Semua Bab The Billionaire Broken Bride—Married To My Enemy.: Bab 1 - Bab 10

ALESSA'S POV7 Years AgoBiology class blurred in front of me. Mrs. Grant's voice droned on about cell membranes and osmosis, but my mind was nowhere near mitochondria or textbooks. It was on him, Michael Astor.Two grades ahead. Two years older. And still, every bit the sun my world revolved around.Michael wasn’t just a school crush, he was everyone’s dream. Tall, charming, kind with a voice that could talk a teacher out of homework and a smile that looked like it belonged on magazine covers. And me? Just the awkward, glasses-wearing girl in the third row who had loved him in silence since sixth grade.That crush had clung to me like second skin for four years and it was ending anytime soon, I knew that.I still remembered the day he noticed me, really noticed me. It was years ago, when Vanessa and her clique cornered me behind the cafeteria. My books had been kicked down, my glasses knocked sideways. And right when the sting of humiliation had started to burn my throat, he stepped

ALESSA’S POV Fifteen Minutes Later…Exactly fifteen minutes later, my phone rang.Dad was already outside.I splashed cold water on my face in a desperate attempt to wash away the swelling around my eyes, the redness that screamed pain and defeat. I didn't bother explaining anything to my classmates or teachers.I just walked in, head down, grabbed my bag, and walked out like a ghost.The moment I stepped into the parking lot, I saw him.There he was. Dad, standing beside his car, that same warm, fatherly smile on his face. My heart clenched. Even from afar, I could see he was tired, but his smile never faded. It was always for me, even when he had no energy left for himself.I waved, forcing a cheerful “Hi, Dad!” and ran toward him, trying to wear the mask of my usual self. But I could feel the weight of my lie, my sadness threatened to pour out through my trembling lips, my burning eyes.He opened his arms wide. “There’s my princess,” he said.I jumped into them. Safe.He caught me

MICHAEL'S POV I sat in the quiet of the sitting room, the newspaper open in my hands. Around me, everything reeked of luxury, the velvet armchair I sank into, the golden light streaming through tall windows, the soft scent of fresh roses placed carefully on the marble table. It was elegant here, timeless, like the room itself had forgotten how to rush.But even in all this beauty, I felt hollow. I finally understood the saying “the rich also cry.” No one would’ve guessed, looking at my designer suit and billion-dollar view, that I was drowning in heartbreak.Natasha, she had torn me apart.She’d ended our engagement without warning, without reason. Just… vanished from my life like we had meant nothing.I met her back in college. She had reminded me so much of a girl I once knew, the same delicate features, the same nervous smile. The only difference was the color of her eyes and the texture of her hair. But the aura? It was all wrong. I ignored it. I had fallen fast and hard.She wa

ALESSA'S POV The next day came faster than I wanted it to.I told Mom I had a “date.” That’s all I said.Her face lit up like it was something magical. Like I was about to be whisked away into a fairytale ending. I didn’t have the heart to crush that light in her eyes.But I didn’t dress up.No makeup. No heels. Just jeans, a plain blouse, and my worn coat—the same one I wore to class. No perfume, no gloss, no effort. Let him think what he wanted. This wasn’t a dream. This was a task.I left early.The café was farther than I expected, tucked away in a high-end part of the city where everything smelled like expensive perfume and ambition. The moment I stepped in, the receptionist asked for my name. I barely got it out before she called for the hostess.VIP lounge. Of course.The place was too elegant for words, crystal chandeliers, polished floors, the kind of silence that felt expensive. But I wasn’t surprised. This used to be my world, once.She led me to a table by the window. I s

MICHAEL’S POVI got home that night and told my parents about the proposal. They were thrilled, excited like it was something real. Something that mattered.And just like that, I started planning a proposal I wasn’t even interested in. I set it three days from now, a Friday.The night had to be flawless.Not for her.Not even for me.For them.My parents. The world watching.They had to believe every second of it.I told my assistant to book the rooftop garden at Le Rêve Hotel, classy, open-air, with just the right view of the skyline. I didn’t want glitz. I wanted elegance. Something that whispered wealth instead of shouting it.The ring? I picked it myself. I went to the finest store in New York, asked for discretion and quality.I got the same size I once bought for Natasha, if Alessa can look like her then the finger fit would be close enough.It wasn’t a loud ring, just a cushion-cut diamond set in platinum. Quietly commanding. Expensive, because of course it was.The guest list