Chapter 1

[Cole Sterling spotted picking up his childhood sweetheart, top model Adriana, from the airport a day before his wedding. What does this mean for Hermione Windsor?]

The headline flashed across Hermione’s phone as she stared at the screen in disbelief.

Her fingers trembled as she scrolled. Beneath it was a photo of her fiancé of five years, flowers in hand, smiling warmly at a stunning brunette holding a ‘Welcome Home’ sign. According to the article, Cole’s grand display had blocked the airport entrance for nearly an hour before they finally left.

She and Cole were supposed to walk down the aisle tomorrow.

Everything for the wedding was already prepared — her dress, the venue, the vows. Every detail had been finalized. Yet here he was, wrapped in another woman’s arms while the media turned her humiliation into entertainment.

She was a joke. A punchline.

Hermione shook her head. Her hands moved on autopilot as she dialed Cole’s number. He didn’t answer. She tried several times before her phone buzzed with a message.

Cole: “Hermione, Adriana arrived today and needs someone to show her around the city tonight. I’m the only one she knows, so I’ll keep her company.”

That was it. No concern for her feelings. No mention of their wedding tomorrow.

Before she could even process it, another message came through, this time from Adriana. It was a picture of Cole lying against her chest, unmistakably in his bedroom. She recognized the sheets instantly. She’d picked them herself.

“He might be giving you a ring, but his heart will always belong to me. Why don’t you just back off?”

Something inside Hermione cracked.

She stood so abruptly her chair scraped loudly against the floor as she rushed out of the beauty spa to go to Cole’s house. She refused to believe that he would forsake her because of another woman.

Cole knew how much this wedding meant to her. He knew what would happen if she didn’t get married by tomorrow. Her father wouldn’t hesitate to marry her off in an arranged union, to God-knows-who, just to secure his family’s interests.

This marriage was her last chance at freedom, and he couldn’t destroy it.

She pulled up to his apartment and immediately rushed inside, knowing the passcode. She walked straight for his bedroom and stopped.

Adriana’s voice floated from the bedroom, sweet and teasing.

“Are you really going to marry that woman? Didn’t you say you would wait for me?”

Through the slight crack in the door, Hermione could see her straddling Cole’s lap, her fingers curled into his hair. His hand rested easily on her waist, his expression soft.

“I don’t love that bitch. I’m only doing her a favor.”

Hermione’s breath hitched.

“If I marry her, I get access to part of her father’s company. Her shares will be mine. You know Robert Windsor, he would never let a woman run his company, even if that woman was his daughter. His prejudice is a good opportunity for me to make Windsor enterprise mine.”

The world tilted. So that was it. Five years of confessions and promises were all part of a strategy for him.

Her father, Robert Windsor, was a vile man who only saw her as a tool to extend his wealth. That was why she had held so tight to Cole. If she didn’t get married soon, her father was fit to do whatever he wanted to her marriage. That was the ultimatum he gave her when she walked out of his mansion five years ago.

She had confided this to Cole years ago and he pretended to understand. Now she knew it was all a lie.

Hermione took a shaky step back as Adriana laughed.

“Hermione is so pathetic. I’m going to be so pissed tomorrow when you marry her. Can’t you spend tomorrow with me instead? I’ll make it worth it.” Adriana whined, planting a kiss on his neck.

Cole chuckled, finding her antics cute. “How about I spend the whole morning with you? Give you all my attention.”

“Isn’t the ceremony starting by nine?”

“She has no choice but to wait. I’m her only option.” He replied lightly. “After the ceremony is done, I’ll come back to you to finish what we started.”

Adriana smirked before planting a kiss on his lips which he returned passionately.

Hermione gave a bitter smile before walking out of his apartment, silent tears sliding down her face. From start to finish, they hadn’t noticed her, too engrossed in their scheme. She couldn’t fight them either. Nothing she did could possibly change the outcome. They just weren’t worth it.

Adriana’s fans who heard about their teenage romance had always pointed her as a home wrecker, despite the fact that she’d been engaged to Cole for five years. They claimed she had latched onto him while he’d always clearly loved Adriana.

Even if Cole wasn’t exactly in love with her, she had thought they were friends. They were supposed to have an understanding. While she bore the media’s harsh criticism as they painted her a villain, he always comforted her. Always whispered reassuring words into her ears and how he would remain faithful.

Her desperation had led her to blindly trust him. She should have seen the signs. Now she knew giving him a chance was a mistake.

She was exhausted.

“Fine. I’ll stop latching.” She muttered defeatedly as she started the ignition, driving back to her apartment.