From Broken Bride to Tycoon's Trophy Wife

Chapter 1

My boyfriend secretly threw a lavish wedding, for my cancer-stricken best friend.

Why?

Because her dying wish was to marry him.

Nolan made sure I wouldn't find out.

He blocked every news outlet, silenced everyone around us, and did everything in his power to keep me in the dark.

What he didn't know… was that my best friend live-streamed the entire wedding to me.

That night, I cried so hard I passed out.

While I lay unconscious, Nolan spent the night with her, on a private island.

The day my heart condition relapsed, he chose to take her to the hospital instead of me.

I nearly died.

And that was the moment I knew, I was done.

So, I said yes to Lucas.

A powerful New York tycoon.

A man who never hesitated when it came to me.

...

"Lily, are you absolutely sure you want to marry me?"

Ever since I said yes, Lucas hadn't stopped checking in, like he needed constant reassurance that this was real.

A few minutes later, another message came through.

This time, it was a photo gallery.

Over a dozen diamond rings.

"These are all from private auctions," he wrote. "See if any of them speak to you."

I hadn't even replied yet before another message popped up.

"If none of them feel right, there's an exclusive auction in London next week. I'll take you there myself."

I studied each ring carefully, then finally hit record on a voice message.

"That pink Graff diamond… it's gorgeous. Let's go with that for the wedding ring."

Just as I sent it, a cold voice cut through the room behind me.

"Wedding ring? What wedding ring?"

I turned around.

Nolan was standing there, his expression stiff, his eyes wide with disbelief.

The man who had always been calm and in control suddenly looked like he couldn't breathe.

I met his gaze, about to come up with something vague,

But then my phone rang.

Wendy.

I answered.

She was crying on the other end, her voice trembling.

"Lily... is Nolan with you? I just had another nosebleed. I'm really scared…"

Before I could even respond, Nolan snatched the phone from my hand.

"Wendy, don't be scared. I'm on my way."

And just like that, he was gone.

No hesitation.

No explanation.

No apology.

He didn't even remember that tonight was supposed to be our make-up date.

The river cruise. The one he planned for our tenth anniversary. The one I had still said yes to, despite everything.

I stood there, staring at the door he'd just rushed out of, and felt… nothing.

No anger. No pain. Just a quiet, hollow kind of clarity.

That was the moment I realized, I was done.

My phone rang again. This time, it was Lucas.

"Lily, are you ready? Should I fly in tomorrow to pick you up from Harbor City?"

I looked out at the distant lights of the city, the reflection shimmering in my wine glass.

"In a week," I said softly. "I need to close a few ###Chapters before I start this new one."

His voice was warm, steady.

"Okay. I'll wait.

And Lily? If there's anything you can't handle on your own, let me know. I'll take care of it."

After hanging up with Lucas, I called Grandpa Qi to say goodbye.

Nolan's grandfather and mine had been brothers-in-arms, war buddies with a bond deeper than blood.

When I was eight, I was diagnosed with a severe congenital heart condition. It was serious enough that my grandfather made a difficult decision, he sent me to Harbor City for treatment at the Wilson family's private hospital, one of the best in the country for cardiology.

The Wilson family didn't just save my life. They gave me a second home.

Nolan's parents treated me like their own, and Grandpa Qi, he loved me like the granddaughter he never had.

Now that I was leaving for New York, I wanted to thank him one last time.

Nolan, of course, never came home that night.

But Wendy did send a message.

"You look so cute with your mouth full."

Attached was a picture of Nolan mid-bite, leaning over a slice of cake. Wendy's finger was caught in motion, reaching up to smear frosting across his cheek.

A minute later, the message disappeared.

Then came a follow-up:

[Oops! Sent that to the wrong person 😅]

[Nolan thought it was funny and asked me to send it to him. You're not mad, right?]

I didn't respond.

I just closed the app, stood up, and walked back to my room to start packing.

Nolan showed up around noon the next day, holding a small velvet box like it could fix everything.

"Lily," he said, stepping into the room, "last night was rough. Wendy had another episode, so I rushed her to the hospital."

I said nothing, just opened the box.

Inside was a Van Cleef & Arpels women's watch, delicate and glittering with diamonds.

Luxury wrapped in guilt.

I'd seen one just like it before, on Wendy's wrist. Hers had a slightly different design.

This one was newer. More extravagant.

He watched my expression carefully.

"You don't like it?"

I closed the box and placed it gently on the table.

"It's nice," I said quietly.

He hesitated. "Lily… are you upset?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Wendy's sick. Of course you needed to be with her."

He let out a breath like he'd been holding it all morning.

"I'm glad," he said softly. "Because you and I… we still have a future. We've come so far. But Wendy…" His voice cracked, and his eyes glistened. "She might not have much time left."

I looked at him, really looked at him.

There was genuine pain in his eyes, but none of it was for me.

"I understand," I said with a faint smile. "So you should spend more time with her."

I turned to walk away.

But he reached out and grabbed my wrist.