Chapter 1: Another Mrs. Cross

Ava couldn’t move.

The white rose had slipped from her hand, landing in the wet grass beside the grave.

Rain soaked the sleeves of her black dress, but she didn’t notice. Her entire body had gone numb.

The woman standing before her had to be lying.

There was no other explanation.

“What did you just say?” Ava asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The woman lowered her gaze to the coffin before speaking again.

“I said…” she swallowed hard, “Ethan was my husband.”

Ava stared at her in disbelief.

“No.”

The word escaped before she could stop it.

“No, you’re mistaken.”

“I wish I were.”

“You don’t understand.” Ava shook her head repeatedly. “Ethan and I were married two years ago.”

For the first time, confusion crossed the woman’s face.

“Two years ago?”

“Yes.”

The stranger’s expression slowly changed from certainty to disbelief.

“That’s impossible.”

“It isn’t.”

The woman clutched her handbag tightly, her fingers trembling.

“My name is Victoria Hale.”

“Ava Cross.”

Victoria’s eyes widened.

“Cross?”

Ava lifted her left hand.

The platinum wedding band glistened beneath the rain.

“I’ve been Mrs. Cross for two years.”

Victoria stared at the ring as though she had seen a ghost.

Without another word, she reached into her handbag and removed a leather document holder.

“I never thought I’d have to show this to anyone.”

She unfolded a certificate with shaking hands and passed it to Ava.

Ava looked down.

Marriage Certificate

Ethan Alexander Cross

Victoria Eleanor Hale

Date of Marriage: Four years ago.

The words blurred before her eyes.

Her breathing became uneven.

“This…”

She looked up.

“This has to be fake.”

“It isn’t.”

“My husband would never—”

“Your husband?”

Victoria interrupted softly.

“You mean… Ethan married you while he was still married to me?”

Ava immediately reached into her own handbag.

She always carried copies of important documents.

Her hands shook violently as she searched through the folder.

Finally, she found it.

She handed it to Victoria.

Victoria’s lips parted as she read.

Another marriage certificate.

Another wedding date.

Another legal marriage.

For nearly a minute, neither woman spoke.

Rain continued falling around them.

“I don’t understand,” Victoria whispered.

“He told me we had a private wedding because he wanted to protect me from media attention.”

Ava’s heart twisted.

“He told me exactly the same thing.”

Victoria looked up.

“He bought me a house by the lake.”

Ava blinked.

“He bought us a penthouse overlooking the city.”

“He said I was the only woman he’d ever loved.”

“So did mine.”

Silence settled between them once again.

Neither looked like a liar.

Neither looked like someone chasing money.

Both looked completely broken.

Ava took a slow step backward.

“No…”

She whispered more to herself than anyone else.

“This isn’t real.”

“It can’t be.”

She remembered every anniversary.

Every birthday.

Every quiet evening spent waiting for Ethan to come home.

Every promise.

Every kiss.

Every “I love you.”

Was all of it a lie?

Her chest tightened until breathing became painful.

“I need some air.”

She turned away from the grave.

Before she could take another step, a deep voice echoed across the cemetery.

“I was wondering how long it would take.”

Both women turned.

A man in an expensive charcoal suit stood a few feet away beneath a black umbrella.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties.

Tall.

Well-groomed.

His expression carried an unsettling calm, as though he had expected this exact confrontation.

He slowly approached them.

“I’m sorry for interrupting.”

His eyes moved from Ava to Victoria.

“It appears introductions have already been made.”

Ava frowned.

“Who are you?”

The man smiled politely.

“My name is Damien Cross.”

Cross.

The surname hit Ava like another blow.

“I’m Ethan’s older brother.”

Ava stared at him.

Brother?

“No.”

Damien raised an eyebrow.

“No?”

“Ethan didn’t have any siblings.”

“So that’s what he told you.”

Victoria looked equally stunned.

“He told me he was an only child.”

Damien let out a quiet laugh.

“My little brother always did enjoy keeping secrets.”

Ava’s patience snapped.

“If this is some kind of sick joke—”

“It isn’t.”

Damien reached into the inside pocket of his jacket.

He handed Ava a business card.

Damien Cross

Vice Chairman

Cross Holdings International

Ava looked at the logo.

It matched the one on Ethan’s office building.

Her stomach dropped.

“He never mentioned you.”

“I know.”

“Why?”

Damien sighed.

“Our family relationships were… complicated.”

Victoria folded her arms.

“If you’re really his brother, where have you been?”

“I arrived from Zurich this morning.”

“And now?”

Damien glanced toward the coffin.

“Now I’m trying to clean up the mess my brother left behind.”

“What does that mean?” Ava demanded.

Damien studied both women carefully.

“It means neither of you knows the full story.”

The words sent another chill through Ava.

“What story?”

Before Damien could answer, another black SUV pulled into the cemetery.

Three men stepped out.

They weren’t dressed like mourners.

Dark suits.

Earpieces.

Expressionless faces.

One of them hurried toward Damien.

“Sir.”

He leaned closer and whispered something into Damien’s ear.

Damien’s relaxed expression disappeared instantly.

“What?”

He looked toward the coffin.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, sir.”

The man nodded once.

“The hospital just called.”

Damien slowly looked back at Ava and Victoria.

His face had gone pale.

“What happened?” Ava asked.

Damien hesitated.

Then he spoke quietly.

“The medical examiner wants the coffin returned immediately.”

Ava frowned.

“Why?”

The answer came after several seconds of silence.

“Because…”

Damien swallowed.

“…they’re no longer certain the body inside belongs to Ethan.”

Everything stopped.

The rain.

The wind.

Even the voices of the remaining mourners faded into the distance.

Ava stared at the coffin.

If Ethan wasn’t inside…

Then whose funeral had she just attended?

And where was her husband?