Lyra now stood in front of the ballroom doors. The area around the entrance was filled with large photographs portraits of happiness displayed so perfectly. Sweet smiles, loving gazes. Moments that were supposed to mark the beginning of a new life.
Everything looked beautiful. And everything felt like a mockery to her.
Lyra's gaze paused for a moment on one of the photos. Her eyes hardened slightly, but only for a second.
She quickly looked away, as if unwilling to give even the slightest space for those feelings to resurface.
"Miss Valtieri, you've finally arrived," a woman's voice broke the silence.
A wedding organizer in a black suit stood by the door, looking slightly nervous.
"The ceremony has been delayed for five minutes. All the guests are waiting."
Lyra did not respond immediately. She simply raised her hand slightly, a brief yet firm gesture. A gesture clear enough to be understood.
The woman immediately nodded quickly. "Yes, Miss."
She promptly signaled to the staff. The ballroom doors slowly opened. Bright light from inside greeted them. The murmurs of the guests began to be heard. Everyone was waiting, and everyone believed they were about to witness a perfect wedding.
Lyra took a deep breath. For a moment, her chest tightened again. But this time, she did not let it take control of her.
All eyes were on Lyra. The ballroom was still filled with whispers at the sight of the bride wearing a black gown. The spotlight fell directly on her figure as she stood at the altar, elegant in a black dress that contrasted with the all-white wedding decorations.
Nicholas turned his head, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Why is your dress black?" he whispered softly. "Didn't you choose the white one during the fitting?"
Lyra only gave a faint, calm smile without answering. A smile that instead made an uneasy feeling creep into Nicholas's chest.
"Shall we begin?" the MC asked in a formal tone, trying to keep the atmosphere composed.
Nicholas nodded quickly. "Yes, please."
The priest began to recite the wedding ceremony. The atmosphere turned silent. Everyone held their breath, waiting for that sacred moment.
Until finally, the question came.
"Do you, Miss Lyra Valtieri, take Mr. Nicholas to be your husband—"
"I want to give you something."
Lyra's voice cut through the priest's words calmly.
Her smile remained the same, but this time there was something different behind it. She looked straight at Nicholas.
Her gaze turned cold, and without warning, Lyra snapped her fingers.
Instantly, a large screen descended from above, right behind the priest.
The room dimmed slightly. A few seconds later, a video began to play.
At first, there was only sound, then images. And in an instant, the entire ballroom fell into chaos.
On the screen, Nicholas was clearly seen with a woman on the bed. They were intimate, completely without guilt. The woman on the bed was Abigail.
Whispers began to spread throughout the room. But that was not all. Their voices were also heard clearly, about the lie behind their relationship, and about how they planned to poison Lyra slowly, without leaving any trace.
Every word sounded sharp, shattering the illusion that everyone in the room had believed.
Lyra stood still. Her face remained calm, as if the video had nothing to do with her. Yet only she knew how many times she had to hold herself together to keep from breaking while listening to that conversation again.
She had installed the small CCTV camera long ago, since she had given that apartment to Nicholas. At first, it was only a precaution. A reflex of an heir accustomed to living among people who smiled in front of her while stabbing her from behind.
She had never truly intended to use it. She had never thought that one day she would witness that betrayal herself.
But in the end, her instincts had never been wrong. Abigail, that name tasted bitter in her mind. They had grown up together since childhood. Abigail's father had been the Valtieri family's driver, a loyal man who had even lost his life in an accident while driving Lyra to the airport.
Since then, Lyra's family had supported Abigail and her mother, providing them with a home, education, and everything they needed.
Lyra had even made sure Abigail got a job at one of her family's company branches. She trusted her completely, without hesitation. But now, that trust was repaid with something far crueler than mere betrayal.
Lyra drew a slow breath. Her gaze fell back on Nicholas. Her smile was still there, but there was no warmth left in it, only coldness and destruction that she carried with her.
From the row of guest seats, a man stood up. Alberto Valtieri. An aura of anger was clearly reflected on his aged face. His jaw tightened, his eyes sharp as he stared toward the altar.
His only child. The daughter he had protected all this time, treated like this. Even planned to be poisoned by the man who had almost become part of his family.
Meanwhile, Nicholas still stood frozen. His body seemed rooted to the spot. His eyes were fixed on the large screen behind him, on every piece of conversation playing mercilessly.
Complete, without cuts and without any room to deny it.
How was this possible…?
How did Lyra get that video?
His thoughts were in chaos.
Abigail had never said anything about CCTV. He had also never seen any cameras anywhere in that apartment. Yet the reality before him could not be denied.
And the video had not ended. The next video began to play. This time, it was no longer about betrayal in bed, but about lies far deeper.
About Nicholas's family, which had never truly existed as he had claimed. About the company that Nicholas and Abigail had proudly spoken of, which turned out to be fictional, never officially registered.
And what stirred the room even more, Lyra's money, which she had given without suspicion, had been used to buy shares in her father's company under an alias.
Silence fell over the wedding ballroom for a moment. Then the whispers turned into uncontrollable commotion.
Lyra stood still, but inside her, the anger grew bigger and harder to contain.
She had trusted Abigail and her family too much. Trusted the people she believed would never betray her.
Because of that, she had never felt the need to investigate Nicholas's background further. A mistake she now had to pay for dearly.
After leaving the apartment last night, Lyra had not wasted any time. She immediately contacted her assistant, ordering her to find out who Nicholas really was, as quickly as possible.
Lyra even sent the CCTV recording as an initial lead. And during the journey to the wedding venue, she read everything.
One by one, the facts, the lies, and the betrayal, fueling her anger even more. And that disappointment had now become a weight that almost made her unable to stand here, in front of everyone, even in front of the traitor.
Footsteps sounded from the side of the room. Two men in formal suits stepped forward, followed by two police officers. The Valtieri family's lawyers. And the authorities who had been prepared from the beginning. Everything had been carefully arranged under Lyra's orders.
Lyra finally moved. One step forward, her gaze fixed straight on Nicholas cold and without hesitation, as if all the feelings she had once had for him had completely died.