Jilted at the Altar, I Married His Rival

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On the day of my wedding to William Thompson, Silicon Valleys golden boy, his college classmate Grace Young got into a car crash.

He was about to throw down his wedding band and run out when I grabbed his hand, hard.

I leaned in and whispered that if he walked out that door, my family would instantly pull our venture capital funding from his tech startup.

If we finished the ceremony today, the funding would go through.

If he dared to leave, I would have him kicked out of his CEO seat by tomorrow morning.

With a face of pure ice, he forced himself to stand by my side and finish the ceremony. But right after, news came from the hospitalGrace hadnt survived.

William didnt say a single word. Three months later, he took me to a private charity gala at a vineyard in Napa Valley.

The moment I turned my back, he drugged my champagne and handed me over to his corrupt business partner, Mark Vance.

Mark took compromising photos and videos of me and sent them straight to William. William just sat on the plush leather sofa in the VIP lounge, laughing.

"Shes the one who forced me to marry her," he sneered. "This is her karma."

"Call the press. Tell them she cheated on me, got blackmailed, and died in a tragic accident."

As my consciousness faded, the brutal truth finally hit me. William hated me. He blamed me for taking away his chance to save his precious Grace.

When I opened my eyes again, William was holding the diamond wedding band, about to slide it onto my finger.

I smiled.

I turned my head, pulled out my phone, and called Arthur Blackwood. I asked him if he wanted to be my groom instead.

...

"By the power vested in me, the groom may now kiss the bride..."

The priests voice was still echoing in my ears, but Williams expression had turned incredibly strange.

"Grace got into a car accident..." he muttered.

He hadnt even picked up the phone that was buzzing in his pocket yet. He just "knew" she was in trouble.

Looking at the raw panic in his eyes, my heart felt like it had been plunged into freezing water.

The memories of my past life rushed back like a tidal wave.

The terrifying helplessness of being drugged.

The rough, disgusting hands of Mark Vance tearing at my bridal gown.

Williams face as he sat on the sofa, laughing and saying I "deserved it."

The humiliating video, and the bone-chilling wind as I fell from the vineyard balcony.

Williams hands trembled as he finally answered the call. "Grace, hold on. Im coming. Ill be right there."

Hanging up, William shook off my handthe hand that was supposed to receive the ring. "Ann, Grace is in trouble. I have to go to her right now. Be reasonable. This is a matter of life and death."

I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. Hard.

The sharp smack echoed through the grand cathedral. The guests instantly fell dead silent.

He cupped his cheek, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Ann, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Seeing the disgust and self-righteousness in his eyes, I knew. He had regressed, too. Just like me.

"Youre right," I said, my voice dead calm. "Im not going to make a scene."

I slowly took off my own engagement ring. In front of hundreds of high-society guests, I tossed it directly into the nearby champagne tower.

The crystal glasses clinked and shattered. "The wedding is off. Get the hell out."

The crowd erupted into whispers.

William stood frozen, then knitted his brows, looking at me like I was just throwing a childish tantrum.

"Ann, don't play games right now. Grace is waiting for me at the ER. Ill explain everything when I get back."

He turned to leave. I stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"No need to explain. If you walk out, you walk out. But lets make one thing clear to everyone hereyou are walking out on me. I didn't kick you out."

Without even looking back, he threw a loud statement to the crowd: "Ann wants to cancel the wedding. I respect her decision." Then, he rushed out of the cathedral.

His parents faces turned instantly green. They swarmed me, shouting accusations.

"Ann! William left to save a life! How can you be so incredibly selfish?"

"Youre throwing a fit like this before youre even officially married? How are the two of you supposed to build a life together?"

My parents instantly flared up, stepping forward to defend me.

I held my dads arm and shook my head, signaling him to stop.

Williams parents took my silence as submission. "Figure it out yourselves," his father huffed, leading their guests toward the exit.

The massive venue emptied out by half in minutes. The remaining guests were whispering and pointing at me.

My dad was shaking with rage, wanting to chase them down for an explanation.

I held him back, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number I hadnt called in a very long time.

"Arthur," I said when the line connected. "When you said you wanted to marry me last time... did you mean it?"

"As long as Im breathing, Ann. Always."

"Im short of a groom at my wedding right now. How fast can you get here?"

"Fifteen minutes."

I hung up, looking up at my shocked parents, and then down at the wedding ring resting at the bottom of a champagne glass.

While waiting, I whispered to my dad, telling him to immediately gather all the evidence of William embezzling company funds.

"Once you have it, email it directly to the Board of Directors and the SEC," I instructed.

Since he wanted to save his darling Grace so badly, he could pay for it with his CEO title.

Arthur arrived even faster than promised.

He was wearing a bespoke black suit, with a light dusting of snow on his shoulders. The moment he stepped through the heavy oak doors, every eye in the room locked onto him.

He walked straight to me and handed me a black velvet box with his long, elegant fingers.

"I happen to carry a ring with me. The size should be perfect."

I took the box and opened it. The ring inside was exactly my style, and when I slid it on, it fit perfectly.

"Are you sure about this, Arthur? If you marry me, you and William will be sworn enemies in the business world."

He took my hand without a second thought. His voice was deep, warm, and steady.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life."

The priest recovered quickly, clearing his throat and announcing that the ceremony would proceed.

The remaining guests went from shocked murmurs to stunned silence, which quickly erupted into thunderous applause.

As Arthur and I exchanged rings, he leaned down and pressed a gentle, feather-light kiss against my lips.

"Ann, from this day on, Ill protect you."

Feeling the warmth of his palm, the anxiety that had gripped my chest for two lifetimes finally dissolved.

The moment the ceremony ended, my phone vibrated like crazy.

It was a text from William on SnapChat.

[Ann, I know youre just doing this to get back at me. Hiring an actor to play your groom? Really?]

[Apologize to me right now, and I might consider coming back to finish the wedding later tonight.]

I figured his assistant, who had stayed behind, must have sent him photos of me and Arthur.

I didn't reply. I just locked my screen.

A second later, my phone rang. It was him. His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Ann, you really are desperate to get me back, aren't you? Hiring some random guy to play a role? You think this is funny?"

Before I could speak, Graces weak, trembling voice came through the receiver in the background.

"William, don't blame Ann. She probably just loves you too much. She acted on impulse..."

"Oh, by the way, I just asked the nurse... she said the brake lines on my car looked really strange, like someone tampered with them..."

Williams fury instantly boiled over the line. I could practically feel his rage through the screen.

"Ann! Was it you? Are you so jealous of Grace that you tried to murder her?!"

Hearing this utterly ridiculous accusation, I laughed out loud.

"I don't have the time or the interest to touch her cheap car, William. Believe what you want."

"Stop lying! Why would Grace accuse you if it wasn't true?"

He was completely deaf to reason. I didn't want to waste my breath, so I hung up and blocked his number on everything.

Right after I blocked him, a text from an unknown number popped up.

[If you want my forgiveness, come to the hospital, get on your knees, and apologize to Grace. And youre going to sign over your corneas to her. She might go blind.]

[Do it, or Im calling the police and throwing you in federal prison.]

I stared at the text, then slid my phone over to Arthur.

Arthur glanced at the screen, and his eyes instantly turned predatory and cold.

"Do you want me to handle this?"

I shook my head, raising my glass of champagne to clink against his.

"No. I want to ruin him myself."

That evening, Arthur drove me back to my estate. The moment we pulled into the driveway, we saw William blocking the gates.

He still smelled of hospital disinfectant, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Seeing me get out of Arthurs SUV, he charged at me, reaching out to grab my arm.

Arthur stepped in front of me like a wall, catching Williams wrist and twisting it slightly. William groaned in pain.

"Ann! Youre actually serious about this guy?"

He ripped his hand away from Arthur, glaring at me with disbelief.

I leaned against the car door, looking at his indignant face. It was pathetic.

"Of course I am. Did you honestly think my world revolved around you?"

"And let me make this clearwhatever happened to Graces eyes has nothing to do with me. Stop pointing fingers."

Williams face turned purple. He pointed at me, shaking.

"Who else could it be? Who else hates Grace? Im telling you, Ann, youre going to pay for her medical treatment, or Ill destroy you!"

He pulled out his phone, threatening to call the cops.

"I have security footage of you near her car. If you don't comply, Im sending you to jail."

I didn't feel like playing his games. I unlocked my phone and dialed 911 myself.

"Yes, officer? Id like to report a stalker trespassing on my private property and harassing me. Please send a patrol car."

William gasped, stunned by my move, then let out a cold laugh.

"Good. Let the cops come. Lets see who they arrest."

The police arrived within minutes. William rushed over to them immediately, shoving a flash drive into the deputys hand.

"Officer, I want to report a felony. This woman cut the brakes on my friends car, causing an accident that might leave her blind. The evidence is right here."

The deputy took the flash drive and looked at me.

I pulled out a tablet from my bag, showing the security logs of my companys office from that day, along with signed affidavits from my executive team.

"This is my alibi. I was in a board meeting all day. The video he has is a deepfake. I welcome a forensic audit."

The deputy carefully reviewed my documents, made a quick call to verify the security company's logs, and turned to William with a stern look.

"Mr. Thompson, this footage you provided has clear signs of digital manipulation. Filing a false police report is a serious crime."

Williams face drained of color. "Thats impossible! Her alibi must be forged!"

"She wanted to kill Grace! Shes capable of anything!"

I didn't want to watch his manic episode anymore. I nodded politely to the officers.

"Thank you, officers. I will be pressing charges for harassment and defamation."

Even after the police ordered him to leave the perimeter, William lingered near the edge of the street, staring at me with venomous eyes.

"Ann, I know you remember," he whispered, stepping closer. "I know you regressed too. I know I wronged you in the past life, but Grace is innocent."

"Give her the medical settlement. If you do, Ill take the fall for the embezzlement charges. I won't drag your father, David, into this. Deal?"

Hearing him twist the truth so effortlessly, I laughed in his face.

"I already sent the embezzlement files to the SEC, William. You should worry about your own skin."

Williams face went completely white. Before he could speak, his phone rang.

He picked it up. Within seconds, his hands were shaking so hard he almost dropped the device.

William stood frozen like a statue.

His assistant was screaming through the speaker, but Williams hands were trembling so violently he couldn't even speak.

"Impossible... I wiped all the digital footprints..."

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with madness and pure, unadulterated hatred.

"You! Ann, you set me up!"

He lunged at me again. Arthur stepped in, delivering a brutal kick straight to Williams stomach.

William stumbled back and fell hard onto the snow-covered driveway, looking utterly pathetic.

"You embezzled the money yourself, William. Don't blame me for your own greed," I said, walking up to him and looking down at his miserable state.

"When you threw me to your business partner in our past life, did you ever stop to think about this day?"

Williams pupils dilated. The remaining color drained from his face.

"You... you really did come back..."

Suddenly, he started laughing. It was a manic, hysterical laugh that brought tears to his eyes.

"Fine. Great. Just you wait, Ann. This isn't over."

He scrambled to his feet and stumbled away into the dark, leaving his buzzing phone on the ground.

I picked it up. The screen was lit up with a text from Grace on SnapChat.

[William, the doctor said without a transplant, Ill never see again. Im so scared.]

[Please don't blame Ann. Its all my fault. I shouldn't have been in your life.]

I stared at the screen, took a screenshot of the text, and tossed the phone into the trash can.

Arthur walked over, draping his wool coat over my shoulders.

"Are you cold? Lets go inside."

I shook my head, pulling out my own phone to text my PR director.

"Release the files on William's embezzlement and his arrest warrant for filing a false police report. Make it trend."

Within ten minutes, the internet exploded.

TechFounderEmbezzlement trends.

WilliamThompsonHarassesEx trends.

I scrolled through the comments on Ins, watching the internet turn on him, calling him the ultimate trash. I couldn't help but smirk.

The next morning, my dad called me, his voice tight with anxiety.

"Ann, look at the stock market. William just hosted a live stream. Hes claiming I forced him to embezzle the funds, and hes showing fake wire transfers to our family accounts!"

My heart sank. I checked the market. Our family company's stock was tanking, dropping fast.

Another hashtag was trending: DavidMartinezEmbezzlement.

Arthur frowned beside me, pulling out his phone to make some calls, but I stopped him.

"Don't worry. I was waiting for him to make this move."

I opened Williams live stream on YouTube. He was dressed in a sleek suit, looking perfectly remorseful, crying to the camera.

"I was young and stupid. David Martinez coerced me into doing it. All the money went into their offshore accounts. I am willing to cooperate with the feds. I just want to do the right thing."

Grace was sitting next to him, her eyes bandaged, bowing slightly to the camera in a frail voice.

"I know people might not believe us, but William is a good man. He was forced. Please don't hate him."

Watching their little performance, I sneered and made a quick call to our legal contact at the SEC.

After hanging up, I waved a flash drive in front of Arthur.

"This contains the real paper trail of William and Grace moving the funds to their own accounts, along with audio recordings of them planning to drain my family's company six months ago."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, a proud smile playing on his lips as he ruffled my hair.

"Youre always three steps ahead, aren't you?"

I smiled back. But before I could speak, the front doorbell rang.

I opened it to find two federal agents standing there, badges in hand.

"Ann Martinez? Were with the SEC. We have a warrant to bring you in for questioning regarding your fathers alleged financial fraud."