Chapter 1

I immediately bought a plane ticket overseas.

By the time I reached the hotel Daniel Hayes was staying at, he was already dressed like a groom, standing at the entrance with his best friend, Chloe Turner, on his arm.

She was in a wedding dress, smiling beside him as they welcomed the guests.

The second Daniel saw me, panic flashed across his face, and he hurried down the steps.

"I can explain," he stammered. "Chloe's father is terminally ill, and his only wish is to see her get married. I'm only helping her put on a show."

Amused by the sheer absurdity, I slapped him across the face. "A show?" I asked. "Should I give you two a wedding gift to make it more believable?"

As the crowd began to whisper and point fingers, Chloe grew flushed with shame and anger. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes, making it look as though I were the homewrecker.

"Ms. Woods, I know your unrequited love for Daniel has driven you to delusion," she cried. "I sympathize with you, but today is my wedding day. Please stop being so aggressive. You can't force someone to love you."

Daniel chimed in, "Whatever you have to say, we can talk about it at home after the wedding. Stop causing a scene, okay?"

Even at a moment like this, his only thought was to keep the wedding going.

I let out a cold, cynical laugh, my eyes scanning the emerald necklace around Chloe's neck. It was the same emerald necklace I had lost, the one valued at eight million dollars.

"No wonder you've been paying her 30,000 dollars a month. You two were sleeping together long before today. And my missing designer bags and jewelry, you stole them to give to her, didn't you?"

I looked Chloe over with open contempt. "One is brave enough to steal, and the other is brazen enough to wear it. You really are a match made in hell."

Laughter broke out among the crowd. Several people had already whipped out their phones to film Daniel and Chloe.

Chloe stomped her foot in rage, then yanked a marriage certificate out of her bag and showed it to everyone. "Take a good look! Daniel and I are legally married."

She pointed at me, her chin raised as if she had finally turned the tables. "She's sick. She flings herself at any man she sees, and my husband is just one of her targets."

The crowd erupted in shock.

A few men began looking me over with vile intent, whistling at me.

"Hey, gorgeous. If you're that desperate, why don't you come up to my room? He's already taken anyway."

One particularly bold man even reached out to grab me. I snatched a wine bottle from the nearest table, and the man immediately backed off.

I pointed the bottle at Daniel, staring him dead in the eyes as I demanded, "I'm giving you one last chance. Between her and me, who is your wife?"

Daniel's gaze flickered, and the words that left his mouth chilled me to the bone.

"Chloe is my wife. Apologize to her right now, or don't blame me when I have you committed to a psychiatric hospital."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Chloe clutched his hand and shot me a smug, triumphant look. "Honey, don't waste your breath on a lunatic. She's not worth your time."

Looking at their repulsive faces, I couldn't take any more and swung the bottle toward them. If I were going down, I would take them with me.

But Daniel was faster. He kicked me to the floor, then stepped on the back of my hand with brutal force, his eyes flickering with cruel intensity.

"Chloe means the world to me," he spat. "If you hurt her, I'll make you pay for it a hundred times over!"