Chapter 1

The day the Sterling family went bankrupt, Brooks Sterling left a goodbye letter and vanished into the snowy peaks of Aspen to end it all.

I risked everything to find him, scouring the frozen wilderness for ten agonizing hours.

Just as my heart was turning to ice, I saw his secretary's Instagram Live.

She was broadcasting Brooks' romantic proposal to her on that very same mountain.

His friends joked in the comments, "Going to be a groom soon? Aren't you afraid your little rich girl will get mad?"

His reply was cold as the mountain air. "I only promised her the title of Mrs. Sterling. She shouldn't dream of anything else."

"But she's bringing a hundred-million-dollar investment into the marriage. Is she really okay with being treated like this?" another friend asked.

I could almost see Brooks sneering as he typed his response.

"A hundred million dollars in exchange for the Sterling name? She's getting a bargain."

"If it weren't for her, Lyra wouldn't have been forced to move to London. These last few days are just my way of making it up to Lyra."

My fingernails dug deep into my palms. I calmly burned every single thing I owned that reminded me of him.

On our wedding day, he searched for me like a madman.

But in the luxury gala hall across the street, I was already slipping a diamond ring from another man onto my finger.

He didn't know.

While he was counting down the days until we broke up, I was preparing to marry someone else.

1.

My fingertips slid across the screen, zooming in on the diamond-encrusted wedding dress Lyra was wearing.

The familiar design and style made me think of the countless late nights Brooks spent in his study, obsessing over sketches.

An eighteen-year-old Brooks had once made a solemn vow.

"I will make sure the woman I love wears a dress I designed with my own hands!"

Brooks and I had been childhood sweethearts for twenty years.

When we played house as kids, he would always hold my hand and whisper to me.

"Avery Thorne, you'll be my only wife. I'll give you the best food, the best toys, and the most beautiful things in the world. If anyone bullies you, I'll chase them away!"

Now, I was supposed to be the bride.

Yet, he had another woman wearing his custom design, taking romantic photos on a snowy mountain.

I returned home, exhausted and drained, only to find Lyra Vance curled up in Brooks' arms, weeping.

"I know you're only marrying her for the sake of the Sterling family. Once the wedding is over, I'll leave on my own!"

Brooks gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"No one can make you leave. She might have schemed her way into this marriage, but she'll only ever be a Mrs. Sterling in name only."

Lyra wrapped her arms around his waist like a spoiled child.

"You tricked her into thinking you were going to jump off a cliff, and she immediately handed over a hundred million. I heard she spent seven days looking for you in the snow. She's so easy to play."

Brooks' expression froze for a split second. He pulled out his phone and turned it on.

As expected, a thousand missed calls from me flooded his screen.

Lyra laughed with pure disdain.

"Next time, try a different excuse. Maybe a terminal illness? Or a boating accident? She'd probably sign her entire family estate over to you."

He laughed carelessly. "Maybe she would."

Before anyone noticed I was there, I left the house, my soul feeling hollow.

When he was eighteen, Brooks had knelt at my door in a washed-out shirt to confess his love.

After graduation, he never let another woman near him. He even insisted on only hiring male assistants, claiming they were more efficient.

But then, the fragile and innocent Lyra Vance crashed into his life and became his secretary.

I knew why he broke all his rules for her. It was because Lyra looked exactly like I did when I was eighteen.

When a lightbulb broke at Lyra's place, she'd cry to him about being scared, and he'd rush over without a second thought.

Meanwhile, he left me to undergo a critical medical procedure all by myself.

I was the one who set the wedding date. I was the one who handled every single detail while he hid away, using "overtime" as an excuse to date Lyra.

Whenever I asked for his opinion, he would just hang up the phone in irritation.

"Are you checking up on me already? You've got the title of Mrs. Sterling, haven't you? What more do you want?"

"Don't think your hundred million dollars can buy my personal freedom!"

I gripped my phone tightly as tears streamed down my face.

The hotel I booked was right next to his office. The next morning, as I walked downstairs, I actually heard Brooks' voice.

"Let's go with orchids for the bouquet. My wife likes them."

My nose stung. I remembered when he was eighteen, he planted an entire garden of orchids just to ask me out.

For a moment, I almost forgot everything else. I started running toward him.

Then I saw Lyra standing in the middle of a sea of flowers, spinning around with a bouquet.

"Orchids are so old-fashioned. Irises are much prettier. If I could carry irises while marrying you, I could die happy!"

Brooks stared at her for a long time before smiling tenderly.

"Okay. Whatever you want."

My legs felt like they were made of lead. I couldn't take another step. My stomach churned with nausea.

Lyra was too much like the old me.

I couldn't accept that the man I had loved for seven years was using someone else to find traces of me.

Brooks spotted me first. The tenderness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by annoyance.

"Where have you been the last few days? The wedding planners couldn't find you, so Lyra had to handle everything. Do you think that's fair to her?"

"Since you're here, listen up. Lyra is very capable. I'm not sending her away after the wedding. I'm promoting her to Vice President."

Lyra's eyes lit up with excitement.

I felt a cold laugh bubbling up inside me. Last night, I had stayed up late at the office specifically to withdraw the investment.

Brooks was so immersed in his sweet date with Lyra that he hadn't even checked his business emails.

I looked at him with total indifference. "Do whatever you want."

Ignoring Brooks' angry glare, I turned around and made a phone call.

"Uncle, you can cancel that hundred-million-dollar wire to the Sterlings."

"Also, I'd like to meet that man you suggested for the arranged marriage."