From Jilted Bride To Ruthless Queen

the altar. I went to the courthouse to marry a stranger out of spite, only to find out I was already

in a hospital morgue, forced me to kneel before her, a

lly understood that our twenty-five years of love m

die, a helicopter de

gal husband and Alexander's biggest rival

rn as a queen, and burn Ale

pte

Brig

Holt, the man I had loved for twenty-five years, I

hown increasing pity with each failed attempt, cle

casion. The grand ballgown was packed away, a relic of the first time we were supposed to get ma

e the familiar tremor in my hands. I lifted

knew better than my own. It r

tracted. I could hear the faint clat

didn' t feel. "The priest is here. The

ch tightened into a familiar, cold knot

ausible enough to make me feel insane for que

ping. "She' s... not doing well. She tr

with the heroes in my graphic novels, and by extension, obsessed with the man who

, my voice cracking. "It' s emotional blackm

the defensive edge to his tone cutting me deep. "I can' t have

"Look, I have to go. The hospital just

ne wen

of the empty chapel pressing in on me. The pr

old... a man who truly wants to marry you wouldn' t

the perfect couple: Avery Bright, the successful graphic novelist from a promine

punched a boy twice his size for pulling my hair, then held

y with me, not because he needed to study, but because I did. He' d just sit there, a si

cepted the boy in the hallway, his face a mask of cold fury, and warned him to stay away from me. That night, I found a hundred hand-written letters on my doorstep,

ny, he put my name in the sky. Bright Star Technologies. "Everything I do, Avery,"

twenty-five years,

our address, leaving gifts on our doorstep-gifts for Alexander. She' d show up at his office, at restaurants where we were dining. He was alwa

gagement. The day the news broke, Kiara slit h

as postponed. He rushed from our rehe

ork, Kiara would have a "crisis." An overdose. A car crash that was clearly intentional. Standing on the ledge of

This ninety-ninth time was the last straw. I couldn't do it anymore.

grabbed my best friend Maria' s arm. "Com

asked, her eyes

y ribs. "I'm done waiting. I'll just get legally married t

pure desperation. Maria, seeing the wild lo

my ID on the counter. "I want a marriage license," I

e into her computer, and the

r her glasses. "I can't issue you a mar

n its axis. "What?

owards me. And there it

: Case

complete stranger. The date of t

der, a few months back, asking for my ID and social security card. "It' s for the mortgage on

nded them over witho

t postponed our wedding; he had legally bound me to someone else. To his driver. I reme

wrong?" Maria' s voi

bling back. I had to find Alexander.

asn't there. "Mr. Holt is at the Serenity Wellness C

cou

chest. A nurse at the front desk tried to stop me, telling me it was a pri

by a large potted plant. Through the g

ing her hand. He leaned forward and gently, so gently, brushed a stray piece of hair from her

lled with a care that I hadn't felt from him in years. The memory of him doi

lt is so devoted to her. He' s here every

s were l

ide the room. "Alex, are you ever going to tell

hattered the last fr

ears. It' s comfortable, it' s familiar, but it' s not... this." He looked down at Kiara, his voice

"You legally married her off to your driv

ically, I didn' t. Once Kiara is stable, I' ll have the marriage with Dyer annulled, and I' ll break things off with Avery. It' s cleaner thi

s gave out, and I sagged against the wall,

ter ninety-nine attempts. After twenty-five years. I was some

led away, his words echoing in my ears

My entire life, my entire identity, had been bu

place. My pride, the one thing the Bright family had instilled in me above

ith a new, chilling purpose. I found the contact for his new drive

e D

d the ca

His voice was low, calm, and un

my ears. "My husband told me to get a fake certificate, but I think I' d prefer t

her end. Ten days. He said

ere the man I thought I knew was coddling his new love. Th

have no idea who y