Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
I was the long-lost daughter of the country's wealthiest billionaire.
To make up for all the years we lost, my parents promised me the world.
I had planned to surprise my fiancé with the truth on our wedding day.
Instead, he never showed up.
Hours later, his ex sent me a video of him proposing to her.
Ethan was on one knee, holding my bridal bouquet and slipping my wedding ring onto her finger.
He looked up at her with pure devotion.
"The wedding was just to make you jealous. Alyssa means nothing to me. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to marry."
I quietly locked my phone and walked out to announce that the wedding was off.
Two hours had passed since the ceremony was supposed to start, and the groom was still nowhere to be found.
Whispers buzzed through the crowd while the officiant wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
"Miss Vance... I mean, Miss Hayes, I'm so sorry. Maybe he's just got cold feet? Should we push the ceremony back another thirty minutes?"
I didn't answer. I just redialed Ethan’s number.
Once again, an automated female voice told me his phone was turned off.
The warmth that had once filled my chest was rapidly turning to ice.
Was it really just nerves?
Right then, my screen lit up with a video message from Vanessa.
It was only two minutes long.
In the clip, Ethan was down on one knee, offering Vanessa the exact bouquet I had spent weeks picking out.
Surrounded by their cheering friends, he pulled out our custom diamond band and slipped it onto her finger.
His voice was clear and steady.
"Vanessa, there was never anyone else. Dating Alyssa was just to get your attention. The wedding was just to make you jealous. I swear to God, you’re the only one for me."
In a single second, every dream I had built crumbled into a sick joke.
No wonder he had always been "too busy with work" during the wedding planning.
He barely showed up to anything.
When we went dress shopping, he didn't look up with awe like other grooms did. The sales associate had even whispered, asking if we were siblings instead of a couple.
Whenever I brought it up, Ethan would just wave it off, saying he trusted my taste completely.
Back then, I was so blinded by my excitement for our future that I never questioned him.
Now, the truth was staring me in the face.
I was just a prop in his game to win his ex back.
Why would he care about the details of a wedding he never meant to go through with?
As soon as the video ended, a text from Vanessa popped up.
Sorry, Alyssa. My flight just landed today, and I had no idea Ethan would make such a scene at the airport. Don’t be mad. I’ll tell him to hurry back to you right now.
I didn't bother reading the rest. I blocked and deleted her immediately.
The officiant, completely in the dark, tried to smooth things over.
"Don't worry, Miss Hayes. The wedding will definitely happen today..."
I looked at him and said calmly, "Open the doors. We're starting."
"What?" He blinked in confusion. "But... Ethan isn't here yet."
"Who said a wedding can’t happen without the groom?"
I stared at him, my voice flat and icy.
Intimidated by my gaze, the officiant swallowed hard and didn't dare argue.
He signaled the staff.
The grand double doors slowly swung open.
Holding the hem of my white gown, I walked alone down the aisle I had designed myself. A wave of bitterness washed over me.
A wedding with no groom.
A love story with no happy ending.
Once I reached the altar, Ethan and I would be completely done.
I ignored the murmurs and stares from the guests, took the microphone, and looked straight ahead.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming today. Due to an unforeseen issue, the ceremony was delayed, and I apologize for wasting your time. However, I have an announcement: the wedding is officially canceled. Please enjoy the food and drinks on me."My announcement hit the ballroom like an explosion.
Ignoring the chaos, I turned around and walked out of the venue without looking back.
In the back of the town car, my phone buzzed with a message from my father.
His private jet had just touched down, and he was rushing toward the venue.
My fingers hovered over the screen. I typed and deleted the message multiple times.
In the end, I decided not to tell him about the canceled wedding over text. I simply asked him to meet me at my apartment.
Last month, after a routine blood drive, I was matched with my biological father.
That was when I learned I wasn't an abandoned orphan after all. I was the long-lost daughter of a billionaire who had spent twenty years searching for me.
After our emotional reunion, he immediately insisted on transferring his overseas assets into my name. That was why he had been out of the country this past week.
I had originally planned to introduce him to Ethan at the wedding and reveal the truth.
I wanted to tell Ethan that he didn't need to work himself to the bone anymore. He would never have to worry about money again.
I never expected fate to pull the rug out from under me first.
I locked my screen and stared at the passing streetlights, my chest aching.
I had always known about Vanessa.
She had dumped Ethan because his family was dirt-poor, leaving the country to chase after wealth.
Even when Ethan chased her to the airport in the pouring rain, she never once looked back.
I thought first loves were hard to forget, but I believed Ethan had moved on.
I never imagined he would crawl back to her the second she returned.
After all, he was the one who pursued me relentlessly.
He was the one who handed me his debit card, swearing with tears in his eyes that he would give me the best life possible and treat me like a princess.
Yet the moment Vanessa stepped foot back in the city, everything changed.
My vision blurred with tears.
So this was the man I gave five years of my life to.
Just then, Ethan’s call came through.
"Why did it take you so long to pick up?" he barked into the receiver, his voice dripping with irritation. "What kind of stunt are you pulling? You canceled our wedding just like that? Now every single one of my relatives is laughing at us! Are you happy now?"
No apology. No explanation.
Just pure, unfiltered blame.
I should have seen it sooner.
The tenderness in Ethan's eyes had vanished long ago, replaced by annoyance and cold indifference.
Even now, he didn't care about the humiliation I faced alone at the altar. All he cared about was his own ego.
My throat felt dry, and a bitter laugh escaped my lips.
"What did you expect me to do? Wait around until you showed up with Vanessa on your arm?"
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by an impatient scoff.
"I went to the airport for a reason! I can explain later! Leaving you there was wrong, okay? I'm sorry. But I told the officiant to push it back! Canceling the whole thing on your own—do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me? My investors heard about it! If this ruins their impression of me, all my hard work goes down the drain! Alyssa, why do you have to be so childish?"
I closed my eyes, exhausted.
"Ethan, we're done."It wasn't a negotiation. It was a statement.
Why waste another second on a man whose heart was never mine?
Before he could reply, I hung up.
The driver kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror, clearly dying to ask questions, but he held his tongue.
I leaned my head against the cool glass, feeling as drained as if I had just run a marathon.
When the car pulled up to my building, I dragged the heavy train of my wedding dress toward the lobby.
To my surprise, I ran into Ethan by the elevators.
He was holding a takeout bag, clearly heading out to toss the trash.
I caught a glimpse of the receipt: Deluxe Couple's Feast for Two.
A sickening knot twisted in my stomach.
This penthouse was a pre-wedding gift from my father last week.
Back then, wanting to surprise Ethan, I told him I bought it with my own savings.
When he first heard about it, he wasn't happy at all. He accused me of wasting money. Yet when it came to furnishing the place, he was unusually eager, picking out a bunch of cute, matching couple items.
I thought he was finally showing some romance.
Now I knew none of it was meant for me.
Noticing me staring at the takeout bag, Ethan instinctively shoved it behind his back.
"Alyssa? What are you doing here?"
"This is my apartment. Where else would I go?"
"That's not what I meant," he said, reaching out to grab my arm. "Look, since we're both here, let's find a quiet place to talk."
Alarm bells rang in my head.
He didn't want me going upstairs.
Because Vanessa was up there.
My fists clenched at my sides. I stared into his eyes and said coldly, "There's nothing to talk about. Since you never intended to marry me, let's stop wasting each other's time."
Ethan stepped in front of me, his expression darkening.
"Alyssa, stop overreacting! I didn't leave you at the altar on purpose today! Don't you know how much I care about you? Even though you're an orphan with no family, I never looked down on you. I genuinely wanted to spend the rest of my life with you! I know you're upset, but don't say stupid things about breaking up. Come on, let me take you out to eat."
I took a step back, dodging his hand.
"Eat?" I sneered. "You just ordered dinner for two. Aren't you afraid of choking?"
Ethan's face turned pale, then flushed with anger.
"Have you had enough? I said I'm sorry, what more do you want from me?"
Right on cue, the elevator doors slid open behind him.
Vanessa stepped out.
She was wearing my brand-new silk pajamas. Seeing me, she didn't show an ounce of guilt. Instead, she smiled like the lady of the house.
"Alyssa? Shouldn't you be at the wedding venue? What are you doing here?"
My gaze flickered between the two of them, landing on Ethan.
His face was full of concern as he rushed to her side.
"Didn't you say you had a headache from the draft? Why did you come down?"
Vanessa smiled sweetly, leaning her body softly against his chest.
"You were gone for so long. I was worried."
Watching their affectionate display made me want to throw up. As I turned toward the elevator, Ethan called out after me.
Seeing that the cat was out of the bag, he dropped all pretenses.
"Vanessa isn't feeling well, so I let her rest upstairs for a bit. You barely stay in this apartment anyway, Alyssa. Don't be so petty."
My apartment. Yet I wasn't allowed inside.
And if I didn't hand it over to his ex, I was the one being "petty."
What kind of twisted logic was that?
I glared at Ethan. "We're over. You're trespassing on my property. Leave right now, or I'm calling the cops."Humiliated in front of Vanessa, Ethan's face twisted into an ugly sneer.
"Alyssa, do you even hear yourself?"
I ignored him, pulled out my phone, and dialed 911 right in front of him.
Realizing I wasn't bluffing, Ethan lunged forward, snatched my phone, and smashed it onto the marble floor.
"Don't flatter yourself, Alyssa!" he barked. "Fine, let's break up! A penniless orphan like you really thinks she can do better than me?"
At that exact moment, a flock of Ethan's relatives marched into the lobby.
Seeing me in my wedding dress, they swarmed like vultures, shouting accusations about how I had humiliated their family.
"Ethan! You can't let this slide!" his aunt yelled. "This little brat made a fool out of our entire family today! If she doesn't give us an explanation, none of us are leaving!"
"Exactly! I warned you from the start," his mother chimed in, glaring at me with open disgust. "Orphans have nothing to lose, so they don't care about anyone else. She looks sweet on the outside, but she's nothing but bad luck!"
Just yesterday, his mother had been all smiles, buttering me up. Now she looked at me like I was dirt.
Through it all, Ethan didn't say a single word. He just stood there, shielding Vanessa behind his back.
They were the ones who cheated and humiliated me, yet I was the one being cornered and attacked.
My whole body shook with rage.
Talking reason to these people was impossible.
"This is my property," I said, my voice shaking with fury. "Ethan, get your family out of here right now. In five years, I never owed you anything. Let's at least keep what little dignity we have left."
Before the words completely left my mouth, Ethan's mother lunged forward and slapped me hard across the face.
Smack!
The force knocked me back two steps. My left cheek burned with sharp, throbbing pain.
His relatives cheered her on, screaming threats about how they were going to ruin my life.
The commotion brought over the building's security guard. I thought they might back down, but seeing that they had numbers, they didn't even flinch.
Ethan's aunt stepped forward and shoved the young guard back.
"My nephew owns this place! We're handling a family matter, so back off! What, are you sleeping with Alyssa too?"
The guard was fresh on the job and had clearly never dealt with such unhinged people. He stammered, unsure of what to do.
I stood there in sheer disbelief.
My father bought this penthouse for me. When the hell did Ethan become the owner?
"Enough!" I screamed, stepping right in front of Ethan.
"You know damn well who owns this place! Ethan, are you even a man?"
Losing face in front of Vanessa, Ethan balled his fists, looking like he was about to hit me himself.
Just then, a sleek black Maybach screeched to a halt outside the glass doors, and my father rushed in.
He had no idea what was happening, but he ran straight to my side, scanning me anxiously from head to toe.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?"
He was dressed in a bespoke Italian suit, radiating an aura of immense power and authority.
Hearing him call me "sweetheart," Ethan's aunt immediately shrieked.
"Aha! I knew it! No wonder you canceled the wedding so fast—you found yourself a sugar daddy!"
She sneered nastily. "I bet this penthouse was bought with your dirty money, too! Uncivilized little orphans really have no shame, do they?"
A terrifying darkness settled over my father's face.
He turned slowly, his voice dropping to a deadly chill.
"Who are you calling an uncivilized orphan?"
"Listen to me, old man," the aunt sneered, completely oblivious. "Women like her will do anything to climb the ladder! She was seducing you while planning a wedding with my nephew—"
Before she could finish her sentence, my father kicked her squarely in the stomach.
She crashed onto the floor with a loud groan.
At the same time, a dozen burly bodyguards in black suits flooded the lobby, instantly surrounding Ethan and his family.
The entire lobby fell dead silent.
The aunt, who had been barking seconds ago, instantly clamped her mouth shut, trembling as she stared at the wall of bodyguards.
"W-What are you doing?" she stammered. "I was just warning you not to get scammed!"
My father’s chest heaved with fury.
"Alyssa is my biological daughter!"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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