Chapter 3

*Elena's POV*

“What the bloody hell?” I screamed, bolting upright in the tangled sheets.

Liam jerked awake, his eyes wide and bleary. “Elena? what’s wrong? You’re shaking. Talk to me...”

I didn’t answer. Tears were already flooding my red, swollen eyes, spilling hot down my cheeks. I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. I just scrambled off the bed, snatching my dress from the floor.

“Elena, wait—stop! What happened? Was it me? Did I hurt you?” His voice cracked with worry as he reached for my arm. “Last night you were laughing, you were...”

“Leave me alone!” I yanked away, shoving my feet into my heels. “It’s not you. It’s them. It’s all of them.”

I didn’t wait for his reply. I slammed the door behind me and ran.

The courthouse steps were still crowded when my cab screeched to a stop. I was too late. The wedding was over. Alexander and Eliza were already outside, smiling for the cameras, while bodyguards formed a wall around them. I pushed through the crowd anyway, my heart hammering.

“Alex!” I shouted, my voice breaking. “You bloody cheat! You bloody liar!”

I grabbed the front of his crisp white shirt and slapped him so hard my palm stung. The crack echoed. Gasps rippled through the guests and reporters.

“Elena...” one bodyguard started, but I didn’t care.

Alexander just stood there, his face was pale and his eyes empty. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t speak. He looked… disappointed. Like I was the problem.

“How could you deceive me like this?” I screamed, tears choking every word. “So you were going to marry her all along? You and my own sister played me? How could you humiliate me like this, Alex? Answer me!”

He stayed silent, his gaze fixed somewhere over my shoulder. Not even a flicker.

“And whose fault is that?” Eliza’s voice cut through the air like a knife. She stepped forward in my wedding dress, her veil still perfect, smile sharp.

“You’re the one who called the wedding off yesterday, Elena. You were too quick to judge, too proud to listen to your dear husband. Look at him! He cried himself to sleep last night because of the disgusting things you did. And now you show up here acting like the victim? Please.”

I spun on her, my chest heaving. “You stole my life, Eliza! My fiancé, my wedding, my future...everything!”

She laughed, cold and bright for the cameras. “Stole? You abandoned him! I just filled the space you created. After all, I make a better bride. Don’t I, Alex?”

Alexander still said nothing. His jaw tightened, but he wouldn’t look at me.

Eliza kept going, her voice rising so the microphones caught every word. “You sent him those filthy pictures, Elena. Pictures of you whoring around with some bartender while he was begging you to come home. He cried himself to sleep, because the woman he loved turned out to be a liar and a cheat. I was there for him. I listened. I comforted him. And you? You were too busy spreading your legs to care.”

Tears poured down my face now, nonstop. “You slept with him first! You pretended to be me! You ruined us!”

“Ruined?” Eliza’s eyes flashed with fake pity. “You ruined it the second you ran away instead of talking. I didn’t force him into anything. He chose me. Right here, right now, in front of everyone. Because I’m not the one who humiliated him on the internet last night.”

The bodyguards finally grabbed my arms, pulling me back. I fought them, sobbing. “Let go! Alex, say something! Tell them the truth! Tell them you slept with her thinking she was me!”

He still said nothing. Just that hollow, disappointed stare.

Media flashes popped like fireworks. Reporters murmured, some whispering, “Poor girl… she looks devastated.” Others shook their heads like they already believed Eliza.

I wrenched free, shame burning hotter than the anger. “I hate you both,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I hate what you turned me into.”

I turned and ran. The crowd parted. Thank God, a yellow cab idled at the curb. I dove inside, slamming the door.

“Drive,” I choked out. “Just drive.”

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone and turned it back on. Notifications exploded. The first thing that loaded was a video of me and Liam kissing hard in the club last night, my hands tearing at his shirt, my tongue on his chest. Posted by Celebrity Scoop, the caption screaming in bold:

*Handsome Billionaire’s ex-fiancée was caught cheating on him a night before their wedding, probably why he married her twin sister instead. Thank goodness he dodged a bullet there.*

Ten million views. Posted one hour ago.

Can this day ever get worse?