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Home / Romance Short Story / The Fortune Camera Kept Heartbreak Away / Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

All Chapters of The Fortune Camera Kept Heartbreak Away: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

The photographs developed one by one.Morning came, but no matter how many times I looked at the image, the scar remained unmistakable between the woman's thumb and forefinger.Only Lily Reynolds had a mark like that.Barely able to breathe, I carried the camera to her bedroom.Her door stood open. Lily sat at her vanity, her face turned partly away from me.I pressed the shutter.A new photograph appeared, showing Lily and Mason kissing passionately on the bed meant for my wedding night."No..."Something snapped inside me. I stared at the picture and forgot how to breathe."Lily, why are you still awake?"The familiar voice came from the staircase. It belonged to my twin brother, Owen Reynolds.I drew a shaky breath and slipped into the shadows around the corner."Owen, I'm nervous," Lily said softly from inside the room."Are we really doing the right thing? What if Amelia gets angry?""She won't," Owen said without hesitation."She has given you everything you've wan

Chapter 2

Jessica Lane arrived at the Reynolds house early the next morning.She was a wedding planner and had personally handled every part of my ceremony.Only two days remained, and the venue was already fully decorated.Yet she sat on my parents' couch and announced that she wanted to replace every flower."The roses and peonies we chose feel dated."What about purple hydrangeas? They would look softer and more luxurious."She eagerly showed me a new digital rendering.After what the camera had revealed, I immediately pictured the pots of hydrangeas lined beneath Lily's bedroom window.They were her favorite flowers."We should add a few dishes to the reception menu too."My mother emerged from the kitchen with a list in her hand."Cilantro steak, crab cakes, and cedar-plank salmon."I hated cilantro and had a severe shellfish allergy.Every item she named was something Lily loved.They discussed the changes with growing enthusiasm and remembered to ask the actual bride only wh

Chapter 3

His reply came almost immediately."Okay."I collapsed onto my bed and closed my eyes, exhausted in every possible way.People came looking for me throughout the day.Mason apologized and told me not to overthink things. He insisted he treated Lily like a younger sister.Jessica sent message after message, claiming I had pre-wedding anxiety and offering to take me to a movie.I knew exactly what they were doing.They wanted to keep me calm.They were terrified I would discover the truth, create a scene, and ruin Lily's wedding.I had no time for any of them.I began sorting my belongings for the trip two days away.Then I emailed my resignation, and my supervisor immediately called me in a rage."Amelia, the client discovered that your campaign proposal was plagiarized, and now you're trying to disappear?""You're not leaving until you cover the company's losses."I froze.I had spent three months developing that proposal. Every concept and every line had come from me.

Chapter 4

I had prepared myself for the truth.Even so, seeing them together made me turn aside and vomit."Amelia!"Mason rushed after me. His shout quickly drew the rest of the family into the hallway."Let me explain. Lily had too much to drink..."Owen came out first. One look at the lipstick smeared across Mason's mouth told him everything."Enough. The wedding is tomorrow, and since you've already seen this, we may as well tell you now."He stepped in front of me."Lily will take your place in the ceremony tomorrow."Her mental health has been fragile, and her birthday wish was to wear a wedding dress and experience a wedding."You will serve as her bridesmaid and help us give her that memory."The moment he finished, my parents closed ranks around Lily.Even Mason shifted toward her without realizing it."Amelia, it is only one ceremony. We can hold another one for you later."He met my eyes."You've never cared about appearances, but Lily cannot handle another emotional sh

Chapter 5

The entire driveway went silent.I looked at Gabriel Whitmore's composed face and placed my hand in his."Watch your step."He held my hand and guided me forward, his voice gentle.My parents finally recovered from their shock and shouted after me."Amelia, have you lost your mind?""Who is this man? You've known him for a few days, and now you plan to marry him?""Mrs. Reynolds, you should stop talking," Mason snapped.His face had gone pale with anger."That's my boss. Gabriel Whitmore, CEO of Whitmore Holdings."Both of them froze as though he had spoken in another language.Owen stood a few feet away, his complexion shifting from red to white until no expression remained.How could this be happening?"Amelia, were you cheating on me?"Mason did not dare challenge Gabriel. Instead, he turned his fury on me."It's only been a few days. How did you manage to get involved with my boss?""Know your place, Mason," Gabriel said coldly."You have no right to accuse anyone

Chapter 6

The Reynolds family was still reeling when Gabriel told me the same thing in the car."Mason lied to you. The civil marriage documents were never filed. The copy he showed you was fabricated."I blinked, but the revelation stirred almost nothing inside me."I see."A faint smile touched my lips."That makes this easier. I won't have to waste time undoing a marriage that never existed."We can file the real license in Stonebridge."Joy flashed across Gabriel's face. He took my hand with careful tenderness."I will treat you well."Amelia, you can trust me."His gaze was steady and warm. For the first time in days, I relaxed and nodded.Gabriel had loved me quietly for seven years.If a succession battle inside his family's company had not forced him to leave Ridgehaven and cut off contact, Mason might never have been the man who confessed his feelings that winter.Gabriel once told me I was the one regret he had never been able to release.Even so, he had always respected

Chapter 7

My mother's mind seemed to shut down.My father lurched forward and tried to cover the report."It's fake. Every page is fabricated."You are trying to destroy my family, and I will sue all of you.""The laboratory is located here in Alder County, Mr. Reynolds."The attorney answered calmly."You are welcome to submit a new sample under independent supervision."We also located Lily's biological mother. She lives less than an hour from Ridgehaven."Mrs. Reynolds, you may speak to her yourself."My mother swayed as though she might faint.The woman was once one of her closest friends.She had never imagined that her husband had carried on an affair with that friend and fathered a child.He had then claimed the girl came from a foster placement and persuaded his wife to raise her for more than a decade."Victor Reynolds, I'll kill you!"She lunged at him and wrapped both hands around his throat.My father continued denying everything, insisting the DNA report was fraudulen

Chapter 8

They found me while I was taking photographs in Hawthorne Commons.I worked as a photographer now. Gabriel gave me the freedom and respect to choose my own career instead of sacrificing it to satisfy my parents.When Mason stumbled into my frame, my hand jerked and ruined the shot."Amelia!" He rushed over, gaunt and unkempt, then dropped to his knees."I'm sorry. I should never have planned that wedding with Lily. I should never have lied to you."His hand shook as he pulled a ring from his pocket."This ring was always yours. You are the only woman I ever loved. Lily manipulated me."He reached for me."Come back to Ridgehaven with me. We'll get married for real, and I'll give you exactly the wedding you wanted."I know you don't love Gabriel."I looked at him and smiled."Who told you I don't love him?"I pulled my hand away before his dirty fingers could touch me. My wedding ring caught the sunlight."The moment I ended things with you, I allowed myself to begin a new

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