CHAPTER ONE: Mrs. Cortez

Anna’s POV

I have never been this close to running again.

The cathedral doors open slowly, and the sound of a hundred people rising to their feet crashes against my ears like thunder.

For a second, I can’t breathe.

The train of my gown feels heavier than it did five minutes ago. The air smells like white roses and polished marble. Cameras flash somewhere to my left, and whispers ripple through the crowd like silk brushing against silk.

This is real.

This is happening.

My fingers tighten around the bouquet until the stems press painfully into my palm. I welcome the sting. It keeps me here. Keeps me steady.

At the end of the aisle stands Xavier Cortez.

Still. Composed. Impossibly calm.

He looks like a man who has never doubted himself a day in his life.

The tailored black suit fits him like it was sewn directly onto his body. His shoulders are straight. His expression is unreadable. His dark eyes fixed on me in a way that makes my stomach twist.

Not cruel.

Not warm.

Just assessing.

Like he’s measuring the moment.

Like he’s deciding something.

I swallow.

Three weeks ago, I was crying in the rain.

Tonight, I am walking toward one of the most powerful men in the country.

Life doesn’t change gradually.

Sometimes it snaps.

“Walk,” the wedding coordinator whispers behind me.

And my feet obey.

One step.

Then another.

The marble floor feels endless beneath my heels. Every click echoes too loudly. Every breath feels borrowed.

I tell myself not to look for them.

But I do.

Halfway down the aisle, my eyes betray me.

Third row from the front.

Maxwell.

His jaw is tight.

His posture is rigid.

He looks like he swallowed something bitter and hasn’t figured out how to spit it out.

Next to him—

Madison.

Perfect hair. Perfect makeup. Perfectly composed.

But her smile is wrong.

It doesn’t reach her eyes.

Good.

A small, unfamiliar satisfaction flickers in my chest.

I look away immediately.

I refuse to give them more than a second of my attention.

I am not the girl in the red dress anymore.

The memory tries to surface anyway.

Red silk. Soft curls. Madison’s voice in my ear telling me, “He’s going to love this.”

My throat tightens.

Not here.

Not today.

I keep walking.

The closer I get to Xavier, the quieter the world becomes. The whispers fade. The cameras blur. The only thing that feels solid is the man waiting for me.

When I finally reach him, he extends his hand.

Steady.

Confident.

Not trembling like mine.

For a fraction of a second, I hesitate.

This is the point of no return.

Then I place my hand in his.

His fingers close around mine.

Warm.

Firm.

Grounding.

The contact sends a strange calm through me.

He leans slightly closer.

From the outside, it probably looks romantic.

Intimate.

Perfect.

But only I hear the quiet murmur meant just for me.

“Breathe.”

Two syllables.

Low. Controlled.

My lungs finally obey.

I hadn’t realised I’d been holding my breath.

The priest begins speaking, but his words blur together. Something about unity. About commitment. About love.

Love.

The word feels distant.

Abstract.

Dangerous.

I stare at the marble floor for a moment, then force myself to lift my gaze.

Xavier is watching me.

Not with affection.

Not with indifference.

With focus.

Like I am something important.

Like this decision matters.

Why does that unsettle me more than if he looked bored?

When the priest asks him first, his voice carries effortlessly through the cathedral.

“I do.”

No hesitation.

No crack.

Just certainty.

A man signing a contract.

My heartbeat pounds in my ears.

This isn’t survival anymore.

This is transformation.

The priest turns to me.

“Anna Santos, do you take—”

My name echoes.

Santos.

For years, that name felt small.

Common.

Forgettable.

My mind flashes—

Madison’s voice. “You try too hard, Anna.”

Maxwell’s voice. “You’re too emotional.”

My own voice. “I’m sorry.”

Always sorry.

Always shrinking.

I lift my chin.

I feel the weight of every eye in this room.

The weight of the cameras. The gossip. The speculation.

The girl who was humiliated three weeks ago is supposed to crumble here.

But she doesn’t.

“I do.”

My voice trembles slightly.

But it doesn’t break.

Applause explodes around us.

The sound feels distant, like I’m underwater.

Xavier’s hand tightens just slightly.

Almost imperceptibly.

Almost reassuring.

Mrs. Cortez.

The name settles over me like a cloak.

Heavy.

Powerful.

Unfamiliar.

And somewhere in the crowd, I know Madison is trying to understand how I went from heartbreak to headline.

If only she knew.

If only they both knew.

Three weeks ago—

I was wearing red.