Chapter 1

I had proposed to my boyfriend of six years ninety-nine times before he finally agreed to marry me.

But at our wedding, he stood in front of everyone and confessed his love to his high school sweetheart via a video call.

"I finally won the Best Actor award just like we promised, Raina. Will you give me another chance?"

Raina Sterling was his first love.

I was left standing at the altar, a laughingstock for the media and the guests.

That was the moment it finally clicked.

From the very beginning, he never gave me a single shred of his heart.

...

Caspian Vance vanished from the wedding venue immediately after.

I sat alone until midnight, my eyes glued to my phone screen.

The top trending story was Caspian's brave public confession. I watched the video on a loop until my heart felt like it was being shredded.

The internet was in an absolute frenzy.

"The King of Cinema is finally back after six years, and he's found his true love!"

"A top-tier actor professing his love to his first flame at his own wedding? That's so romantic!"

"Our King made it so clear. Why is that woman from the wedding still hanging around?"

A self-deprecating smile touched my lips. I felt a bitter sting in my chest.

I was nothing more than a clown who had stepped into someone else's fairy tale.

In the middle of my spiraling thoughts, the door swung open. It was Caspian.

He looked radiant, practically glowing with joy.

"Sera, my audition was a hit. The director wants me to pack up and head to the set immediately."

He pulled me into an enthusiastic hug as if he hadn't just humiliated me in front of hundreds of people.

When I stayed silent, his smile faltered. He noticed what was on my phone and stiffened.

He snatched the phone out of my hand, his annoyance flaring instantly.

"Are these tabloids really that bored? Why are they digging up old history between Raina and me?"

His words were full of fake frustration, but his hands were busy hitting play on the video.

It was a montage of his memories with Raina.

His face softened involuntarily. The longing in his eyes was impossible to hide.

I sighed and pulled away from his embrace. The pain was making it hard to breathe.

In that video, Caspian's gaze was so tender as he looked at her through the screen. He looked truly, deeply in love.

When that video played on the giant screen at our wedding, I had been foolishly moved.

I actually thought he had recorded it for me. I thought I was the leading lady of his life.

The echoes of the guests' mocking laughter wouldn't leave my head. I didn't want to remember it anymore.

I rubbed my watery eyes, my voice thick with emotion.

"Let's get a divorce, Caspian."

Caspian froze for a second. Once he realized I wasn't joking, his expression turned icy.

"Serafina Wynne, have you lost your mind? You want a divorce just because the wedding got a little interrupted? You're really going to pick a fight when I'm this happy?"

"You've seen how hard I've worked all these years. I finally have a chance to reclaim my throne. I'm not giving this up."

A flash of mockery crossed my eyes as I met his gaze.

"It's not your career you're unwilling to give up. It's Raina Sterling, isn't it?"

Raina's name acted like a trigger.

Caspian exploded in a fit of rage, pointing a finger at me as he shouted.

"Serafina, you're just a useless cripple who can't even play the piano anymore! You eat my food and live in my house. How dare you have an opinion on my life?"

He tore open my deepest scar without a second thought. I stared at him for a long time, stunned.

Was this really the man I thought I knew?

Caspian suffered from a severe intermittent explosive disorder. In his fits of rage, he used to hurt himself and everyone around him.

I was the one who stayed. I was the one who braved his storms to calm him down every single time.

Because of that, I had ruined my hands. I would never be able to touch a piano again.

Back then, he had been riddled with guilt. He had sworn an oath to me.

"Sera, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life. I'll be the one providing for you from now on."