Chapter 3

Adriana POV

I took a deep breath, the scent of white roses filling my lungs, masking the lingering bitterness of betrayal. My hand, now bearing Jaxon' s simple gold band, tightened around my bouquet. I walked down the aisle, the opulent ballroom a stage, and every guest an unwitting audience. My movements were fluid, deliberate, each step a testament to the ice forming in my veins. The wedding march played on, its triumphant notes a cruel counterpoint to the hollow ache in my chest.

Guests murmured, shifting in their seats. Every eye sought out Holden, expecting him to appear at the altar. But the altar remained empty, save for the waiting priest. The absence of the groom was a stark, glaring omission in an otherwise meticulously planned ceremony.

Darrin and Arman, Holden's groomsmen, rushed forward, their faces flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and panic. They intercepted me halfway down the aisle, blocking my path, their whispers frantic.

"Adriana, wait! Holden... he just had an urgent call," Darrin stammered, his eyes darting nervously around the room.

"Yeah, he'll be back any minute! Just a quick business emergency," Arman added, trying to sound convincing, but his voice cracked at the edges. "He really wants to be here, Adriana. You know how important this day is to him."

I met their frantic gazes with a calm, unblinking stare. "I understand," I said, my voice low and steady. "I'll wait."

A wave of palpable relief washed over their faces. They exchanged triumphant glances, clearly believing they had averted a crisis. They thought I was the same Adriana, the compliant partner, the woman who would always defer to Holden's whims. They had no idea that the woman they knew had died in that penthouse bedroom.

My inner monologue was a stark contrast to my composed exterior. Wait? I've waited long enough. A decade, in fact. For a man who took my ideas, my energy, my very identity, and packaged it as his own brilliance.

I recalled the countless hours I had poured into designing this very wedding. Every floral arrangement, every crystal chandelier, every delicate piece of tableware had been chosen by me. Holden had merely approved the budgets, transferring funds from an account I had quietly filled over the years, delighting in the extravagance, basking in the glow of public adoration for his "taste." He had been obsessed with the details, not because he cared for our union, but because he saw it as the ultimate public relations event, a lavish symbol of his success. His commitment to the spectacle was absolute, surpassed only by his commitment to his own self-interest and his betrayal.

He committed to this wedding with the same intensity he committed to Kenley. The realization hit me anew, a fresh wave of nausea. He wasn't just abandoning me; he was doing it with meticulous planning, ensuring maximum public humiliation while simultaneously securing his financial future through Kenley. He had wrapped his betrayal in a ribbon of calculated cruelty, confident I would accept it as my fate.

Anaya, my loyal friend, met me at the altar, stepping forward to take my bouquet. Her eyes, usually so sharp and analytical, were now full of raw indignation.

"I can't believe him," she seethed, her voice barely a whisper. "He's a narcissistic pig! After everything you sacrificed for him!"

I merely gave her a tight smile. She had always seen through Holden, had always warned me.

"You poured your heart into every damn project while he took all the credit," she continued, gripping my arm. "And now he's chasing Kenley's father's money, just as your parents predicted. He's a complete fraud, Adriana."

She wiped a tear from her cheek. "Your parents practically disowned you for choosing him. You wagered everything, and he threw it all away."

I squeezed her hand. "I know, Anaya. I know."

I reached for my phone, my fingers gliding over the screen. Anaya snatched it from my hand, her eyes blazing. "Are you checking his damn location again? Adriana, no! He's not worth it!"

My gaze, however, was fixed on her phone, which she held in her other hand. A notification had just popped up. Kenley Wells. A new Instagram post.

Anaya reluctantly handed me the phone. The post showed Kenley, her hair artfully disheveled, a sly smirk on her face, posing in a luxurious hotel suite. A half-eaten room service breakfast lay on a table. The caption read: "New beginnings are always the sweetest. So glad some people know how to prioritize what truly matters. #FutureMrsFerguson #PowerCouple #NoMoreWaiting." The location tag gleamed brightly: "Manhattan Marriage Bureau."

A wave of cold certainty washed over me. He wasn't just ditching the wedding; he was actively getting married to Kenley right now. The timing wasn't a coincidence; it was a deliberate, public slap in the face. My "urgent paperwork" from earlier.

Scroll down. Comments were already flooding in. "Wait, isn't Holden supposed to be getting married TODAY?" "Is this for real?!" "OMG, the shade!" My own shared friends, people who would be sitting in the pews just feet away, were commenting, their confusion turning to speculation. Kenley was replying to each one with coy emojis and further provocative hints.

I took a screenshot with a steady hand. My face remained expressionless.

Anaya snatched the phone back, her eyes wide with horror as she processed the content. "That BITCH!" she shrieked, then quickly lowered her voice, mindful of the hundreds of guests. Her eyes welled up. "Adriana, how could he? After everything? What about all those sacrifices you made for him? You gave up your family, your fortune, to build that firm with him! You poured your heart and soul into every damn project, while he just took all the credit!"

She gripped my arm, her voice raw with emotion. "He promised you control of the Pena fortune would be irrelevant! He said your talent was enough! He said he wanted you, not your money! And now he's chasing Kenley's father's money, just as your parents predicted he would. He's a fraud, Adriana. A complete, utter fraud."

She wiped a tear from her cheek. "Your parents practically disowned you for choosing him over their planned arrangement with the Douglas family. They warned you he was a leech. You wagered everything on him, and he just threw it all away. Now you have nothing. He stripped you bare, personally and professionally."

I squeezed her hand. "I know, Anaya. I know." The words were a balm, her fierce loyalty a stark contrast to Holden's betrayal.

My gaze drifted towards the wide, ornate doors of the ballroom. A soft breeze stirred the white roses at the altar. I needed air. I needed to solidify my plans. There was still one vital piece of information I needed, one final confirmation of Holden' s utter contempt. And I knew exactly where to find it.