Love After The Echo Of Betrayal

The scent of lilies and hairspray usually meant joy, but for me, Abigail Turner, on what was supposed to be my wedding day, it was a suffocating prelude to disaster.

I stood in my bridal gown, gazing into an ornate mirror, my heart a storm.

Then Brandon Hayes, my fiancé, walked in, his eyes cold and distant.

He took his mother' s diamond necklace, an heirloom he' d given me, straight from my neck.

"I need that back," he said, his voice flat.

Before I could process the shock, my cousin, Seraphina Vance, appeared, clutching an overnight bag, her eyes red-rimmed.

Without a word, Brandon fastened the necklace around her neck.

My future, my life, was now hers.

"I can' t marry you, Abby," Brandon declared, his voice devoid of emotion.

"The wedding is canceled."

Then, he looked at Seraphina, his voice softening. "I' m marrying Seraphina. Today."

Just like that, my own cousin, who should have been my bridesmaid, was taking my place.

"Why?" I managed to choke out.

Brandon sighed, as if burdened by immense self-pity. "It' s for the good of the family. There' s a curse, Abby. A psychic told Seraphina' s mother. If I don' t marry her, something terrible will happen."

Seraphina sniffled, burying her face in his chest. "I' m so sorry, Abby. I didn' t want this."