Page 1 of Vows of Deceit
Prologue
They said every great love story began with a spark. Cassie King’s began with a lie. She didn’t see it at first. Not in the way Damien smiled at her across the ballroom. Not in the way his hand found hers beneath linen-draped tables.
Not in the whispered promises that curled like smoke in the night. No, the lie came gently. Wrapped in silk and roses, in murmured endearments and grand gestures. In the way he kissed her like she was the only woman who ever existed. In the way he married her. Vows etched in gold, forever promised before hundreds of watching eyes. But even then, forever had a shadow.
It watched from the front row in crimson heels and a knowing smile. It wore her sister’s face. Cassie never expected to become the woman who was betrayed. She was the good one. The perfect wife.
She loved Damien Sterling with every part of her soul until the night she discovered he never stopped loving someone else.
Now, on the eve of their second anniversary, as champagne chills in silver buckets and her heart thuds quietly beneath a silk gown, Cassie prepares for the celebration he believes she planned out of love but this time, her vow isn’t one of devotion.
It’s revenge.
Chapter One
The Perfect Wife
The smell of jasmine and vanilla candles curled through the penthouse suite like a whisper, delicate and intoxicating. Cassandra King moved gracefully across the marble floors, barefoot, her silk robe flowing behind her as she inspected the final details of the anniversary surprise she had spent the last week secretly preparing. Every corner of the space reflected intention from the chilled bottle of Cristal on the ice bucket stand to the vintage record player humming a soft jazz melody in the background.
The rooftop terrace glittered in the warm evening light. A private chef waited on standby, hidden behind the double doors, while a string quartet tuned their instruments quietly in the next room. Rose petals trailed a path from the bedroom to the rooftop, lit by soft golden candlelight.
Two years.
It had been two years since she said "I do" to Damien Sterling, the man who had once been the embodiment of every romantic fantasy she’d ever dared to believe in. The man who had kissed her forehead in boardrooms and held her hand beneath tables at society galas. The man who made her believe, against all odds, that she was his first and final choice.
And she had believed him. Every vow. Every touch. Every unspoken promise between the lines.
Cassie adjusted a silver fork on the formal dining setup, heart fluttering with both anticipation and an unfamiliar unease. She brushed it off as nerves. Every anniversary stirred memories. Some beautiful, some bittersweet but this night was about celebration, not doubt.
Delia, her executive assistant and closest confidante, stepped in quietly.
"The chef says everything will be ready on your cue and the terrace is fully prepped. You look stunning, by the way."
Cassie offered a small, gracious smile. "Thank you. I just want tonight to be... perfect."
Delia hesitated, then added softly, "He’s lucky to have you. Not every woman would go this far to keep the magic alive."
Cassie looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows as the sun dipped below the Manhattan skyline. The suite was perched like a crown on top of the Kings Grand, one of Cassie’s luxury developments. Everything about their life screamed perfection: wealth, power, beauty. Yet somewhere between the golden surface, she often felt a chill she couldn't explain.
He hadn’t said much about the anniversary plans. But he was always busy. Always distracted lately. Still, she had brushed it off.
She stared down at the sparkling diamond ring on her finger. The same ring he had slipped onto her hand in a whirlwind proposal after a month of late-night confessions and undeniable chemistry. A proposal that silenced every lingering doubt she’d once harbored.
She’d loved him long before he even saw her.
The first time she met Damien, they were teenagers at a garden party hosted by his parents. He was already magnetic, already chased by every girl in their private school orbit. But he had eyes for her sister, Kelly,the golden girl. Cassie had watched from the sidelines, quiet and content to be unnoticed, secretly nursing her ache in silence.
Years later, fate and timing shifted. A misunderstanding. A few chance encounters. A night when Cassie comforted him after Kelly left the country on a modeling tour. And from then on, the tide turned. Or so she thought.
The elevator dinged.
Cassie's heart jumped. She straightened her shoulders, checked her reflection in the hallway mirror. Ivory dress hugging her curves, lips a soft rose, eyes lined just enough to draw focus but not steal it.
Damien stepped into the suite, loosening his tie with one hand, phone in the other. He didn’t notice the setup at first. Or her.
"You’re home late," she said, voice calm but deliberate.
He glanced up, startled. "Cass... I thought we were meeting at the restaurant?"
