The doctors gave me three years to live. I used every last bit of my strength to marry Cedric Moon, the man I loved. On our wedding night, he abandoned me for another woman. He brought her into our home, forcing me to serve her. He made me apologize for crimes I didn't commit. His family despised me, but they adored her. Then came the staged kidnapping. To save her, Cedric traded me--his pr**nant wife--to the man holding a kn**e. As the blade pressed against my throat, I heard my husband's voice yell at the police. "Sh**t!" Chapter 1 The wall clock showed it was almost midnight. Kacie Oliver sat alone in the vast wedding suite. The room was filled with white roses, Cedric' s favorite, but their scent felt suffocating. This was her wedding night. The door finally opened, and Cedric Moon walked in. He looked surprised to see her awake, still in her wedding dress. "Kacie? Why aren't you asleep?" His voice was calm, with no hint of guilt. It made the hollow space in her ch**t ache even more. She didn't answer. Her mind drifted back to the afternoon. They were at the reception, about to share their first dance as husband and wife. Then his phone rang. He looked at the screen, his expression changing instantly. "I have to go," he had said, his voice tight. "What's wrong, Cedric?" she had asked, her hand still on his arm. "It's Jayden. She' s been in an accident." He didn't wait for her response. He just turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the dance floor, the whispers of the guests rising around her. He left his bride for another woman on their wedding day. Now, hours later, the memory was a sharp, physical pain. Her heart, already weak, felt like it was being squeezed. The doctors had given her three years. Three years to live, to find love, to feel something real before her time ran out. She had thought she' d found it with Cedric. "Jayden's car was hit," Cedric said now, pulling her back to the present. He walked over and sta
