Chapter 1

The night before my wedding, Damian Moretti’s first love, Sabrina, posted a picture on Instagram. It was a selfie showing off a sapphire and diamond ring.

I stared at the photo. It was our wedding ring.

It was a one-of-a-kind piece I had designed myself, a symbol of the union between our two great business empires, the Morettis and the Vances.

And now, it was on her finger.

I thought about it all night. The next morning, I calmly told him I wanted to call off the engagement.

Damian’s face was a blank mask. “Elara, we’re getting married in two weeks. Think carefully. Don’t make a decision you’ll regret.”

“I won’t regret it.”

Later, Damian would call me late at night, drunk.

“Elara, where are you? I came home and you’re not here.”

...

After seeing Sabrina’s Instagram, I told Damian I wanted to cancel our engagement. He froze for a second.

“Cancel the engagement? The wedding is in half a month. The invitations have already gone out to every important person in New York. And you’re telling me you want to cancel now?”

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I pulled a prepared list of assets from my bag and spread it on the table in front of him.

“Yes, cancel. I’m not taking anything that belongs to the Moretti family. I just want to be done with you.”

I was twenty-four when I got engaged to the twenty-seven-year-old Damian. I moved into his penthouse on the Upper East Side right after.

I always knew our marriage was meant to be the cornerstone of our families’ alliance, so I accepted the jewelry, trust fund shares, and properties he gave me during the two years we lived together.

Now that we were breaking up, it was only right to return everything.

Damian glanced at the list, then casually tossed it aside, his expression unchanged.

“The reason.”

He paused, then added, “Is it because Sabrina wore your ring? I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was the wedding ring. I’ve already sent my assistant to get it back. It will be returned to you shortly.”

He seemed so calm, but I couldn’t hold back my rage.

I had spent six months of my life designing and crafting this ring. It represented all my hopes for our future. It was the ultimate symbol of our families' bond.

After it was finished, I couldn’t even bring myself to wear it once. I kept it locked in the safe at home, waiting for the day we would exchange our vows.

But I was only away in Europe on a business trip for two weeks, and Damian had already given it to Sabrina.

God only knows how broken I felt when I saw that ring on her hand.

And now he had the nerve to say he “didn’t know.”

Did he really not know?

Could a simple “I didn’t know” erase his betrayal?

I screamed at him, my voice filled with fury.

“Enough! This time it was the wedding ring. What’s next? Will I have to give up my position as Mrs. Moretti to her too?”

“If that’s the case, isn’t it better for me to just get out of the way now and make room for her?”

Hearing this, he looked up, his eyes filled with disapproval, as if he couldn’t understand why I was overreacting.

He spoke to me in a lecturing tone.

“Elara, there’s no need for this jealousy. You should know that in our marriage, the alliance comes before any personal feelings. No one can ever threaten your position as the future Mrs. Moretti.”

“I’ll forgive you this time. Don’t ever mention breaking up again. Just be a good Mrs. Moretti, and that’s all that matters.”

He pulled out a black card and pushed it across the table toward me.

“Here’s five million dollars. Consider it compensation.”