001: Prologue

Elodie stood before Williams, her white wedding dress gleaming in the soft afternoon light. She could barely breathe, every fiber of her being screaming for her to stop, to choose him. But she forced herself to stay rooted, her decision set like a stone wall between them.

“Please,” Williams said, his voice cracking as he stepped closer. His desperation was palpable, his words heavy with anguish. “Don’t do this. Don’t marry him. I love you, Elodie. You’re my life.....how am I supposed to live without you?”

Her chest tightened painfully, her heart pounding against her ribcage like it was trying to escape. She clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms as she fought to hold herself together. One more minute. Just one more minute, and she’d be free of this moment, free of the pain in his voice that was breaking her apart piece by piece.

His hands reached out, trembling as they gripped her arms. “Say something,” he pleaded. His voice was raw, filled with a desperation she’d never heard before. “We had everything planned. Our life, our future....you said yes to me. You said you loved me. How can you throw it all away? How can you throw us away?”

The crack in his voice shattered something inside her. For a moment, she wanted to collapse into his arms, to let him take her away from the suffocating reality she’d chosen. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t be selfish.

He dropped to one knee suddenly, his hands grasping hers tightly. “Please,” he said, his words spilling out in a frantic rush. “Whatever it is.....whatever’s wrong....we’ll fix it, together. Don’t do this, Elodie. Don’t leave me. For you, I can do anything. Just tell me what you need.”

Her throat burned as she swallowed the scream clawing to escape. She had to end this now before her resolve cracked. She yanked her hands out of his grasp, stepping back as if his touch burned her. Her lips curled into a sneer that she hoped looked convincing. “You don’t get it, do you?” she said, her voice cold. “This is over. I’ve made my choice.”

He stared at her, his face a mixture of confusion and disbelief. His lips parted as if to argue, but no sound came out. She knew she had to drive the point home before he could recover.

Sliding the engagement ring off her finger, she held it for just a second too long, the weight of it unbearable. She hurled it at his feet, the tiny band clinking against the ground with a finality that felt like a death knell. “Take your stupid ring,” she spat. “And don’t ever come near me again.”

For a moment, all he did was stare at her, his eyes wide with hurt. Then his gaze fell to the ring lying discarded on the ground, the symbol of everything they’d built, now meaningless. His shoulders slumped, and when he looked back at her, his face was a mask of betrayal and heartbreak.

“Why?” he asked softly, the word barely audible. "Are you leaving me to marry Bryce Tanner because he is a billionaire? Or am I suddenly not good enough because you are the CEO of Chard Corporation? Tell me, Elodie. I want to know."

At this point, Bryce appeared in his wedding suit, his eyes taking in the scene before him as he asked Elodie, "What's going on here, baby?"

Elodie decided to seize the opportunity, so Williams would be convinced. She clasped Bryce's hand with hers and said to Williams, "Isn't it obvious? Bryce is a million times the man you could never be.

Yes, he can give me everything I want. He is a billionaire, and he is a real man as opposed to you, a pathetic, poor nobody who can never be anything more. What can you give me, Williams? A miserable life?

I deserve better. I deserve someone I won't be ashamed of, someone I can proudly show off to the world, someone who fits my class and is not a burden to me."

"Go ahead, baby, I'll be with you shortly," She told Bryce who kissed her cheek before walking away.

Williams balled his fists and without another word, got up, turned and began to walk away. His steps were slow, heavy, as if each one required all his strength. He didn’t look back, and with every step, the air between them grew colder, more final.

The moment he disappeared from view, Elodie’s knees buckled, and she crumpled to the ground. Her trembling hands reached for the ring where it lay, catching the faint glint of light. Clutching it tightly, she pressed it to her lips as tears poured down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, the words breaking apart as sobs wracked her body. “I’m so sorry, Williams.”