Ava Lawson stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection.
The white wedding dress hugged her body perfectly, hair styled to perfection and makeup slayed like a Disney princess.
Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.
Her wedding day.
She let out a nervous breath and touched the necklace resting against her collarbone,a gift from her fiancé, Daniel.
"Mrs. Ava Carter," she whispered to herself.
The words felt strange on her tongue.
But exciting.
Ava smiled to herself.
Then the smile slowly faded.
Something felt… wrong.
Her maid of honor,her younger sister Chloe, had been gone for almost twenty minutes.
Ava frowned.
"Where did she go?"
Maybe she went to check on Daniel.
Lifting the edge of her dress, Ava stepped into the hallway.
The corridor was quiet. Too quiet compared to the cheerful noise downstairs.
She walked toward Daniel's private suite.
The door was slightly open.
Ava smiled.
"Daniel?" she called gently.
No answer.
She pushed the door open.
And then….
Her world shattered.
The sheets on the bed were tangled.
Two bodies moved together beneath the dim light.
A woman's voice drifted through the room.
Soft.
Breathy.
Familiar.
Ava's heart stopped.
"Daniel… let's continue later. Someone might walk in."
The man chuckled.
"They're all downstairs. Relax."
Ava's chest tightened painfully as she stepped forward.
Then the woman turned.
Blonde hair.
Red lipstick.
Ava's bouquet slipped from her hand and hit the floor.
"Chloe…?"
Chloe froze.
Daniel shot upright in bed.
"Ava, this isn't what you think!"
The words echoed uselessly in the room.
Ava stared at them.
Her fiancé.
Her sister.
Entangled in the bed meant for her wedding night.
Something deep inside her cracked.
"Not what I think?" she whispered.
Her voice trembled.
"You're naked in bed with my sister… on our wedding day."
Neither of them spoke.
The silence felt suffocating.
Then Chloe rolled her eyes and wrapped the sheet around herself.
"Well," she said casually, "since you already know… there's no point pretending."
Ava blinked in disbelief.
"What?"
Daniel ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"Ava… I was going to tell you eventually."
Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
"Tell me what?"
Chloe smirked.
"That he's been sleeping with me for months."
The words cut through Ava like glass.
Months.
Her knees nearly gave out.
Daniel stood quickly.
"It's complicated."
Ava let out a hollow laugh.
"Complicated?"
Tears blurred her vision.
"You have been cheating on me… with my own sister."
Chloe shrugged.
"Honestly, Ava, you should've seen it coming."
Ava's head snapped up.
"What do you mean?"
Chloe stepped closer, her expression cold.
"Daniel doesn't love you."
The room seemed to spin.
"He stayed because he didn't know how to tell you the truth. He was marrying you out of pity."
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
But he didn't deny it.
That hurt more than anything.
Slowly, Ava removed the necklace from her neck.
The one Daniel had given her.
She dropped it onto the floor.
"Congratulations," she whispered.
"Both of you deserve each other."
Then she turned and ran.
Rain poured heavily outside the hotel.
Ava's wedding dress dragged through puddles as she ran down the street.
Her once flawless makeup was now completely ruined, mascara running down her cheeks as the rain blended with the tears she could no longer hold back.
Her chest ached.
Her heart felt like it had been ripped apart.
Everything hurt.
A black luxury car suddenly stopped beside her.
The tinted window rolled down slowly.
Inside sat a man.
Tall.
Dark hair.
Sharp, beautiful eyes.
"Miss," he said calmly.
His voice was deep and steady.
"You look like a runaway bride."
Ava laughed bitterly.
"You have no idea."
The stranger studied her for a moment.
Then he said something unexpected.
"Marry me tonight."
Ava froze.
"What?"
His gaze didn't waver.
"Marry me tonight."
Her brows furrowed.
"Excuse me?"
The man leaned back slightly in his seat, watching her with quiet confidence.
Up close, Ava noticed how intimidating he looked. His suit was perfectly tailored. His posture straight, controlled the posture of someone used to power.
He didn't look like a man who joked.
"Get in the car," he said.
Ava blinked.
"I don't even know you."
He tilted his head slightly.
"And standing in the rain in a wedding dress is a better plan?"
Ava hesitated.
Daniel.
Chloe.
The betrayal replayed in her mind like a nightmare.
Something inside her snapped.
Maybe she really had nothing left to lose.
She opened the car door and slid inside.
Warm air wrapped around her immediately.
The car drove off.
Silence filled the space between them.
Finally Ava asked,
"Who are you?"
The man adjusted his cufflinks calmly.
"Alexander Knight."
Ava's eyes widened.
Everyone knew that name.
Alexander Knight.
CEO of Knight Global.
One of the richest and most powerful men in the country.
Cold.
Untouchable.
Completely out of her world.
"You're joking," she said.
"I don't joke."
Ava swallowed.
"Why would someone like you ask a stranger to marry you?"
Alexander looked at her directly.
"Because you need revenge."
Her breath caught.
"And I need a wife."
The words hung in the air.
"A contract marriage," he continued. "One year."
Ava let out a small laugh.
"This is insane."
"Is it?" he asked calmly.
"You were supposed to get married today. Something clearly went wrong."
Her chest tightened again.
Alexander leaned slightly closer.
"Imagine their faces when they discover you married someone far more powerful than them."
Ava pictured Daniel's expression.
Chloe's jealousy.
Her heart pounded.
"You'll have protection," Alexander continued. "Money. Freedom."
"And what do you get?" she asked quietly.
"My family wants me married."
He shrugged slightly.
"This solves both our problems."
The rain outside began to soften.
Ava stared at her engagement ring.
The symbol of a future that no longer existed.
Slowly, she removed it.
"If I say yes…" she whispered.
"This ends in one year?"
"Yes."
"No feelings?"
"No feelings."
Ava nodded slowly.
Then she looked at him.
"Okay."
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
"You're agreeing?"
A bitter smile touched her lips.
"I just caught my fiancé in bed with my sister."
She leaned back in the seat.
"So honestly…"
"What's the worst that could happen?"
Alexander studied her for a moment.
Then he nodded once.
"Good."
He turned to the driver.
"Take us to the courthouse."
Ava's heart skipped.
"Wait."
Alexander paused and looked back at her.
"You said tonight."
And suddenly it hit her.
It was happening .
The courthouse lobby was quiet.
Ava sat stiffly beside Alexander Knight, the damp fabric of her wedding dress rustling softly every time she shifted. The once-perfect gown had begun to dry, leaving faint wrinkles along the skirt.
Just hours ago, she had imagined walking down the aisle.
Now she was sitting in a courthouse beside a stranger who had asked her to marry him in the rain.
Across the room, a clerk flipped through a stack of documents.
"Marriage certificate," the woman said without looking up. "Names?"
Alexander answered without hesitation.
"Alexander Knight."
The clerk's head snapped up immediately.
Her eyes widened.
"Alexander… Knight?"
Alexander gave a small, polite nod, clearly used to the reaction.
The clerk suddenly sat up straighter.
"And the bride?"
Ava hesitated.
The words still felt unreal.
An hour ago she had been preparing to marry someone else.
She swallowed.
"Ava Lawson."
The clerk typed quickly into the computer.
"Please wait. The judge will see you shortly."
Alexander leaned back calmly in his chair, completely at ease.
Ava, however, felt like her entire life was spinning out of control.
She leaned toward him slightly.
"Are you really sure about this?"
Alexander glanced at her.
"I don't make impulsive decisions."
Ava raised an eyebrow.
"You proposed to a stranger in the rain."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Correction. I proposed to a woman who clearly had nothing left to lose."
Ava opened her mouth to reply..
But the courthouse doors suddenly swung open.
Two familiar voices echoed through the lobby.
"We're here for the marriage license!"
Ava froze.
Her heart slammed violently against her chest.
She knew that voice.
Slowly… painfully… she turned around.
And there they were.
Daniel.
And Chloe.
Daniel walked toward the desk with clear irritation on his face.
"We want to register our marriage today."
The clerk nodded.
"Names please?"
"Daniel Carter."
Chloe clung to his arm dramatically.
"And Chloe Lawson."
The words knocked the air out of Ava's lungs.
Her own sister.
Planning her own wedding just hours after destroying her's.
For a moment, Chloe didn't notice her.
Then her eyes scanned the room.
And landed on Ava.
Her smile vanished instantly.
"What the…."
Daniel turned.
The moment he saw Ava sitting beside Alexander, his entire body stiffened.
"Ava?"
His gaze dropped to her wedding dress.
Then shifted slowly to the man beside her.
Recognition dawned on his face.
His expression paled.
"Alexander Knight…?"
The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed.
Chloe stared at Ava in disbelief.
"You followed us here?"
Ava blinked slowly.
"Excuse me?"
Chloe rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. You couldn't handle Daniel choosing me, so now you're here to cause a scene?"
Ava stared at her sister.
The audacity was almost unbelievable.
Before she could respond,
Alexander stood.
The movement was slow and controlled, yet somehow commanding.
The room seemed to quiet instantly.
His voice was calm.
Cold.
"She didn't follow you."
Daniel frowned.
"And who exactly are you to speak for her?"
Alexander slipped one hand casually into his pocket.
"I'm her husband."
Silence slammed into the room.
Chloe burst into laughter.
"That's hilarious."
She looked at Ava mockingly.
"Oh wow. You found someone already? Did you hire him to pretend?"
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"Ava, stop embarrassing yourself."
Ava felt anger rising in her chest.
But before she could respond,
Alexander stepped closer to her.
Then, without hesitation, he placed an arm around her shoulders.
The warmth of his hand startled her.
He looked directly at Daniel.
"My wife isn't embarrassing herself."
The word wife carried through the lobby.
Daniel's face darkened.
"This is ridiculous. Ava was supposed to marry me today."
Alexander raised one eyebrow.
"Clearly that plan changed."
Chloe folded her arms.
"Oh please. Ava could never land a man like you."
Alexander's gaze shifted slowly toward her.
It was icy.
"Your opinion is irrelevant."
Then he turned back to Daniel.
"If you're finished with this conversation…"
He pulled Ava slightly closer.
"…my wife and I have a wedding to attend."
Daniel clenched his fists.
"You're making a mistake, Ava."
Ava finally spoke.
Her voice was calm.
Steady.
"No."
She looked straight into his eyes.
"The mistake was loving you."
The courthouse clerk suddenly cleared her throat.
"Mr. Knight, the judge is ready for you now."
Alexander nodded once.
Then he turned slightly toward Ava.
"Ready?"
Ava took a deep breath.
She looked one last time at Daniel and Chloe.
The two people who had shattered her heart only hours ago.
Then she turned back to Alexander.
"Yes."
They began walking toward the judge's office.
Behind them, Chloe muttered angrily to Daniel.
"She's so pathetic."
But Ava didn't look back.
Some bridges, once burned, were never meant to be rebuilt.
And tonight, she was leaving her old life behind.
In just a few minutes…
Ava Lawson would disappear.
And in her place, a new woman would rise.
Mrs. Ava Knight.