One year earlier.
My wedding dress was a masterpiece—pure white silk, embroidered with delicate pearls that shimmered under the soft church lights. The train flowed behind me like a river of dreams, and the veil draped over my shoulders felt as fragile as the love I had once believed in.
Today, I was supposed to become Mrs. Evelyn Lancaster.
I had spent years with Daniel, believing we were building something real, something unbreakable. He had whispered promises into my ear late at night, held my hand through every hardship, sworn that I was his future.
And I had believed him.
I stood in the waiting room, surrounded by my bridesmaids, excitement and nerves intertwining in my stomach.
Then the door opened.
My father stepped inside, his face pale, his expression unreadable.
"Dad?" I frowned. "Is everything okay?"
He hesitated. "Evelyn… I need you to come with me."
Something in his tone made my heart clench. Without a word, I followed him down the long corridor, my heels clicking against the marble floor.
We stopped in front of a heavy oak door.
My father didn't speak. He simply pushed it open.
And in that moment, my world ended.
Daniel was inside. His tuxedo was undone, his hair disheveled, his body tangled with another woman.
Not just any woman.
My maid of honor. My best friend.
Lena.
She gasped when she saw me, pulling the sheets up to her chest, but Daniel didn't even flinch. He simply ran a hand through his hair and looked at me with something that was not regret.
Not shock. Not horror.
Just mild inconvenience.
"Evelyn," he sighed, as if I was the problem here. "You weren't supposed to see this."
My stomach twisted. My chest felt like it was caving in.
But before I could speak, before I could even process the weight of my world crumbling around me, a slow, deliberate clap echoed from the doorway.
I turned.
And there, watching it all unfold with cold amusement, stood Nathaniel Lancaster.