Chapter 1

LILIAN ROSEFORTH POV

The grand cathedral was crowded with guests. Every corner was decorated with the most beautiful fresh flowers and luxurious ornaments. Joyful wedding music echoed throughout the entire hall, as if announcing to the whole world that today was the happiest day anyone could ever dream of—the day of union and eternal promises.

Everyone was smiling. chatting happily, and full of excitement. Every single eye inside the church was focused on me, watching me wearing the white wedding dress I had dreamed about and saved up for years just to afford.

But despite the beauty and happiness surrounding me, deep inside my heart, I felt like I was slowly breaking apart and turning into dust. My knees were trembling uncontrollably, my hands were ice-cold, and my mind was filled with unexplainable fear and anxiety that I could not understand or shake off.

I am Lilian Roseforth, and today was supposed to be the happiest day of my entire life. After five years of love, sacrifices, and dreaming of building a future with the man I love, I was finally standing here, ready to become his wife before God and everyone else.

This man was Carlos—the person who promised me again and again that he would never leave my side no matter what happened, that he would love me through thick and thin, and that I was the only woman he would ever love until his very last breath. I believed every single word he said with all my heart.

I gave him my loyalty, my youth, my hard-earned money, and everything I had, even though I knew very well that I was born into a humble family and had nothing wealthy or powerful to offer him. All I had was my sincere heart and willingness to do everything just to make him happy and comfortable.

I grew up in a simple family. My parents were ordinary hardworking people who worked day and night just to put food on our table and support our basic needs. Since I was little, I learned that life was never easy or fair, and that if I wanted something, I had to work hard and earn it with my own sweat and effort.

Because of this upbringing, I grew up humble, patient, kind, and always treated everyone with respect no matter who they were or where they came from. When I met Carlos five years ago, he was just starting his business career.

He had very little money, he was drowning in debts, and he was struggling to survive and stand on his own feet. At that time, he told me honestly that he had nothing to offer, and he promised me that once he succeeded, he would repay everything I did for him and give me the best life possible. He assured me that my background and status didn't matter to him at all, and that he loved me simply because of who I was inside.

I trusted him completely and devoted my life to him. I worked two jobs, I saved every single penny I earned, and I gave almost everything to him just so he could pay his debts and expand his business.

For years, I ate simple cheap meals, wore old clothes, denied myself of every luxury or comfort, and lived a very difficult life, thinking that all my sacrifices would eventually pay off and one day we would be happy and successful together.

People around me always warned me, telling me that I was foolish and giving too much, that he was just using me and taking advantage of my kindness, but I never listened to them. I always defended him and believed his words. I told myself

'He loves me truly. He is just struggling right now, but once everything becomes alright, he will treat me like a queen and cherish me forever.'

And finally… after five long years of hard work, tears, and endless waiting, today was supposed to be our day. Everything was prepared perfectly. The guests were all seated and waiting.

The priest stood ready to officiate our wedding ceremony. My heart was beating fast, filled with joy and excitement, thinking that finally, all my pain and struggles were over and I would now start a happy married life with the man I loved so dearly.

My eyes searched for him, looking at the groom standing at the altar waiting for me. He looked incredibly handsome in his tailored suit, tall, confident, and charming.

He was smiling and greeting our guests warmly, looking happy and full of life, but the moment his eyes met mine… my heart suddenly sank heavily inside my chest. His eyes… they were cold, empty, and completely emotionless.

There was no warmth, no affection, and no happiness like he used to show me before. He looked at me exactly the same way he looked at strangers or people he didn't care about. He didn't even smile or nod at me, he just stared blankly, and then immediately turned his gaze away as if he didn't even want to look at me at all—My legs began to shake uncontrollably and a sudden cold fear gripped my heart tightly.

'What is wrong?' I asked myself nervously. 'Is he nervous? Is he afraid? Or is there something wrong I don't know about?'

I tried calming myself down, thinking I was just imagining things because of my own anxiety and excitement. I took a deep breath and walked slowly toward him, holding my bouquet tight in my trembling hands, forcing myself to smile happily even though my heart felt heavy and uneasy.

The ceremony began. The priest spoke beautifully about the meaning of marriage, love, loyalty, and staying together through all seasons of life. He spoke about promises made before God and people, about sharing happiness and sorrow together until death parts their ways.

Every word spoken pierced deep inside my heart, and tears of happiness gathered inside my eyes thinking that soon I would officially become his wife and we would spend our whole lives together.

When it finally came to the part where we had to face each other and exchange our wedding vows, Carlos slowly turned his face toward me.

Standing just inches apart, I looked deeply into his eyes, hoping to see at least a little bit of love and warmth I was familiar with, but all I saw was coldness, disgust, and regret written clearly all over his face.

He looked at me exactly like someone who had made the biggest mistake of his life and was desperate to escape from it immediately.

"Carlos..." I whispered softly and gently, reaching my hand toward him with worry clearly showing on my face. "My love... what is wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like this? Are you feeling unwell or nervous?"

He didn't answer me immediately. Instead, he slowly moved a step backward, distancing himself away from my touch and my reach. He scanned me from head to toe with his sharp eyes, looking at my simple wedding dress, my simple hairstyle, and my humble appearance, looking at me exactly like I was something dirty, worthless, and disgraceful standing beside him.

Seconds later, he turned around and faced everyone present inside the cathedral, opened his mouth, and spoke words so cruel and painful that it felt like thousands of sharp knives piercing straight into my heart and tearing my soul apart completely.

"Everyone... I apologize sincerely," Carlos spoke loudly and clearly, his voice steady, calm, and without a single trace of shame or guilt, shocking everyone present into dead silence instantly. "I have realized just moments ago that I cannot go through with this marriage. I made a huge mistake and I cannot continue lying and pretending anymore. I am sorry to everyone who came here today expecting to witness our happy union, but I have decided... I cannot and I will not marry Lilian Roseforth."

His words echoed loudly and painfully inside the whole hall, and instantly everything turned chaotic and noisy. Everyone gasped in shock and disbelief, whispering and murmuring loudly, turning their eyes toward me with pity, shock, and sympathy written all over their faces.

I stood frozen on my spot, feeling like the whole world had stopped turning and everything around me had turned completely dark and blurry. My heart was pounding painfully fast, tears instantly flooding my eyes, blurring my vision completely, unable to believe or understand what was happening right in front of me.

"Carlos... what... what are you saying?" I stammered shakily, tears already rolling freely down my face, ignoring everyone watching me. "We promised each other... we planned everything together... we waited for five years... why are you saying this now? What did I do wrong? Please tell me..."

Carlos turned his face toward me again, his expression cold, ruthless, and full of disdain as he looked down at me like I was the dirtiest thing he had ever encountered in his whole life.

He looked at me without any mercy or kindness and spoke again, even louder and crueler than before, crushing whatever was left of my heart and dignity completely into dust.

"Do you really need me to spell it out clearly, Lilian?" Carlos asked mockingly, sneering at me openly in front of everyone. "Look at yourself properly! You are poor, you have no background, you have nothing to offer me in life! For five years, I tolerated you and pretended to love you only because I was struggling and had no other choice back then! But now... I have succeeded, I have wealth, status, and fame, and I realized clearly that you simply don't belong beside me! You are too ordinary, too simple, and too low-class to be my wife! You drag me down and embarrass me everywhere we go! I don't need a poor woman like you weighing me down and ruining my reputation and future!"

"Everything you gave me? Everything you sacrificed?" He laughed coldly and cruelly, shaking his head in pure disgust and contempt. "You gave me nothing valuable! You worked simple jobs, gave me pennies, and acted like you sacrificed your whole life just to help me? Please... don't make me laugh! Compared to what I achieved and built now, everything you gave is nothing, absolutely nothing at all! You are nothing, Lilian! You are born poor, you think poor, you act poor, and you will always remain poor and ordinary forever! Why would I tie myself forever to a woman like you when I can have the best, most beautiful, and wealthy woman in the whole world easily?"

Just as he finished speaking, a beautiful woman walked elegantly toward him from the side of the hall. She was wearing an expensive silk dress, covered in sparkling jewels and diamonds, looking elegant, wealthy, and perfect in every way. She walked straight to Carlos' side, held his arm intimately and looked at me with eyes full of pride, arrogance, and victory.

"Meet Leah," Carlos announced proudly and happily, smiling affectionately at the beautiful woman beside him, completely forgetting my existence standing there crying brokenly in front of everyone. "She is the woman I truly love, the woman who truly matches my status and level! She is wealthy, educated, elegant, and perfect in every single way! She is the only woman worthy of standing beside me and sharing my success and glory! Unlike some people who think that giving cheap things and simple hard work are enough to win a man’s heart and life..."

He paused and looked sharply at me one last time, his eyes full of cruelty and hatred, throwing his final words directly at my face and heart, completely destroying me and my whole life in just a few minutes.

"Lilian, let me make this absolutely clear once and for all so you won't keep dreaming and hoping for impossible things anymore," Carlos said slowly and mercilessly. "You were never the right person for me, and you never will be! You were just someone I used during my hardest times, just a temporary comfort while I was struggling, nothing else! Now that I have everything I want and need, you are useless and completely unnecessary to me anymore! Don't ever try to reach out to me or act like we shared anything special because to me... you are nothing but a mistake and a regret I wish I could erase completely from my life!"

"From today onwards, stay away from me and never appear in front of me or my wife again. You don't belong in my world, Lilian. You belong exactly where you came from... down in the dirt, struggling and suffering, exactly where you deserve to be."

After speaking these painful heartbreaking words, Carlos held Leah tightly by his side, turned around completely, and walked away together with her out of the cathedral, leaving me standing alone in the middle of everyone's gaze, completely broken, humiliated, and destroyed beyond repair.

Everyone inside the church looked at me—some looked at me with pity and sadness, while others looked at me with mockery, amusement, and disdain, whispering and talking loudly about me as if I wasn't even there or human enough to respect.

"Heh... she really thought he would marry her and take her out of poverty huh?"

"Serves her right! She really dreamed too high beyond her station!"

"Poor girl... foolish enough to think love is enough to keep a rich successful man..."

"She wasted five years of her life and got nothing"

TO BE CONTINUED