Chapter1 THE WRONG BRIDE

_Neva’s POV_

I was never supposed to be the bride.

That was Nova’s job.

She was the pretty one. The favorite. The daughter my parents actually smiled at in photos and posted with captions like _“Our princess.”_

I was Neva. The spare. The backup plan they kept in the guest room and only remembered when they needed something.

Growing up, it was always like that.

Nova got the new dresses. I got her hand-me-downs.

Nova got “good job, baby.”

I got silence.

So when Mom grabbed my wrist in the hallway and hissed, _“You’re going to marry Austin instead,”_ I laughed.

Because obviously this was a joke.

Because obviously they wouldn’t dare drag me into Nova’s mess.

“Excuse me?” I said, yanking my arm away.

Her nails dug into my skin. “Nova ran. The wedding is in an hour. The Ardens will sue us if we back out. You look enough like her. You’ll do.”

You’ll do.

Two words that summed up my entire life.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to run like Nova did.

But where would I go?

I had $40 in my bank account and a suitcase I’d packed three times this year, hoping one day I’d actually use it.

So I didn’t run.

I stood there, numb, while the makeup artist caked Nova’s dress onto me. While my own mother zipped it up without looking me in the eye.

But 30 minutes later, I was standing at the end of an aisle in my sister’s dress, staring at a man I’d only seen in business magazines.

Austin Arden.

Cold eyes. $3 billion company. And the fiancé my twin sister just ran away from.

The church was packed. Cameras. Reporters. My parents in the front row, smiling like they hadn’t just sold me.

And Austin...

He wasn’t looking at me.

Not really.

He stood at the altar in a black suit that probably cost more than my college tuition, jaw tight, hands in his pockets.

When our eyes finally met, there was nothing there. No anger. No curiosity.

Just emptiness.

Like I was a problem he had to solve.

He didn’t look at me like I was a person.

He looked at me like I was a contract he had to sign.

“Do you take this man—”

My voice shook. Not because I was scared.

Because I was furious.

This wasn’t my life.

This wasn’t my choice.

I was 22 and I was being traded to save my family’s reputation.

And yet...

“I do.”

The word tasted like ash.

The ring was cold. The vows felt like a prison sentence.

Applause broke out, but it sounded far away.

And as Austin slid the band onto my finger, he leaned in close. His breath was warm against my ear, but his voice was ice.

_“Don’t think this makes us real.”_

Good.

Because I didn’t want real either.

I just wanted out.

But as we walked back down the aisle, his arm stiff beside mine, I made a promise to myself.

Being the unwanted daughter finally had a use.

And Austin Arden was about to find out exactly how strong “spare” girls could be.

I wasn’t Nova.

And that might be the worst thing that ever happened to him.

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