Chapter 1

On my wedding day, I saw three welcome signs in the hotel lobby, all printed with my husband Cassian's name.

The manager explained that the printer had made a mistake.

Cassian laughed and coaxed me gently. "What are you imagining now? It's not like there could be two more of me."

I believed him.

Until I went upstairs to change into my second dress and accidentally wandered onto the second floor, where security guards hired by the Ashcroft family stopped me at the door.

"The Ashcroft family's daughter is being baptized. No one else is allowed inside."

I was about to identify myself when the guard's radio crackled.

Cassian's voice came through.

"Dilute the formula a little. I'll come down after the prayer."

I froze.

Just last night, he had held me and said that when we had a daughter, he would take better care of her than I ever could.

He would take care of a child.

The only problem was that the child wasn't mine.

I didn't open the door. I turned around and pressed the button for the third floor.

The moment the elevator doors opened, I saw a family portrait of Cassian with another woman.

The caption read: [Happy first birthday to Rowan, eldest son of the Ashcroft family.]

At last, I understood the three welcome signs in the lobby.

The first floor was for my wedding to Cassian.

The second floor was for his daughter's baptism.

The third floor was for his son's first birthday party.

And all the Ashcroft relatives who had just wished me a happy marriage were now upstairs celebrating.

I turned to leave, but Cassian caught up with me and dragged me into the emergency stairwell.

"Vee, those women can't enter the Ashcroft family's home. You're the only Mrs. Ashcroft."

I nodded and called the manager.

"The sign that was printed incorrectly was the one on the first floor."

"Take my name off it."

I no longer wanted the position of Mrs. Ashcroft.

"Everyone, today's wedding is canceled."

I tore my hand away from Cassian and grabbed the microphone from the host.

Only when my voice came out did I realize that my entire body was shaking.

Hundreds of guests fell silent.

A flash of panic crossed Cassian's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He took the microphone and gave the guests a slight bow.

"I'm sorry. Verity isn't feeling well today."

He looked at me, his voice gentle, as though he were soothing a child throwing a tantrum.

"The wedding will continue as planned. There's been a small misunderstanding between us, but we'll sort it out later."

Cassian even made his lies sound dignified.

Someone laughed and called out that no newlywed couple went through life without arguing.

I dug my fingernails into my palms to keep my tears from falling.

When I turned around, I saw that more than half of the newlyweds' table was empty.

That morning, Cassian had told me his mother's blood pressure had spiked and she had been admitted for observation. Yet now, the entire Ashcroft family was on the third floor, throwing a birthday party for his "heir," surrounded by balloons and cakes.

Only I had been left downstairs like a fool, waiting to raise a glass of champagne to his parents.

Cassian followed me into the dressing room and locked the door.

"Vee, you can throw a fit whenever you want, but do you know what kind of day this is?"

"I gave you the wedding you wanted. You're the only real Mrs. Ashcroft. Isn't that enough?"

My eyes fell on his cuff.

The platinum cuff links were the wedding gift I had saved half a year to buy him.

Today, he was wearing them while moving between three women.

"Cassian, how many families do you have?"

He frowned and reached out to straighten my veil.

"Odessa gave me a son. Linnea's father once saved my life. I had to give them something in return. But I gave you the biggest ballroom. How much more could I favor you?"

I stumbled backward, suddenly sick.

Odessa's child was turning one today.

They had been together for two years—the same two years since my mother was diagnosed with cancer.

I had stayed beside her hospital bed every night. Cassian came only after midnight, took my hand, and told me the company was too busy for him to stay with me all the time.

Only now did I realize that during all those so-called late nights at work, another woman had been carrying his child.

The baby girl upstairs was only a few weeks old.

And a month ago, on the very day I had tried on my wedding dress, she had been born.

I had sent Cassian the photos one by one.

He had replied with only one sentence: [You look beautiful in anything.]

It turned out he had been waiting outside Linnea's delivery room, waiting for his daughter to be born.

"I can't afford your favor."

I tore off my veil and slammed it onto the floor.

A sudden cry came from outside.

"Someone fainted! Call 911!"

I rushed out and saw my father collapsed beside his wheelchair, his face deathly pale.

The phone on the table was frozen on a photo of Cassian holding a little boy, smiling with tender affection.

People around us whispered, "The one upstairs is the real heir. The one downstairs doesn't even have a marriage certificate."

A roar filled my ears, and my legs nearly gave out.

When the ambulance arrived, Cassian grabbed my arm.

"You can't leave. Your father told his assistant to keep an eye on you. The media is here. The Ashcroft family's reputation can't be ruined."

I stared at him in disbelief.

My father was lying on the stretcher, and all Cassian could think about was his reputation.

At that moment, the last trace of hope in my heart shattered completely.

"Cassian, let go."

Outside the emergency room, I prayed over and over again. My nails dug into my flesh, but I felt nothing.

Three hours later, the doctor came out and slowly shook his head.

In that instant, the world seemed to be hollowed out.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

A nurse handed me a crumpled greeting card.

"Your father was holding this before he fell unconscious."

The card read: [May you love each other for the rest of your lives and never be separated.]

Clutching the card, I crouched down and finally broke down sobbing.

Even in death, my father had never understood how the daughter he loved most had become the punchline of a joke.

Late that night, Cassian sent me a message.

"Everything upstairs is responsibility. You downstairs are the one I chose. Stop being stubborn."

I stared at the words until my tears slowly dried.

I took off my wedding ring and placed it in a wooden box with my father's card. Then I called a lawyer.

"Find Cassian Ashcroft's marriage records."

I paused, my voice turning cold and unfamiliar.

"All of them."