. Just to save money… for you,” Piper went on, giggling. “When I told her to crawl through the garden like a dog? She did it. Just like that.”

My world crumbled. All those times my mother smiled and told me not to worry about a thing while I planned my wedding... I never knew what she had to endure for my sake.

As the elevator doors opened, something inside me snapped.

I raised my hand, eyes blazing.

“Piper, you’re a monster!”

But before my hand even touched her, she threw herself out of the elevator, crying hysterically as she held her face.

“Annelise, I said I was sorry! I even knelt to you, but you’re still being so cruel—do you really want me dead that badly?!” she sobbed dramatically. “If you want me dead so bad, then fine! I’ll die for your mother!”

She staggered up, pretending to hurl herself into the wall.

“Piper!”

A figure rushed forward, arms wrapping protectively around her—Colin.

He yanked her into his arms and slammed into me with his shoulder. I wasn’t prepared. My head whipped back, smacking the wall behind me with a sickening thud.

The world tilted.

Warm blood trickled down the back of my neck.

Colin turned on me, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

“Anneliese Ward, how dare you? Apologize to Piper. Now.”

It was like she was his wife. And me? Just some lunatic who had to be dealt with.

Piper sobbed against his chest, trembling.

“I know she’s just hurt, she whimpered, clinging to him like he was her lifeline, “but I already said I’d pay for it. I’d take on every job I could, even illegal ones. But she… she still hit me. And she cursed me—said I should drop dead.”

Colin wrapped his arms tighter around her, jaw clenched, eyes dark with fury.

“Have I not compensated you enough?” he snapped at me. “Look at yourself. You’re just like your mother. Petty. Greedy. Always playing the victim. You two deserved the punishment.”

My breath caught in my throat. The room spun, but I stood rooted, too stunned to move.

“Petty and greedy?” I whispered, staring at him like I’d never seen him before. “Is that really what you think of me? That seeking justice for my mom makes me some money-hungry lunatic?”

Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall.

Something in Colin flickered when he saw me holding back my tears. But the moment Piper whimpered in his arms, his expression hardened again.

“I saw you try to hit her. I don’t care what your excuse is.”

He took a step forward. “This is the last time I’ll say it. Apologize.”

My heart clenched like it was being crushed in a vice.

“And what if I don’t?” I said coldly.