My fingers trembled as I stared at the scene in front of me.
My fiancé… the man I had trusted, loved, and was about to marry… was standing there without a trace of guilt.
Beside him, my best friend smirked like she had just won something.
"Say something," she said, folding her arms.
But I couldn't.
My throat felt tight. My chest burned.
I had imagined many things going wrong today… but never this.
"Why?" I finally managed to whisper.
My voice sounded broken. Weak.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair like I was the problem.
"Come on, don't make this dramatic," he said.
Dramatic?
I let out a shaky laugh, tears already gathering in my eyes.
"You're cheating on me on our wedding day… and I'm the one being dramatic?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, my so-called best friend stepped forward.
"Let's not pretend you didn't see this coming," she said coldly.
"He was never really into you."
That hit harder than I expected.
I took a step back, my heart cracking piece by piece.
"Then why stay with me?" I asked, looking at him.
"Why propose?"
He shrugged.
Shrugged.
Like our entire relationship meant nothing.
"It was convenient," he said simply.
Something inside me broke completely.
The room suddenly felt suffocating.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
"Enough."
That voice again.
Calm. Deep. Dangerous.
I turned slowly, my eyes landing on the man standing by the door.
He hadn't moved.
His gaze was fixed on me, sharp and unreadable.
"You've seen what you needed to see," he said.
My brows furrowed.
"Who are you?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped closer.
Each step he took made the air feel heavier.
"Someone who can help you," he finally said.
I let out a bitter laugh.
"Help me?"
I gestured toward the two people behind me.
"Can you undo this? Can you erase what I just saw?"
He stopped in front of me.
Close enough for me to notice the sharpness of his features… and the calm confidence in his eyes.
"No," he said simply.
"But I can make sure you don't leave here as the victim."
My heart skipped.
I didn't understand what he meant… but something about his words made me listen.
Behind me, my fiancé scoffed.
"Who the hell are you?"
The man didn't even look at him.
"Someone you shouldn't be speaking to," he replied calmly.
The confidence in his voice made the room go silent.
Even my so-called best friend looked uneasy.
My eyes returned to him.
"What do you want?" I asked quietly.
He smiled slightly.
Not a warm smile…
But one that felt like a deal was about to be made.
"Marry me."
The words hit me like a slap.
"What?"
I stared at him, convinced I had heard wrong.
But his expression didn't change.
"Marry me," he repeated.
My heart started racing again.
This had to be a joke.
"You're insane," I said, shaking my head.
"I don't even know you."
"You don't need to," he replied calmly.
"All you need to know is this—"
He leaned slightly closer.
"If you walk out of here alone, you lose everything."
My breath caught.
"What do you mean?"
His eyes darkened.
"Your fiancé isn't just leaving you," he said.
"He's taking your company, your shares… everything your father left you."
My world tilted.
"That's not true," I whispered, turning to look at him.
But the silence that followed said everything.
My heart dropped.
"You… you planned this?"
He didn't deny it.
Tears blurred my vision.
I had lost everything in a single moment.
Love. Trust. Future.
Everything.
"So," the man in front of me said softly, pulling my attention back to him,
"you have two choices."
My hands clenched into fists.
"Walk away… and lose it all."
He paused.
His gaze locked onto mine.
"Or marry me… and take it all back."
My heart pounded loudly in my chest.
This was crazy.
Insane.
Dangerous.
But for the first time since I walked into this room…
I felt something else.
Power.
I lifted my head slowly, meeting his gaze.
"And what do you get out of this?" I asked.
His lips curved into a faint smile.
"You," he said.
My breath hitched.
"As my wife."