Golden sunlight spills gently over the horizon, kissing the treetops and shimmering on the dew-laced grass. The sky stretches wide and unblemished, painted in soft pastel. A gentle breeze whispers through the leaves, carrying the sweet scent of blooming jasmine and freshly cut grass. Birds sing cheerfully in the distance. Everything felt calm, bright, and full of joy.
Virelya, ever elegant, endlessly confident, breathtakingly beautiful, and effortlessly successful. She had it all. Well... almost. Her only flaw? The kitchen.
Girl couldn’t cook to save the world even with her life on the line.
She stood behind the tall, arched window, framed by sheer ivory curtains that fluttered gently in the spring breeze. The golden light spilled across her, giving her wedding dress a beautiful glow.
A masterpiece, I must say. Ethereal layers that made her look almost unreal, like a painting or a drawing come to life.
It was her wedding day.
She looked down the window only to see guests arriving, chatting and laughing as they found their seats. Children run around in dress shoes and flower crowns, while grandparents sit with content smiles, sipping juice or coffee. Friends hug, families gather for photos, and there's a happy buzz in the air.
"Beautiful, isn’t it?"
One might ask, What could possibly go wrong?
Family laughed, friends clinked glasses, everyone radiant with excitement.
Everyone, except the bride.
Just minutes ago, Virelya had overheard a secret: her husband and her sister were having a secret affair. And now they were expecting twins.
She had shattered into a thousand pieces as she stood there, frozen, her breath caught in her throat as the words sank in, they were expecting twins.
She had only returned to the room to retrieve the necklace Lucien had given her after their engagement. A simple token or gesture of their love.
And yet, here she was clutching her knuckles so tightly they turned white, as muffled laughter drifted behind the door.
Her husband was inside, whispering sweet promises to her sister, Seliora. They spoke about the future of their children.
A future that no longer included her.
On her wedding!
A day that was meant to be her alone. Yet she was rewarded with such betrayal from the people she held dearest to her heart.
Virelya had met Lucien over a blind date set by her parents. At 28, she was the most successful woman in her family, she acquired wealth, status and independence at quite a young age. She wasn't in a hurry to find love.
She had agreed to go on the blind date out of politeness, not desire. Love, to her, was a distraction and men were like predators in the line of business, so staying at the top was a competition she couldn't afford to lose. She needed not, another unnecessary complication.
But, then she met Lucien.
He didn't try to impress her with unnecessary expensive gifts, he was true to him, he brought warmth, sincerity, and a quiet confidence that caught her off guard. Virelya found herself disarmed by how he remembered the type of coffee she loves, or how he'd cook and bring lunch for her on busy days at the office.
He was quite a handsome fella, one that could listen to her all day, like he was fascinated by her.
Against all odds, she fell. And she fell hard.
A year later they were planning their wedding. For the first time, she was truly happy. Fulfilled.
Or so she thought.
She sighs. “Who would have thought little old Virelya would be heartbroken,” she murmured to herself, eyes fixed on the window where everyone was cheerfully laughing, and effortlessly connected…they were happy for the unhappy bride.
Virelya wasn’t the type to cry over spilled milk. She’d weathered too many disappointments to let this break her. But one thing was certain, she wasn’t about to let her cheating husband walk away with a happy ending. Not after everything.
Her attention was drawn to the phone buzzing on the glass table. She glanced at the caller ID, Lucien's boss just chose the right time to call. And a wicked smile curled across her lips.
“Oh, hello, Mr. Valentine.”
A smooth, distinguished voice replied from the other end. “Ah, my dear Miss—or should I say Mrs. Virelya Stonemen?”
She let out a soft, amused laugh. “Oh, Mr. Valentine, I wish there were a ‘Mrs.’ to my name. For now, it’s still just Miss.”
“Pardon me if I’m mistaken,” he said, a slight trace of confusion in his tone, “but wasn’t today supposed to be your wedding day?”
“It was,” she replied coolly. “Until my dear husband-to-be decided that cheating on me was worth a billion dollars wedding.”
A sharp intake of breath came through the receiver. “Good heavens! That foolish boy actually did such a thing? Does he have any idea who he’s dealing with?”
Lucien, as it turned out, worked directly under Mr. Valentine, a sharp and seasoned businessman in his sixties. Virelya, on the other hand, was his largest and most influential investor. Her withdrawal would sink the company overnight. (He'd go bankrupt completely).
“I don’t think I need to tell you what to do, Mr. Valentine,” she said, voice like velvet laced with steel.
“Of course not,” he replied instantly. “First thing tomorrow, he’s getting his resignation letter. I can’t have such a careless individual on my payroll.”
Virelya chuckled, satisfied. “Glad to hear it. I knew you’d see things my way.”
10 minutes after the call, Virelya had made her way to the wedding reception where she had finally broken the ice over a glass of champagne.
Turns out her parents knew about Lucien's relationship with Seliora, and oh, it only got even better from there because Lucien's parents knew about it too.
So guess who was left in the dark.
Virelya had laughed, truly, uncontrollably, when her parents dropped to their knees, begging her to reconsider the marriage with Lucien, while Seliora selfishly kept the babies.
Even Lucien had the audacity to call her selfish for refusing the absurd conditions her own parents were trying to force on her.
That moment was just the cherry on top of an already crumbling cake.
She didn’t argue. She didn't even look at them. She simply turned around and walked away, head high, her heart heavily wounded. The next day, her lawyer delivered the divorce papers to Lucien (guess he took the hard pill of losing his job fairly well). And with one signature, she severed all ties, not just with him, but with her entire family.
Some days she allows the tears roll freely, thinking_ where it all went wrong….
