CHAPTER 3: TWO GROOMS... ONE OF THEM HAD TO DIE
The gunshot echoed through the ballroom.
Guests screamed and dove beneath the tables as champagne glasses shattered across the marble floor.
Claire froze between the two identical men.
One wore the immaculate white tuxedo she had just married.
The other stood bleeding at the entrance, breathing heavily, desperation burning in his eyes.
"Claire!" the wounded man shouted. "Don't let him touch you!"
The groom beside her chuckled.
"What a dramatic entrance."
He slowly lowered the gun—not because he wasn't dangerous, but because he knew panic was already on his side.
Security guards rushed toward the wounded stranger.
"Stop him!" one shouted.
"No!" Claire screamed. "Wait!"
But it was too late.
The guards tackled the bleeding man to the floor.
As they pinned him down, he desperately reached into his jacket.
The guests gasped, believing he was reaching for another weapon.
Instead...
He pulled out a faded wedding photograph.
Claire's heart stopped.
It was the picture they had taken the day Ethan proposed to her three years ago.
A private photo.
One that had never been posted online.
On the back, written in Claire's own handwriting, were the words:
"Forever begins today. Love, Claire."
Only one person in the world should have had that photo.
The real Ethan.
Claire slowly turned toward the groom standing beside her.
His confident smile had disappeared.
For the first time all night...
He looked nervous.
Then Claire noticed something she had completely forgotten.
On the day Ethan proposed, he had lost the tip of his right ring finger in a boating accident.
She looked down.
The man she had married...
Had ten perfect fingers.
Claire stepped backward.
"Who... are you?" she whispered.
The impostor smiled again.
But this time, his smile wasn't charming.
It was terrifying.
"You were never supposed to notice."
Before anyone could react, every screen inside the ballroom suddenly lit up.
The wedding slideshow vanished.
A hidden video began to play.
It showed security footage from three nights earlier.
The real Ethan was being dragged into a black van by masked men.
The timestamp proved he had disappeared before the wedding had even begun.
The guests watched in stunned silence.
Claire felt the world collapse around her.
Then the impostor slowly began applauding.
"Congratulations," he said calmly.
"You finally figured it out."
He looked directly into Claire's eyes.
"But if he's the real groom..."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wedding certificate.
"...then tell me why every legal document in this country says I am your husband."
Claire's face turned white.
Someone had stolen far more than Ethan's identity.
They had rewritten history itself.
And somewhere outside the ballroom...
A black SUV was already waiting.
Inside sat a mysterious woman wearing black gloves.
She smiled as she watched the chaos unfold through a live camera feed.
Then she whispered four chilling words:
May you like
"Phase One is complete."
END OF CHAPTER 3
