Chapter 1 Their Betrayal

NADIA'S POV

I stood at the wedding hall entrance, my heart racing with excitement and nerves. Today is my wedding, the day I would marry the love of my life, the day I would finally become whole. But as I checked the time, my eyes scanned the crowd for one person - my fiancé. And that's when an uneasy feeling settled in me.

He wasn't there.

Panic set in as I tried calling him, but his phone went straight to voicemail. I tried again and again, my fingers trembling with each attempt. And then I tried my parents' numbers, but they weren't answering either.

A sense of unease crept over me as I realized something was terribly wrong. I excused myself and stepped out of the wedding hall, hoping to find some answers. But what I found was a crowd of mocking faces, their smirks and whispers cutting deep into my soul.

That was when I noticed her- a woman, she stared at me with an unnerving intensity and beckoned me over. I felt a sense of trepidation, as I walked over to her.

"How can I help you?" I asked, hiding the nervousness and fear in my eyes."

"You don't know, do you?" She replied with a sly smile. "Your fiance is getting married to someone else, and your parents are there celebrating with him."

I swallowed, my breath caught between my throat.

But the woman's next words cut through my facade of denial. " You're not their real daughter, you were adopted. That girl he's getting married to is their biological daughter."

My whole world came crashing down heavily around me. I stumbled backwards, trying to process the chaos in my head, but it was too much. I felt like I was drowning in the sea of endless pain and betrayal.

Under the mocking gaze of the audience, I decided to take a walk to clear my head, hoping to shake off the feeling of unease. As I strolled through the city streets, I couldn't help but notice the giant LED screen towering above the buildings. And that's when I saw it - a live broadcast of a wedding, with my fiancé standing at the altar, exchanging vows with another woman.

My world came crashing down around me. I felt like I had been punched in the gut, my breath caught in my throat as I tried to process what I was seeing. No, it couldn't be. It was a lie. A cruel joke.

But the image on the screen was unmistakable. My fiancé, the man I loved, was marrying another woman. And my parents were there, beaming with pride, as if they had been waiting for this moment all along.

I felt like I was watching a nightmare unfold before my eyes. I stumbled backward, trying to make sense of the chaos in my mind. But it was too much. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of pain and betrayal.

I turned away from the screen, trying to escape the reality of what I had just seen. But it was too late. The damage was done. My heart was shattered into a million pieces.

I wandered the streets, trying to make sense of what had happened. But every step I took felt like a betrayal. Every face I saw seemed to mock me, every smile a reminder of my own heartbreak.

I wanted to run away, run away from all these, but I had to confront my adoptive parents and demand answers. I had to know why they had lied to me, why they had betrayed me so deeply.

As night came, I stumbled my way home, with my now stained white gown, I knew that my life would never be the same again. I had been shattered, broken into a million pieces, by the same people I called my family and fiance.

I made my way back to my parents' house, my heart heavy with emotion. I knew that the confrontation ahead of me would be difficult, but I was ready. I was ready to face the truth, no matter how painful it might be.

As I opened the door, I saw my parents sitting in the living room, their expression unfazed. They knew what I had seen, and they knew that I knew the truth.

"Eddie, do we need to talk?" my mother said, her voice neutral.

But I didn't want to talk. I wanted answers. I wanted to know why they had lied to me, why they had betrayed me so deeply.

"You're not my real parents, are you?" I spat, my anger boiling over.

"No, We're not." My father said, his tone also flat.

I felt like I had been punched in the gut again. My whole life had been a lie. Everything I thought I knew about myself was a fabrication.

"Why?" I demanded. "Why did you adopt me? Why did you lie to me?"

My mother chuckled dryly before speaking. "Is this what you're supposed to ask? Shouldn't you be at least grateful that we adopted you, despite having our own child?"

I laughed, a bitter, humorless sound. "What then, was your motive for adopting me, since you had a child?"

She was about to say something when I heard footsteps coming from the staircase. I raised my head to see Logan, my supposed husband, walking hand in hand with the lady, who was said to be their biological daughter.

My chest tightened, as I saw the way he looked at her, their faces were etched with happiness, and affection for each other, as if they've been waiting so long for today to come.

Logan raised his head, and our gaze locked, hatred washed over me, as the sting of his betrayal felt fresh.

"You're still here?" The girl asked, her voice laced with hatred and resentment.

"Van, my child, come here. Don't get angry, you just got married today." Her mom smiled softly, motioning for her to come closer.

She frowned, "But mom, isn't she supposed to leave already? She might bring bad luck to our marriage, remember we're newly wed, and she reek of bad luck."

Her words didn't hurt me as I thought it would, maybe because we weren't that close, I just didn't like her. My gaze was fixed on Logan, who hasn't even spared me a glance, since he sat down, his once affectionate look had vanished completely, even when we locked eyes, it was just blank.

"What are you standing there for?, leave already, didn't you just hear what she said?!"

I flinched, as Logan's cold voice rang in my ear, my eyes stung with tears, which were threatening to fall. I clenched my fists tightly, even though I felt my nails sinking into my flesh, I felt no pain, it just felt numb.

My gaze, which was almost blurred with tears, darted from each and everyone of their faces and finally stopped at Logan, who didn't even bother to look at me, as if I was some kind of trash.

I nodded, and my tears fell, but I was quick to wipe it, and turned around and left the house.

As I walked out of the neighborhood, my heart heavy with ache and agony, I saw a figure standing in the shadows. A woman, watching me with an unnerving intensity.

I didn't bother to acknowledge her presence or pay any attention to her, until she walked towards me.

"What do you want from me?" I sobbed, quickly wiping away my tears.

"My name is Sophia," she replied. Isn't she the same woman from the church? I thought.

"And I'm here to tell you the truth about your past." She added.

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I realized that my journey was far from over. In fact, it was only just beginning.