Betrayed By The Billionaire's

"Where am I?"

Chloe Bishop bolted upright, her head spinning with a sickening heaviness. The room was cold, sterile, and completely unfamiliar. She scrambled to get out of bed, her heart hammering against her ribs. She couldn't be here. Tomorrow was her wedding day-the day she would finally marry Liam Martin. She had waited six long years for this dream to come true. She couldn't let anything, or anyone, get in the way now.

Outside the door, Liam leaned against the hallway wall, the orange glow of a cigarette illuminating his icy, handsome face. He looked at the man standing before him with a terrifying lack of emotion.

"Go in," Liam said flatly, flicking a stray ash onto the expensive carpet. "Just don't kill her."

The man hesitated, his voice trembling as he glanced at the heavy door. "Mr. Martin... are you sure? She's the city's top 'IT Girl.' She's your fiancée! You're supposed to stand at the altar with her in less than twenty-four hours!"

"Get in there," Liam repeated. His voice was smooth, like silk, but it carried a chill that bit deeper than ice. "Don't make me say it a third time."

Seconds later, a blood-curdling scream tore through the door and echoed down the silent corridor.

"Who are you?! Stay back! What are you doing... Get off me! Help! Liam, help me!"

Standing in the hallway, Liam listened to Chloe's desperate pleas for mercy. He remained unmoved. His mind was miles away, consumed by the image of another woman-a woman covered in brutal, jagged scars. Chloe, don't blame me, he thought, exhaling a thick, grey cloud of smoke. You aren't innocent. I don't believe for a second that you were clueless about what your father did.

Only a few hours earlier, the world had looked very different. Liam had been standing in a high-security hospital wing when Brandon Jay approached him. "Liam, we found the monster who kidnapped Sara Jay," Brandon had said, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

"Who?" Liam asked, his tall silhouette casting a long shadow over the bed where Sara lay. She was skeletal, a ghost of the woman she used to be, her skin a map of deep purple bruises.

Brandon spat out the name with pure venom: "Charles Bishop."

Liam had frozen. Charles Bishop-the man who was about to become his father-in-law.

"I see," Liam had replied, his voice calm even as a storm of vengeance brewed beneath the surface. "You're Sara's brother. What do you want to do?"

"Kidnap Chloe," Brandon growled. "Every ounce of pain Charles inflicted on my sister, I want to collect from his daughter-tenfold. A hundredfold." When Liam didn't answer immediately, Brandon's voice rose in a snarl. "What, getting cold feet? Right, you're marrying her tomorrow. You've probably gone soft for her, while Sara suffered hell because of you!"

"There will be no wedding tomorrow," Liam had replied icily. "I'll give you and Sara justice."

From the moment Charles Bishop touched Sara, the years of gratitude Liam felt toward the Bishop family vanished. The man had crossed the only line that mattered.

Back in the present, inside the dark room, Chloe fought with everything she had, but her strength was failing. Her clothes were torn, her voice hoarse from screaming. "Save me... Liam, save me!" Tears soaked into her hair as she sobbed. Why? Why is this happening? I was supposed to be his bride tomorrow... Why?!

Hearing her cry out his name, Liam inhaled sharply on his cigarette. After tonight, Chloe Bishop would be ruined. He couldn't help but remember six years ago-the day a girl who looked like a literal princess had walked toward him with unwavering steps. She had pointed at him and declared, "I choose him to be my fiancé." Back then, Liam was a social pariah. He had lost his leg in a car accident and been cast aside by the Martin family. But she had chosen him anyway, giving the abandoned boy the power and status to reclaim his empire.

Liam crushed the cigarette butt under his expensive shoe and pulled out his phone. He sent a quick WhatsApp message: "Stop. Get out of there."

Chloe, consider this payment for six years ago.

Brandon stepped out from the room, looking at Liam with pure disappointment. "You went soft in the end. Is this supposed to be fair to Sara?"

"Sara is kind," Liam said tonelessly. "She wouldn't want us to go this far. As for the wedding tomorrow... I'll give everyone the 'closure' they deserve."

"Liam, save me!"

Chloe screamed as she bolted upright in her own bed, her hair damp with sweat and tears. Her heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She frantically checked her silk pajamas. They were intact. She checked her wrists and chest-no bruises, no marks. She was in her own bedroom.

A dream? It felt too vivid. The phantom pain in her heart felt like a physical wound. But if it wasn't a dream, how were her clothes perfect? And why, in the dream, was Liam standing outside the door watching her ruin?

Sara Jay... That was a name she hadn't heard in years.

It's just nerves, she told herself, trying to slow her breathing. It's my wedding day. I'm just letting my deepest fears get the best of me.

"Chloe, honey, wake up! It's the big day. No more lounging!" The sound of her mother's cheerful voice from the hallway broke the tension. Chloe felt her muscles finally relax. It really was just a nightmare.

Two hours later, Chloe sat before a gold-trimmed vanity, a vision in white lace and silk. Her mother carefully brushed her hair, her eyes misting over. Chloe was the undisputed "IT Girl" of the city. At 5'6" with a delicate frame and breathtaking curves, she was a living masterpiece. But her most famous feature was her skin-luminous, flawless, and as smooth as fine porcelain.

"Look at you... my beautiful girl," her mother whispered. "My baby is finally getting married. Just focus on building a home with Liam. Have a few children, live a beautiful life together."

Chloe smiled, squeezing her mother's hand. "I'll be happy, Mom. I know Liam will be a wonderful husband."

"He'd better be," her mother choked out. "If he ever treats you wrong, your father and I will never forgive him."

"Alright, alright," Charles Bishop said from the doorway, his voice gruff but warm. "It's a happy day. Don't start with the gloom."

Chloe reached out and patted her mother's heavily pregnant belly, her face glowing with pure joy. "Don't worry, Dad. Liam promised to cherish me forever. I know he won't let me down."

At twenty-two, Chloe had no reason to doubt him. Liam was brilliant, gentle, and attentive. He was the perfect man. Six years of history couldn't be erased by a bad dream. She didn't notice the flicker of deep, dark worry in her father's eyes as he watched her smile.

Meanwhile, at the Martin Estate, in a quiet, high-security room across town, a woman lay on Liam's bed. She was skeletal, her pale skin a map of jagged scars. One side of her face was swollen and red. This was the woman from the nightmare. This was Sara Jay.

"Have you found out who did this yet?"

Liam Martin's usually handsome, refined face was currently shrouded in a dark, suffocating shadow. He looked cold and lethal-the literal personification of the calm before a devastating storm.

At twenty-four, Liam had spent the last six years clawing his way to the CEO's chair, reclaiming everything that had been stolen from him. He was now the most powerful young tycoon in the city. But looking at the overlapping scars-some old, some horrifyingly fresh-on Sara Jay's body, his pride tasted like ash. He felt a mix of agonizing pity and murderous rage.

Who dared to break her like this? They were dead men walking.

His assistant kept his head bowed low, terrified to meet Liam's eyes. "Brandon is personally leading the investigation. We'll have a name soon."

If Chloe Bishop were here, she would realize her nightmare was manifesting into reality, piece by agonizing piece.

Liam reached out, gingerly taking Sara's hand as if she were made of glass. His gaze lingered on her swollen face. Beyond the heartbreak, there was the sheer shock of having her back. His uncle, Marcus Martin, had told him years ago that she was dead. Yet here she was, breathing, lying right in front of him.

"Sara," he whispered, his voice trembling with a tenderness Chloe had never experienced in all her nine years of knowing him.

Back when the car accident took his parents and half his leg, it was Sara who had stayed by him through the darkest, most suicidal nights of his life. She was the single candle in his pitch-black world. But the light had been snuffed out six months later when Marcus kidnapped her to use as leverage against Liam and Brandon.

For years, Liam's only link to her were occasional, cryptic photos sent by his uncle. Then, at Chloe's birthday gala years ago, she had publicly chosen him as her fiancé. Using the Bishop family's massive influence, Liam rose like a phoenix, eventually stripping Marcus of his power.

In a fit of rage, Marcus had sent Liam a photo of Sara lying in a pool of blood with a knife wound to her chest. He told Liam she was dead. When Marcus was finally sent to prison, he swore to Liam's face that he had killed her.

Liam's heart had died that day. He agreed to the marriage with Chloe mostly because Charles Bishop had pressured him, and he felt he couldn't owe Chloe any more than he already did.

But now? Chloe Bishop was the last thing on his mind. He squeezed Sara's hand. "Sara, I'm never leaving you again. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

It was a vow. In his heart, no one could replace her-not even the woman who had spent six years rebuilding his life.

In the study down the hall, his staff exchanged worried glances. Today was the wedding of the century, but the groom hadn't even started getting dressed. Finally, a brave guard knocked on the door.

"Mr. Martin, the schedule... it's time to change and leave to pick up the bride."

Liam didn't move. He sat by the bed like a statue. It was only after a long silence that he finally stood up. "Get my suit."

An hour later, the wedding motorcade pulled up to the Bishop estate. Dozens of luxury supercars lined the street-a display of wealth and power that took the breath away. The Bishop villa was alive with laughter, music, and the smell of expensive flowers.

"They're here! The groom is here!"

The cheers from downstairs reached the balcony. Chloe, stunning in her designer gown, ignored all royal etiquette and rushed to the railing to sneak a peek at the lead car.

"Chloe! Get back in here and sit down!" her mother's voice scolded from inside. "It's bad luck to be seen before the ceremony!"

"Just one look, Mom!" Chloe teased, winking as she peered over the edge.

"No!"

Seeing her mother's stern face, Chloe giggled and retreated back into the room. Her mother tapped her forehead affectionately. "Stay put. Your father and I are going down to greet them. And girls," she looked at the bridesmaids, "when Liam comes up, lock the door. Don't let him in until the clock strikes the auspicious hour, you hear me?"

Chloe's eyes danced with joy. Ever since she saw that boy in white years ago, no other man had ever existed to her. She had waited years; she could wait another thirty minutes.

As the festive fireworks crackled outside, Chloe looked at her reflection and beamed. "Liam... I'm finally becoming your wife."

Down at the gates, Liam stepped out of the Rolls-Royce. In his white tailored tuxedo, he looked like a god. His presence was so commanding that people completely forgot about his slight limp. He began walking toward the house, flanked by his groomsmen, when his phone buzzed.

It was Brandon Jay. The investigation was over.

"Brandon," Liam answered.

"We found the person behind Sara's kidnapping," Brandon's voice was darker than usual, dripping with a lethal edge.

"Who is it?" Liam asked.

Directly in front of him, Charles Bishop and his wife were walking toward him with wide, welcoming smiles. To them, Liam was the perfect son-in-law.

"It's Charles Bishop," Brandon said firmly. "Sara was being held at the old Bishop estate this entire time. Charles was the one who hid her away."

Liam's pupils constricted. The warmth in his eyes died instantly, replaced by a frost so cold it could shatter bone.

"Are you certain?"

"Positive."

Liam lowered his hand, his phone dropping to his side. He looked at the smiling couple approaching him and felt a surge of sickening irony. Any lingering guilt he felt about the plan he'd set in motion vanished.

He had planned to explain things to Chloe personally, but now? He didn't want to say a word. She must have known. She must have watched her father torture Sara while she played the "perfect fiancée."

Chloe... I really underestimated how cruel you could be.

Upstairs, Chloe was blissfully unaware, laughing with her bridesmaids as they took selfies. One of her best friends, Bella, handed her a small, beautifully wrapped box.

"Chloe, this is a special gift from us. Your mom was here earlier so I couldn't give it to you. Open it!"

"What is it? Why so mysterious?" Chloe opened the box and blinked. "What... what on earth is this?"

It was a set of incredibly provocative, sheer black lace lingerie.

Bella gave her a wicked grin. "It's for the wedding night, girl! We want to make sure Liam never wants to leave the bedroom."

Chloe pinched the tiny scrap of black lace between her fingers, her expression filled with pure skepticism. "Are you serious? Is this even wearable?"

Wouldn't just pinning him down be faster and more efficient? she thought.

Bella rolled her eyes at Chloe's lack of romantic vision. "What do you know? Men love this 'peek-a-boo' style. It's called keeping the spark alive in a marriage."

Nora, another bridesmaid, added with a gentle smile, "Just trust us on this one, Chloe. You won't regret it."

"Really?" Chloe looked at the flimsy fabric again. A vivid, heated image flashed through her mind, and a soft blush crept up her neck, staining her porcelain cheeks. Tonight, she would finally be Liam Martin's wife.

Suddenly, a wave of commotion erupted from downstairs.

"I'll go check it out," Bella said, heading toward the balcony.

She returned moments later, her face drained of color and heavy with grim news. "Chloe... Liam is leaving."

In an instant, the blood vanished from Chloe's face. Even her expertly applied wedding makeup couldn't hide her deathly pallor. The nightmare... it's coming true?

"The wedding is off."

Those four words, dropped like a bomb by Liam, shattered the peace of the Bishop estate. It hit the guests with such force that it took several long seconds for anyone to process the reality.

The groom was jilting her! He was running away!

As the realization set in, Charles Bishop sprinted out the front door with desperate speed. He threw himself in front of the lead wedding car-a custom open-top supercar-forcing it to a halt. "Liam! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Because the car was open, every detail of Liam's icy demeanor was visible. He looked at Charles with a gaze of pure, sharp steel. "The wedding is canceled. Every promise I made is null and void."

"What are you saying?" Charles's face turned white as a sheet.

Liam's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "You should have expected this result the moment you decided to kidnap Sara Jay, shouldn't you?"

A flash of panic flickered in Charles's eyes. His greatest fear had come to pass.

Three months ago, a cornered Marcus Martin-driven to desperation by Liam-had brought Sara Jay to Charles, begging for help to flee the city. That was the first time Charles had even known Sara existed.

To be honest, Sara wasn't a breathtaking beauty; she couldn't even begin to compare to Chloe's radiant looks. However, she possessed an aura that made men instinctively want to protect her. She was fragile, pure, and looked like a broken doll.

Fearing that Sara's reappearance would ruin Chloe's relationship with Liam, Charles had hidden Sara away and immediately began pressuring the two to get married. He had planned to confess everything after the ceremony, but Sara had vanished last night. He had spent the morning praying the wedding would go smoothly without any "surprises."

He had failed.

"Liam, listen to me. I can explain everything," Charles pleaded, his voice cracking. "Today is the biggest day of Chloe's life. Don't do something impulsive that will break her heart."

"I said the wedding is over." Liam showed no mercy. He glared at Charles, his rage boiling over. "Move."

For three months! Charles had kept Sara prisoner for three months while Liam lived in a lie, believing she was dead. He had nearly walked into a marriage based on a deception. Did the Bishops really think I was that big of a fool?

Thinking of the scars on Sara's body, Liam's hatred for Charles burned white-hot. If his men hadn't found her last night, she would have been brutalized by thugs. How could he ever forgive this?

"Liam, be reasonable!" Charles shouted, half-angry and half-terrified. "All our friends and family are here. Chloe is waiting for you inside. Do you really want to make her the laughingstock of the whole city?"

"You brought this on yourselves," Liam retorted. "Let me make this clear, Charles. As of today, I have absolutely no connection to the Bishop family."

As of today, I have absolutely no connection to the Bishop family.

Chloe had just run out of the house when those words hit her. She froze in her tracks, staring at the man in the car. Liam saw her, too. They were only a few yards apart. He could see that her face had turned almost transparently pale.

She had always been a head-turner, but in her full bridal glory, she was breathtaking. The pure white gown accentuated her elegance and high-society grace. For a split second, she stunned him all over again.

Liam realized then that if Chloe had never met him, she would have been the most beautiful, happy bride in the world. But now, those bright, sparkling eyes were turning dim because of him. For a fleeting moment, he felt a pang of guilt. He was truly ruining her.

But compared to what Sara had suffered, Chloe was lucky.

Liam pulled his gaze away and looked back at Charles with cold indifference. He reversed the car a few yards, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "I'm saying it one last time. Move."

Charles thought of Chloe's happy face only moments ago, then looked at the heartless man before him. His heart bled for his daughter. He knew better than anyone how much Chloe loved Liam.

He stood his ground, shouting back, "Liam, if you're so determined to leave, you'll have to drive over my dead body!"

Liam's face darkened. He locked eyes with Charles for a tense, silent beat-then suddenly slammed on the gas, roaring the car straight toward him.

"NO!"

A scream ripped from Chloe's throat. Just as everyone expected Charles to be sent flying, the car swerved at the last millisecond, brushing past him with a screech of tires.

Charles stumbled, then immediately began chasing the car as it sped away. "Come back! You coward, get back here!"

Chloe wanted to scream for her father to stop. If Liam was cruel enough to leave her at the altar, his heart was already gone. What was the point of dragging back a man who didn't want to stay?

But Chloe couldn't make a sound. She could only watch as they moved further and further away.

At the nearby intersection, the wedding car took a sharp turn. A sedan speeding from the other direction had no time to brake. Charles, caught in the middle of the road while chasing Liam, was directly in its path.

CRASH.

"DAD! NO!"

"NO! CHARLES!"

"Mrs. Bishop! Mrs. Bishop, oh my god... she's bleeding! Someone call an ambulance! Hurry!"

Do you know what color the sky is? To Chloe at that moment, it was a suffocating, ashy gray.