FORGOTTEN BRIDE

Cecelia's Pov.

"Xander is married?!"

My voice echoed through the room, disbelief settling over me like something I couldn't quite wrap my hands around. It wasn't just a passing thought. No, this was the cold, harsh reality that was sinking in with every passing second. The man I had been married to for four years, the man who swore he would never leave me, had already moved on. Three days. That's how long it had taken for him to throw away everything we had together.

I stared at the phone screen, my fingers trembling. The news article blared at me in bold letters: "Xander Blackwell Weds Socialite Amelia Hawthorne in Secret Ceremony." Secret? The nerve of him. Our divorce had only been finalized three days ago, and there he was, parading his new life, already forgetting the vows we once shared.

The pain hit me like a punch to the gut. My breath caught in my throat, and for a moment, the room seemed to spin. I sat down heavily on the couch, unable to tear my eyes away from the glowing screen.

Xander, my ex-husband, had always been a man of many contradictions. His family had insisted on the divorce, and I had been forced to agree. Their reasons were never clear, but I knew it had something to do with their ridiculous expectations and their incessant need to control him. I had always believed, though, that Xander had been just as devastated as I was by the end of our marriage. I had thought we were both trying to navigate the painful separation together.

But now, here he was, getting married as if our years together had meant nothing.

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. No, I wouldn't let him see me cry. Not again.

I clenched my fists. Anger bubbled up inside me, hot and furious. How could he do this? How could he betray me like this? I thought I knew him, but clearly, I had been wrong.

For a moment, the world outside seemed to blur, and all I could hear was the pounding of my own heartbeat. My mind raced. If Xander had moved on so quickly, then that meant he had been planning this behind my back. That meant he hadn't been as hurt as I had been by the end of our marriage. Maybe he was already involved with this woman, Amelia Hawthorne, while we were still together. The thought was unbearable.

I had trusted him. I had given him everything-my heart, my soul, my love-and he had thrown it all away like it was nothing.

I stood up abruptly, pacing the room. My hands were clammy, and my heart was a chaotic mess of emotions. Betrayal. Anger. Hurt. But most of all, I felt foolish. I had believed in him. I had believed that he would fight for us, that we could make it through the rough patches. But now, I saw it all clearly. Xander hadn't cared. Not really.

I felt the sting of tears threatening to break free, but I pushed them down. I wouldn't cry over him. Not anymore.

No. I was done being the victim. I was done being the one left behind. Xander had hurt me, and I would make sure he knew just how badly he had messed up.

"He can't hurt me and get away with it," I muttered to myself, my voice low but filled with conviction. "I'll make sure to ruin him."

The days that followed were filled with an icy rage I couldn't seem to shake. The town was buzzing with the news of Xander's wedding, and I was no exception. Everywhere I went, I heard whispers. People were shocked, of course. The timing was suspicious-three days after our divorce was finalized-and no one could quite understand how someone could move on so quickly. But no one knew the truth. No one knew how much Xander had destroyed me with his betrayal.

I thought about our marriage constantly. How had it all gone so wrong? How had we gone from being so in love to this... fractured mess?

I spent hours replaying our past in my mind, trying to pinpoint where I had gone wrong. Had I not been enough for him? Had I not tried hard enough to hold everything together? But as the memories flooded my mind, something started to gnaw at me, something I hadn't considered before.

What if Xander had been seeing Amelia Hawthorne before the divorce? What if he had already started this new relationship while we were still married? The thought made my stomach churn. I knew how people like Xander could be, charming and persuasive, able to manipulate everyone around them. Had he been playing both sides all along? Had I been the one left in the dark while he carried on with her behind my back?

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I had always felt like something was off in the last few months of our marriage. Xander had become distant, withdrawn, and I had chalked it up to stress from work and the pressure from his family. But what if there had been more to it? What if he had already made up his mind to leave me long before the divorce was even mentioned?

It hurt to think about. It hurt to think that the man I had loved so deeply might have already checked out of our marriage before it ended. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was the only explanation that made sense.

The realization hit me like a slap in the face. Xander had been seeing Amelia before our divorce. I was sure of it. How else could he have moved on so quickly? How else could he have married her in secret, as if it was nothing?

I was no longer just hurt. I was angry. So angry that it made my blood boil. How dare he think he could get away with this? How dare he throw away everything we had for someone else, without even a second thought?

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. I barely recognized the woman looking back at me. She was no longer the naive, hopeful wife who believed in love. No, this woman was different. This woman was angry. This woman was scorned, and she was going to make sure Xander knew what it felt like to lose everything.

I was done being the victim. I was done letting him walk away without consequences. If Xander thought he could hurt me and move on without a second thought, he was wrong. So very wrong.

I would make him regret this.

I would ruin him.

Days passed, Every time I thought about Xander, I saw red. He had taken so much from me-my love, my trust, my dignity-and now it was time for him to pay. But how? How could I make him feel the sting of betrayal the way I had?

I didn't have to think long before the answer came to me. I knew exactly how I was going to get back at him. Xander had everything-money, power, status-but there was one thing that he cared about more than anything else. His reputation. Xander had built his empire on his carefully crafted image, and I would destroy it.

I started making plans, carefully considering every move. I would be methodical. I would be smart. And I would make sure that Xander felt every ounce of pain he had caused me.

But as I sat down and began to plot, a small voice in the back of my mind tried to warn me. Was this really the path I wanted to take? Was revenge really the answer? But I shut the voice out. There was no turning back now. Xander had crossed a line, and I was going to make sure he knew the consequences of his actions.

"I'll make sure to ruin him,"