I AM BILLIONAIRE DAMON'S REPLACEMENT BRIDE

I became Mrs. Damon Sterling at 4 PM on a Saturday.By 11 PM, I was pretty sure my husband wanted to kill me."Take off the ring."His voice cut through the silence of the penthouse, cold, sharp, final. We'd been standing in his living room for ten minutes, fifty floors above Manhattan, and those were the first words he'd spoken to me since the car ride from the reception.I looked down at my left hand. The massive diamond caught the city lights streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, throwing rainbows across my skin. It was beautiful. Probably cost more than my entire life was worth.It was also a lie."No," I said.His head snapped up. Those steel-gray eyes, the ones that had looked right through me all day finally focused on me with laser precision."What did you say?"My heart was hammering but I kept my voice steady. "I said no. I'm not taking off the ring.""That ring was meant for Sophia." He said my sister's name like it tasted bitter. "Not you.""Well, Sophia's in Ita

I had to tell my parents. Had to tell them now.I ran out of the room, still clutching the note, my heart hammering against my ribs. Found them in a private sitting room greeting early arrivals, donors, business partners, people who mattered."Mom. Dad." My voice was too loud. Too panicked. "I need to talk to you. Now."My father looked annoyed at the interruption. "Eve, we're in the middle of...""NOW."Something in my voice made them both stop. Made them excuse themselves and follow me to an empty room."What is this about?" Mom demanded. "Where's Sophia? She should be getting into her dress..."I held out the note with a shaking hand.My mother snatched it. Read it. The color drained from her face.She handed it to my father without a word.I watched him read it. Watched his expression go from confusion to shock to something like horror."No." His voice was hollow. "No, this can't be happening.""She's gone," I whispered. "She left. She's on a plane to Italy right now."My mother's

We reached the back of the ceremony space. Out of sight of most guests.Damon dropped my hand like it had burned him."Smile for the photographs," he said without looking at me. His voice was ice. "Pretend you're happy. Make this look real."Then he walked away.Just walked away and left me standing there."Congratulations!" A woman I didn't know air-kissed me. "What a beautiful ceremony!""Thank you," I said automatically."You look lovely!" Another stranger. "Though I could have sworn the bride was supposed to be blonde?""Thank you.""Where's Sophia?" One of her friends cornered me, eyes sharp with gossip-hunger. "What happened? Is she okay?""She's fine," I lied. "She...she had to back out. Family emergency.""And you just stepped in? That's so weird...""Excuse me," I said, pushing past her.I needed air. Needed space. Needed to not be HERE.But there was nowhere to go. Guests everywhere. Photographers snapping pictures. People wanting to congratulate the happy couple.Happy coup

Two hours later, the doorman called up."Mrs. Sterling? You have a visitor. A Miss Jessica Martin?""Send her up," I said gratefully.Jessica burst through the door thirty seconds later like a hurricane in designer jeans and a leather jacket."Holy SHIT," she said, looking around the penthouse. "This place is insane. This is where you live now?""Apparently."She grabbed me in a fierce hug. "Are you okay? Really okay?""I'm surviving.""That's not the same thing.""It's the best I can do right now."She pulled back and looked at me closely. "You look terrible.""Thanks. That's exactly what I needed to hear.""I'm serious. You have circles under your eyes, you're too pale, and you look like you've been crying.""I haven't cried.""Maybe you should. Might help."She dragged me to the massive white couch and made me sit while she inspected the penthouse like she was casing it for a heist."Where's the asshole?" she asked."Gym. Then office. Won't be back until late.""On a Sunday? The da

Three days into this weird new existence as Mrs. Sterling, and I still hadn't figured out how to exist in the same space as my husband without feeling like I was intruding.Thursday morning. I was in the kitchen making coffee when Damon walked in, already dressed for work. Charcoal suit. White shirt. But something was off.His tie was a disaster.Like, truly terrible. Crooked and bunched up on one side, the knot sitting at this weird angle that made him look like he'd gotten dressed in the dark. Which maybe he had, I don't know. We weren't exactly on a schedule-sharing basis.He grabbed his phone off the counter, scrolling through something with that permanent frown he seemed to wear whenever I was around."You have that meeting this morning, right?" I said. "The one with the Japanese investors?"He looked up, surprised I'd spoken. "How did you know about that?""You mentioned it. The other night. You said it was important."He had, actually. During one of our stilted dinner conversat