Chapter 1

The day I was supposed to get married, I became a widow.

The news broke like a thunderstorm, sudden and violent. "Tech Mogul Liam Vance Dies in Fiery Car Crash." The headlines were plastered everywhere, on every screen, on every newsstand. My white wedding dress hung uselessly in the closet while I wore black.

The world saw a tragedy. They saw a brilliant young man, a rising star in the tech world, snatched away too soon. I saw the end of my life as I knew it. But the public grief quickly turned ugly, and it was aimed directly at me.

"She was probably a gold digger anyway."

"I heard they were fighting. Maybe she drove him to it."

"A struggling architect and a tech mogul? It was never going to last."

The whispers followed me everywhere. The sympathetic looks curdled into suspicion. I was no longer the grieving fiancée; I was a suspect, a social climber who had somehow caused the downfall of their golden boy. The fact that I was pregnant with his child only made it worse. To them, it was proof of my scheme.

I shut myself away, the weight of the world pressing down on me. The only people who didn't abandon me, surprisingly, were Liam's parents.

They sat across from me in their sterile, opulent living room, their faces etched with a grief that felt both genuine and practiced.

"Ava," Mrs. Vance said, her voice firm, leaving no room for argument. "We know this is difficult. But you are carrying our grandchild. You are carrying Liam's legacy."

Mr. Vance nodded, his eyes cold. "You will want for nothing. But you must be strong. For the baby. The Vance family name must endure."

Their support was a lifeline, but it felt like a cage. It wasn't about me; it was about the baby, the heir. I was just a vessel. Still, it was better than the scorn of the outside world. I clung to it.

The memorial was a grand, somber affair. The entire city's elite came to pay their respects, their faces a mixture of sorrow and morbid curiosity. I stood by the Vances, a ghost in my own life, my hand resting on my still-flat stomach.

That's when I saw him.

He was standing near a pillar, talking quietly to a guest. He looked exactly like Liam. The same sharp jawline, the same dark hair, the same way he held his shoulders. My heart stopped. For a wild, impossible second, I thought it was him. That it was all a mistake.

Mrs. Vance saw where I was looking. She leaned in close, her perfume sharp and overwhelming.

"That's Daniel, Liam's cousin," she whispered. "They were always mistaken for each other as boys. He works at the city's top law firm. A good man."

He approached us later, his expression a perfect mask of condolence.

"Ava," he said, and his voice was so close to Liam's it made my knees weak. "I'm so sorry for your loss. Liam was a great man."

I could only nod, my throat too tight to speak. The resemblance was more than uncanny; it was perfect. It was unsettling. I felt a confusing mix of grief and a strange, creeping dread.

I needed to get away. I excused myself, heading toward the restrooms, my head spinning. The hallway was empty, but as I passed a small, private study, I heard voices from inside the slightly ajar door. It was Mrs. Vance and Daniel. I stopped, hidden by the shadows.

"I never really liked Ava, that struggling architect," Mrs. Vance's voice was sharp, stripped of its public sympathy. "But she's carrying your child. Was it worth faking your death and putting on such a show for that B-list influencer?"

The air left my lungs. My entire body went cold. The world tilted on its axis.

Daniel's voice, Liam's voice, answered. It was casual, dismissive.

"Chloe only became an influencer because she loves me so much. Besides, she has a terminal illness and only a year left. It's my responsibility to make her happy."

He paused.

"Ava is resilient; she'll bounce back. Once she gives birth, she can sign over parental rights, and everything will be back to normal. She'll still be the respected wife of a tech scion. The world will think she's a grieving widow raising my child alone. It's perfect."

The truth crashed down on me, a physical force that made me stumble back against the wall. Daniel was Liam. My fiancé wasn't dead. He had faked his own death, abandoned me, left me to public humiliation, all for another woman. And his parents were in on it. The support, the kindness-it was all part of the act. They didn't care about me. They just wanted my baby.

My hands trembled violently. The room swam before my eyes. I felt a rage so pure and hot it burned away my grief. They thought I was resilient. They thought I would just bounce back and hand over my child. They thought I was a pawn in their disgusting game.

They had no idea who they were dealing with.

Controlling my shaking fingers, I pulled out my phone. I scrolled through my contacts to a name I hadn't used in years, a distant relative, a renowned philanthropist known for her work in the most desperate parts of the world. My fingers flew across the screen, my message sharp and clear.

"I've made up my decision. Give me a month. I'm willing to dedicate my life to humanitarian work, serving those in need for generations."

I hit send.

A reply came back almost instantly. It was a single question.

"This path requires you to sever all worldly ties. You will become a vessel for a greater purpose. Are you prepared for that sacrifice?"

My past was a lie. My future had been stolen. The love I thought I had was a cruel joke. There was nothing left for me here.

"Yes," I typed back. "I am."

I slipped my phone back into my purse and walked out of the shadows, my back straight, my head held high. I went back into the main hall, back into the crowd of liars and hypocrites. As I moved through the room, a woman I didn't know suddenly shoved me hard.

"It's all your fault!" she shrieked, her face twisted in rage.

Another person grabbed my arm, their fingers digging into my skin. "You killed him!"

The crowd surged, their grief turning into a mob's fury. Fists and hands pushed at me, their voices a roar of insults. "Gold digger!" "Murderer!" "Whore!"

I stumbled, my body aching, but my mind was strangely calm. I didn't feel the blows as much as I observed them. This pain was nothing compared to the betrayal. This was just noise. I let them push me, pull my hair, spit their hatred at me. I was tired, so incredibly tired. I almost welcomed the numbness, the thought that it would all be over soon.

Then, a strong arm wrapped around me, pulling me out of the fray.

"Enough!" a voice boomed.

It was Daniel. It was Liam. He held me against his chest, shielding me from the mob, his face a perfect picture of righteous anger. He was playing the hero, the protective cousin. The hypocrisy was so thick I could barely breathe.

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