CHAPTER 1:AURORA'S POV

Aurora’s Pov

I stood outside the bridal suite in my wedding dress, holding the doorknob with a shaky hand. My heart was beating too fast, and my palms felt sweaty even though the room hall was cold. I could hear faint laughter from the other end of the hallway, the sound of people getting ready, the smell of flowers and perfume mixing in the air. It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.

I looked down at the white fabric and fixed the small fold near my waist. It fit perfectly. Dad had said it made me look like Mom, that made me smile a little. Everything was perfect. The hotel, the guests, the ceremony waiting downstairs. I had even written a small speech to say later.

“Mrs Aurora Damien,” I whispered, just to hear how it sounded.

I laughed quietly, It felt strange but good. My heart warmed up thinking of Damien. He had been my calm place since college, always knowing what to say when I panicked, always looking so sure of himself. I trusted him with everything. He even helped me handle things for Dad’s company after Dad fell sick last year.

I thought about Seraphina too. My sister had been so excited about this day. She had helped with the dress, the flowers, everything. She said she wanted me to be the happiest bride in the world.

Everything felt right.

I wanted to surprise Damien before the ceremony. I could already picture his face lighting up when he saw me in the dress. He always said, “You’ll make a beautiful bride, Aurora.”

I smiled again and pushed the door open slowly.

The room smelled like the same perfume Seraphina wore. It was faint but strong enough to notice. My eyes caught the messy bed first, the tangled white sheets, and the movement under them. My steps froze.

At first, I thought maybe someone had made a mistake. Maybe the room wasn’t his but then I saw Damien’s jacket on the chair, the same one he wore when we came for the rehearsal dinner. My chest started to hurt, a tight feeling spreading inside me.

Then I saw him.

Damien was in bed and he wasn’t alone.

Seraphina was beside him, her long brown hair spread over the pillow. His arm was around her. My brain didn’t understand it for a few seconds. My throat felt dry. My hands shook so much I almost dropped the small flower I was holding.

“Damien?” My voice came out small.

They both turned their heads. For a moment, they both looked surprised, but not like they were caught doing something wrong. It was like they didn’t care that I saw them.

Seraphina sat up first, pulling the sheet halfway up her chest. She looked at me the same way she did when we were younger and she’d taken something of mine. 

Damien didn’t say anything. He just stared. Then something changed in his face, the soft smile I always knew disappeared, replaced by something I had never seen before. His eyes looked cold.

I stepped back. My chest burned. “What…what is this?”

Seraphina smiled slightly. “You weren’t supposed to see this yet.”

I shook my head fast. “You’re my sister.”

“I still am,” she said. “That doesn’t change anything.”

Damien got up slowly, not bothering to hide that he didn’t care. “You shouldn’t have come here, Aurora.”

I stared at him. “You’re supposed to marry me.”

He walked closer, his bare feet silent on the carpet. “You already did what I needed.”

My heartbeat grew louder in my ears. “What do you mean?”

He gave a short laugh, and it didn’t sound kind. “You really thought I wanted you?”

I couldn’t move. My whole body went cold. “Damien, stop. You’re scaring me.”

He looked down at me like I was a stranger. “You already signed everything. The company documents, the transfer papers. All I needed was your trust.”

My eyes widened. My mind ran through the week before. He had told me to sign some documents for Dad’s company. He said it was just to protect the shares while Dad was recovering. I didn’t even read them properly. I trusted him.

“You tricked me,” I said quietly.

He shrugged. “You made it easy.”

Seraphina got out of bed and walked over to him, touching his arm. She looked proud. “We didn’t want to hurt you, Aurora, but someone had to be in control. You never had what it took.”

I wanted to scream. I wanted to hit her, to pull her hair, to ask her why, but my body wouldn’t move. Everything in me felt broken.

“You planned this,” I said slowly. “Both of you.”

Damien didn’t answer. His silence said everything.

My eyes filled with tears, but I blinked fast. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. “You can have everything,” I said. “I just want to leave.”

Damien stepped closer, his tone sharp now. “No. You’ll stay quiet. You’ll smile through the ceremony, and after today, you’ll disappear quietly. Don’t make me deal with you another way.”

My stomach twisted. He sounded like a stranger, not the man I loved.

“You wouldn’t,” I whispered.

Seraphina laughed softly. “He would. You don’t know him like I do.”

That laugh made something inside me snap. I turned and ran. My shoes hit the floor too fast, my breath coming in short bursts. I could hear Damien’s voice calling my name but I didn’t stop. I didn’t care who saw me. I just wanted to get out.

The elevator took too long so I ran down the stairs, almost tripping over my dress. My heart felt like it was breaking apart.

When I reached the lobby, people turned to stare. Someone called my name, maybe one of the wedding planners, but I didn’t stop. I pushed through the glass doors and ran out to the parking area.

I threw the small bouquet on the ground and opened my car door with shaking hands.

My breath came out rough. My chest hurt, i couldn’t believe what I had seen. Every memory of Damien, the dates, the laughs, the small gifts felt fake now.

How long had they been doing this? Did everyone know except me?

Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t care. I started the car and pressed the gas hard.

I just needed to get away from that hotel. 

As I drove down the long road, I wiped my face with my hand and gripped the steering wheel tighter. My thoughts wouldn’t stop spinning.

How could Seraphina do that to me? We grew up together, shared the same room, told each other secrets. I had trusted her more than anyone.

Maybe that’s why it hurt so much.

I thought about Dad and how he’d feel if he found out. Maybe that’s what they wanted, to take everything before he even knew.

My hands trembled as I turned the wheel. I could still hear Damien’s voice in my head saying, You already signed everything.

I felt sick.

The road was quiet, only a few cars ahead. I pressed the pedal harder, wanting to get as far away as I could. My veil flew out of the window as the wind caught it, but I didn’t care.

Then I felt it, the pedal under my foot went loose.

The car didn’t slow down.

I pressed again, harder this time, but nothing happened.

“What…no, no, no,” I muttered, pressing it again and again. My heart jumped into my throat.

The car kept moving faster down the hill. My hands shook as I tried to turn the wheel, but the tires screeched.

“Come on, stop!” I shouted.

The sound of my heartbeat filled my ears. The world outside blurred.

Something was wrong. The brakes weren’t working.