Chapter 1

1

At my mother's funeral, my fiancé and my adopted sister walked in hand-in-hand. They had the audacity to announce their engagement right there, in front of everyone.

I became the laughingstock of the city. Everyone whispered that the biological daughter wasn't even worth as much as a stray they'd picked up.

In my moment of fury, my fiancé's cousin, Caleb Rhodes, appeared. He stepped up and kicked the two of them out of the memorial service.

He reached out his hand to me that day. He promised he would be my rock, my lifelong support, and that he would never leave me.

I believed him and I said yes.

After years of a sweet, whirlwind romance, I was blissfully preparing for our wedding. But then, I accidentally overheard him talking to his financial advisor.

"Mr. Rhodes, are you really going to marry Elara Thorne just to get those shares for Mabel? If you do this, you'll lose your chance to compete with your brother for the family estate."

"I have to marry her first. That's the only way I can legally trick Elara into transferring those shares to me. Once I have them, Mabel will have absolute control over the conglomerate."

Caleb's voice was cold as he continued. "As long as Mabel is happy, anything I do is worth it."

The man I thought was my savior was nothing more than someone else's puppet. His beautiful vows were just a trap over a bottomless pit.

If that's how they want to play, I'll give them exactly what they deserve.

Inside the office, Caleb sat across from the financial advisor, Miller. A prenuptial asset transfer agreement sat on the desk between them.

"Old Mr. Thorne is so sick he can't even get out of bed now. Elara might have been trained to run the company, but she's soft-hearted and easily swayed."

Caleb smirked. "As long as I keep sweet-talking her, she'll sign this. Then, every share she inherits from her father will be under my name."

Miller nodded. "Don't worry. I've been Elara's advisor for years, and I've drafted this perfectly. Once she signs, her fortune belongs to you. Even if she divorces you, she won't get a single cent."

Caleb glanced at him with a look of mock surprise. "You're quite ruthless, aren't you? You've worked for her for years, yet you're stabbing her in the back without blinking."

"I've worked for her, sure, but she's cold-blooded! When my father was dying, I took a little bit of money for the emergency. She found out, screamed at me, and made me pay it back immediately."

Miller's face twisted with resentment. "It was Mabel who saved me. She paid for my father's hospital bills out of her own pocket. A woman like Elara doesn't deserve to run the Thorne family empire."

Caleb chuckled. "Mabel has a heart of gold. she deserves every beautiful thing in this world."

"I'm finally done acting with Elara. Every time I look at her, I have to imagine Mabel's face just to keep going. I'll get her to sign the papers tonight."

He leaned back in his chair. "I won't divorce her right away, though. I won't let her starve. I'll consider it a good deed for Mabel's sake."

"My brother has always been one step ahead of me, even winning Mabel's heart first. Since I can't have her, I'll do everything I can to make her life perfect."

Miller nodded in agreement, his face full of gratitude toward Mabel.

I stood outside, my hands shaking as I closed the surveillance app on my phone. My mind went completely blank.

I had seen Caleb enter that office and worried he'd find the surprise I'd hidden for him. I only turned on the camera to see if I should go in early. I never expected to see such a chilling scene.

Caleb was a struggling actor in the indie scene, but it turned out his greatest performance was in my life.

For years, his warmth, his tenderness, and his devotion were all a solo act performed for another woman in his mind.

Every time I was moved enough to give him resources or funding for his career, he saw it as me being weak and brainless.

And Miller... I had caught him embezzling and let him off with a warning because I knew his father was sick. I even paid for his father's hospital stay and hired the best doctors secretly, so he wouldn't feel indebted to me.

I had fed my heart to a pack of wolves, and now they were ready to tear me apart.

Caleb, the man who pretended to be my sun, was just a dog for Mabel, the adopted sister I hated most.

At my mother's funeral, Mabel had shown up with Alistair Rhodes, looking like a blooming flower. She looked so smug, just like every other time she had stolen something of mine.

The two of them announcing their marriage in public felt like a slap to my face.

I thought Caleb was the hero who chose me.

I didn't realize that my hero was just a loser who couldn't get the girl he actually wanted.

And I almost fell for it. I almost married him.

I thought about how he looked after my sick father, acting so caring and attentive. He talked to my father, kept him company, and made him laugh. His acting was truly award-winning.

He spent those years visiting me at the office just to secretly gather intel on my executives.

He stole confidential files, causing me to lose several major deals to his brother's firm.

And yet, I was so worried about him working too hard and bringing me lunch that I transferred huge sums of money to his account.

It's hilarious. It's pathetic.