From Jilted Bride To Ruthless Queen

On the ninety-ninth time I tried to marry the man I'd loved for twenty-five years, he stood me up at the altar. I went to the courthouse to marry a stranger out of spite, only to find out I was already married. My fiancé, Alexander, had forged the papers, wedding me to his driver to appease his mistress.

But his betrayal was more than just a lie. He locked me in a hospital morgue, forced me to kneel before her, and stood by as she had me stabbed and thrown off a cliff.

As I lay bleeding at the bottom of a ravine, I finally understood that our twenty-five years of love meant nothing. I was just an obstacle to be discarded.

But as I was about to die, a helicopter descended from the sky.

The man who came down was Case Dyer-my legal husband and Alexander's biggest rival. He saved my life, and I made a new vow.

I would fake my death, return as a queen, and burn Alexander's world to the ground.

Chapter 1

Avery Bright POV:

On the ninety-ninth time I tried to marry Alexander Holt, the man I had loved for twenty-five years, I found out I was already married-to a total stranger.

The priest, a kind man with gentle eyes that had shown increasing pity with each failed attempt, cleared his throat. "Are we ready to begin, Avery?"

I smoothed down the front of my simple white dress, the ninety-ninth one I' d bought for this occasion. The grand ballgown was packed away, a relic of the first time we were supposed to get married. Ninety-eight dresses later, I was done with extravagance. I just wanted it to be official.

"I'm ready," I said, my voice steady despite the familiar tremor in my hands. I lifted my phone. "I just need to call Alexander."

I dialed his number, the one I knew better than my own. It rang twice before he picked up.

"Avery?" His voice was rushed, distracted. I could hear the faint clatter of a keyboard in the background.

"Alex," I said, forcing a brightness I didn' t feel. "The priest is here. The chapel is waiting. Are you on your way?"

A heavy sigh on the other end. My stomach tightened into a familiar, cold knot. "Babe, I… I can' t make it today."

The excuses were always vague, always just plausible enough to make me feel insane for questioning them. "What is it this time, Alex?"

"It' s Kiara," he said, his voice dropping. "She' s… not doing well. She tried something again. I have to be there."

Kiara Dennis. My biggest fan, and my personal nightmare. The woman who was obsessed with the heroes in my graphic novels, and by extension, obsessed with the man who inspired them. The man whose tech company, Bright Star, was literally named after me.

"Alex, she does this every time," I pleaded, my voice cracking. "It' s emotional blackmail. She knows we' re