I poured my heart and genius into building InnovateTech, a billion-dollar empire, and into building Liam, the man I loved, my co-founder and fiancé.
Then my cousin, Sarah, came weeping to my door, seeking refuge, and shattered everything.
I walked into our penthouse, planning a surprise anniversary dinner, only to find Sarah in my silk robe, in Liam' s arms, in our bed.
The shock was a physical demolition, leaving a vacuum where my heart used to be. Every memory, every promise, every dream turned to ash as I heard their laughter.
Humiliated, betrayed, and with nothing left to lose, I made a desperate, wild choice: I would marry the reclusive billionaire, Mark, a man rumored to be a "freak," to save my family and myself.
Liam confronted me, his face twisted with disbelief and rage.
"You' re marrying Mark? The city' s freak? Are you insane?" he spat.
I looked at him, feeling nothing but a vast, cold emptiness, the pain having burned away into steel.
"Yes," I said, my voice steady. "I am."
He saw a stranger, a loyal subject who had walked away, and in that moment, I knew I had made the right choice.