The 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."