Chapter 1

A week before our wedding, my fiancé Marcus told me he had to marry his first love before he could marry me.

It was because her mother had died, leaving a final wish for them to be married.

"Diana's mom always wanted to see her marry a good man," he'd said, his tone dismissive. "I'm just fulfilling an old woman's last request. Don't make a big deal out of it."

But the Quinn family had already timed the launch of our new legitimate enterprise, the 'True Vows' jewelry collection, to coincide with our wedding day—a public declaration of our union.

He snapped impatiently, "It's just a few million dollars. How does that compare to Diana's devotion to her mother? If you're that obsessed with the money, go find someone else to marry."

Faced with his chilling words, I understood everything. I turned my back on him and made a call.

"Liam," I said to my brother. "Find me a new groom."

My brother, my family's Consigliere, was stunned. "You're calling off the wedding?"

"No," I said, a bitter smile touching my lips. "He's marrying someone else."

To be with Marcus, an outsider, I had fought my father, the head of the Quinn family, defying tradition and risking alliances. I had staked the launch of our most important legitimate business on our wedding day.

Now, it was all for nothing.

Liam was silent on the other end for a long time before he spoke, his voice low. "There's only one option on such short notice. Sebastian Blackwood. His family has been pressuring him to settle down and solidify his position. He needs a wife."

I frowned. Sebastian Blackwood. The head of the Blackwood Syndicate, our sworn enemies. At my engagement party, he’d had the audacity to toast to the inevitable failure of my marriage. It seemed his prediction was coming true.

Time was short. I had no other choice. "Then it's him. See if he's interested. If not, I'll handle it another way."

"No need to ask," Liam said quickly. "He'll agree."

"What?"

Before I could question him further, a group of associates' wives surrounded my car in the parking garage of Marcus’s office building.

"You must be Marcus's fiancée! You're even more beautiful in person!"

"Here to pick Marcus up? He'll be right down. You two are the picture of happiness."

I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white, lowering my eyes to hide the self-loathing in them. Marcus had paraded me around for years, introducing me to everyone. In their eyes, we were the perfect power couple, a bridge between two worlds.

No one could imagine he was about to marry another woman.

After saying his goodbyes, Marcus slid into the passenger seat and tossed a cheap necklace into my lap.

"Diana wanted you to have this. You embarrassed her at the funeral yesterday. You should apologize when you get the chance."

The necklace was a cheap trinket, the kind that comes free with a perfume purchase. I'd seen it in his online shopping cart days ago.

"I don't want it," I said flatly.

Marcus scowled. "What's wrong with you now? You're the one who stormed into the funeral and announced I wasn't her fiancé, humiliating her in front of everyone. She’s being gracious enough to offer an olive branch, and you’re acting like this?"

The man who once swore to protect me was gone. He now protected someone else.

Marcus rolled down the window, fuming. After a long, tense silence, seeing I had no intention of soothing his temper, he sighed. "Fine. We have the dress fitting today. I won't fight with you."

It was the first time he had backed down in a year.

At the exclusive bridal salon, the staff greeted us with practiced reverence.

"Mr. Richardson, Ms. Quinn. Your twenty custom gowns and tuxedos are ready for the final fitting."

But Marcus wasn't looking at the rack of priceless couture. His eyes were glued to his phone, a frantic urgency in his thumbs. When he caught my gaze, he quickly pocketed the device, a flash of guilt in his eyes.

"Sophia, something's come up with Diana. I have to go. You try on the dresses, and just pick out a tux for me. I trust your taste."

He hailed a cab and was gone, leaving me standing alone in a sea of white silk and tulle.

A staff member approached cautiously. "Ms. Quinn, shall we begin with the tuxedos?"

I looked away from the door he'd disappeared through and nodded.

Of course, I would choose a tuxedo.

Just not for Marcus.

After all, the groom had changed.

I drove back to our penthouse, expecting Marcus to be out all night. To my surprise, he was there before dinner, holding a takeout box.

"I drove all over the city to get this for you. Shrimp dumplings from Harbor's."

I glanced at the box. There were three fewer dumplings than usual, and one had a clear bite mark. Someone had already picked at his leftovers.

Half an hour ago, I’d seen Diana’s social media post. The picture was of the exact meal now in my hands. The caption read: "Hubby remembered to buy me a late-night snack even after a long day. Thanks, honey! xoxo"

I put down my chopsticks, my appetite vanishing. "I don't want it. Throw it away."

Marcus shot me a look of displeasure but managed to restrain his anger. He sat beside me, his voice laced with complaint. "You have no idea how hard Diana had it today. My parents went to her place and tore into her family, calling them poor, saying they couldn't offer a proper dowry. She was a wreck."

He paused, then delivered the final blow. "She just got back from overseas and doesn't have much cash. I want to give her your dowry to help her out."

His tone wasn't a request. It was a command. The sheer audacity made me sick.

I looked at him, my voice dripping with ice. "So, let me get this straight. You want me to provide the dowry for your wife?"