Chapter 1

Snap! A loud slap echoed across the room, landing harshly on Freya Dawson’s face, followed by the frantic tearing of her beautiful wedding dress.

“Damn it! The big boss of the Sutton Group can’t even fork over five million for ransom? I’ve been busting my ass for days and haven’t gotten anything out of it. I’ll make you pay!” As the kidnapper spoke, he pinned Freya down relentlessly.

Gazing at Freya’s soft, smooth skin, the kidnapper showed no mercy, ripping off the last piece of fabric that preserved her dignity. “But hey, getting to fuck Kieran Sutton’s wife, the top socialite of Echo City, isn’t a bad deal, after all!”

“No… please, I’m Kieran’s wife! The lady of the Sutton family! Please let me call him. He’ll pay the ransom!” Freya struggled desperately, hope and pleading in her eyes.

But her hopes were shattered by a cold statement. “Quit dreaming! Mrs. Sutton? You’re nothing but Kieran’s leftover trash! Kieran just married Eloise Harwood yesterday! Why would he think of you?”

Hearing that, Freya turned pale. She thought, ‘Kieran married Eloise? No! That can’t be true! Our wedding was supposed to be just three days ago! I wouldn’t have been kidnapped if I hadn’t waited in vain for Kieran’s wedding car. I have only been missing for three days. How could Kieran marry Eloise?’

Freya retorted, “No… you’re lying!”

“Am I? Take a good look!” The kidnapper grabbed a remote from the floor, turning on the TV.

On the screen, Eloise, wearing a wedding dress, stood at what was supposed to be her wedding venue with Kieran. The headline sent a tremor through Freya’s heart. No wonder she had been waiting in vain for Kieran’s car. He had never intended to marry her. This wedding… was meant for Eloise!

Realizing her predicament, the kidnapper exclaimed excitedly, “I heard rumors that Ms. Dawson kept her first night for Kieran. It turns out it’s true! Man, I hit the jackpot! Too bad, Ms. Dawson, you’re not even worth five million in Kieran’s heart! If you play nice, maybe I’ll leave you in one piece!”

The kidnapper’s voice echoed in her ears. Freya felt like a complete joke. Everyone in Echo City knew she was just a stand-in for Eloise. She had abandoned her pride to marry Kieran, ignoring the whispers to care for Audrey Sutton and putting Kieran above all else. After three years, she thought she had finally warmed Kieran’s heart, only to realize… it was all for someone else.

Freya closed her eyes in despair, tears of regret streaming down her face. If she could live again, she would stay far away from Kieran.

“Can you believe it? She jumped! That’s insane!”

“Do you have to be that eager? Even if that was Mr. Sutton’s ring, to dive in after it?”

“Everyone knows Freya is Mr. Sutton’s lapdog. She’d do anything for him, even dance naked in front of us if he asked!”

Laughter and ridicule filled the air. A suffocating sensation overwhelmed Freya. Her head throbbed. The mocking laughter of men excitedly filled her ears.

“Cough cough…” Struggling, Freya surfaced.

The scene before her was too familiar. It was her engagement party with Kieran from three years ago. ‘Have I traveled back in time?’ Freya wondered.

Freya recalled the time Kieran had embarrassed her in front of everyone, tossing the engagement ring into the pool and declaring, “If you can fetch it, I’ll marry you.” Not knowing how to swim, she had nearly drowned. Climbing out, drenched, she had presented the ring, only to be met with the ultimate humiliation as Kieran rushed off to Eloise’s side, leaving her to become the joke of Echo City.

Freya looked down at the ring in her hand and bitterly smiled. She asked herself, ‘Is this what you wanted, Freya?’

Facing the jeering crowd, Freya stood up.

“Why not rush over to Mr. Sutton with the ring? Without it, he won’t engage you!”

“Yeah, he won’t even look your way without that ring!”

The ridicule didn’t stop there. To them, Freya was nothing more than a joke.

Ignoring their taunts, Freya calmly removed the engagement ring from her finger and tossed it into the pool, sending ripples through the still water and silencing the crowd with a single splash.

Chapter 2