Chapter 1

In the fifth year of being kept away, Ariel Levine accidentally learned that her husband, Keith Ford, had found a stand-in for her. Rumor had it that the woman looked just like her, acting as a decoy and pretending to be her in public. Ariel's first reaction was disbelief. Keith was intensely possessive to the extent of keeping her in confinement. She didn't believe he would tolerate a substitute. Since her mutism had healed, Ariel thought she might as well seize the chance to break her five-year confinement and leave the castle for the first time. She hailed a cab to Keith's company, determined to see the truth with her own eyes. But just as she reached the city center, the police stopped her. "Mr. Ford has blocked off all major roads today for his grand wedding. Please take a detour, miss." "Which Mr. Ford?" Ariel asked in confusion. The officer gave her a puzzled look, as if she had come from another planet. "Where have you been living? Of course, it's the scion, Keith Ford!" He continued, "He and his fiancee got engaged five years ago, but the wedding's been postponed 52 times. This time, Mr. Ford ordered the entire city's police force to secure the event. He's not taking any chances." The words hit Ariel like a thunderclap, ringing in her ears. "What wedding?" she wondered, her mind throbbing. Keith had never mentioned it to her. For the past week, he had claimed to be so busy with the company's affairs that he had no time to come home. A disturbing suspicion began to take root in Ariel's mind. For all those times Keith had postponed their wedding, every delay had been caused by an accident right before the big day. The first time, he coaxed her the night before the ceremony, promising they would only fool around a little. Somehow, they went through ten bottles of lube, and she ended up sleeping through the morning of their wedding. The second time, her beloved dog suddenly died at dawn. Their supposed wedding turned into a funeral. By the 52nd time, the car meant to take her to the ceremony crashed. She suffered 22 fractures and had to be resuscitated three times before she finally pulled through. "Look! Mr. Ford and his bride are here!" Through the crowd of reporters swarming the streets, Ariel saw a luxurious wedding car glide into view. Standing tall inside was a figure she would never mistake for anyone else. Keith was immaculate in a tailored suit, radiating confidence. A woman stood beside him, her arm linked through his. She was wearing the wedding gown that Ariel had designed for herself. That woman's face was almost identical to hers. "Kiss! Kiss!" the crowd chanted. Keith smiled sweetly and kissed his bride without hesitation. The street immediately erupted in cheers, while Ariel's inner world went silent. "Hey…" She wanted to call out to Keith, to ask him what was going on and who that woman was. However, her words were caught painfully in her throat. Her mutism had returned. The noise around her was deafening, swallowing her faint whimpers. The large and tight crowd pushed her to the edge, forcing her to witness the entire ceremony. She watched as Keith kissed the bride, made vows of eternal love before the officiant, and exchanged matching rings. Every part of the ceremony was the same as the wedding they had once planned together. Except the bride wasn't her. The sight before her was so painful it felt blinding. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. The love in Keith's eyes was unmistakable. And that tender, adoring look had once belonged to her alone. In a daze, memories from five years ago flooded back. After the abduction, she had developed post-traumatic mutism. Keith had hired the world's top psychologists and brought them into their home to treat her. He had even built her a fully equipped castle, practically a miniature city designed just for her. Everyone said that Keith was keeping his mute wife under gentle confinement. But Ariel believed that he was just too afraid of losing her again after that one incident. For five whole years, Ariel lived under his airtight protection, completely cut off from the world. But now, the man who once swore to protect her was the same man who betrayed her with a stand-in. Noticing Keith leading his bride into the corporate tower, Ariel followed quietly. Her eyes were red and glistening. Outside the CEO's office, the voices of Keith chatting with his groomsmen drifted through the cracked door. "You kept delaying the wedding on purpose before, and you even caused that incident that nearly killed her. If she ever finds out you're marrying a stand-in today, aren't you afraid she'll leave you?" "I'll just keep it from her forever," Keith replied. "Any information that goes through the castle gets through me first. She'll never know a thing. She'll stay there obediently and be my perfect little princess." He exhaled a ring of smoke and calmly crushed the cigarette between his fingers. "Besides, a public wedding like this would only draw attention. I don't want anyone targeting Ariel. It's not safe for her." His careless tone stabbed straight through Ariel's heart. In an instant, her blood went cold, and a chill spread through every inch of her body. It turned out that all those "accidents" had been orchestrated by the man she loved the most. As for the "protection" he had spoken of, it was nothing more than control disguised in love. The conversation inside the office continued. "You keep saying you're hiding Ariel away in that castle to protect her. But the truth is, you still can't get over what happened that night she was abducted, can you?" The old wound in Ariel's heart tore open again, twisting until it felt raw and bloody. Silence filled the office for a long moment. It was so long that Ariel could hardly breathe. After a long pause, Keith finally spoke, "You're right, I do mind. But I love Ariel deeply. Protecting her isn't just guilt, but it's something I've been doing my whole life. "Instead of letting her show her face in public and become the subject of filthy gossip, I'd rather have a stand-in take her place and bear those rumors for her." Upon hearing Keith's self-righteous words, Ariel let out a bitter laugh. But as she laughed, her eyes filled with tears. Five years ago, she had been abducted on her way to bring Keith his dinner. His business rival had threatened to use her life as leverage to force him into giving up a billion-dollar project. That night left behind blood stains that even rain couldn't wash away. When she managed to escape, she was covered in wounds, wearing only a man's shirt that could barely cover her body. No one believed she was still pure. Unable to speak, she could only shake her head over and over, her eyes red. Her silent denial became a wordless confession in Keith's eyes. Despite his usual calm and composed demeanor, Keith broke down, clutching her tightly and apologizing repeatedly. He told her that she would always be pure in his heart. He reassured her that he would take good care of her for the rest of her life. Yet the man who claimed to love her had locked her away in that castle. She was hidden from the world like a shameful secret. From the start, Keith had never believed her. He had despised her for being tainted. Ariel turned and ran, tears pouring down her face, burning as they fell onto her arms. Since Keith already had a stand-in in public, she no longer wanted his twisted love. Whether it was her recovered voice or the truth that she had never been violated, she decided not to tell him anything.