Chapter 1
The day before my brother Tristan's wedding, he flew me in from out of the country just to be there for his big day.
As soon as we got off the plane, he excitedly snapped a selfie of us and posted it on Instagram with the caption, [With the most important person in my life.]
But that very night, his fiancée, Selena Carter, burst into my hotel suite, blind with rage.
"You shameless slut, trying to seduce my husband!" she screamed. "I'm going to destroy that pretty face of yours so you can never hook up with another man.
"Let's see if you can still be a homewrecker after this!"
Her squad beat me mercilessly and dragged me down to the lobby.
"I want everyone to see what happens when you mess with my man!" she announced, stepping heavily on my face.
Smug and victorious, she tried to strip me naked right then and there, intending to ruin my life forever.
Right at the critical moment, my brother arrived and screamed for everyone to stop.
I looked at him, enunciating every single word through my bleeding lips. "It's either her, or me."
*****
When I first heard my brother Tristan Moore was getting married, I packed my bags right away and picked out a ridiculously expensive diamond necklace for my future sister-in-law.
After our parents' bitter divorce, I moved overseas to launch my tech startup, busting my ass to provide for Tristan.
Because I was constantly traveling for work, we rarely saw each other, making this wedding incredibly important to me.
Tristan must have sensed my excitement because he splurged on a first-class ticket and a massive welcome dinner for my arrival.
I was absolutely thrilled. We snapped a selfie together, and I posted it online with the caption, [With the most important person in my life!]
There was absolutely nothing wrong with that caption. I had carried the weight of our family, acting as both mother and father to him, so the sentiment was entirely justified.
Yet, during dinner, Tristan looked miserable, letting out heavy sighs.
"Did you guys have a fight? Why do you look so down when I just got here?" I asked casually.
Tristan looked at me like I was his lifeline, his eyes full of confusion. "It's Selena.
"She's ranting about going out to catch my mistress and teaching her a lesson. I haven't even done anything!"
He looked so innocent and helpless. I immediately tried to calm him down. "Have you been getting too close to a female coworker lately?
"Let me warn you, Tristan. Selena chose to marry you, and you need to treat her right. It's completely normal for girls to get a little jealous."
Tristan nodded repeatedly, and soon after, he drove me back to my hotel.
I had just gotten ready for bed after he left when my door was kicked open violently, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
I looked up to see Selena storming in with a gang of her girlfriends.
Since she was my future sister-in-law, my first instinct as the older sister was to step forward and properly greet her.
Instead, Selena lunged at me without a single word. She grabbed my silk shirt and began slapping me across the face, over and over.
"You little bitch, how dare you try to steal my man? What, is a taken guy just that much better? At your age, you couldn't find anything better to do than be a homewrecker?" she shrieked.
She hit me hard. Within seconds, my face swelled up, and blood began to trickle from the corner of my mouth. I gasped in pain.
"Selena, wait, I'm..." I tried desperately to explain, forcing the words out of my hoarse throat one by one.
But Selena just kicked me hard in the stomach, leaving me rolling on the floor in agony.
I struggled to crawl toward the door, but she grabbed me by the hair and dragged me into the center of the room. "Trying to run?
"You shameless tramp, coming after my husband. I'm going to ruin that face of yours today. Girls, get her!"
Tristan had always described Selena as sweet, reasonable, and gentle.
I had held her in such high regard until this very moment. Now, being beaten senseless for absolutely no reason, I realized the terrifying truth.
She was a vicious, irrational lunatic.
Hotel security and staff rushed over after hearing the commotion. I fought through the pain to call for help, only to see several employees standing by the door, watching the spectacle with amusement.
"Wow, so she really is a sugar baby? Staying in a penthouse suite like this, she must have drained his bank account. She completely deserves this beating!" one of the maids muttered.