Chapter 1: The Wedding That Shattered
The hallway fell into a suffocating silence after the boy’s trembling words.
"She said mommy's gone, so I don't matter..."
The sentence echoed louder than any scream.
Ethan’s arms tightened protectively around his son, Noah. His jaw clenched, every muscle in his body rigid with fury. He slowly stood, lifting Noah into his arms as if shielding him from the world itself.
Across the marble floor, Olivia—the bride—stood frozen.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “He misunderstood—”
“Misunderstood?” Ethan snapped, his voice dangerously low. “You locked a child in a room on our wedding day.”
Guests had begun to gather at the end of the hallway, their whispers spreading like wildfire. The perfect wedding downstairs had turned into a nightmare upstairs.
“You said you loved him,” Ethan continued, his eyes burning. “You promised me you would treat him like your own.”
Olivia’s composure crumbled. “I was overwhelmed, Ethan! Everything had to be perfect, and he—he was running around, crying—”
“He’s six,” Ethan cut in sharply. “He lost his mother. And today, you made him feel like he lost everything else too.”
Noah buried his face into his father’s shoulder, his small fingers gripping tightly.
And in that moment, Ethan made a decision.
“There is no wedding,” he said firmly.
The words hit harder than anything else.
Olivia staggered back as if struck.
“Ethan… please…”
May you like
But he had already turned away.
The chandelier above sparkled coldly as Ethan walked down the grand staircase, carrying his son—leaving behind the illusion of a perfect life.
