Chapter 1 He Would Face Consequences

Deanna Evans sat in absolute stillness, her attention fixed on the framed photo of her husband, Jayden Spencer, whose smile seemed frozen in another life.

Nearly two weeks earlier, Jayden's twin brother, Brody Spencer, had crossed the threshold with an urn clutched to his chest. His words were heavy and uncertain as he faced her. "Anna, I wish there was a better way to say this. Jayden's gone. His plane crashed, and he isn't coming home."

A lifetime of fragile health left Deanna defenseless against the shock. The news swept her off her feet, and everything faded to black.

When awareness finally returned, it was too late for final goodbyes. Jayden had already been lowered into the earth, and she had missed her last chance to see him.

She didn't even know where his grave was.

Deanna rose from her seat and made her way toward the room of Jayden's mother, Vickie Spencer, to ask for the location.

As she neared the door, voices inside reached her ears and rooted her in place. What she overheard sent a chill racing through her body.

"Jayden, do you even know what you're doing? Brody's the one who died, not you. Why did you let Deanna think you were the one lost in the crash? What if her brother puts the pieces together?"

The air seemed to vanish from the hallway. Deanna's heart hammered, and her thoughts spun out of control.

Digging her teeth into her lower lip, she fought to anchor herself to reality. The painful sting jolted her back, just enough to process the terrible truth.

Was Jayden alive, pretending to be Brody all along? Had the family gone along with such a cruel deception?

She realized with dread that she never had a chance at telling them apart-not with the twins' matching faces and Jayden's careful disguise.

Shallow, ragged breaths escaped Deanna as she clung to the hope that she had misunderstood every word. Surely Jayden, who had once sworn he would never hurt her, could not possibly betray her trust like this.

But then, the familiar voice shattered her last hope. "I don't care about anything else. All I want is Talia."

Her entire world tilted. Talia Spencer-Brody's wife, Jayden's own sister-in-law.

Deanna could barely process the truth. The man she had loved for three years had given his heart to someone forbidden.

Jayden's words refused to fade, echoing in her mind until she thought she might go mad. "Mom, you've always known Talia's the only one I've cared about. If she hadn't been fixated on Brody, do you really think I would've settled for Deanna? I've faked this marriage for three years, and every day has felt like torture. Now that Brody's gone, do you expect me to leave Talia alone in this world? She's too delicate to face all of this by herself. And as for Jorge, don't worry. He'll never hear the truth."

Every sentence stabbed at Deanna's soul, each word twisting deeper than the last, until all she felt was pain.

Three years of love and devotion had been nothing but a cruel lie.

Her body shook as tears spilled silently down her cheeks, the heartbreak almost more than she could bear.

Seven years ago, Deanna's world was torn apart when she lost both parents. She and her adopted brother, Jorge Evans, landed in the care of her uncle, Richard Evans. In those early days, she'd clung to the hope of growing up peacefully alongside Jorge, never guessing what kind of darkness awaited her under Richard's roof.

Beneath Richard's gentle facade lay a monster. He drove Jorge away, seized her parents' estate, and subjected Deanna to constant abuse. To control her completely, he even began administering a slow-acting poison.

No matter how many times Jorge tried to rescue her, Richard always caught them. Each attempt only brought Deanna harsher punishment.

Fear became a part of her daily routine. She learned to move quietly, blending in with the shadows of the Evans estate. When Richard wasn't looking, she pored over medical textbooks, desperate to find a way to counteract the poison. But the toxins were complex, and every day her body betrayed her a little more.

With nowhere else to turn, Deanna played her part, acting like the grateful niece while Richard paraded around as a caring guardian.

It felt like there was no end in sight-just a future swallowed up by Richard's schemes.

Then the Spencer family arrived with a proposal for marriage, and suddenly, a sliver of hope appeared.

With no other way out, Deanna jumped at the chance to marry into the Spencer family, seeing it as her only shot at freedom from Richard's cruelty.

Because the Spencer family owed the Evans family a favor from years ago, the marriage contract had been set long before, and Richard's objections fell flat.

Originally, Brody was meant to be her husband.

Everything changed the day Jayden caught sight of her. From that moment on, he made his feelings clear, chasing after her relentlessly. His bold gestures turned the family's plans upside down. He even crashed the engagement party meant for her and Brody, whisking her away before anyone could stop him.

Jayden paid dearly for defying his family. For three months, he was grounded, enduring the consequences for choosing her over their expectations.

Those sacrifices convinced Deanna of his love. When the Spencer family suggested swapping grooms, she said yes without a second thought.

For three years, their marriage looked like a fairytale. Jayden treated her with warmth and devotion, and together they appeared to be the very picture of marital bliss.

Deanna had believed it was real. That illusion crumbled now when she overheard Jayden confess the truth.

Suddenly, she saw the marriage for what it was-a carefully orchestrated performance, each gesture meant to please Talia, not her. The love she thought she shared with Jayden was nothing but a beautiful lie, and accepting that truth nearly broke her.

Shock rooted Deanna in place, her legs refusing to respond no matter how desperately she tried to make herself move.

The poison Richard had forced upon her chose that moment to resurface. Agony rolled through her body in waves, wringing cold sweat from her skin and leaving her trembling.

From behind the door, Vickie's voice cut through the haze. "Let's just find Deanna a new husband. It'll keep our secret safe."

Jayden answered in a careless tone, "She's too wrapped up in me to ever agree to that. Forget it, Mom. I'll deal with this myself."

Hearing this, Deanna felt a sense of irony.

So, her love for Jayden gave him permission to trample her heart without a second thought?

What twisted reasoning was that?

A sudden wave of sickness forced her to double over and retch uncontrollably.

Conversation on the other side of the door died instantly.

Dread crept in as realization struck-she had been caught.

With effort, Deanna dragged herself back to her room. Once safely inside, she closed the door and stared at the memorial photograph she had so carefully polished, now mocking her from its place on the desk.

In a burst of rage, she hurled the frame to the floor. Glass exploded across the room in a shower of sharp fragments.

Blood welled up from her palm where the shards bit deep, mingling with the relentless itch of poison beneath her skin.

Her gaze drifted upward, mind replaying the moment days ago when Jayden had eagerly disappeared into Talia's room. His raw excitement had been deafening, even through the wall.

She had dismissed it as reckless passion between husband and wife. Now, she understood the ecstasy she'd heard was purely from transgression. He reveled in the thrill of what should have been forbidden.

The very thought turned her stomach.

Every part of her marriage, every gesture from Jayden, suddenly felt tainted and suffocating.

Letting things go had never been in Deanna's nature, and this betrayal was too much to bear. She would not let Jayden get away with humiliating her.

He would face consequences, and everyone would know what he had done.

Her breath came in short, uneven bursts, hands shaking uncontrollably as anger mixed with pain.

Barely three minutes passed before a knock rattled the door.

Before Deanna could gather herself, the door swung open with force.

Jayden filled the doorway, his stare sharp and searching. "Deanna, where have you been earlier?"