A Price For Betrayal

Katherina stood in front of the mirror in the bridal suite of the Blackwood mansion. Her wedding gown was off, and she wore a smooth silk robe instead. Her makeup was flawless, her jewelry sparkled, and her skin glowed.

 To anyone else, she looked perfect.

 But to Katherina, the woman in the mirror looked afraid.

 Afraid of losing everything.

 The wedding was done. She had married Damien. The ring was on her finger. The guests had cheered, and the photos would be all over the internet by morning.

 But none of that mattered, because Adrianna is still alive

 Somewhere out there, her sister the real bride, the one with Damien’s heart was still breathing, still walking the same earth, still carrying the power to destroy the lie Katherina had built so carefully.

 And that terrified her more than death.

 She knew her sister too well. Adrianna didn’t break easily. She had fire in her, that Rodriguez temper, that sharp mind, that quiet grace people loved without realizing they were falling.

 “She won’t stop,” Katherina whispered, her voice trembling.

 Her hand trembled as she reached for the drawer, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number she only used in emergencies.

 Her mother answered on the third ring.

 “You know I wouldn’t call if it wasn’t serious,” 

 Katherina said quickly. I had someone monitor her every move , She’s on her way to the airport. She’s leaving town, probably to expose me or take Damien back. If she makes it out, everything we worked for is gone.”

 A pause.

 Then her mother’s voice came through the line, cool and sharp like a knife.

 “She won’t make it to the airport.”

 Later That Evening…

 Adrianna sat in the backseat of a yellow taxi, her suitcase beside her. The driver said nothing, just hummed along to a slow jazz song on the radio.

 Outside the window, the city looked like a stranger.

 The glowing billboards. The blinking lights. The same streets she used to walk with Damien, hand in hand, dreaming of their future.

 Now, all of it felt like a ghost town.

 She clutched her coat tighter. Inside her pocket was the folded test the two pink lines that had changed everything. She hadn’t told anyone. Not even her dad. It was too early, Too fragile.

 Too painful.

 “How do you raise a child in a world like this?” she whispered to herself.

 The tabloids had made her a villain. Her face was plastered everywhere.

 “Jilted Heiress Disappears After Groom Marries Her Sister.”

 “Damien Blackwood Chooses Love Over Loyalty.”

 She couldn’t walk into a café without whispers. Couldn’t check her email without cruel comments from strangers.

 So she chose to leave.

 She hadn’t even picked a destination just somewhere faraway.

 The airport was only ten minutes away when the world tilted.

 A black SUV appeared from the opposite lane she noticed that it wasn’t speeding it was heading opposite the taxi she was in, as if it was directly aiming at her She quickly whispered a short prayer before she got interrupted by a loud noise. 

 The driver of the taxi screamed and jerked the wheel, but it was too late.

 CRASH.

 Metal tore. Glass exploded. Adrianna’s head slammed against the window. Her vision went white, then black.

 Then silence.

 Newsroom – Midnight

 BREAKING NEWS: Billionaire Heiress Adrianna Rodriguez Killed in Car Crash En Route to Airport

 It spread like wildfire.

 Some said it was suicide. Others called it karma. Paparazzi swarmed the site, Reporters dug up old love triangles and business rumors.

 But behind the cameras, in the Blackwood estate, a single sound echoed down the marble hallway

 Damien’s Office – Minutes After the News

 Damien was halfway through a drink when his assistant burst in, white as a sheet.when his assistant barged into his office, pale and breathless.

 “Mr. Blackwood, have you seen the news?”

 He sighed, annoyed. “I’m quite busy for that right now. Just get to the point.”

 The assistant’s voice cracked. “Sir… it’s Adrianna. There was an accident.”

 The glass slipped from Damien’s hand and hit the floor, shattering.

 His voice dropped to a whisper. “What kind of accident?”

 “She was in a car crash on her way to the airport. The vehicle exploded on impact. They tried to retrieve the body but…” He hesitated, trembling. “It was burned beyond recognition. They’re saying it’s her.”

 Damien blinked, his mind refusing to accept the words.

 “Burned?” he echoed hollowly. “No. No, that can’t be Adrianna?” His voice cracked. “Oh, God, no no, this can’t be happening!”

 He walked around the room and threw the crystal glass across the room. It smashed into the wall, the contents of the glass were dripping down the wall. 

 He grabbed his phone and dialed his driver. “Pick me up now. We’re going to the station. I need to see the report myself.”

 Without waiting for a reply, he stormed toward the elevator. But when the doors didn’t open immediately, he turned sharply and headed for the stairs instead to make it more easier. 

 There was a yellow caution sign at the entrance WET FLOOR DO NOT USE but Damien didn’t see it. Or maybe he didn’t care.

 All he could see was Adrianna’s face. All he could hear was the echo of the word burned.

 He took the first step, then the second.

 His foot slipped.

 In an instant, his body flipped forward. He tumbled violently down the flight of stairs, his head slamming hard against the marble.

 He tried to call for help but no sound came, blood was gushing down the stairs, and then everything went completely black.

 St. Vincent’s Private Hospital Four Hours Later 

 The steady beeping of a heart monitor was the first sound Damien heard when he woke.

 His eyelids opened up slowly. The ceiling above him was white. Too white.

 He tried to move.

 Nothing.

 His legs didn’t respond. His arms felt stiff. His chest tightened with rising panic.

 A voice nearby broke the silence.

 “Mr. Blackwood?” It was a doctor, holding a clipboard. “You’re awake. That’s a good sign.”

 “What… what happened?” Damien croaked, barely able to speak.

 “You slipped down a flight of stairs. Landed on your back. The impact caused spinal trauma. You also hit your head hard. You were unconscious for several hours.”

 Damien swallowed hard. “Why… can’t I move my legs?”

 The doctor hesitated, then answered gently. “Right now, your lower body is paralyzed. The good news is, your brain activity is normal. But the damage to your spine needs time to heal. It may take months… maybe a year, with therapy.”

 Damien stared at the ceiling in silence.

 So this was it.

 No more running. No more power to fix things with money or charm.

 He was broken.

 His voice came out low, dry, cracked like someone that was dying.

 “This is my punishment.”

 “For breaking her heart.”