Replaced At The Altar

CHAPTER TWO..!! Replaced At The Altar

Adrianna gasped as Katherina grabbed her arm. "Let me go!" she yelled, trying to push her sister away.

But Katherina held on tight. "You've always been in my way," she said with a nasty smile. "But not anymore. After today, you're nothing. Just the ex-girlfriend everyone forgot."

Adrianna couldn't believe what she was hearing. "How can you do this to your own sister?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Katherina laughed like she didn't care at all. "Sister?" she made fun of her. "I don't care about that. All I care about is winning. And I already did. Damien chose me, not you."

Adrianna's chest hurt, but she stood her ground. "No," she said firmly. "He chose you because you lied to him. When he finds out the truth, everything will change."

For just a second, fear flashed across Katherina’s face.

Then it disappeared.

She smiled again, but this time it was cold and cruel.

“You’ll never get the chance to tell Damien,” she said with a mocking laugh.

She picked up her wedding dress and smoothed the fabric.

“I’d ask you to stay and help me get ready,” she said sweetly, “but you’re not invited to my wedding.”

Adrianna stared at her in shock.

She wanted to speak. She wanted to scream.

She wanted to tell Katherina she would never get away with this.

But no words came out.

Her throat felt tight. Her heart hurt too much.

Without saying another word, she turned and walked away.

The moment she stepped into the hospital hallway, her legs almost gave out.

The bright lights blurred through her tears as she stumbled forward, trying not to fall.

Then she noticed her phone lying on the floor.

The screen was completely shattered.

She stared at it for a moment. It didn’t matter anymore.

Who could she even call?

Who would believe that her own sister had stolen her life?

Two hours later…

The Blackwood mansion looked like something out of a fairy tale.

White flower petals drifted through the air. Rows of beautiful chairs filled the garden.

Soft violin music played in the background.

It was everything Adrianna had dreamed of for her own wedding.

But now someone else was living that dream.

Someone else was wearing her wedding dress. Someone else was taking her place.

Adrianna stood hidden behind a row of trees, wrapped in a dark coat.

Before she left, her best friend, Sofia, had begged her not to go.

“Don’t do this,” Sofia had pleaded. “Watching them will only break your heart even more.”

But Adrianna had shaken her head. “I have to see it with my own eyes,” she had whispered.

“If I don’t… I’ll always wonder.”

Now she stood there, her heart pounding.

She had come to face the truth.

Even if it destroyed her. The wedding ceremony began.

Damien stood at the altar.

His face gave nothing away. His hands were tightly clasped in front of him.

His jaw was stiff.

A small smile rested on his lips.

Adrianna frowned. “Why are you smiling?” she whispered, tears filling her eyes. “Didn’t any of this mean anything to you?”

Then the music changed.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

The bride appeared.

Katherina slowly rolled down the aisle in a wheelchair, dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown.

The guests watched with sympathy.

“Poor thing.”

“She’s so brave.”

Adrianna’s eyes flew open.

Her heart almost stopped. “What?” she whispered, staring in shock. “She can walk? That lying bitch can actually walk! Then why the hell has she been sitting in a wheelchair?”

She had seen Katherina at the hospital with her own eyes.

Katherina wasn’t paralyzed. “So why…” Adrianna murmured, unable to look away. “Why is she pretending?”

As Katherina drew closer, Adrianna noticed something else.

Under the white veil, Katherina’s head was completely bald.

Another lie.

From a distance, she looked like a weak, dying woman, fragile and Helpless.

But Adrianna knew better.

Katherina wasn’t dying. She was very much alive.

And she was far more dangerous than anyone in that church realized.

Two bodyguards gently helped Katherina out of the wheelchair.

Once she was on her feet, she took slow, careful steps toward the altar, acting as if every step drained the last of her strength.

The church fell silent.

“Oh my God…”

“She’s so brave.”

“I can’t believe she’s doing this.”

Several guests wiped tears from their eyes. They believed they were watching a dying woman marry the love of her life before it was too late.

They saw a heartbreaking love story.

Adrianna saw a performance.

Every weak step… Every shaky breath… Every helpless smile…

It was all an act.

The dress Katherina wore was the one Adrianna had designed. Every piece of lace, every stitch—it was supposed to be hers. And now someone else was wearing it.

Her heart ached just looking at it.

She looked at Damien.

He stood at the altar, still and quiet, like a man waiting for something bad to happen. His eyes didn't look happy. He wasn't even looking at Katherina.

His eyes were filled with guilt.

Then the priest spoke. "Do you, Damien Blackwood, take Katherina Rodriguez to be your wife?"

Adrianna held her breath.

Please say no. Look at me. See the truth.

But Damien spoke, his voice low and sad. "I do."

Adrianna felt like the ground was moving under her feet. Her knees almost buckled. She couldn't breathe.

Everything felt cold.

The priest turned to the bride. "And do you, Katherina—"

"I do!" she said quickly, smiling sweetly before he could finish.

Some guests laughed softly, thinking she was just eager. Even while "dying," the bride seemed so happy.

But only Adrianna saw what others missed.

The tiny, secret smirk on Katherina's lips.

She was proud. She had won.

Katherina turned and kissed Damien gently. But he didn't pull her close. His hands barely moved. He looked like a man caught in a storm he couldn't stop.

Adrianna turned away and left, tears streaming down her face.

She couldn't watch anymore.

Later that night...

Her apartment was dark and painfully quiet.

Adrianna hadn’t even taken off her coat.

She simply sat on the cold wooden floor, her knees pulled to her chest, staring at the small velvet box resting in her trembling hands.

Damien’s engagement ring.

She let out a slow, shaky breath. With unsteady fingers, she opened the box one last time.

The diamond caught the faint light from the window, sparkling as if nothing had happened.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “So this is how it ends,” she whispered, shaking her head.

Her thumb brushed over the ring before she snapped the box shut.

Click.

The sound echoed through the empty apartment.

Just then, her iPad buzzed loudly on the coffee table.

She flinched.

Her heart jumped.

She reached for it and frowned. “Sofia…” She tapped the voice message.

Sofia’s rushed, panicked voice filled the room.

“Adrianna, I know this is the worst time to tell you this, but you need to hear it. The whole office is falling apart. The FBI came today. They froze all your accounts and seized everything.

They said there were illegal business deals connected to the company. Everyone is panicking.

Most of the staff have already quit. You’re being sued, Adrianna. They want you in court.”

The message ended.

Silence.

Adrianna blinked.

Then blinked again.

Her face slowly drained of color. “Court…?” she whispered.

Her lips parted. “What?”

She shook her head, staring into space. “No… no, that can’t be right.”

Her breathing grew uneven. “How can this happen?” she muttered, rubbing a hand over her face. “Everything… everything is falling apart.”

Her hands trembled so badly that she almost dropped her phone as she grabbed it from the floor.

For a second, her thumb hovered over her stepmother’s number.

She stopped.

Her jaw tightened. “No.”

She hadn’t spoken to that woman in years.

Instead, she scrolled down and pressed another contact.

Papa.

The phone rang once.

Twice.

He answered almost immediately.

“Hello, my darling?” His voice was gentle but tired. “Is everything all right?”

The moment she heard him, Adrianna squeezed her eyes shut.

A tear finally slipped down her cheek.

She covered her mouth, trying to stop herself from breaking down.

“Papa…” she whispered.

Her voice cracked.

She swallowed hard, but the lump in her throat wouldn’t go away.

“I’m…” She drew in a shaky breath. “I’m leaving the country.”

Silence.

A long, heavy silence.

She could almost picture him sitting upright in his chair, eyes wide with shock.

When he finally spoke, his voice was strained.

“What…?”

“What did you just say?”

Adrianna lowered her head and clutched the phone tighter.

“I’m leaving,” she repeated softly, tears rolling freely down her face. “I can’t stay here anymore.”