Chapter 1 The Bride Under the Veil

"Do you, the bride, take this handsome man beside you to be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer or poorer…"

"I… do." The woman's voice came through the veil, muffled and uncertain.

The guests all murmured in admiration, praising how deeply Selene Liraine, the Liraine heiress, must love me—to insist on completing the wedding even with a heavy cold, afraid I might feel wronged otherwise.

"Wait a second."

The woman beneath the veil averted her gaze, a fine sheen of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Selene, you don't look too well. Are you tired?" I asked with a gentle smile.

She cleared her throat nervously. "Yes, I…"

I gestured for the officiant to pause the ceremony and led the bride into the lounge. Just then, my phone on the table vibrated. More than a dozen unread messages lit up the screen—all from Chase Riverton.

'You've figured out the bride's a fake, haven't you? Surprised? Selene and I are watching your wedding live right now.'

There was a photo attached—Selene resting her head affectionately on Chase's shoulder, relaxed and smiling.

'Oh, forgot to mention—this was my idea. The wedding's just her little game to amuse me.'

I quickly typed out a reply. 'Is that so? Want to bet that with one call from me, she'll drop you and come crawling back?'

As expected, there was no response for a long while.

Perfect, I thought. The fish had taken the bait.

I put the phone away and turned toward the silent bride beside me. She shifted uneasily, glancing up at me. "Actually, I… I…"

I patted her shoulder lightly. "Deep breaths, Aria."

Her shoulders relaxed at once. "You already knew."

She went quiet for a moment, then drew in a deep breath, as though gathering courage. "Selene isn't worth marrying. She only set this up to humiliate you."

I leaned closer, my voice low. "I didn't stop the ceremony to expose you. I just need you to help me put on a show."

I hadn't known until after my death that Aria Grant had been watching over me in secret for years. When she heard I'd died, she was the only one who refused to believe it was an accident. Later, she discovered that Selene had been behind it, but with no proof to bring her down, she chose to end it all—dragging Selene with her on the anniversary of my death.

Tears welled in Aria's eyes as she instinctively reached toward me, only to stop midway. "If you feel wronged, I can—"

I looked straight at her. "Aria, listen to me. You're the one I want to marry."

When we returned to the hall, the officiant smiled and announced, "Now, the bride and groom will exchange rings."

I picked up the ring, but when I tried to slide it onto her finger, it stopped halfway, stuck tight at the knuckle. She tried awkwardly to force it on, but I pressed down on her hand to stop her.

A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd, the buzz of gossip growing louder.

"What's going on? Does the ring not fit?"

"How can they mess up something this important? The Schreiber and Liraine families are slipping."

In the audience, Selene's parents' faces turned ashen.

They exchanged a look, and I saw panic flicker in both their eyes.

I see.

They had known about her little stunt all along and hadn't done a thing to stop it.

My mother's brows furrowed in worry as she looked up at me. I met her gaze and gave a small nod of reassurance. Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, I lifted Aria's veil.

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

"My God! The bride isn't Selene Liraine!"

"Where's the real bride gone to?!"