"I thought marrying you would save me. But I was wrong.
You were the beginning of the end."
Noa Aizawa stood at the altar in a white couture gown that flowed like liquid silk. Her smile was delicate, elegant… and completely fake. Just like the last two years of her life.
Beside her stood Keita Arakawa—Japan's most desirable young CEO—his hand firmly wrapped around hers, charming for the cameras, yet cold beneath the surface.
Applause thundered. Flashbulbs exploded. Social media screamed *#PowerCoupleOfTheYear*.
But inside, Noa's mind repeated just one sentence:
> *I shouldn't have chosen him.*
***
Three months before the wedding.
"This is the merger contract. You just need to sign the last page."
Keita placed the brown folder onto the glass table without looking up. His voice was flat, his tone final. His eyes were fixed on his phone, as always.
Noa frowned. "A merger between Arakawa Group and Aizawa Holdings? We've never discussed this."
"Because you didn't need to," he replied coolly. "We're getting married. It's just paperwork."
"Paperwork?" she echoed, stunned. "That's my family's company, Keita."
"And I saved it," Keita said simply, finally lifting his gaze. "Your father was drowning in debt. I paid it off. I gave you a second chance."
Noa's breath hitched.
Because it was true.
Without Keita, her family's company would've crumbled.
Without him… she would've had nothing.
But in that moment, she realized:
Keita Arakawa didn't save Aizawa Holdings out of love.
He did it for control.
***
The wedding was perfect—on the outside.
Inside, it was all silence and strategy.
Noa smiled for the guests. Posed for the cameras. Played the role of the perfect bride.
That night, in the luxury suite of a five-star hotel, she sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her reflection in the gilded mirror.
"Why are you so quiet?" Keita asked, loosening his tie, unbuttoning his shirt like it was just another Tuesday.
Noa turned slowly. "Did we ever really talk about this marriage?"
He sighed. "You wanted romance? That only exists in K-Dramas."
"No. I just want to know…" she whispered, "Am I just a business deal to you?"
Keita walked over. He stopped in front of her, looking straight into her eyes.
"You're not a business deal," he said.
For a moment, she dared to hope.
"You're a full acquisition."
And in that instant, Noa Aizawa realized—
She wasn't a wife.
She was an asset dressed in white and wrapped in diamonds.