Chapter 1 Murder

On the day the Bennett and Harper families united through marriage, the heavens seemed to unleash their fury, coloring the sky with the deep crimson of roaring flames.

Daniela Harper, clad in her wedding finery, watched in despair as her groom, Alexander Bennett, heroically swept Joyce Holt into his arms and navigated through the scorching heat, not once glancing back at her.

Trapped beneath a massive, fallen screen, Daniela was rendered immobile by its weight, her eyes brimming with tears of frustration and fear.

The air was thick with acrid smoke, and as Daniela struggled for breath, the encroaching shadows of unconsciousness began to cloud her vision, the grim thought of perishing in the blaze gnawing at her mind.

Yet, just as hope seemed to flicker out, a figure emerged through the smoke.

Strong arms lifted her effortlessly, and the steady, reassuring thud of her rescuer's heartbeat against her ear brought an odd solace amidst the chaos.

Suddenly, a piercing hiss cut through the muffled sounds of destruction.

The unmistakable, horrific odor of burning flesh assaulted her senses.

Heart pounding with a mix of fear and confusion, Daniela mustered the strength to pry her eyes open, only to be met with a suffocating veil of smoke that obscured her vision and deepened her terror.

As she fumbled blindly through the darkness, her fingers brushed against something sticky and unsettling. Instinctively, the man bearing her weight recoiled, yet he relaxed soon, permitting her hands to explore without restraint.

The wind screamed in her ears, relentless and chilling.

Gradually, the fierce warmth that had scorched her face began to dissipate.

Struggling against the heaviness of her eyelids, she strained to identify her rescuer.

Through the swirling smoke that clouded her vision, she glimpsed a distinctive mole near the man's eye-a mole that stirred a vague sense of recognition within her.

As the edges of her consciousness began to blur once more, Daniela heard a gentle voice cut through the howling wind. "Sir, the ambulance has arrived. The Harper family is already aboard. We must get moving right away. Your arm requires urgent care, and moreover, today marks Miss Harper's wedding. If people see her with another man, it'll become the talk of the town."

......

Daniela stirred from her uneasy slumber in the stark, frigid confines of a plain hospital ward.

The moon loomed large outside, bathing everything in its ghostly, somber light. The room lay shrouded in silence, devoid of the presence of her newlywed husband.

Her injuries were grievous: a cracked rib and a deep, ragged cut marred her left cheek. The doctor had cautioned that without meticulous care, the gash could etch a lasting scar on her face.

As dawn broke, the doctor returned to assess her condition.

Glancing around the empty room, he queried, "Where's your family?"

Daniela shook her head with a bitter smile. She had tried to reach Alexander many times, but he hadn't answered.

Exhaling a sigh, the doctor advised, "Try to keep still; moving too much could worsen your injuries. If there's no one to assist you, I'll arrange a caregiver for you."

At that moment, a young nurse chimed in, "Aren't you the bride from that fire incident that hit the headlines? Isn't your husband here with you?"

The conversation caught the attention of the head nurse, who coughed slightly, gesturing to silence her colleague. Leaning closer, she murmured, "He's actually upstairs, attending to someone else."

The young nurse's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? But the girl merely sustained a minor scratch on her hand!"

Daniela was the one desperately in need of care.

The head nurse shook her head. "There's an entire team upstairs fussing over her. It's so unjust, isn't it?"

In that instant, a wave of humiliation and despair crashed down upon Daniela. Perched on the edge of the hospital bed, she felt her blood turn to ice, her frame shivering subtly.

Leaning against the wall for support, she made her way upstairs to the exclusive, high-class ward.

Pausing at the doorway, she saw the man she had cherished for a decade feeding her stepsister, Joyce. Their gazes locked, and the connection was palpable.

Her stepmother, Katrina Harper, clasped her hand over her mouth, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Caiden, could this be karma? Are my past mistakes haunting our daughter now?"

Caiden Harper, Daniela's biological father and Katrina's spouse, gently touched Katrina's shoulder to comfort her. "No, this was merely an unfortunate incident. None of this is your fault."

"Dad! This was no accident; it was murder! Daniela resents that you and Alexander show her less affection than me. She's malicious. We were the only ones there during the fire, and she pushed me. She wanted me gone."

After saying that, Joyce crumpled into Alexander's embrace, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wept uncontrollably.

Katrina gazed at her daughter's scratched hand before leaning closer to Caiden, seeking comfort in his arms.

"Caiden, Joyce might not share your blood, but she's embraced you as her true father. Who could have imagined such love would spell disaster for her? I've given up so much to keep Daniela content-I vowed to have no more children after marrying you. But it seems nothing will satisfy her. What else does she desire from me? She can take everything from me, even my life, if that's what she wants! But why does Joyce have to suffer? She's done nothing to deserve this."

Katrina's sobs were so intense, so filled with anguish, that an onlooker might have believed she was the one suffering a broken rib and a marred face.

Outside, hidden from view, Daniela overheard every venomous word aimed at her.

She watched, heartbroken, as the two men she cherished most-her father and her husband-lavished their attention on Joyce, neglecting to speak a word in her defense.

Her heart, already fragile, shattered into pieces.

Though her body screamed in protest, Daniela had fought to make it this far. Now, with her pain weighing her down, she turned back, each step slow and agonizing as she made her way back to her room.

After her mother's passing, she seemed to have lost her father as well.

Her husband, whom she had grown up with, had given his heart to another, leaving hers in tatters.

Such a harsh betrayal of fate.

As darkness fell, Alexander reached her hospital room, holding a food container.

He stopped abruptly at the door, his features carved with a sharp, cutting disdain, as though the very air inside disgusted him.

His eyes, cold and distant, pierced through her.

Summoning every ounce of strength, Daniela pushed herself upright, her voice heavy with a raw, aching despair. "I swear, I didn't push Joyce. She told me her wedding gift for me was in the storeroom. But as we entered, flames engulfed us, and the door was locked from the outside."

With a steely gaze and a hint of impatience, Alexander muttered, "Daniela, stop fooling yourself. There's no sense in pretending any longer. You've always resented Joyce for being everyone's favorite, but to sabotage our wedding day with such malice? I never thought you were capable of being this monstrous!"