Everyone in Suncrest Bay knows I have a wife that makes other men jealous. She's not just an heiress to a wealthy family, she's also the legal world's infamous ice queen, the kind of woman everyone admires from a distance. But around me, she turns soft and sweet, like the perfect wife from a fairytale. I'd been planning to wait until our anniversary to tell her the truth. I wanted to reveal that I'm the Northhaven heir and take her home to meet my family. Then her birthday came, and I walked in on her new assistant forcing himself on her against a car. Pieces of torn clothing were scattered everywhere on the ground. I lost it. I went after him like a madman, and the assistant ended up in the ICU while I ended up in court. But here's what I never saw coming. My own wife stood up in that courtroom as my defense attorney and turned on me. She accused me of malicious assault and never said a single word about that bastard trying to rape her. The judge gave me three years. I confronted her in the visitation room, demanding to know why. She just sat there looking calm as ever. "You're my husband. Even if you go to prison, I'll still love you. But Ryan's different. He comes from nothing, and if he gets a rape conviction on his record, his whole life is over." That's when something inside me just died. Fine then. If she doesn't want to be the lady of the Martinez family, I'll take back everything I was going to give her. *** On the day I get out, Amanda Kane is standing outside the prison gates in a wedding dress. The second I see her, a wave of hatred hits me. If she hadn't lied on the stand, I never would've rotted in that cell for three years. Three years, and she never once came to visit me. So what's with this act now? "What are you doing here?" She smiles at me despite my cold stare and walks toward me, holding up the hem of her dress. "I'm here to pick you up, of course. My dear husband." She stops right in front of me and reaches up to smooth out the wrinkles on my collar. "Today's a special day, and I'm here to take you home so we can celebrate together." I'm about to refuse, but she lifts her hand. Two bodyguards in black suits step out of the car and flank me on both sides. "Please, honey," Amanda says with a sweet smile. I know I don't have a choice. I take a deep breath and get in the car. During the drive, Amanda keeps her head down, glued to her phone, and doesn't utter a single word to me. I'm fine with the silence though, and I spend the time figuring out how I'm going to divorce her. But when we pull up to the villa, I see the front lawn is covered in flowers and decorated with wedding arches. There's a giant welcome photo by the entrance, and it shows Amanda and her assistant, Ryan Sanders. So this special day she mentioned is her wedding to Ryan? Rage explodes inside me, and I can't hold it back anymore. I let the hatred take over. "Amanda, what the hell is this?" Amanda gives me a cold, mocking smile. The warmth on her face disappears and gets replaced by pure contempt. "Preston Martinez, you can't seriously think a convict like you deserves to be the husband of a Suncrest Bay princess, can you?" The bodyguards drag me out of the car, and suddenly, everyone's eyes are on me. "Oh wow, isn't that the convict? They actually let him out?" "Ugh, seeing trash like that on such a nice day really kills the mood." Ryan walks up to me in his sharp tailored suit with a smug look all over his face. "Well well, Preston, you're being so generous. Fresh out of prison and already rushing over to attend my wedding with Amanda. That's really considerate of you." Staring at that vicious face, I didn't hesitate for a second. I raised my fist and slammed it into him, knocking him flat to the ground. "Ryan!" Amanda screams and shoves me hard, then she drops down next to Ryan looking all concerned and helps him up. "Preston, listen to me. Ryan is my husband now, and if you lay another hand on him, don't blame me for what happens next." "Husband?" I sneered and shake my head. "Amanda, do I need to remind you? I spent three years in prison, but we're still married. We never got divorced." But when I say that, Amanda doesn't look embarrassed at all. She actually smiles like she's mocking me. She waves her hand and an assistant immediately walks over with two booklets. She throws both marriage licenses in my face. "Preston, open your damn eyes and look closely. This one's fake, a piece of garbage." Then she takes the marriage license Ryan's holding out to her like it's some precious treasure and waves it in front of my face. "Let me show you what a real one looks like, so you don't get fooled by other women in the future." "Think about it, Preston. I'm the top lawyer in Suncrest Bay and the Kane family heiress. Why would I ever marry a loser like you?" "Back then, I only married you because you had a pretty face. I wanted to play around with you for a while. But now that I get it. A puppy love is nothing compared to what a real man can give you." She pressed herself against Ryan's chest. Seeing them like that hurt to watch. Ryan wraps his arm around her bare shoulders. "Honestly, if it wasn't for you, Mandy and I might never have ended up together. When you attacked me three years ago, that's when she finally realized how she really felt about me." He pulls out a business card and holds it up. "But hey, call me a generous guy. Since I'm taking your wife, let me set you up with someone. Paradise City has plenty of girls, and every one of them knows her shit. You'll love it. Just choose one and I'll hook you up." Something inside me snaps. I punch him square in the face. "You two are disgusting..." The rage takes over completely. I lunge at them, ready to rip them both apart. But this is Kane family territory. Two bodyguards grab my arms and wrench them behind my back. My eyes are burning as I scream at Amanda, "He tried to rape you that night! I'm the one who saved you! Is this how you repay me?"
Amanda laughs softly. She leans in and kisses the blood at the corner of Ryan's mouth, then turns to look at me while holding his hand. "Who said he was a rapist? What happened three years ago was completely consensual. You just happened to walk in on us. And then you had to go and attack him like an idiot. I couldn't even pull you off." My chest tightens. I can't breathe. The memory of her face that night is burned into my brain—the pain, the fear in her eyes. "But you were begging me for help. You looked like you were in pain. You clearly didn't want it." She laughs harder, almost maniacally. "Preston, this is exactly why you're such an idiot. Ever heard of roleplay?" All the strength leaves my body at once. My legs go limp, and without the table behind me, I would fall right there. But she's not done twisting the knife. "You probably felt like some kind of hero that night, didn't you? Protecting your wife, feeling all proud of yourself? I guess when you're a total loser, you have to take your wins wherever you can get them." "So now you understand, don't you? I didn't flip my testimony three years ago. Ryan was never the guilty one to begin with." Classic move from my wife. She knows exactly where to twist the knife. I close my eyes and try to breathe, but in the end, I just grit my teeth and ask, "Amanda, are you really going through with this? You're actually marrying Ryan?" She glances at Ryan, and they both burst out laughing at the same time. "What, you think I should marry you instead? A convict? Preston, you're pathetic," she sneers. "Fine." My voice comes out flat. "Don't say I didn't warn you." I pull out the phone someone gave me three days ago and dial the only number saved in it. "Master Martinez, you've finally decided to call home." "Tell Dad I'm ready to come back and take over the family business. But I have one condition." The autumn wind cuts through my shirt as I lock eyes with Amanda and Ryan. "I want the Kane family empire destroyed before sunset." The second those words leave my mouth, Amanda, Ryan, and every guest watching this train wreck explode into laughter. "Did he just say he wants the Kane family destroyed before sunset?" "Man, I don't care how broke you are, drinking cheap booze will rot your brain. Listen to this guy." Ryan grins wide. "Well, since today's my wedding day with Mandy, I'm feeling generous. Let me treat you to all the drinks you want, buddy." Before I can react, the bodyguards swarm me again and wrestle me down. They wrench my jaw open, and Ryan grabs a wine bottle from a server's tray. He's got a twisted smile on his face as he smashes the bottle against the table and pours the sharp alcohol mixed with broken glass straight down my throat. Dark red wine explodes out of my nose, but Ryan clamps his hand over my mouth and nose, cutting off my air. "Mandy picked this wine herself. You better not waste a drop, or you're shitting all over her hard work." The wine burns down my throat and floods into my lungs. My face turns purple and my vision starts going white around the edges. Just when I think this is it, Ryan finally lets go. He tosses the bottle aside and it shatters across the ground. Then he kicks me hard in the back. I stumble forward and crash down onto my knees right in the pile of broken glass. Amanda sits across from me, sipping red wine from a crystal glass. "Consider this payback for what you did three years ago. Ryan's upset, so you deal with the consequences." Then she notices blood on Ryan's finger. She rushes over and kisses it. "Ryan, oh no, you're hurt." Her hand cracks across my face. The sting burns hot, but it's nothing compared to what her next words do. "No wonder your mother's dead, you piece of trash! How dare you hurt Ryan?"
People online are right. Never show anyone your scars. I never celebrated my birthday until Amanda threw me one. When she asked why I didn't celebrate, I thought she loved me enough to trust with the truth. I told her about the wound I'd carried for over twenty years. "My mom died in childbirth. I've always felt like if it weren't for me, she'd still be alive." I never imagined she'd use those words as a weapon. My cheek still burns from her slap, but she doesn't even glance at me. She's already holding Ryan's hand again, fawning over him. "Baby, be careful when you're teaching him a lesson. Don't hurt yourself. You're going to make me worry to death." They flirt behind me while hatred builds in my chest until I want to tear them both apart. Finally, Amanda sits back down in her chair. Ryan spits at me, crouches down in front of me, and grins. "You already drank the wine. Seems wrong not to let you taste how sweet our love is." The crowd around us starts jeering. "There you go, Ryan!" Before I can react, the bodyguards grab me and hold me up. Ryan picks up a chair and slams it into my lower back. I fly forward like a dying dog being kicked aside. But he's not done. He has them drag me back up and hits me again. And again. Until my back won't straighten anymore. Amanda suddenly perks up like she just remembered something fun. She walks over looking excited. "Oh my god, I almost forgot." "You used to say you'd love me forever, remember? And even though I don't love you anymore, you still love me, don't you?" I force out a harsh laugh through clenched teeth. I gave her too much freedom, too much affection. She's so far up her own ass she actually believes this garbage. Someone needs to fix that. She waves her hand, and a servant hurries over carrying a pregnant dog. "I paid a fortune teller good money to pick today. You should feel lucky." She smirks at me. "Ryan and I got this dog when we first started dating. Marrying into our family, even if it's just to our dog, is better than you deserve." She pulls out two rings and signals to her people. They grab my arms and pin me down. I realize what she's planning, and I thrash against their grip, but there are too many of them. One of them wrenches my hand open while another forces a ring onto my finger. The servant holds the dog's paw out, and Amanda slips the other ring around the dog's leg like a bracelet. Amanda throws her head back and laughs. "There! Now this bitch is officially your wife. Make sure you take good care of her and those puppies in her belly." My stomach turns. I can taste bile rising in my throat, and I double over and retch onto the ground. Amanda frowns at the bodyguard, and his fist crashes into my face. "How dare you act disgusted by my dog? You filthy convict." Her voice drops to something cold and sharp. "Beat him. Don't stop until Preston calls this dog his wife." She knows exactly what she's doing. I've always valued dignity above everything else. It's how I was raised. She's trying to break me completely. The blows rain down. At first, each impact brings sharp, blinding pain. I feel bones crack. But the longer it goes on, the less I feel. My body goes numb, mirroring a heart that already died. Ryan grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks my head up. "Well? You gonna say it or not?" I force my split lips into a grin. Maybe if the pain gets bad enough, I'll feel something again. "Kill me now if you've got the balls. Otherwise, I swear I'll make every single one of you suffer a thousand times worse than this." Ryan's smile twists into something vicious. "What was that? Did I hear you right?" He looks over at Amanda. "Mandy, your ex isn't just broke and useless. He's delusional too." Amanda suddenly raises her hand. The beating stops. For one pathetic second, warmth floods through my chest. Does she still care about me, even a little?
The next second, I understand what's really happening, and I hate myself for being stupid enough to hope. "Oh! How could I forget?" Amanda claps her hands together. "Every wedding needs a cake." She and Ryan exchange a look. They're both smiling now, satisfied. The bodyguards haul me up. I'm too beaten and bloody to fight back anymore. A massive wedding cake appears in front of me. I realize what they're about to do right before they hurl me into it. Frosting swallows me whole. It's sickeningly sweet, coating every inch of my skin in thick, sticky layers. The top tier crashes down. Everything goes dark as the cake buries me underneath. The thick frosting covers my nose and mouth. I can't breathe. My lungs burn as the oxygen slowly runs out. I close my eyes, and for a second, I let myself give up. I shouldn't have been so stubborn when I was younger. I shouldn't have left my family and come to Suncrest Bay alone to prove myself. But my biggest regret is falling in love with Amanda. Maybe leaving home wasn't the mistake. Maybe Amanda was always the mistake. She's a monster, and I was stupid enough to think I could turn her into something good. My whole life flashes through my mind, and the memory that sticks is being a kid on the beach building sandcastles with my father. The regret hits me like a wave. I used to imagine taking Amanda home one day. Holding her hand and introducing her to my father, telling him she's the one I love. I never imagined the woman I love would be the one to kill me. No. I can't die yet. Not before I make these two pay for what they've done. The thought jolts me awake. I shift my left hand slowly and push the frosting off my face. Air rushes into my lungs, and my head clears instantly. The crowd's laughter and insults pour into my ears. The sky's getting darker. Almost there. Just hold on a little longer and I'll win this. I already lost once. I'm not losing again. "Preston should look in a mirror. Like he ever had a chance with Amanda. Crazy." "Don't even talk about him being a convict now. Even three years ago, a worthless pretty face like him could never be worthy of someone like Amanda." "Amanda and Ryan are perfect together. She was just messing around with Preston all those years. Who knew he'd actually take it seriously?" It's almost funny how blind I was. She's been sleeping with Ryan this whole time, and I never noticed. Ryan sees my head emerge from the cake and grabs my collar, ready to shove me back down. I catch his wrist. "Try it. We live in a civilized society, asshole. I die, and you go down too." "Oh really?" Ryan looks at Amanda. She just shrugs with a smile on her face. "Oh? Mr. Martinez gets out of prison, can't handle his ex getting married, and kills himself. What does that have to do with us?" She turns to the crowd. "Did anyone see Preston here today?" Everyone laughs and shakes their heads. "Preston? Who's Preston?" "Nope, didn't see anyone. We were at Amanda's party after the wedding until sunrise. Never saw the guy." Amanda smirks at me. "You see? Three years ago, I erased the garage surveillance footage, and three years later, I can erase the villa footage just as easily. You're a convict. Nobody's going to care if you're dead." The party keeps going around me like I'm not even there. At that moment, sirens split the air. Car doors slam in perfect unison. "Everyone freeze!"
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