Aria's POV
I woke up to Sophie screaming.
"ARIA! GET UP! YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!"
My eyes flew open. For one beautiful second, I didn't remember. Then reality crashed down. Today was supposed to be my wedding day.
Instead, Julian was marrying my sister.
Sophie burst into the guest room, shoving her phone in my face. "Look! LOOK AT THIS!"
Instagram was open. Julian's account. A photo from one hour ago—him and Celeste at the altar, her in a white dress, him kissing her hand. The caption made my stomach turn:
"Marrying my soulmate today. Sometimes you don't know what real love is until it finds you. #ForeverStartsNow #MyBride"
My soulmate. Real love.
After six years with me.
"That BASTARD!" Sophie paced like a caged animal. "Look at the comments! Everyone's congratulating them! Nobody even remembers you!"
She was right. Hundreds of comments. "Beautiful couple!" "So romantic!" "True love wins!"
Not one person asked about me.
"I'm going to the wedding," Sophie announced, grabbing her keys. "I'm going to stand up and tell everyone what they did!"
"Sophie, no—"
"Yes! They don't get to be happy while you're destroyed!" Her voice cracked. "Let me fight for you."
"Fighting won't change anything." I sat up slowly, my hand going to my stomach. Still flat. But there was a baby in there. Julian's baby. And he was getting married right now without knowing.
Part of me wanted to tell him. Wanted to ruin his day.
But a bigger part wanted him to never know.
"Then what do we do?" Sophie's eyes filled with tears. "Just let them win?"
I looked at Dante's business card on the nightstand. Black with silver letters. An address. A time.
10 AM.
I checked the clock. 9:15.
"We don't let them win," I said quietly. "We just change the game."
Sophie followed my gaze. "You're really going to marry him?"
"Do I have another choice?" I stood up, legs shaky. "Julian's getting married right now. My family threw me out. I'm pregnant with nobody to help me."
"But you don't love him. You don't even know him!"
"I loved Julian and look where that got me." I picked up the card. "Maybe what I need is someone who sees me as valuable."
Sophie grabbed my shoulders. "You ARE valuable! You rebuilt that whole company yourself!"
"Then why does everyone keep throwing me away?" The question burst out, raw and broken. "Why wasn't I enough?"
"Because they're idiots!" Sophie pulled me into a hug. "But marrying a stranger isn't the answer."
"It's the only answer I've got."
We stood there, holding each other. My best friend. The only person who hadn't abandoned me.
"If you're doing this, I'm coming with you," Sophie finally said.
"Okay." I tried to smile. "Help me find something to wear?"
Forty-five minutes later, I stood in Sophie's mirror wearing her black dress. Hair pulled back. Minimal makeup.
I looked like I was going to a funeral.
Maybe I was. The funeral of the old Aria.
"You look beautiful," Sophie said softly.
"I look terrified."
"That too." She squeezed my hand. "But also strong."
The drive took twenty minutes. Blackwood Enterprises tower loomed ahead—seventy floors of dark glass and steel.
"Last chance to change your mind," Sophie said.
I stared up at the building. This was insane.
I should run.
But where would I run to?
I opened the car door.
"I'm not changing my mind."
The lobby was marble and mirrors. A security guard made a call. Seconds later, a man in an expensive suit appeared—tall, handsome, with warm brown eyes.
"Ms. Montgomery? I'm Marcus Blackwood, Dante's cousin. He's expecting you."
The elevator shot upward so fast my stomach dropped.
"Dante's a good man," Marcus said quietly. "He won't hurt you."
The doors opened.
I stepped into the most beautiful office I'd ever seen. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the entire city. And standing there was Dante Blackwood.
He turned.
Our eyes met.
My breath caught.
He was even more handsome in daylight—tall and powerful, with jet-black hair and intense eyes.
"Aria." My name sounded like a prayer. "You came."
"You didn't give me much choice."
"You always have a choice." He walked toward me slowly. "Even now. You can walk away."
"And if I stay?"
"Then we change your life. Starting today." He stopped a few feet away. "Have you decided?"
My phone buzzed.
A text from an unknown number.
Aria, please. We need to talk. This is all a huge mistake. Come to the reception tonight. I'm begging you. —Julian
I stared at the message. Julian was texting me. On his wedding day.
The audacity was breathtaking.
I showed Dante the phone, hands trembling with rage.
His jaw clenched. Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "What do you want to do?"
"I want to make him regret everything." The words came out cold. "I want him to see what he threw away."
Dante's smile was terrifying and beautiful. "Then marry me, Aria. Right now. And tonight, we'll walk into that reception together."
Sophie gasped. "Today? This morning?"
"I have everything ready," Dante said. "A judge, papers, rings. Say yes, and in one hour, you'll be Mrs. Blackwood."
My heart hammered. This was crazy.
But so was everything Julian had done.
"What happens after?" I asked.
Dante pulled out his phone, showing me a photo. An invitation.
Reception at the Grand Plaza Hotel. 8 PM.
My breath stopped. "How did you get that?"
"I have my connections." His smile turned predatory. "Marry me now, and tonight we crash their reception as husband and wife."
"That's not all though, is it?"
"No." Dante exchanged a look with Marcus. "Aria, Celeste isn't dying. She faked everything. I have proof."
The words hit me like a blow. "What?"
"She's perfectly healthy. She made it all up." His voice was gentle. "And there's more. Your mother was Elizabeth Montgomery. Of Montgomery Technologies. She left you everything in a trust. Five billion dollars. It unlocks when you turn twenty-five."
The room spun. "What?"
"You're an heiress, Aria. In thirty days, you become one of the richest women in the country."
I couldn't breathe.
"My grandfather?"
"Alive. Waiting to meet you." Dante's expression softened. "You're not alone."
Tears streamed down my face. "Why tell me this now?"
"Because I want you to marry me knowing the truth. Knowing your worth." He took my hands. "You don't need me—but I'm hoping you'll choose me anyway."
I looked at Sophie. She was crying, nodding encouragement.
"If I marry you," I said slowly, "what happens to the baby?"
"The baby is yours. That makes them mine too. Julian never has to know." His voice was fierce. "Your child will be a Blackwood. Protected. Loved. Always."
Hope bloomed in my chest. Real hope.
"Okay," I whispered.
"Okay?"
"Yes. I'll marry you."
Dante's smile was brilliant.
Then his phone rang.
He answered, listened, and his expression went dark. Dangerous.
"What?" I asked. "What's wrong?"
He looked at me, eyes cold as ice.
"Your stepmother Victoria just entered the building. She's coming up here right now." He paused. "And she's carrying a gun."