Chapter 2

The church was filled with flowers and sunlight. I stood at the altar, my hand in Matthew's, listening to the minister's words. The scent of Nicole's perfume was a ghost in my memory, a faint wisp of unease I had tried to push away. Matthew squeezed my hand, his smile reassuring. For a moment, I believed the fairytale was real.

Then the church doors burst open.

Nicole Fuller stumbled in, her dress torn, a dark bruise blooming on her cheek. She was sobbing, a mess of disheveled hair and raw terror. Gasps rippled through the guests.

She collapsed at the foot of the altar, pointing a shaking finger at me.

"She did it!" Nicole shrieked, her voice cracking. "Jocelyn hired them! Thugs... they dragged me into an alley... they said it was a message from her... because she was jealous of me and Matthew!"

The world tilted. It was happening. Exactly as Stella had said.

I turned to Matthew, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Matthew, no. I would never... you know me."

But the man looking back at me was a stranger. His face was a mask of cold fury, his eyes filled not with love for me, but with white-hot rage and pity for Nicole.

"What woman would lie about something like this?" he said, his voice ringing through the silent church, each word a hammer blow. "It's the ultimate proof of your vicious jealousy."

"Matthew, please," I begged, grabbing his arm. "This is a lie. Stella warned me this would happen!"

He shook me off, his expression hardening. "So now you're blaming your sick sister? Jocelyn, you're mentally unstable. You need help. You need to understand that actions have consequences."

He turned to the horrified crowd. "The wedding is off. I will be taking Jocelyn to a private facility where she can be cured of this... sickness."

My father, Robert Anderson, stepped forward. I looked at him, my last hope. He would stand by me. He had to.

But he didn't even look at me. His eyes were fixed on Nicole, a flicker of something unreadable in their depths. Then he turned to the guests, his voice firm and clear. "As of this moment, Jocelyn is no longer my daughter. The Anderson family will not be associated with such a monster."

It was a public execution. My fiancé, my father, they had abandoned me in front of everyone I knew. Guards hired for the wedding started moving toward me. Despair washed over me. This was it. The future Stella saw was coming true.

"Stop!"

Stella's voice cut through the chaos. She pushed her way to the front, her eyes blazing.

"It was me," she announced, her voice shaking but loud. "I did it. I hired those men to get rid of her. Jocelyn had nothing to do with it."

The entire church stared at her in stunned silence.

Matthew's expression changed in an instant. The fury vanished, replaced by a look of triumphant vindication. He rushed to my side, pulling me into his arms.

"I knew it!" he declared, his voice booming with false sincerity. "I knew my Jocelyn was innocent! It was this venomous snake all along!"

He pointed a finger at Stella. "Arrest her! Take her away!"

The guards grabbed Stella. As they dragged her past me, her eyes met mine. She didn't look scared. She looked determined. She mouthed two words to me, a silent, desperate promise.

"I will protect you."