Chapter 1

On our eighth anniversary, my boyfriend, Liam Daniels, dragged me along to plan his marriage proposal.

That exact morning, my pregnancy test came back positive.

Outwardly, I teased him for ruining the surprise.

Privately, I called everyone I knew to brag.

My parents wept over the phone, saying time flew by too fast. My best friend, Mia Kyle, promised to beat him up if he ever stepped out of line.

Even my older sister, Sarah Davis, choked up, swearing she would be there no matter how busy work got.

On the big night, I wore the white dress Liam bought me.

When I stepped into the venue, I realized the proposal had been transformed into a full wedding reception.

I watched Liam Daniels as he dropped to one knee, tears in his eyes while looking at my adopted sister, Tiana.

"Will you marry me?" he asked her.

My parents stepped out from behind the curtain holding fresh bouquets.

"Tiana, we want your happiness more than anything. Stop giving up your dreams for your sister."

Mia Kyle walked onstage carrying the ring box. "As your best friend, I just want you to put yourself first for once."

Sarah pulled a stack of property deeds from her bag. "Here's your dowry. No one will ever push you around again."

I froze.

I was never the bride.

I was just an unpaid wedding planner.

Everyone I loved had helped construct the lie.

Chapter 1

I stepped forward, but my mother grabbed my arm.

"It’s Tiana’s wedding day," she warned. "Don't you dare ruin it."

I froze. The whole situation felt absurd.

I spent a month planning this proposal. I picked every flower. I designed every detail.

Now, Tiana wore the veil I spent hours embroidering with my hands.

My life savings paid for the ring on her finger.

The vows she read were stolen directly from the love letter I wrote to Liam Daniels.

I was supposed to be the happiest woman in the world tonight.

Instead, I was just a fool setting the stage for someone else's fairy tale.

---

As the ceremony wrapped up, Liam followed me outside. He pulled me into an embrace, just like he used to.

"Don't misunderstand," he whispered. "Tiana is terminally ill. She doesn't have much time left. She just wanted to feel what it's like to be a bride."

He pressed a kiss to my hair. "We didn't sign a marriage license. I'm still yours."

Mine?

He had used that same phrase for five years every time he crossed the line with another woman.

I used to forgive him. I thought he cared because he always confessed.

Now, the sickly sweet perfume on his suit made me gag.

Tiana's signature lipstick was smeared across his collar.

"Right. I won't misunderstand."

I reached for a glass of red wine from a passing waiter's tray.

Liam's face shifted. He immediately stepped in front of Tiana.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

He looked at me with pure suspicion, instantly treating me like a threat.

I forced a bitter smile and raised the glass. I threw my head back and swallowed every drop.

"Enjoy your wedding," I said softly.

Liam Daniels's eyes widened.

Tiana clutched her dress, instantly playing the victim. "Cassandra, please don't be mad. It's all my fault. I didn't know Liam Daniels was planning to propose to you tonight."

Liam snapped. "Cassandra, is this little thing really worth throwing a tantrum over? Do you have to ruin everyone's night?"

A cold bitterness spread through my chest.

A little thing.

That’s what he called it when I was stranded in a snowstorm without food for three days, crying on the phone.

“Is this little thing worth making a scene over?”

That’s what he called it when a coworker stole my project and I asked him to pull the security tapes.

“Don’t waste company resources on a little thing like that.”

Two years ago, when I lost the baby and craved pie from across town, he refused to drop it off.

“A miscarriage doesn’t mean you can’t walk. Don’t bother me with little things.”

My eyes burned.

Liam took a step toward me, reaching out as if to touch my cheek.

Tiana gently pulled his sleeve. "Liam... it's time for the toasts."

He turned away immediately.

I watched his back, feeling completely hollow.

In eight years, Liam Daniels had never respected my time.

He canceled a vacation I planned for months just thirty minutes before our flight.

He bailed on a dinner reservation I waited five hours for when we were next in line, using a vague work excuse.

Even tonight, a proposal he promised would be perfect was casually handed to someone else.

I used to tell myself a man like him was just too busy for small details.

Now I realized the truth.

To him, anything involving me was a small detail.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

It was an automated text from the clinic.

[Ms. Davis, you missed your scheduled prenatal appointment. Please call to reschedule.]

I deleted the message and dialed the bridal shop instead.

"Hi," I said, my voice steady. "Please cancel the gown I ordered.”

Chapter 2

The second I got back from the reception, I headed straight for the master bedroom to pack.

I was zipping up the second suitcase when Liam walked through the front door.

He glanced at the messy living room, rubbed his temples in exhaustion, and sighed.

"Cassandra, please. I’m running on empty tonight. I promise you, our wedding will be ten times bigger than Tiana’s."

Always next time.

For eight years, he fed me promises about the future.

Next time, I'll upgrade your ring to a pink diamond.

Next time, we’ll travel the world together.

Next time, once my business takes off, you won't ever have to work again.

I never knew how long the next time was supposed to take.

I took a deep breath. "Liam Daniels, I respect your choice. But there is no next time for us."

Before he could react, I grabbed my bags and left.

---

Down in the parking garage, a sudden realization hit me.

I had left my passport, personal documents, and my grandfather’s heirloom locked in the nightstand.

Ten minutes later, I unlocked the apartment door again.

In the brief time I was gone, Tiana had already moved in.

The apartment was suddenly filled with pink clutter.

Colorful makeup and skincare products crowded the vanity. The kitchen counter was piled high with gourmet sweets and junk food.

I stared, completely dazed.

I used to love cute plushies. I used to enjoy doing my makeup and keeping snacks around the apartment.

But Liam complained that plushies were childish, makeup made me look trashy, and snacks were unhealthful.

To please him, I threw them all away.

Yet here was the apartment, overflowing with everything Tiana loved.

The contrast was deafening.

Loving someone, and not loving them, was really obvious.

Tiana stepped out of the bedroom, offering a sweet smile. "Liam said it’s easier to take care of me if I live here."

My hands trembled as I threw open the nightstand drawer. It was completely bare.

"Where are my things?" I demanded, turning to glare at Tiana.

Liam walked in, his forehead creased with annoyance at my tone. "What things?"

"My grandfather’s jade pendant," I choked out. "You know how much that meant to me."

Before Liam could reply, Tiana giggled softly.

"You don't mean the jade ring Liam gave me yesterday, do you?" She raised her hand, showing off a polished green band on her finger. "Is it this one?"

My grandfather's memory had been recut into a cheap trinket to make a young girl smile.

A wave of fury made my entire body shake.

Three years ago, on his deathbed, my grandfather held our hands with trembling strength.

“Cassandra has had a tough life, Liam Daniels. Take care of my baby girl.”

Liam nodded solemnly back then, pulling me into his arms with tears in his eyes. “I’ll love her for the rest of my life.”

Now, that same man stepped forward and handed me a jewelry box with a cold face.

"Tiana is your sister. Don't be so stingy," he said flatly. "Consider it a gift exchange."

I popped the box open. Inside sat a cheap leather cord necklace.

I knew the brand. It catered to eco-friendly fashion trends using non-metallic materials.

Liam had been with me for eight years.

He knew that I was easy to appease, that I always compromised, and that I tolerated everything.

Yet he couldn't remember that I had a severe contact allergy to anything other than real gold or silver.

I slammed the box onto the coffee table.

Tiana frowned, looking hurt.

"Cassandra, that’s so ungrateful. Liam went to three different boutiques just to find that for you."

"Did he?"

I forced a smile, looking between the two of them.

"Since you're so thoughtful of him, let's make this simple. We’re over. You two can date, get married, and live happily ever after.”

Chapter 3

I spent a whole month in a hotel before anyone bothered to check if I was dead or alive.

My father’s assistant finally called.

"Your father's birthday party is tomorrow. He expects you to be there on time."

I stared at the phone.

Memories of the warmth my family used to give me flashed through my mind. Against my better judgment, I showed up.

When Liam spotted me across the crowded hall, his fake smile instantly evaporated.

"Cassandra? What are you doing here?"

I stayed put, quietly watching my parents and my best friend, Mia, hovering protectively over Tiana.

Ten years ago, when my adoption was finalized, they had stood in front of me the exact same way to protect me from the press.

Same people. Same protective stances. But everything else had changed.

Before I could even process the bitterness, Tiana’s eyes filled up with fat, heavy tears. She fixed her gaze on my wrist.

"That charm bracelet is so pretty, Cassandra..." she whimpered. "I guess I got sick so young because nobody ever prays for my safety."

Every eye in the room instantly turned toward me.

A sickening wave of dread washed over me. "What are you doing?"

Liam remained silent for a beat. "Cassandra."

"What?" I demanded, staring straight into his eyes.

He averted his gaze, frowning.

"Tiana is weak right now. She can't handle any stress. Just lend her the bracelet for a few days."

I let out a harsh laugh. "Liam Daniels, this was a gift from my late grandfather."

Mia stepped forward, pulling a manila folder from her bag.

"Cassandra, that big corporate contract you've been working on... it's crucial for your promotion, right?" She slid out the documents. "The lead investor is a close friend of my family. I can have them pull the funding with one call."

My breath hitched. My eyes burned. "You wouldn't."

I lunged forward to grab the papers, but two security guards instantly grabbed my arms, pinning me in place.

Liam smirked coldly and stepped up to me. He grabbed my wrist, roughly yanking the silver chain off.

The links dragged painfully across my skin, but the physical sting was nothing compared to the agony in my chest.

"It's just a bracelet," Liam sneered. "I'm sick of your constant drama."

Tiana gave me a triumphant, subtle smirk before burying her face in Liam's chest.

"Thank you, Cassandra," she purred. "You're the best sister ever." She looked up at Liam with big, innocent eyes. "Please don't be mad at her. I don't want to come between you two."

Her words were sweet, but her eyes were venomous.

As she pulled back, her eyes flicked to the burning outdoor catering grill right behind me.

With a sudden, dramatic stumble, she collapsed backward, knocking the entire tray of hot coals straight into me.

"Ah!" she screeched.

The impact slammed me down. Red-hot coals spilled over my legs.

Liam rushed forward immediately. "Cassandra, are you crazy?! Did you just try to push Tiana into the fire?!"

"It wasn't me…"

"Enough!" Liam snapped, completely cutting me off. He gathered the trembling woman into his arms. "Don't worry, Tiana. As long as I'm here, no one will hurt you."

Everyone rushed to surround Tiana. Not a single person looked at me.

I laughed quietly into the dirt. I finally saw the truth.

To every single one of them, I was entirely disposable.

Then, a sharp, tearing pain stabbed through my lower abdomen. Warm blood began pooling rapidly beneath me.

Panic gripped me. I opened my mouth to scream for help.

"Liam Daniels!" Tiana sobbed hysterically. "I'm so scared..."

Liam's heart broke for her right then and there. "Did you get burned anywhere?"

Tiana buried her head in his chest, weeping dramatically. "What about Cassandra? She's still over there..."

I was lying less than two feet from the scattered embers, the lighter fluid soaking through my clothes.

"The baby..." I choked out, my voice barely a whisper.

Liam paused for a split second, but my father stepped in with a cold face.

"Cassandra has gone way too far lately. If we don't teach her a lesson now, she'll never learn."

Liam's posture hardened. He turned his back on me.

As sweat and cold fear drenched my body, Liam's final warning drifted over the crackle of the embers.

"Stop acting, Cassandra. It's a tiny flame. You're fine."

The heavy pressure in my lower stomach reached a crushing point. I couldn't move. My vision began to fade to black.

With the absolute last bit of strength in my body, I gasped, "Liam Daniels... our baby..."

---

When I woke up, the sharp stench of hospital disinfectant filled my nose.

I sat up, reaching for my phone to call my boss about taking the overseas transfer.

But before I could dial, the hospital’s main desk called my room.

"Ms. Davis... the remains of the stillborn infant from last night... they're missing."

The faint composure I had maintained shattered instantly.

Even if Liam and I were over, that baby was a life I had carried inside me.

I ripped the IV line out of my arm, blood dripping down my hand as I stumbled frantically down the hall to the morgue.

"Where is my baby?" I grabbed a nurse by the shoulders. "There were security guards here! How could the body just disappear?!"

The nurse stammered, terrified. "A woman named Tiana Davis came by last night... She showed proof she was the aunt and said she wanted to handle the arrangements..."

My mind went completely blank. I instinctively dialed Tiana's number.

It rang forever before someone finally picked up.

It wasn't Tiana. It was Liam Daniels.

"What do you want, Cassandra? Are you trying to pull another stunt to hurt Tiana?"

I forced my trembling voice to stay steady. "Put Tiana on the phone."

He hung up in my face.

I stared at the black screen as every subsequent call went straight to voicemail.

Without another word, I walked back to my room, packed my bag, and booked the earliest flight out of the country.

At the gate, right before boarding, I selected two files on my phone.

The ultrasound photos and the emergency miscarriage discharge papers from last night.

I hit send, delivering them directly to Liam Daniels.

Then, without a single moment of hesitation, I blocked his number, deleted his contact, and wiped him from my life forever.