The bride heard the groom’s confession minutes before the wedding. Her revenge surprised everyone.
Valentina Miller felt her legs trembling as she adjusted her veil for the last time in the sacristy of St. Peter’s Church in the center of Aspen. In just a few minutes, she would walk toward the altar to marry Alexander Sterling, the man she had loved for three years. That was when she heard voices in the hallway. The door was ajar, and she instantly recognized the groom’s loud laugh. Curious, she moved closer, slow and careful, and listened.
“Hey, are you sure this is going to turn out well?” That was Julian, the best man.
“Of course it is, buddy. Valentina is madly in love with me. After we get married, it’ll only be a matter of time before I convince her to give me power over her father’s businesses.”
Alexander answered with a coldness she had never heard before.
Valentina felt the world collapse under her. She leaned against the wall so she would not fall.
“And if she suspects something?” Julian asked.
“Valentina is too naive. She believes I’m her prince charming. When I get the power of attorney, I’ll sell some of old Richard’s properties. He won’t even notice. He’s too busy with his companies to check every document he signs.”
The laughter that followed echoed down the hallway like knives in her chest. Valentina pressed a hand to her heart, feeling it race out of control. Three years of relationship. Three years of plans. Everything had been a lie.
“But will you stay married to her afterward?” Julian insisted.
“For now, yes. I need total access to her assets. After that… well, accidents happen, don’t they?”
Alexander laughed again, and Valentina had to cover her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
“Alexander, man, you’re serious.”
Dylan sounded uncomfortable.
“Relax, Dylan. Nothing will happen to her. I’ll only divorce her when I have what I need. I’ll say we grew apart. That it didn’t work. She’ll stay with a broken little heart, but she’ll get over it. Women always get over it.”
Valentina stayed braced against the wall, trying to breathe. Her hands trembled so badly she almost dropped the bouquet of white roses. How had she not realized? How had she been so blind?
“And the debts?” Julian asked in a lower voice.
“Ah, those I’ll pay fast with her money. I owe almost two hundred thousand dollars to the casino people. They’re getting impatient, you know. But after today, problem solved.”
Two hundred thousand. Casino.
Valentina had never known Alexander gambled. He always said he worked late at the accounting office. In reality, he had been losing money at the tables.
“Do you think anyone suspects?” Alexander asked, lowering his voice.
“Richard seems to trust you, and Mrs. Patricia adores you,” Dylan answered.
“Valentina’s mom is easy to fool. She always wanted to see her daughter married. And the father, well, he’s smart, but he’s so happy to see his daughter fulfilled that he doesn’t suspect anything.”
Valentina closed her eyes. Her parents really did love Alexander. He knew exactly how to behave in front of them. Always kind. Always helpful. Always interested in the family businesses.
“And if we go now?” Julian suggested nervously. “There’s still time to cancel all this.”
“Cancel? Are you crazy? I’ve been planning this for two years, since I discovered Richard Miller is worth more than five million. His daughter is my entry to that money.”
Two years. He had been planning it for two years.
Valentina remembered the day they met at the mall. Alexander had tripped near her in the food court, spilled her coffee, and offered to buy her another one. He had seemed so tender, so genuine. Everything had been calculated.
“Guys, it’s time. The music already started,” Dylan warned.
“Ready? Let’s pretend we’re happy, then.”
Alexander laughed one more time, and the footsteps moved away down the hallway.
Valentina stayed alone, listening only to the sound of her own heartbeat and the wedding march beginning to rise through the church. She looked at herself in the sacristy mirror, at the white dress that had cost fifteen thousand dollars, chosen with such love over months of preparation. At the great-grandmother’s veil passed down through generations in the Miller family. At the perfect makeup done by the best professional in the city. All of it for a man who only wanted her money.
She drew in a deep breath and wiped away the tears that were starting to fall. No. She would not collapse. She would not give Alexander Sterling that pleasure. If he wanted to play dirty, she knew how to play too.
Her phone vibrated. A message from her younger sister.
“Val, where are you? Everyone is waiting for you.”
Valentina typed back quickly.
“I’m coming, Sophia.”
She slipped the phone away, adjusted the veil and the bouquet, then looked at herself one more time in the mirror. She smiled, rehearsing the expression she would wear from now on. Did Alexander want a passionate, naive bride? That was exactly what he would get. But the revenge waiting for him would be nothing he could ever imagine.
Valentina stepped out of the sacristy and walked through the hallway of the church. The guests turned to admire her. Whispers of approval rose all around her. She smiled and greeted people, playing the radiant bride to perfection.
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They were all at the front. Alexander waited by the altar. When their eyes met, he smiled in that way that once would have made her melt. Now she knew it was theater.
Richard Miller, her father, stood waiting to escort her. At sixty years old, he had built an empire of three gas stations and two coffee shops in the city. He was a simple man who had started by washing cars and worked his way up to everything he had.
“My princess, you are beautiful,” Richard said, offering her his arm.
“Thanks, Dad.”
