My stepsister tried to ruin my wedding by deliberately planning hers on the exact same day—and when that still wasn’t enough, she went even further and destroyed my wedding dress by making holes in it. I was devastated, but nothing shattered me more than what came next: my parents chose to attend her wedding instead, abandoning me on the biggest day of my life. I stood there completely alone… until they saw me on TV, and the moment they realized what they’d done, they were horrified. They rushed to my house in a panic, ready to explain—but the second they walked in, they froze, completely speechless… because……I’m Emma Collins, and I used to believe family meant showing up when it mattered most. I was wrong.
THE SYMPHONY OF BETRAYAL
Chapter 1: The Scissors in the Darkness
The old Rochar family mansion in Westchester was eerily silent the night before my wedding. I, Emma Rochar, stood in the dressing room, gazing at the wedding dress hanging on the rack. It wasn’t a lavish gown from the Parisian runways, but my labor of love – a simple yet exquisite white silk dress.
Snip. Snip.
The sound of metal cutting through silk was heart-wrenching. I stood frozen in the hallway, peering through the slightly ajar door. Chloe – my stepsister – was wielding a sharp pair of scissors, frantically cutting jagged holes in my bodice and skirt. Her face contorted with a morbid satisfaction.
“Do you think you deserve a perfect day, Emma?” Chloe whispered, a smirk visible in the mirror. “Tomorrow is my wedding. At the Plaza Hotel. With hundreds of reporters’ cameras. And you? You’re just a shadow, a backdrop to my brilliance.”
Chloe deliberately chose my wedding day to hold hers. She used every trick to steal my flower suppliers, my top makeup artists, and now my dress.
I didn’t storm in. I just quietly returned to my room, my hand gripping the phone tightly. My heart ached, but the brain of a Rochar had been trained never to show weakness to the enemy.
Chapter 2: The Choice of Blood
The next morning, the New York sun shone brightly, but my heart was as cold as ice. I went downstairs, hoping to find some comfort from my father – Robert, and my stepmother – Susan.
They were standing in the hall, in their most splendid attire. Chloe stood beside them, radiant like a princess in her custom-designed Vera Wang dress. She looked at me with a look of feigned pity.
“Dad, Mom,” I said hoarsely. “My wedding dress is ruined. I need help.”
Susan glanced at her watch, her face full of impatience. “Emma, we don’t have time for your petty troubles. Chloe needs to be at the Plaza by 10 o’clock. You know this is the biggest event of the year.”
My father, the man I adored, avoided my gaze. “Emma, you’ve always been strong. You can manage on your own. But Chloe… she’s so sensitive. If we’re not there to walk her down the aisle today, she’ll break down. Do you understand?”
“I’m your daughter too,” I whispered, tears finally falling.
“Don’t be selfish, Emma,” Chloe interjected, her voice sweet as poison. “My wedding was just a small ceremony in the suburbs with a few unknown friends. And you… you’re carrying the Rochar family’s honor before the media.”
They got into the car. The sleek black limousine rolled away from the mansion gate, leaving me standing there, alone in the empty house, my tattered wedding dress in my hands.
I used to believe that family meant being present when things mattered most. I was wrong. For them, family was a ladder to glory, and I was just a forgotten step.
Chapter 3: The Climax – The Nationwide Screen Revelation
In the lobby of the Plaza Hotel, Chloe Rochar’s wedding was in full swing. Hundreds of high-society guests, financial journalists, and entertainment reporters were gathered. Robert and Susan were beaming, shaking hands with billionaires and politicians.
Suddenly, all the large screens in the hotel and the electronic billboards in Times Square simultaneously switched to a special news channel. A bright red headline scrolled across the screen: “SHOCKING EVENT: THE WEDDING OF EMMA ROCHAR – THE MYSTERIOUS CEO OF THE MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION TITAN.”
Chloe froze as she prepared to cut the cake. The entire Plaza fell silent.
On the screen, Emma Rochar appeared. But not in her tattered suburban dress.
I stood on the balcony of the Empire State Building – which had been completely closed off for a private event. I wore a diamond and silk gown, an original $5 million dress from the fashion museum’s archives. Beside me was none other than Alexander Thorne – the most powerful man on Wall Street, the man the Rochar family had been trying to approach for the past ten years without ever receiving a response.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” my voice rang out, calm and authoritative on live television. “Today is not just my wedding day. This is the day I officially announce the merger of Titan Corporation and the Thorne family. And I also want to send a message to those who taught me the value of ‘family’…”
The camera zoomed in on my face. My gaze was as sharp as a razor.
“Family isn’t just about blood ties, but about people who never abandon you when your dress is torn to shreds. Thank you, Alexander, for bringing me your mother’s dress in 30 minutes.”
Robert’s face turned pale. Susan collapsed to the floor. Chloe screamed in horror when she realized that the person she had always despised was the very “god” she had longed to touch. Worse still, the…
Reporters at the Plaza began turning to look at the Rochar family with contempt as they realized Emma Rochar – the woman who had just become the most powerful woman in America – was the child they had abandoned that morning.
Chapter 4: Panic and Ruins
“We have to get there! Immediately!” Robert shouted, his voice trembling. “We have to explain to her! She’s Emma Rochar! She owns Titan Corporation! Why didn’t we know this?”
They abandoned Chloe’s unfinished wedding, left the guests behind, rushed to their car, and sped to my Manhattan penthouse in utter panic. They were ready to kneel, to apologize, to say they had been deceived by Chloe, to reclaim a piece of the vast empire I held.
They ran to my apartment door, breathless, drenched in sweat. The heavy oak door swung open before they could ring the doorbell.
But the moment they stepped inside, they were silenced. The space was utterly speechless.
The apartment had no roses, no champagne, no party. In the middle of the spacious living room, I sat in an armchair, still wearing my dazzling wedding dress, but holding a navy blue file. Around me were six top Wall Street lawyers and security personnel.
Alexander Thorne stood beside me, his hand protectively placed on my shoulder.
“Emma… my love,” Robert stammered, taking a step forward. “I… I misunderstood. I thought that wedding in the suburbs was… I was tricked by Chloe. Your parents have always loved you…”
I raised my hand, a simple gesture that silenced him.
“Don’t use the word ‘love’ here, Robert,” I said, my voice so cold it seemed to freeze the air in the room. “You’re not here because of me. You’re here because of that Emma Rochar on TV.”
I threw the file onto the table.
“Inside is the order to seize all of the Rochar family’s real estate, including their mansion in Westchester and Chloe’s bank accounts. It turns out the Titan Corporation secretly bought out the family’s debts two years ago. I’ve been waiting for this day to see if blood ties really matter more than money.”
Stepmother Susan sobbed. “Emma, you can’t do this! We’re family!”
“Family?” I stood up, my silk dress sweeping across the floor like a declaration of war. “Family that stood by and watched Chloe rip holes in my dress and laugh at me? Family that abandoned me on the most important day of my life for a more extravagant party?”
I looked into my father’s eyes. “Dad was right, he chose the right person to walk down the aisle this morning. He chose Chloe – a mediocre person, just like his bias. And me? I have Alexander. And I have myself.”
Final Chapter: An Irretrievable Lesson
I gestured to the lawyers. “Get them out. My time is very expensive right now. And make sure they don’t take anything from the Westchester mansion except my tattered wedding dress that they left behind. That’s the only memento I have for them.”
Robert, Susan, and Chloe were escorted out of the building by security in utter humiliation. Downstairs, dozens of reporters were waiting to photograph those who had just been abandoned by the “Queen of Titans.”
I stood by the large glass window, looking down at the dazzling lights of New York City.
“Are you okay?” Alexander asked, embracing me from behind.
“I’ve never been better,” I replied. “I used to think I needed their presence to feel complete. But it turns out the most valuable lesson I learned is: The brightest glory is the glory you create for yourself, after burning away the toxic bonds called family.”
The Rochar family received a lesson they were never ready to face. They lost everything – money, honor, and even the child who truly loved them – because of one wrong choice on a fateful morning.
I am Emma Rochar. And my wedding day was perfect, because it was the day I officially buried my painful past under the rubble of betrayal.
At my daughter’s 5th birthday party, my husband got down on his knees—but not to propose again. He held out a box… containing a DNA test request form… and what happened next was beyond my wildest imagination…
Our Mediterranean-style villa was brightly lit. Today was my daughter Mia’s fifth birthday. The lush green lawn was decorated like a wonderland with thousands of imported roses, a rather enormous castle, and waiters swaggering around with trays of fine Champagne.
I, Sarah, stood on the balcony looking down. I wore a cream-colored silk dress, smiling as I greeted the guests – all my husband’s business partners, local politicians, and, of course, the prestigious Sterling family.
My husband, Robert Sterling, is the sole heir to the Sterling Real Estate Group. He’s handsome, charming, and ruthless in business. Our marriage was considered a model: a rich prince and a clever Cinderella (I was a lawyer before we got married).
But for the past six months, Robert had changed. He was cold, often away from home, and frequently hinted that I was “unworthy” of the Sterling family. I knew he was plotting something. But I didn’t expect him to choose today to bring it all to a close.
“Everyone, please pay attention!” Robert’s voice boomed through the microphone.
The music stopped. The crowd fell silent. Robert stood in the middle of the stage, holding Mia’s hand, who was wearing a princess dress. He looked at me, his eyes devoid of any love, only the triumph of a hunter cornering his prey.
“Today is a special day,” Robert said, his voice feigning emotion. “And I want to give Sarah, my beloved wife, a surprise gift.”
Robert knelt down.
The crowd gasped. The ladies whispered, “Oh my God, he’s proposing again? How romantic!”
My heart pounded. Not with happiness. But with a premonition that something terribly bad was about to happen.
Robert didn’t pull out the ring box. He pulled out a flat wooden box, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper.
He opened the box and pulled out a piece of paper bearing the red seal of GeneTech Genetics Laboratory.
“Sarah,” Robert said, his voice sharp, loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. “I’ve always wondered why Mia has brown eyes, while the Sterling family has had blue eyes for four generations. And I’ve found the answer.”
He held up the paper.
“DNA test results: Probability of paternity: 0%.”
Silence hung heavy in the room. Glasses fell to the floor. My mother-in-law, Victoria Sterling—the iron woman of the family—rose from her VIP seat, her face drained of color.
“You deceived me,” Robert roared, playing the role of a cuckolded husband brilliantly. “You deceived this whole family for gold! Mia is not my daughter! You are a slut!”
He threw the paper in my face.
“According to the ethical clause in the prenuptial agreement,” Robert declared emphatically, turning to his lawyer who was standing nearby. “Adultery and paternity fraud will cost Sarah everything. She will leave empty-handed. No alimony. No home. And of course, I will not raise this illegitimate child.”
Mia began to cry in fear. I rushed off the stage, hugging my daughter.
The crowd began to murmur and point. Eyes of contempt were fixed on me. Robert stood there, arms crossed, a half-smile on his face. He had won. He had gotten rid of me to get his mistress, and he kept his entire $500 million fortune.
Or so he thought.
I didn’t cry. I stood up, adjusted Mia’s dress, and handed her to the nanny to take her inside.
I picked up the DNA test results. I glanced at them. It was indeed GeneTech’s signature. It was indeed Robert Sterling and Mia Sterling’s names on the file.
I walked to the microphone. Robert tried to snatch it back, but I gave him such a cold stare that he recoiled.
“Robert,” I said, my voice strangely calm. “When did you take this sample?”
“Last week,” Robert sneered. “When you dropped Mia off at school, I took her toothbrush. Don’t deny it. The sample was sealed and sent directly to the lab.”
“Are you sure it’s Mia’s toothbrush?”
“Absolutely 100%. Pink, with Princess Elsa on it, in her bathroom.”
I nodded, then turned to Victoria Sterling.
“Mother,” I said. “Do you remember last week, when my father-in-law – William – visited and stayed overnight?”
Victoria frowned, a flicker of worry in her eyes. “So what?”
“Mia dropped her toothbrush in the toilet,” I explained slowly. “So I threw it away. That night, Mia used a new toothbrush. And the next morning, her father, William – who is always forgetting his reading glasses – accidentally used her pink toothbrush because he left his at home.”
Robert’s face changed color. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“I’m not talking nonsense, Robert. I know what you’re plotting. I saw your messages with your lawyer about trying to get me kicked out. I knew you were going to secretly take a DNA sample. So I left that toothbrush there. The toothbrush your father, William Sterling, used.”
I held the paper up high.
“You sent that toothbrush sample for testing, comparing it to your own blood sample. You think you’re knitting…”
“They compared Father (Robert) and Daughter (Mia).”
I paused, letting the truth sink in.
“But in reality, the lab compared Robert and Mr. William.”
The entire auditorium held its breath. Victoria staggered, clinging to her chair.
“And what’s the result?” I read aloud the fateful words. “Probability of paternity: 0%.”
The gasp of horror was ten times louder than before.
“This doesn’t mean Mia isn’t your daughter,” I looked directly into Robert’s eyes, who was trembling. “This means YOU are not William Sterling’s biological son.”
Robert froze. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He had just personally revealed the proof that he was… an illegitimate child.
“Mother…” Robert turned to Victoria. “Tell her she’s lying!” “He’s the spitting image of his father!”
But Victoria couldn’t say anything. She was crying. Her silence was the clearest answer.
Thirty-five years ago, Victoria Sterling – then a young lady neglected by her husband – had a fleeting affair with the family’s horse trainer. She kept that secret buried, raising Robert as the rightful heir to the Sterling empire.
Until today. Until her own son’s greed and cruelty unearthed that secret.
“The Sterling Trust’s inheritance clause,” I continued, my voice cold as a judge pronouncing a verdict. “It stipulates that only those directly related to William Sterling by blood are entitled to inherit and run the corporation. Otherwise, all assets will be donated to charity.”
I looked at Robert, who had just lost $500 million in five minutes because he wanted to harm his wife.
“You want to use DNA to strip me and Mia of our rights?” “Congratulations, Robert. You’ve just deprived yourself of your rights. You’re no longer a Sterling. You’re left with nothing.”
Robert went berserk. He lunged at me. “You bitch! I’ll kill you!”
But the security team – hired to protect the “Sterling family” – quickly intervened. They restrained Robert. On whose orders? On the orders of the corporation’s chief lawyer, who had just realized his client was an imposter.
My father-in-law, William Sterling, emerged from the house. He had heard everything over the loudspeaker. He was old and frail, leaning on a cane, but his eyes, as he looked at Victoria and Robert, were filled with disappointment and pain.
“Get out of here,” William said softly. “Both of you.”
“Dad!” “I’m your son!” Robert screamed.
“That paper says no,” William pointed to the DNA test results lying on the grass. “And I believe science more than I believe my wife who deceived me for 35 years.”
Robert was dragged out of the front gate, screaming in despair.
The party was in ruins. Guests left in shock. Victoria slumped into a chair, covering her face and weeping.
William came over to me. He looked at me, then towards the house where Mia was playing, unaware of the storm.
“Sarah,” he said, his voice trembling. “And Mia? Is she…is she really my granddaughter?”
I smiled sadly. I pulled another piece of paper from my purse.
“I had my own test done last week, Dad.” “By proper blood sample, at the university hospital.”
I handed him the paper.
Test results: Mia Sterling and William Sterling. Relationship: Not related by blood.
William’s shoulders slumped. He had lost everything. His son, and now his granddaughter.
“But,” I continued, taking his wrinkled hand. “Mia loves you. She’s called you Grandpa since she was a toddler. I don’t care who Robert is, or what blood flows in her veins. I only know that you’re the only one in this house who truly loves Mia.”
“I won’t fight for the inheritance,” I said. “I have a job, I can support Mia. But I want you to know the truth. Robert intends to abandon Mia because he suspects she’s not his child (even though she is his and my biological daughter). He’s willing to sacrifice his daughter for money.” “As for me, I’m ready to expose the truth to protect her honor.”
Mr. William looked at me, tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked at the test results confirming Robert was illegitimate, then at the test results confirming Mia wasn’t his granddaughter.
He tore both papers up.
“Call the lawyer,” Mr. William said to the butler. “I want to amend my will.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“Robert isn’t my son. He won’t get a penny,” he said sharply. “But Mia… I’ve held her since she was a baby. I taught her to ride a bicycle. I read her bedtime stories. What does blood matter? She’s my granddaughter.”
He looked straight into my eyes.
“I’ll leave everything to Mia. And you, Sarah, you’ll be her guardian until she’s 18. Get rid of Robert and his deceitful mother.” “Make this place a real family.”
I hugged William tightly.
Outside, police sirens blared. Robert was trying to break back in and had been arrested for trespassing.
He wanted to use a DNA box to destroy my life. But he forgot the most basic principle: Never open a box. Pandora’s box if you yourself are also full of demons.
