CHAPTER 1 — THE BRIDE WHO NEVER STOPPED SMILING
The cathedral was packed with nearly a thousand guests. Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead while a string quartet played the perfect wedding melody. Every eye followed the breathtaking bride as she walked slowly down the aisle in a shimmering white gown, her face hidden beneath an elegant veil.
People whispered that Sophia Lancaster looked like the happiest woman in the world.
But no one noticed one chilling detail.
She never blinked.
Standing at the altar, billionaire entrepreneur Ethan Carter couldn't take his eyes off her. This wedding had been postponed twice after mysterious accidents, yet Sophia insisted destiny wanted them together. Today, nothing would stop them.
Or so everyone believed.
As Sophia reached him, Ethan gently took her trembling hands.
"They say the groom shouldn't cry," she whispered softly. "Promise me you'll remember this moment forever."
Her words sent an unexpected chill through him.
The priest began the ceremony.
The audience smiled, cameras flashed, and everything seemed perfect... until a little girl sitting in the third row suddenly stood up.
"No..."
She stared directly at the bride.
"That's not my aunt."
Her frightened voice echoed through the cathedral.
Guests laughed awkwardly, assuming it was childish confusion.
But Ethan noticed something strange.
Sophia squeezed his hand tighter than ever before.
Pain shot through his fingers.
Her grip felt impossibly strong.
Then he remembered something.
Sophia had broken her right wrist only two weeks earlier.
Yet the hand crushing his bones...
...was her right hand.
Before he could speak, the priest smiled warmly.
"You may now lift the veil and kiss your bride."
May you like
The entire cathedral erupted into applause.
No one realized they were seconds away from witnessing a nightmare.
