Replaced at the Altar

“I’d love for you to stay and help me get ready,” Katherina added, smirking, “but you’re not invited.”

 Adrianna’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. Not rage. Not grief. Just the sound of her own breath catching.

 She turned and walked out of the room before her knees gave out beneath her. The walls of the hospital blurred as she stumbled into the hallway. Her phone was gone shattered on the floor but even if it wasn’t, who would she call? Who would believe her?

 Two hours later…

 The Blackwood family estate looked like a painting.

 Ivory petals floated down from a crystal ceiling canopy. Rows of elegant chairs lined the manicured lawn, and violins sang a sweet, tragic tune. It was everything Adrianna had once imagined for herself and now, someone else was living it. Wearing her dress. Taking her place.

 Adrianna stood in the shadows, unnoticed by the arriving guests, wrapped in a dark coat. Her breath fogged in the cool breeze as she watched from a distance. Sofia had tried to stop her from coming said it would only break her more but Adrianna needed to see it with her own eyes.

 She needed to feel it. To bleed for it. To know what heartbreak felt like

 The ceremony began.

 Damien stood at the altar, his face hard to read. His hands were clasped tightly in front of him, his jaw tight.

 He was smiling.

 Why is he smiling? Adrianna whispered to herself, her heart sinking, He didn’t even look back.

 Then the music changed.

 The bride appeared.

 Katherina rolled in wearing a white gown, seated in a wheelchair.

 Adrianna stared in disbelief, She can walk, So why the act?

 Katherina’s bald head showed under her veil a symbol of lies, not sickness. From a distance, she looked weak, almost fragile. But Adrianna could see the truth.

 Katherina wasn’t dying.

 She was alive.

 And dangerous.

 Two bodyguards helped her stand from the wheelchair. Her steps were slow and graceful, like a woman trying her best to walk down the aisle before time ran out.

 The guests gasped. Some even cried. To them, it was touching so brave of her to stand, to walk, to marry the man she loved, even with only months to live.

 But Adrianna knew better.

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

 Her heart hurt just looking at it.

 She turned her eyes to Damien.

 He stood at the altar, still and quiet, like a man waiting to be punished. His eyes didn’t look happy. They didn’t even look at Katherina.

 They were filled with guilt.

 Then the priest spoke.

 “Do you, Damien Blackwood, take Katherina Rodriguez to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

 Adrianna’s whole body tensed.

 Please say no.

 Look at me. See the truth.

 But Damien spoke, his voice low and sad.

 “I do.”

 Adrianna felt the floor shift beneath her. Her knees nearly gave out. Her breath caught in her throat.

 Everything felt cold.

 The priest turned to the bride. “And do you, Katherina”

 “I do,” she said quickly, smiling sweetly before he could finish the sentence.

 Some guests chuckled, touched by her eagerness. Even while “dying,” the bride was glowing.

 But only Adrianna saw what others didn’t.

 The small, secret smirk at the corner of Katherina’s lips.

 She was proud, She had won.

 Katherina turned to Damien and kissed him 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 the venue in tears. 

 She couldn’t watch anymore.

 Later that night…

 Her apartment was dark, silent.

 Adrianna hadn’t changed out of her coat. She hadn’t eaten. She hadn’t cried. She simply sat on the floor, staring at the velvet box in her palm.

 The engagement ring Damien had given her.

 She opened it one last time… then snapped it shut.

 Her iPad buzzed.

 It was a voice note from Sofia.

 “Ma’am, I know this is a terrible time, but I have to tell you something. The entire office is in chaos. The FBI came today. They froze your accounts… seized everything. They say there were illegal dealings tied to the business. People are panicking. All the staff ran. You’re being sued in court.”

 Adrianna sat frozen, the words echoing in her head.

 “To court?” she whispered, barely able to speak.

 Her hands trembled as she grabbed her phone. She didn’t call her stepmother they hadn’t spoken in years. She called the one person she still trusted.

 Her father.

 He picked up on the first ring.

 “Yes, my darling?” His voice sounded tired but warm.

 Adrianna swallowed hard, tears burning in her eyes. “Papa…” Her voice cracked. “I’m leaving the country.”

 There was a long pause.

 Then his voice came back, sharp with shock.

 “What…?”