Chapter 1

My wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. The same was true for my best friend, Sophia Clark.

We stood side-by-side, two girls from modest families, wearing beautiful white gowns we could never have afforded on our own. We were marrying into the Beaumont family, a name that meant power and unimaginable wealth in this city. I married Liam Beaumont, the younger brother. Sophia married his nephew, Ethan Beaumont.

The grand hall of the Beaumont estate was filled with flowers and quiet, polite applause. Our fathers, Mr. Miller and Mr. Clark, stood in the front row, their faces shining with a pride that made my heart ache with love. They looked a little out of place in their rented suits, but they were so, so happy for us.

That happiness lasted for less than an hour.

The celebration had just begun when a sharp scream cut through the music.

Everyone turned. Isabella Stone, the childhood friend of both Liam and Ethan, was standing near the garden entrance. Her designer dress was torn at the shoulder, tears streaming down her perfect face. She was pointing a trembling finger.

She was pointing directly at our fathers.

"They... they touched me," Isabella sobbed, her voice carrying across the silent hall. "They said horrible things."

Time stopped. My father' s face was a mask of confusion. Mr. Clark just looked bewildered, shaking his head slowly.

Before I could even process the lie, Liam and Ethan moved. Their faces, which had been smiling at us moments before, were now cold and hard.

"Security!" Ethan roared. His voice was a whip crack.

Two huge men in black suits grabbed my father and Mr. Clark. They didn' t ask questions. They didn' t hesitate. They began to drag our fathers toward the back of the estate.

"Liam, no!" I screamed, grabbing his arm. The fabric of his expensive tuxedo felt stiff and foreign under my hands. "That' s my father! He would never do something like that! It' s a mistake!"

Liam looked down at me, his eyes devoid of the affection I thought we shared. He pried my fingers from his arm.

"Olivia, look at Isabella. She' s terrified," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Your father and his friend need to be taught a lesson about respect."

"What lesson?" Sophia cried, pulling on Ethan' s sleeve. "Ethan, please, listen to me! My dad is a good man! They' re innocent!"

Ethan shoved her away so hard she stumbled. "Innocent? They assaulted Bella! They' re lucky if all they get is a beating."

The sounds started then. The sickening thud of fists hitting flesh. The grunts of pain. Our fathers weren' t fighting back; they were just trying to shield themselves.

"Please, stop them," I begged Liam, my voice breaking. "I' ll do anything. Please."

Liam' s gaze flickered to Isabella, who was now being comforted by his nephew. A strange look of devotion softened his features for a moment before he turned back to me, his face a mask of stone.

"Apologize to Isabella," he commanded. "Both of you. Get on your knees and apologize for what your disgusting fathers did. Maybe then I' ll tell my men to stop."

I looked at Sophia. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes wide with horror and disbelief. The sounds of the beating were getting worse. We could hear our fathers choking, groaning.

We had no choice.

I dropped to my knees on the cold marble floor. The fine lace of my wedding dress pooled around me like a cruel joke. Sophia collapsed next to me.

We crawled towards Isabella.

"We' re sorry," I choked out, the words tasting like poison in my mouth. "Please... please make them stop."

Sophia was sobbing too hard to speak, just nodding her head desperately.

Isabella looked down at us, a flicker of something triumphant in her tear-filled eyes. She didn' t say a word.

The beating continued. It felt like an eternity. Finally, the sounds faded, replaced by an awful silence. The security guards walked back into the hall, wiping their knuckles.

I scrambled to my feet and ran, Sophia right behind me.

Our fathers were lying on the stone patio outside, crumpled and still. Their faces were swollen and bleeding. Their rented suits were torn and stained with blood and dirt. They were barely breathing.

"Call an ambulance!" I shrieked, fumbling for a phone that wasn' t there. "Somebody help us!"

I looked back at my new husband. Liam stood there, watching me with a look of cold disappointment. Ethan had his arm around Isabella, shielding her as if she were the one in danger.

"No ambulance," Liam said calmly. "They need to learn their lesson."

The finality in his voice hit me harder than any physical blow. In that moment, the man I married vanished, replaced by a monster.

I knelt beside my father, his blood staining the white of my dress. His eyes fluttered open, looking at me with so much pain and confusion.

"I' m sorry, Dad," I whispered, tears blurring my vision. "I' m so sorry I brought you here."

I looked up at Liam, at the opulent hall, at the silent guests who were too afraid to intervene.

"I regret this," I said, my voice shaking with a rage I had never felt before. "I regret ever meeting you. I regret marrying you."

He just stared back, unmoved. The love I thought I had for him died right there, on the blood-soaked stones of the Beaumont estate.