Chapter 1

Ava Riley stared at the three-carat diamond on her finger, a perfect cushion-cut stone that she had picked out with Ethan months ago. For three years, their life had been a carefully constructed blueprint for happiness. She, a brilliant architect from the renowned Riley family, and he, Ethan Hayes, the charming and ambitious man she loved. Their world was perfect, or so she had convinced herself.

In one week, they were supposed to have the wedding of the year. It was timed to coincide with her family' s company, Riley Innovations, launching its groundbreaking AI project, a project Ethan had been deeply involved in. Everything was planned down to the last detail, a testament to Ava' s meticulous nature.

She had spent years building a life with him, investing every piece of her heart into a future she believed was certain. She remembered the late nights she spent helping him with proposals, the way she introduced him to everyone who mattered in her world, paving his way with her family' s influence. She had given him everything, believing his love was the one true thing in her life.

That belief shattered just moments ago.

The core of her world cracked open when Ethan walked into their shared penthouse, his handsome face unusually grim. He didn' t sit down. He just stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Ava, we need to talk."

His voice was low, and a knot of dread tightened in her stomach.

"What is it, Ethan? Is something wrong with the launch?"

"No, the launch is fine," he said, finally turning to her. His expression wasn't sad or regretful, it was distant, almost clinical. "It' s about the wedding. We have to postpone it."

Ava' s heart stopped for a second. "Postpone? Why? Everything is ready. Our families are flying in."

Ethan took a deep breath, the picture of a man burdened by a terrible duty. "It' s Chloe. Her mother... she' s dying. Her last wish is to see Chloe get married. To me."

The name hung in the air between them, ugly and sharp. Chloe Miller. Ethan' s ex-girlfriend. The woman he swore was just a part of his past.

Ava felt a cold wave wash over her. "What are you talking about? Her last wish is to see you marry her?"

"She always liked me, Ava. She thinks I' m the only one who can take care of Chloe," he explained, his tone infuriatingly reasonable. He was speaking as if this was a minor logistical issue, like a change in catering.

"So you' re just going to do it? You' re going to marry your ex-girlfriend a week before our own wedding?" Ava' s voice shook, a mixture of disbelief and rising anger.

This was where he was supposed to reassure her, to tell her it was a crazy idea and he would never do it. Instead, he showed his true colors.

Ethan' s face hardened, his patience gone. "It's a matter of filial piety, Ava. It' s about honoring a dying woman' s wish. I would have thought you' d understand that."

He dismissed her shock, her pain, with a wave of his hand. His words were laced with a chilling condescension, as if her feelings were an inconvenience.

"It' s just a ceremony. It' s a piece of paper. It doesn' t change anything between us. After a while, once things settle down, we' ll get married, just like we planned."

That was the moment Ava understood. She wasn' t his partner. She wasn' t the love of his life. She was a business plan, a stepping stone, a convenient part of his grand design that could be temporarily set aside. The three years she had poured into him, the love she thought they shared, it was all a lie. He looked at her not with love, but with irritation, as if she were a child throwing a tantrum.

A profound, chilling sadness washed over her, followed by a surge of cold fury. She saw with perfect clarity that she was just a pawn in his game, a valuable asset he was willing to put on hold. She looked at the man she was supposed to marry, the man she had trusted implicitly, and saw a complete stranger.

She didn't cry. She didn't scream. Her emotions froze into a solid block of ice in her chest.

She simply nodded, her expression unreadable. "I see."

Ethan seemed relieved by her calm response. "Good. I knew you' d be reasonable. I have to go be with Chloe now. Her mother doesn' t have much time."

He turned and walked out of the apartment, leaving her standing alone in the room filled with the ghosts of their future.

The moment the door clicked shut, Ava walked over to the window, watching his car pull away from the curb. The city lights blurred as a single, hot tear escaped and slid down her cheek. She wiped it away with a fierce, deliberate motion.

She would not be a victim. She would not be a footnote in his story.

Ava pulled out her phone, her fingers steady as she dialed her brother, Liam. He answered on the first ring.

"Ava? What' s up? Final wedding jitters?"

Her voice was unnervingly calm, stripped of all emotion. "Liam, the wedding is still on for next Saturday."

"Okay...?" he said, confused. "I thought you might call to cancel after what that bastard pulled."

"No," Ava said, her gaze fixed on the city below. "The wedding goes on. The venue, the guests, the launch party. Everything proceeds as planned. I just need you to do one thing for me."

"Anything, Ava. You know that."

"Find me a different groom."

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. "What? Ava, are you serious? Who the hell are we going to find in a week?"

Ava' s mind raced. She needed someone powerful, someone who would make a statement. Someone Ethan feared. A name surfaced, a name that had been a thorn in her family' s side for years.

Liam must have had the same thought. He spoke the name with a mix of shock and morbid curiosity.

"There' s Lucas Thorne."

Lucas Thorne. The tech mogul who was their biggest rival. A ruthless, enigmatic billionaire who had been trying to acquire their company for the last two years. Her nemesis.

Ava didn' t even hesitate. In that moment of pure, unadulterated desperation and rage, it made perfect sense.

"Get him on the phone," she said. "Tell him I have a proposal."