They Faked My Wedding. I Married a Billionaire

After nine years with my fiancé, I was finally married. I'd just received the marriage documents bearing the county seal when the clerk who'd stamped them suddenly pulled off his mask. It was my brother, Rhys. “Darian, we're done, right? We can get rid of the rented counter and the set this afternoon.” The blood drained from my face. I turned and spotted Finn Locke, the boy I'd grown up with, among the couples waiting in line. The man in the security uniform by the door was my father. Darian Croft lit a cigarette, an easy smile on his face. “Sorry, Ines. This isn't a county office—the marriage license, the marriage certificate, even the staff IDs are fake. Rhys and your dad were just putting on a little show with me.” “We wanted to give you a taste of being a bride. In three days, Odette and I are going to the Clark County Marriage License Bureau to do it for real.” It felt as if something had exploded in my head. My ears rang. His mouth curved as he went on. “Once she's done playing, we'll get divorced, and then I'll marry you.” “You'll still get to be Mrs. Croft. You just have to let her have the title for a while.” I looked at him, forcing down the emotions welling up inside me. “Okay. I accept.” He raised an eyebrow, apparently surprised I'd agreed so quickly. But he didn't know whose proposal I'd decided to accept: the head of the Veymont family. The family controlled a vast financial group spanning New York and London. I'd be getting married in three days, too. And I'd be starting at the Clark County Marriage License Bureau, too. … For a moment, the fake office fell silent. Then Darian's mocking voice cut through it. “You'll even accept that? Good girl.” “Nine years, Ines. Give you a little hope, and you come running back with your tail wagging.” I lowered my eyes, digging my nails into my palm. Rhys's cold voice came from behind me. “Stop making that face. We rented an entire room and signed the papers with you just to make you happy—what more do you want?” My father's voice was just as cold. “Odette's younger than you, and she's more understanding. Darian's just marrying her first. Waiting a little won't kill you.” Darian tilted his head, a warning in his voice. “Ines Ashby, I'm marrying Odette in three days. You'd better stay away.” “She can't handle stress. If you scare her, I won't be happy.” She can't handle stress. The words stabbed into my chest. I'd been with him for nine years. When one of his business rivals showed up with a group of men, I was the one who stood in front of him. Then a bottle struck the back of my head, and I needed seven stitches. He hadn't said a single word of concern. At a party celebrating an acquisition, I'd downed seven glasses of strong whiskey for him and ended up in the ICU. He hadn't said a word of concern then, either. Now, just imagining that I might scare Odette was more than he could bear. “Darian, don't talk about her like that.” My stepsister Odette stood in the doorway, her eyes reddening. “Ines, I'm sorry. They all said I should marry Darian first. I didn't know how to say no.” The next second, she leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Did you know? You've been with Darian for nine years, and I've been secretly dating him for eight.” “Dad, Rhys, Finn, and all those friends of yours knew.” My heart clenched. A sharp pain shot through me. Before I could react, she swiped across her phone screen. The screen filled with message threads, photos of them together, and videos. Only days after Darian and I stayed at a resort, he'd taken Odette back to the same resort. One night, he'd held me and promised me forever. The next day, he'd taken Odette into a hotel suite. For nine years, I'd been this family's biggest joke. As I stood there, cold and rigid, Rhys shoved his phone in my face, too. The screen was painfully bright. It showed Darian and Odette's wedding portraits. Their congratulatory comments crowded the space below the photos. “Dad, Finn, and I were all there for the photo shoot,” Rhys said coldly. “You should've seen the way Darian looked at her when she came out in that wedding dress.” Odette watched my face. I knew she was waiting for me to break down, to get hysterical. “Don't be angry, okay?” Tears spilled down her cheeks on cue. “It's all my fault—I shouldn't have fallen in love with Darian.” My father came over and patted Odette's back to comfort her. “You've had to give everything up for her since you were little. It's time she learned what it feels like to have something taken away.” I could only look at them with cold contempt. Those things had been mine to begin with. Odette had played the victim and taken everything from me with a few tears. Now even my family and friends were all on her side. Rhys came over, a mocking smile on his lips. “We actually made a bet on how long you'd cry when you found out the marriage documents were fake.” “If you cried, Darian would spend another five minutes comforting you.” Darian said nothing. He leaned against the wall and watched me with cold eyes. “Not a single tear. How boring.” Finn's voice was cruel. I looked at the people who'd worked together to deceive me, my face expressionless. I slowly took out my phone and opened the pinned chat that had been silent for an entire year. The man who'd sent the message had never bothered me. The last message was from a year ago. [If you ever decide you want a different husband, text me. I'm always here.] My fingers tapped out a few words. [I've decided. In three days, I'll be waiting at the Clark County Marriage License Bureau.] The reply arrived in less than a second. [Okay.]

After returning from the fake office, I numbly packed what little I owned. I didn't want a home without love anymore. And I didn't want love that always left me waiting. Suddenly, someone shoved my bedroom door open. Odette walked in with her arm linked through Rhys's. Her gaze locked on the couture wedding dress in my closet. It was an archival designer piece Darian had bought for me at a charity auction, raising his paddle seven times and paying $1.6 million. He'd told me to wear it when we got married so I'd be the most beautiful bride. “Rhys, that dress is gorgeous. I'd look so beautiful in it when I say my vows to Darian.” As soon as she finished, Rhys snapped, “Ines, give her the dress.” I raised my arms to shield the dress. “No.” The rims of Odette's eyes instantly reddened. She bit her lip. “Forget it, Rhys. I was just saying.” “Things that nice were never meant for me anyway.” Rhys's voice turned cold. “You've taken so much from her. Is giving her one dress back really too much to ask?” I looked up, my gaze lifeless. “I'm wearing it when I get married in three days.” Rhys laughed, his shoulders shaking. “Married? Darian's marrying Odette. Do you seriously still not get that?” I tightened my grip on the skirt and spoke each word distinctly. “Darian isn't the man I'm marrying.” “That's even funnier. For nine years, you've done nothing but follow him around. What other man could you possibly know?” “Ines, at least make up something we can believe.” Odette laughed, too. I took a deep breath and spoke slowly. “The man I'm marrying is a Veymont.” Odette froze for a moment, then doubled over laughing. “Veymont? Which Veymont? Don't tell me you mean the Veymont family that controls all those banks and investment firms.” “What next? Are you going to say the head of that financial group got down on his knees and begged you to marry him?” “You're a little upset. You don't have to make a fool of yourself.” I didn't argue. I just lowered my eyes, my voice quiet. “You'll find out in three days.” Rhys scoffed. “Keep making things up.” Just then, a familiar mocking voice came from the doorway. “Ines, I promised you. Once Odette's done playing and we're divorced, I'll marry you.” “Are you that impatient? Now you're even dragging the Veymont family into this.” “Stop making excuses to stall. Give her the dress.” Darian walked in and immediately tried to snatch the wedding dress from me. Riiiip— The sharp sound of tearing filled the room. The dress split at the waist, ripping the satin and tulle in two. Just like the nine years of my youth I'd wasted. My eyes burned with tears, but I swallowed the hurt back down. Only then did Darian seem to notice something was wrong. “Don't give me that look. I paid for this dress, so of course I get to decide who wears it.” “I'll buy you an even more expensive one when I find something suitable.” Odette nestled into his arms and spoke sweetly. “The dress is ruined, so I can't wear it either. Can we make that lakeside mansion you were going to give Ines our home after the wedding?” Darian paused and glanced at me. The next second, he took out his phone and called his assistant. “Have the lawyer prepare the gift paperwork. Transfer the house at Lake Las Vegas into Odette's name.” After hanging up, he looked at me, his tone dismissive. “Once she and I are divorced and I actually marry you, I'll have her transfer it back.” I looked at his face and found no sincerity there. My love for him died a little more. Just then, my phone vibrated softly. [Ines, the gift paperwork for the mansion in the Summerlin foothills is ready. Once you sign, the title will be in your name alone.] [That will be our home.] I stared at the message for three seconds. Then I blinked against the sting in my eyes. I looked up at Darian, my voice calm. “Don't bother transferring it back.” “I don't want that house.” “Someone's already prepared one for me.”

Darian froze for a moment. Then he reached up and rubbed my head, his tone as dismissive as ever. “Ines, I know you're hurt. But she just wants to be a bride once. You'll be Mrs. Croft in the end.” Odette's eyes instantly reddened, and she clutched his sleeve. “Darian, I'm really scared.” “She must hate me. What am I supposed to do if she bursts in on our wedding day?” Her voice caught as she looked up at Rhys. Rhys's expression darkened abruptly. “She's right.” He considered it for a moment, his tone so cold it made me shiver. “Lock Ines up. Let her out after you've said your vows.” Odette raised her eyebrows at me, her eyes gleaming with triumph. I'd thought Darian might still have a scrap of decency. But the next second, he nodded without hesitation. “Fine.” Even that wasn't enough for him. He looked down at me. “Don't seal the door shut. Leave her a small chance to escape.” “If she fights her way out, it'll prove she can't live without me. Once Odette and I are divorced, I'll marry her.” What a joke. My throat tightened, and something inside me shattered. Before I could fight back, they took my phone and locked me in the basement storage room. The iron door slammed shut. Cold, damp darkness closed in on me until I could hardly breathe. I clawed frantically at the rusty latch on the door. The rough metal scraped my fingers raw. Blood trickled out, but I didn't stop. Snickers slipped through the gap around the door. “See? As long as Darian says he'll marry her, she'll do anything.” “He's about to marry you, and she still thinks she has a chance. Pathetic.” Every word reached me, and my whole body shook. I bit down hard on my trembling lip and kept searching for a way out. For two full days, I used my fingernails to loosen the latch a little at a time. Late on the second night, it finally gave way, and light spilled through the crack in the door. But as soon as I saw the light again, I found Odette, Rhys, and Finn blocking the doorway. Their eyes held undisguised mockery and malice. “Did you really think we'd let you leave? You actually fell for it, Ines.” The three of them rushed forward and dragged me roughly up to the third floor, ignoring my struggles and cries. They bound my arms and legs tightly to a chair, the ropes cutting painfully into my skin. Darian walked slowly into the room. He held a remote, his eyes full of amusement. A modified electric shock device was connected to the chair's armrests and foot supports. “I want to see just how badly you want to marry me.” “Hold out for half an hour, and I'll get Odette to sign the divorce papers sooner.” The moment he pressed the button— Numbness, stinging pain, and spasms shot through my limbs. My whole body shook violently. I could barely breathe and almost passed out. Time crawled by, second after second. The time I'd agreed to meet that man was getting closer. Panic burned through me. Every part of me screamed to escape. I couldn't lose. I couldn't let them trap me here until I died. As I struggled, the knot around my wrist slowly loosened. The current cut off. I let my head fall forward and stayed limp. “That's all you've got?” Darian sneered. Their laughter faded as they left the room. I slipped one hand free, untied my other wrist, then bent over the rope around my ankles. The last knot gave. I shoved the chair aside, ran for the open third-floor window, and jumped.