Chapter 1

Davian's POV

I burst into the venue just in time to hear my fiancee, Leah Hunter, taking her vows, holding my brother Kayden Burke's hands.

"From the moment I met you, I knew that for the rest of my days, I'd want every road I took to lead me to you."

My heart stopped.

I wrote those words. I spent three sleepless nights crafting those lines just to capture seven years of love in a single sentence.

Just last night, Leah was curled up in my arms, swearing she'd save them for our wedding day.

Yet here she was, reciting every word to Kayden without changing a single letter.

The room went dead silent as the guests spotted me.

Leah dropped Kayden's hands and stepped toward me. "Davian, go back to the hospital. I'll explain everything after the ceremony."

Barely containing my rage, I marched up to the stage. "Explain it now! Why is he wearing my suit and my ring and standing next to my bride?"

Leah took Kayden's hand again, annoyance flashing in her eyes. "Because this wedding was meant for Kayden all along."

Her words hit me like a brick wall.

I had spent an entire year planning this wedding, and she was telling me it was never mine.

She glanced at Kayden's suit and said calmly, "Kayden picked this out months ago. He was overseas, so I had you try it on just to check the fit."

I stared at her. "And the ring?"

"It's his, too. The original design was made to his measurements."

A cold sweat broke out across my back.

That was why Leah refused to alter the shoulders and insisted I lose weight instead.

I had skipped dinner for six months just to fit into that suit.

But it was only at that moment that I realized I was never the groom she truly wanted.

Kayden held Leah's hand, giving me a look of pure pity. "Davian, don't blame Leah. I told her to pursue you. I was going abroad for treatment back then and didn't know if I'd make it back. You were wrecked after your ex dumped you, and you couldn't sleep all night."

A trace of soft empathy touched his face. "I couldn't stand seeing you suffer like that, so I asked Leah to look after you for a while.

"I planned the menu for the breakfasts delivered to your dorm every morning. I picked out the restaurant for your first date. I even wrote the words she used when she confessed her feelings to you."

My throat closed up.

Leah had spent 99 days pursuing me. I had logged every detail of those days in my journal, treasuring them for years.

So it turned out that none of those things that had made my heart flutter ever truly belonged to me.

My friend, Simon Cohen, walked over, wearing the groomsman boutonniere I had handpicked for him.

"Davian, keeping you in the dark wasn't right, but Kayden's had it way harder than you. He watched the woman he loved stay by your side for seven years without ever trying to pull you apart. He's been more than patient. Don't push him now."

I looked at the man I'd called my best friend for over a decade. "So you knew the whole time?"

Simon nodded softly. "We were all afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it. You're so impulsive. If you'd known Leah was in love with Kayden all along, who knows what you would've done?"

They huddled around Kayden, watching me warily, as though I were not the one who had been deceived for seven years, but some madman threatening to destroy Kayden's happiness.

In my pocket, my phone buzzed with an incoming text.

It was from the director of the overseas project who had reached out three months ago.

"Mr. Burke, tonight is the deadline to confirm your relocation. We have one final seat reserved for you on the flight."