Chapter 1

The elevator's soft chime echoed through the marble lobby of Richards Corporation as I stepped out, my heels clicking against the polished floor. Three days. Just three days until I would walk down the aisle and become Mrs. Gabriel Richards. The thought should have filled me with joy, but instead, a knot of anxiety twisted in my stomach.

I clutched the leather portfolio containing our final wedding details, my fingers unconsciously finding the familiar weight of Grandmother's gold bracelet on my wrist. The delicate piece had been in our family for generations, and knowing it would be with me on my wedding day brought comfort amid the chaos of last-minute preparations.

Gabriel's assistant, Monica, looked up from her desk with a practiced smile. "Ms. Young, he's expecting you. Go right in."

I pushed open the heavy oak door to find Gabriel hunched over his desk, phone pressed to his ear. His dark hair was perfectly styled despite the late hour, his navy suit immaculate as always. He held up one finger, signaling me to wait, then continued his conversation in rapid Spanish—something about catering arrangements.

My eyes drifted to the stack of cream-colored envelopes on his desk. Wedding invitations. A flutter of excitement rose in my chest as I moved closer, eager to see how beautiful they looked with our names intertwined.

But the words that greeted me made my blood freeze.

*Castillo de Montemayor, Sevilla, España.*

Not Grandmother's estate. Not the rolling vineyards of Napa Valley where four generations of Young women had been married. Not the rose garden where I'd dreamed of saying my vows since I was twelve years old.

A Spanish castle.

"Gabriel." My voice came out as barely a whisper.

He glanced up, still talking, and his expression shifted when he saw me holding the invitation. He quickly ended his call. "Izzy, sweetheart, I can explain—"

"Explain what?" The invitation trembled in my hands. "Explain why our wedding invitations have a completely different venue than what we discussed? Explain why you changed our wedding location without telling me?"

He stood, moving around the desk with that charming smile that usually melted my resolve. "It's a surprise, baby. Dakota mentioned this incredible castle in Sevilla—she stayed there last month and said it was the most romantic place she'd ever seen. I thought you'd love it."

Dakota. Of course.

"You changed our wedding venue because Dakota suggested it?" The words tasted bitter. "Gabriel, we've been planning this for two years. My grandmother's estate—"

"Is beautiful, yes, but think about the photos, Izzy. Think about how incredible this will be. A destination wedding in Spain? Our friends will talk about it for years."

I stared at him, searching his face for some sign that he understood what he'd done. That he remembered the hours we'd spent walking through Grandmother's gardens, planning where the altar would be, which vintage we'd serve from the family vineyard.

"You don't understand," I said quietly. "That estate isn't just a venue, Gabriel. It's where my parents were married. Where my grandparents were married. It's—"

"I know, I know." He waved a dismissive hand. "But we can have the reception there later, maybe for our first anniversary. This will be so much more special."

Special for whom? The question burned on my tongue, but I couldn't bring myself to ask it. Not yet.

That evening, the pre-wedding gathering at Gabriel's parents' house buzzed with excitement. Crystal glasses clinked, laughter echoed through the expansive living room, and everyone seemed genuinely thrilled about the upcoming celebration. Everyone except me.

I smiled and nodded at the appropriate moments, accepting congratulations and compliments on my dress—a simple black cocktail dress that suddenly felt too tight, too formal, too much like a costume I was wearing for a role I no longer wanted to play.

The summer air felt thick and oppressive as I stepped onto the terrace, desperate for a moment alone. The French doors remained open behind me, warm light spilling onto the stone patio where potted gardenias released their heavy fragrance into the night.

I closed my eyes, trying to center myself, when Gabriel's voice drifted through the open window of his father's study.

"...obviously marrying me for the financial security."

My eyes snapped open. That was Gabriel's voice, unmistakably.

"Come on, man, her family's practically bankrupt," he continued, and I heard the clink of ice in a glass. "The vineyard's been hemorrhaging money for years. I'm basically rescuing her from poverty."

Male laughter followed—his college friends, probably. The same men who'd toasted our engagement just hours ago.

"At least she's pretty," someone said. "And grateful, I bet."

"Very grateful." Gabriel's voice carried a smugness that made my skin crawl. "Though between you and me, I sometimes wonder what I'm getting myself into. Her grandmother's always going on about family legacy and tradition—it's exhausting."

More laughter. More clinking glasses. More casual destruction of everything I'd believed about the man I was supposed to marry in three days.

I pressed my back against the cool stone wall, my heart hammering so loudly I was sure they could hear it inside. Ten years. Ten years of my life, of my love, of my trust, and this was how he really saw me. Not as his partner, his equal, his chosen companion for life.

As a charity case.

The next morning, I drove to Grandmother's estate with shaking hands and a hollow chest. The familiar sight of the wrought-iron gates and the winding drive lined with ancient oaks usually brought me peace, but today even this sacred place couldn't quiet the storm inside me.

Grandmother Eleanor was in her sitting room when I arrived, her silver hair perfectly coiffed despite the early hour. At eighty-two, she remained the most elegant woman I knew, her posture straight, her blue eyes sharp as ever.

"Darling," she said, rising to embrace me. "You look pale. Are you eating enough? Wedding stress?"

If only it were that simple.

"Grandmother, I wanted to talk about the ceremony details. About wearing your jewelry." I settled into the chair across from her, the same chair where she'd told me stories as a child, where she'd taught me about our family's history.

"Oh." Her face fell, and something cold settled in my stomach. "Darling, I'm afraid there's been a change."

"A change?"

Her hands twisted in her lap, and for the first time in my life, my formidable grandmother looked fragile. "Gabriel came by yesterday. He... he took the bracelet and the ring."

The world tilted. "He took them?"

"He said he wanted to have them redesigned. Into a necklace." Her voice grew smaller. "He said it would be for someone who would appreciate beautiful things more."

The words hit me like physical blows. Someone who would appreciate beautiful things more. Not me. Not the granddaughter who'd grown up hearing stories about Great-Great-Grandmother's bracelet, who'd traced the intricate engravings with careful fingers, who'd dreamed of wearing those pieces on her wedding day since she was old enough to understand their significance.

Someone else.

"Did he say who?" I whispered.

Grandmother's eyes filled with tears she was too proud to let fall. "He mentioned something about a friend who'd had a difficult time recently. Someone who deserved something beautiful."

Dakota. It had to be Dakota.

I sat in that chair, surrounded by four generations of Young family history, and felt something fundamental break inside me. Not just my heart—that had been cracking since I'd overheard Gabriel's cruel words. This was deeper. This was the death of illusion, the shattering of a future I'd built on sand.

Gabriel hadn't just changed our wedding venue or mocked my family's struggles. He'd taken the most precious symbols of my heritage and given them to another woman. He'd looked at generations of love and tradition and decided they meant nothing.

That I meant nothing.

The morning sun streamed through Grandmother's lace curtains, illuminating dust motes that danced in the air like tiny, broken dreams.