Chapter 1

The white lace of my wedding dress felt heavy on my shoulders, a weight I hadn't expected.

"I can't do this, Chloe."

Mark's voice was a whisper, a weak sound that got lost in the grand, empty church. He stood before me, his tuxedo perfectly tailored, his face pale.

He wouldn't look at me. He looked past me, toward the open church doors where my stepsister, Ashley, was waiting.

"What are you talking about, Mark? Everyone is waiting."

"I'm sorry," he said, finally meeting my eyes. His were filled with a pathetic mix of guilt and resolve. "I love Ashley. We're already married."

The words didn't make sense. They were just sounds hanging in the air.

Married. To Ashley.

My mind went blank. The bouquet of white roses fell from my hands, scattering petals on the cold stone floor.

Then, a cold, mechanical voice filled my head, a voice only I could hear.

`[System Alert: Primary Life Mission 'Marry Mark Johnson' has failed.]`

`[System Failure initiating... Host life functions will terminate in 60 seconds.]`

My heart seized. A crushing pain spread through my chest, and my legs gave out. I collapsed onto the floor, the beautiful dress pooling around me like a shroud.

The world started to go dark at the edges.

`[50 seconds remaining.]`

Mark just stared, frozen in his cowardice. Ashley rushed in, not to help me, but to grab Mark's arm.

"Mark, let's go! She'll be fine," she said, her voice sharp with impatience. She shot me a look of pure triumph.

He let her pull him away. They ran out of the church together, leaving me to die on the floor.

`[30 seconds remaining.]`

The pain was unbearable. I couldn't breathe. My vision was almost gone.

Suddenly, the church doors burst open again. A man I didn't know rushed in. He must have been a bystander on the street.

"Hey! Are you okay?" he yelled, running toward me.

I couldn't answer. I could only gasp for air.

`[15 seconds remaining.]`

He knelt beside me, his face a mask of panic and concern. He looked around wildly, then his eyes landed on the massive, ornate chandelier hanging directly above us. I heard a groan of metal from above, a sound I hadn't even registered in my agony.

The system wasn't just killing me internally, it was staging an accident.

`[10 seconds remaining.]`

The man didn't hesitate. He threw his body over mine, a solid, warm shield.

"Look out!" he screamed.

The world exploded in a crash of crystal and metal. The immense weight slammed down onto us. I felt the impact, but his body took the worst of it. The pain in my chest vanished instantly, replaced by the shock of the event.

`[System Failure averted. New life path unlocked.]`

The mechanical voice was calm now.

I pushed myself out from under the man's still form. He had saved me. I looked at his legs, trapped and twisted beneath the wreckage of the chandelier. There was so much blood.

He had sacrificed himself for a stranger.

Three years later, I was married to that man. His name was Ethan Miller.

He lost both his legs that day. He saved my life, and in return, I gave him mine. It wasn't a marriage of passion, but one of deep, unending gratitude. I owed him everything. I took care of him, managed our quiet life, and tried to be the wife he deserved.

Our life was calm. It was stable. I told myself it was a form of happiness. Ethan was always kind, always gentle. He never complained about the wheelchair or the life he had lost. He just smiled and told me he was lucky to have me.

I believed him.

Tonight was our third anniversary. I had cooked his favorite meal and bought a bottle of expensive wine. I waited for him to come home from his friend's house.

I was walking past his home office to get the wine glasses when I heard voices from inside. He must have brought his friend, Alex, home with him. The door was slightly ajar.

I heard Alex's voice, low and concerned. "Are you ever going to tell her, man? Three years is a long time to keep this up."

I stopped, my hand hovering over the doorknob.

Ethan laughed. It was a sound I knew well, but this time it had a different edge to it, something cold and sharp.

"Tell her what? That I'm the best actor in the world?"

My blood ran cold.

"It's not right, Ethan. Chloe is a good person. She worships you because you're a hero in a wheelchair. What happens when she finds out your legs are perfectly fine?"

My breath hitched in my throat. I pressed my ear to the door, my heart pounding against my ribs.

"She's not going to find out," Ethan said, his voice smooth and confident. "This is the only way. If I hadn't done it, she would have gone after Mark. She would have ruined everything for Ashley."

Ashley. My stepsister's name was a poison on his tongue.

Alex sighed. "I still can't believe Ashley asked you to do that. To fake a disability, to marry her sister out of pity... it's sick."

"Ashley needed to be happy with Mark. Chloe is too persistent. This was the only way to keep her tied down, to make her feel so indebted that she would never think of causing trouble," Ethan explained calmly. "My 'sacrifice' ensures Ashley's peace. Chloe feels guilty and grateful, and I get a devoted wife. Everybody wins."

The wine glasses I was holding slipped from my fingers. They shattered on the hardwood floor, the sound echoing the complete and total destruction of my world.

The voices inside the office stopped.

The door flew open. Ethan stood there. He wasn't in his wheelchair. He was standing on two perfectly strong legs.

His face was a canvas of shock, the carefully constructed mask of the kind, disabled husband falling away to reveal the manipulative monster underneath.

My salvation was a lie. My marriage was a cage. My life for the past three years had been a carefully orchestrated sham.

The pain that hit me was worse than the system's countdown in the church. It was a deep, soul-crushing betrayal that hollowed me out completely.

I looked at the man I had married, the man I had cared for, the man I thought was a hero. He was a stranger. A liar. A conspirator in my own sister's sick game.

I knew in that instant, with a clarity that cut through the shock, that this had to end. I would not spend one more second in this fraudulent marriage. I would burn it all to the ground.