Chapter 1: The Day He Destroyed Her

The wedding hall looked like something out of a dream.

Crystal chandeliers shimmered above hundreds of carefully arranged guests. White roses lined the aisle. A soft orchestra played in the background, their music floating through the air like a promise of forever.

Seraphina Vale stood at the entrance, her fingers trembling slightly as she held her bouquet.

This was the day.

The day she had waited for. The day her life would finally begin.

“Are you ready?” the wedding coordinator whispered.

Seraphina swallowed and nodded.

Ready.

She had told herself that word over and over for the past year.

Ready to become Mrs. Cassian Thorne.

Ready to step into the powerful world of the Thorne family.

Ready to spend her life beside the man she loved.

The music changed.

The doors opened.

And Seraphina stepped forward.

Every eye in the hall turned toward her. Cameras flashed. Whispers spread through the crowd like ripples across water. But she barely noticed any of it.

Her gaze was fixed on the man waiting at the altar.

Cassian Thorne.

Tall. Impossibly composed. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that matched the cold authority he carried so naturally. His sharp features showed no emotion, but Seraphina knew him well enough to recognize the tension in his jaw.

He was nervous.

The thought warmed her.

We’re both nervous, she told herself. Because this matters.

She walked slowly down the aisle, her heart beating faster with every step.

Memories flooded her mind.

Late nights at the office when he would quietly place a cup of coffee beside her.

The rare, soft smile he showed only when they were alone.

The night he had asked her to marry him not with flowers or music, but with a simple sentence:

“Stay with me. Always.”

She had said yes without hesitation.

Because she loved him.

Because she believed he loved her too.

By the time she reached the altar, her hands were shaking.

Cassian took them.

His grip was firm. Controlled.

But something was wrong.

His hands were cold.

“Cassian?” she whispered.

He didn’t answer.

The officiant began speaking.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of ”

“Stop.”

The single word cut through the hall like a blade.

The music faltered. The officiant froze.

Seraphina blinked.

“Cassian…?” she whispered again.

He slowly released her hands.

Then he took a step back.

The movement was small.

But it felt like the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.

Murmurs spread through the guests.

Cassian turned toward the audience, his expression turning colder than she had ever seen.

“Before this ceremony continues,” he said, his voice calm and clear, “there is something everyone needs to know.”

A strange chill crawled up Seraphina’s spine.

“What are you doing?” she asked quietly.

He didn’t look at her.

Instead, he nodded toward the side of the hall.

Two men in security uniforms walked forward.

They were heading toward her.

Her heart began to pound.

“Cassian,” she said, her voice shaking now. “What is this?”

Finally, he looked at her.

There was no warmth in his eyes.

Only ice.

“Seraphina Vale,” he said slowly, each word precise, “has been stealing confidential financial data from Thorne Consortium for the past six months.”

The world went silent.

Seraphina stared at him.

“I… what?” she whispered.

Gasps echoed through the hall.

Photographers immediately began snapping pictures. Guests leaned forward, their expressions shifting from celebration to curiosity, then to shock.

Cassian continued, his tone emotionless.

“She transferred sensitive information to a competing firm in exchange for money.”

The words hit her like physical blows.

“That’s not true,” she said quickly. “Cassian, you know me. I would never ”

He cut her off.

“The evidence has already been verified.”

One of the security men handed him a folder.

Cassian opened it and removed several printed documents.

Bank transfers.

Email records.

Internal reports.

All with her name on them.

Seraphina’s hands began to shake violently.

“This… this isn’t real,” she said. “Someone is framing me. Cassian, you have to believe me.”

For a moment, she searched his face.

Hoping.

Praying.

But his expression never changed.

“I believed you once,” he said quietly.

The words hurt more than anything else.

“You were trusted,” he continued. “You worked directly under me. I gave you access that no one else had.”

Tears blurred her vision.

“I didn’t betray you,” she whispered. “Please… just talk to me. Don’t do this here.”

But Cassian turned away from her.

“To avoid legal complications and protect the company,” he announced to the guests, “this marriage is cancelled.”

The hall erupted into chaos.

Whispers.

Gasps.

Phones raised to record.

Someone laughed.

Seraphina felt the humiliation like fire crawling across her skin.

“Cassian,” she begged, grabbing his sleeve. “Please. Just give me one chance to explain.”

He looked down at her hand.

Then he removed it.

The gesture was slow.

Final.

“Security,” he said.

The two men stepped forward.

“No,” Seraphina whispered, backing away. “You can’t this is my wedding ”

They took her arms.

Firmly.

The bouquet fell from her hands.

White roses scattered across the marble floor.

“Cassian!” she cried, her voice breaking. “You know me! I would never hurt you!”

For the first time, something flickered in his eyes.

But it disappeared just as quickly.

“You already did,” he said.

They dragged her down the aisle.

Guests moved aside, staring openly.

Some whispered.

Some filmed.

Some smiled.

By the time the doors opened and the bright daylight hit her face, Seraphina felt like she was no longer inside her own body.

The doors slammed behind her.

The music resumed inside.

As if nothing had happened.

As if she had never existed.

Rain began to fall.

Soft at first.

Then harder.

Seraphina stood outside the grand venue in her wedding dress, shaking, soaked, and alone.

Her phone buzzed endlessly in her hand.

News alerts.

Messages.

Social media notifications.

Breaking: Thorne Bride Accused of Corporate Espionage

Her name was already everywhere.

Her reputation destroyed.

Her career finished.

Her life over.

She sank onto the steps, her hands trembling as she tried to breathe.

This isn’t real.

This can’t be real.

Footsteps approached.

She looked up.

A woman stood a few feet away under a black umbrella.

Elegant. Calm. Perfectly dressed.

Vivienne Arclight.

Cassian’s business partner.

And the woman who had always looked at Seraphina like she didn’t belong.

“What a shame,” Vivienne said softly.

Seraphina’s chest tightened.

“You knew,” Seraphina whispered.

Vivienne smiled.

Not kindly.

“Some people,” she said, “were never meant to stand beside him.”

Then she turned and walked away.

Leaving Seraphina alone in the rain.

Two weeks later, Seraphina sat in a small clinic, staring at the white walls.

Her hands rested on her lap.

Still shaking.

The doctor smiled gently.

“Miss Vale,” she said. “You’re about six weeks pregnant.”

The words didn’t register at first.

“Pregnant?” Seraphina repeated.

“Yes.”

The room spun.

Cassian’s child.

The man who had destroyed her.

The man who believed she was a traitor.

The man who had thrown her away in front of the world.

Her hand slowly moved to her stomach.

A strange, fragile warmth spread through her chest.

For the first time in weeks…

She didn’t feel empty.

That night, Seraphina stood at the airport.

One suitcase.

One decision.

She turned off her phone.

Turned her back on the city.

On the scandal.

On Cassian Thorne.

On the life that had been taken from her.

“You won’t take this from me,” she whispered, her hand resting gently over her stomach.

Then she walked toward the boarding gate.

Five years later…

The heir he denied would return.

And this time

Seraphina Vale would never be powerless again.