Chapter 1: The Unwanted Bride

Inside the Tates' living room, the air was heavy with tension.

Wanda Tate stood with her arms crossed, watching Avery with an expression that held no trace of affection.

"You can see your father on one condition," Wanda said coldly.

"Either marry Elliot Foster... or bring me one and a half million dollars."

Avery stared at her stepmother in disbelief.

"You're asking me to marry a man who has been unconscious for six months?"

"That's exactly what I'm asking."

Avery let out a bitter laugh.

"You're doing this because the company is failing, aren't you?"

"The Tate family is almost bankrupt."

"And you think selling me into the Foster family will solve everything."

Wanda's face hardened.

"Watch your words."

"I'm still your father's wife."

"And I still have the authority to make decisions about his treatment."

Avery's expression changed.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that medical treatment costs money."

"Your father's company has collapsed."

"There isn't much left."

"If you refuse to marry Elliot, I can stop wasting money on a man who may never wake up."

"How dare you!"

Avery's voice shook with anger.

Her father was the only person in the Tate household who had ever truly protected her.

Even after her mother died, he had tried to give Avery a good life.

Unfortunately, after marrying Wanda, everything changed.

Wanda treated Avery like an unwanted burden.

Her daughter, Cassandra, was always given the best of everything.

Avery had endured it for years because she didn't want to make her father's life harder.

But threatening his treatment was different.

That crossed a line.

"So that's your answer?" Wanda asked.

"You won't marry Elliot?"

Avery said nothing.

She turned and walked out of the room.

She needed money.

A lot of money.

And she needed it quickly.

As she stepped into the hallway, she took out her phone.

There was only one person she thought might be able to help.

Cole.

Her boyfriend of three years.

Cole Foster was part of the wealthy Foster family.

He was also Elliot Foster's nephew.

If anyone could help her raise the money, it was him.

Avery pressed his name and called.

The familiar ringtone suddenly sounded from upstairs.

She froze.

That couldn't be possible.

Cole was supposed to be somewhere else.

Then she heard her stepsister's voice from the bedroom.

"It's Avery calling."

"Aren't you going to answer her, Cole?"

"What if something urgent happened?"

Avery's heart skipped a beat.

Why was Cassandra speaking to Cole?

Why was he in her room?

She quietly walked toward the half-closed door.

Then Cole's voice reached her.

"Who cares about her?"

"She's never trusted me enough to let me get close anyway."

"But you... you're different."

Avery's breathing stopped.

"Once she marries my uncle, she'll become a widow sooner or later."

"Then the Foster family assets will eventually become easier for us to reach."

"We'll have everything we want."

Cassandra giggled softly.

"You're terrible."

"But you love it," Cole replied.

Avery stood completely still.

The phone slipped from her fingers.

It landed silently against the carpet.

Her world had just collapsed.

The man she had trusted for three years was cheating on her.

And the other woman...

Was her own sister.

Avery felt tears burning her eyes.

She had defended Cole countless times.

She had believed every promise he made.

She had imagined building a future with him.

All of it had been a lie.

The laughter from inside the bedroom continued.

Avery finally turned away.

She didn't scream.

She didn't confront them.

She simply walked out of the house.

Outside, the evening air was cold.

Avery stood beside the driveway and wiped away her tears.

"So this is what everyone thinks I deserve."

She looked up at the darkening sky.

The Foster family was one of the wealthiest families in Avonsville.

Elliot Foster stood at the top of that family.

He was brilliant, powerful, and feared throughout the business world.

Six months earlier, he had been involved in a serious accident.

Since then, he had remained unconscious.

Doctors had warned his family that he might never recover.

His mother, Rosalie Foster, refused to accept that her son would die without ever marrying.

She offered a huge marriage arrangement to any woman willing to become his wife.

But no respectable young woman wanted to marry a man who might never wake up.

Avery had always believed she had a choice.

Now she realized she didn't.

Her father was lying in a hospital bed.

His company was bankrupt.

Her stepmother had threatened to end his treatment.

And the one person she trusted had betrayed her.

Avery looked at her phone again.

Then she made the decision that would change her life forever.

She called the number of the Foster family's representative.

"This is Avery Tate."

"I agree to the marriage."

There was a long pause on the other end.

"Miss Tate, are you certain?"

"Yes."

"I am certain."

The wedding was arranged three days later.

There was no grand celebration.

No romantic ceremony.

No excited friends surrounding the bride.

Avery walked down the aisle alone.

A thin white veil covered her face.

A small bouquet rested in her hands.

At the end of the aisle stood an empty chair where the groom should have been.

Elliot couldn't attend.

He was still unconscious in the hospital.

But according to the legal agreement, their marriage could still be registered.

Avery signed the documents with a steady hand.

From that moment onward...

She was Mrs. Foster.

She had no husband who could speak to her.

No husband who could protect her.

No promise of love.

Only a powerful family name and an uncertain future.

As she left the ceremony hall, Avery touched the marriage certificate inside her handbag.

Her expression was calm.

Her heart was broken.

But something inside her had changed.

She had been betrayed by the people she trusted most.

Now she would trust herself.

"From today onward," she whispered,

"I won't let anyone decide my worth for me."

What Avery didn't know...

Was that the man she had just married would soon open his eyes.

And when Elliot Foster finally woke from his coma...

The first thing he would learn would be that he had become a husband.