Chapter One

Riley did not remember when her legs gave up.

One moment she was standing, preparing for her big day, and the next she was falling onto the bed like a body with no soul left inside it. The soft mattress swallowed her, but it did not comfort her. Nothing could. She lay there, flat on her back, staring at the ceiling as if it held answers she desperately needed.

Minutes passed.

Then hours.

She did not blink. She did not move.

The chandelier above her glowed softly, its crystals shining and reflecting light across the room. It was beautiful. Painfully beautiful. The kind of beauty meant for joy, for laughter, for celebration.

Not for this.

Her phone rang again.

The sound was sharp. Loud. Annoying.

She did not reach for it.

It rang again.

And again.

She didn’t even bother to check the caller. She didn’t care.

The sound felt far away, like it was happening in another world. Riley did not move. Not after what she has just discovered.

Her mind was full, yet empty at the same time.

Her heart felt heavy. Clouded. Confused.

She still could not believe what had just happened.

Today was supposed to be her wedding day.

The happiest day of her life, people said.

But instead, it felt like a funeral.

Her own.

She turned her head slightly and her eyes fell on the small white card lying beside her on the bed.

That card had drained the last bit of strength from her body.

She had woken up earlier, not with excitement, not with fear, but with a strange calm feeling. The room had been quiet. Too quiet. Then she saw it.

A carefully placed letter.

Right beside her bed.

At first, she had stared at it with confusion. She had not rushed to open it. She had no reason to. She was not excited about this wedding. She was not nervous either.

Truth was, Riley did not care.

Slowly, she had picked up the letter that morning. Her fingers had trembled as she opened it. The paper felt heavier than it should have. Her eyes scanned the words, and within seconds, her chest tightened.

It was from Ken.

“Hey! You can dress up and walk to the altar for all I care. But I promise you, I won’t be showing up at this wedding. Damn this whole marriage shit.

Goodbye.

Ken.”

That was it.

No apology.

No explanation.

No regret.

Her hands had gone weak. The letter had slipped from her fingers and landed softly on the bed. Riley had not cried. She had not screamed.

She had just laughed.

Not again!

Another man had betrayed her again but this time— it was on her wedding day he choose to leave.

Riley had stopped caring about love a long time ago.

Her first love had taught her that loving someone can hurt so much that she choose to completely give up on finding love after he had betrayed her in the worst way possible.

Riley had caught her fiancé, the love of her life, on bed with her best friend the exact day he asked her to marry him. After that, something inside Riley broke and never fully healed.

So when her parents arranged this marriage, she did not fight it.

It did not matter who she married.

Ken Hale or a stranger on the street. Love was already dead to her.

What mattered was her parents. What mattered was her father.

This marriage meant everything to him.

She saw how much he wanted this marriage to happen. She saw how fulfilled he felt when he was making all the preparations.

Riley couldn’t turn him down.

She did not want to disappoint.

Not again.

A quiet, broken laugh as she read the letter over and over again. He didn’t even feel a little bit sorry for what he had just done.

She was not heartbroken that Ken left.

She was sad for her father, whose dreams had now shattered into pieces because of one careless letter.

He would always tell her that his biggest dream is to walk her down the aisle and that way he can die without regret.

But now, it seemed his dream wouldn’t be fulfilled today.

 Riley laid on the bed asking herself one question.

What now?

Should she run away?

Or should she stand up, walk out there, and tell everyone that the groom had abandoned her?

Suddenly, soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

The door opened slowly.

Her father walked in.

He had a huge smile on his face. The kind of smile filled with pride and joy. The kind of smile Riley had seen only a few times in her life.

But the smile disappeared the moment his eyes landed on her.

She was still in her night clothes. Her hair was undone. Her face was empty.

He froze.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” he asked, confusion slipping into his voice. “The whole crowd is waiting.”

Riley finally turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were calm. Too calm.

“There is no marriage, Dad,” she said softly. “It’s not happening.”

His smile fell completely.

“What are you saying?” His voice shook. “Riley, you promised me you wouldn’t disappoint me again.”

The words cut deep.

“It’s not my fault,” Riley said quietly. She reached for the letter and handed it to him. “He left first. The groom abandoned me.”

Her father’s hands trembled as he took the letter. His eyes moved across the words slowly. With every line, his face fell further.

It was as if his entire world was crashing down with every word.

“How… how can he do this?” he whispered. “He gave me his word. The Hale family never goes back on their word.”

Riley watched the disappointment settle on her father’s face, heavy and painful.

This was his dream.

After her first fiancé, Martins, betrayed her by marrying her best friend, her father had never been the same. He stopped talking about weddings. Stopped smiling when people mentioned marriage.

Riley knew she had broken his heart then, even though none of it was her fault.

He could barely look her in the eyes after that day.

Until one evening.

He had come home excited. Happier than she had seen him in years.

“The Hale family accepted our proposal,” he had said, his voice shaking with joy. “They want you to marry their son, Ken Hale. The most eligible bachelor in town. Your future will be secure. I hear he is kind.”

Riley remembered how tears filled his eyes as he spoke.

He held her hands tightly.

“My dear,” he said softly, crying openly now. “You know my only wish is to walk you down the aisle, I want to see you happily married. I can only be at ease when I know you have someone by your side.”

That was the moment Riley felt overwhelmed. The tears in his eyes, his excitement and pain was something she couldn’t refuse. So she said yes.

Not because she loved Ken.

But for her father.

And now, here she was. Abandoned on her fathers dream day.

She watched his expression  as he stared at the letter as if it might change if he looked hard enough. His hands shook as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

Don R. J. Hale.

Ken’s grandfather.

Head of the Hale Corporation.

A man known for his strictness and his unbreakable promises.

When he answered, Riley’s father spoke with a trembling voice.

“Sir… your grandson is gone. He abandoned my daughter on her wedding day. How will she recover from this? How will people see her now?”

Riley watched her father struggle to hold back tears. He looked more broken like he was the abandoned bride.

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Then the voice from the phone spoke.

“You are mistaken,” Don R. J. Hale said calmly. “Ken did not run away. He is with me. He will be at the altar in thirty minutes.”

The call ended.

In another dark room, filled with noise and struggle, Ken was dragged across the floor by two large men. They were strong. Dangerous.

Ken fought, but it was useless.

“What is this, Grandpa?” he shouted in rage.

Don R. J. Hale walked toward him slowly. His presence filled the room with fear.

“You will marry today,” he said coldly. “The Hales do not break promises.”

Ken’s heart shattered.

He continued fighting but the more he did the more they hurt him.

Punch.

Kicks.

Anything to make him surrender while his grandfather watch.

As always, his life was being decided for him.

Don R.J grabbed his chin. “Don’t make this any harder son. Today is your wedding and you will walk down that aisle and make your grandpa proud.”

Ken eyes was dark with rage. Blurred with tears as he watched his entire life sleeping out of his control.

He clenched his fist tightly. Grinding his teeth with anger.

He stared into nothingness.

“This is all your fault, Riley Bennet,” he whispered darkly. “You will pay for this.”