Chapter 1: The Cry Inside the Mansion
High society's picture-perfect image is often built on its ugliest lies.
Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.
A lavish wedding at a magnificent Spanish-style estate.
Thousands of white roses.
The finest champagne money could buy.
The country's most powerful families gathered beneath crystal chandeliers.
I stood in a custom-tailored black tuxedo, waiting to marry the woman I believed was the love of my life.
Then a sound shattered everything.
Desperate pounding.
A terrified child's scream.
I sprinted down the long marble hallway.
One of the housemaids was already running toward the west wing, her face pale with panic.
When I looked through the large glass panel in the door, my blood ran cold.
A little boy.
Dirty clothes.
Tear-streaked face.
He was trapped inside a dark room, pounding both tiny hands against the thick glass, begging to be let out.
Standing outside the door...
Was my bride.
Still wearing her flawless white wedding gown.
May you like
Her hands were trembling violently.
And she was clutching the room key as though her life depended on it.
