The Crown of Lies for You

The day before my wedding to Leo Gallagher, heir to the Gallagher Ranch empire, my best friend, Sienna Voss, ran over my mother with her car and killed her.

Leo not only refused to hold her accountable—he tore up our engagement contract and announced his union with Sienna, declaring a new alliance for all to see.

I swore she would pay in blood. I stormed their celebration, only to be met with ridicule and pity. They called me an outsider who didn’t understand the rules.

Just when I had nothing left—no hope, no allies—Julian Harlan stepped forward. The silent man who had watched me grow up, always lurking in the background, knelt before me in front of everyone. He said he would be my shield. My blade of vengeance.

I agreed.

I gave him all my trust, all my hope, to uncover the truth behind my mother’s death.

He told me Sienna had been punished by "the rules" of the family, sentenced to a prison she could never leave. I believed him.

But three years into our marriage, I overheard a conversation between Julian and the family's legal advisor.

“Julian, you married Ava Reilly just to sign a damn ‘peace agreement’? It was an accident—you didn’t need to gamble the entire Harlan empire on it.”

“It was the only way,” Julian said. “Only as her husband could I sign the agreement on behalf of the Reilly family and buy Sienna’s freedom. It was the only way to calm the Gallaghers down.”

“As long as Sienna stays safe on that island in South Padre, that’s enough. As for me... it doesn’t matter.”

So that was the truth.

My marriage—the one I saw as salvation—was a carefully constructed lie, designed to shield the woman he truly loved.

That agreement, signed in my name, the one that stopped a full-blown family war, was never meant to protect me.

It was all for her.

I was the one who should’ve disappeared from the stage long ago.

—

Inside the office, Julian Harlan stared at a photo of Sienna lounging on a sunlit beach. His smile was soaked in heartbreak and solace.

“Three years,” he murmured. “It’s enough just to know she’s doing well, even if I’m not the one making her happy.”

“As for Ava... I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her. This ends here.”

Marcus Slade, the legal advisor and an old family hand, turned purple with rage but knew he was powerless.

“Boss, we’ve worked for years to clean up parts of the Harlan portfolio. You’re playing with fire! If the Gallaghers or the FBI get wind of this, it won’t be just you—your whole empire will go down.”

“Sienna Voss deliberately killed someone. Why are you still protecting her? She doesn’t even love you!”

Julian’s face darkened. His voice left no room for argument.

“That’s enough, Marcus. Don’t bring this up again. I don’t believe she did it on purpose. The brakes failed. And I gave Aunt Maria Reilly the most dignified funeral possible. That should be enough of a gesture to the Reillys.”

“If saving her costs me a company—or my life—so be it.”

Marcus grew frantic.

“What about Ava? She’ll find out eventually! If she digs into Sienna’s whereabouts, your perfect plan is finished!”

“You used her name to pardon the woman who killed her mother. How is she supposed to live with that?”

Julian was silent for a moment. He lit a cigar.

“Then she can never know. Three years have passed. That’s long enough for this so-called sentence.”

“Make the arrangements. Just make sure Ava finds nothing.”

“Julian, as your advisor, I have to remind you—there are no airtight secrets. Everything leaves a trace. You’re hurting someone innocent to protect a killer. If Ava learns the truth, you’ll lose everything.”

My tears slid down my chin.

I trembled all over, barely able to hold the food container in my hands.

Footsteps approached. I ducked into the stairwell.

So the crash that killed my mother had never been handled by any code or law.

Sienna wasn’t repenting in some cold, windowless dungeon.

She was on the other side of the planet, basking in sun and freedom.

Because of him.

The man I loved with every fiber of my being had crafted it all.

His tenderness, his protection, the storms he claimed to shield me from—were all for her.

Three years of marriage, and every moment had been a lie.

I thought I’d found a lighthouse in the dark.

But I was already in hell.

What a cruel joke.

I stumbled down the stairs and stood outside the Harlan Tower.

I waited five hours.

Until the last light in the building went out.

Then he appeared.

The moment he saw me, his face filled with concern. He rushed over and took my hand.

“What are you doing here? How long have you been waiting?”

“Not long. Just got here. I know you’ve been busy, so I brought you something to eat. Your assistant said you were in a meeting, so I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Don’t do that again. It’s freezing out here. If you get sick, I’ll be upset.”

He pulled me into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

The same gentle touch as always.

But I only felt ice-cold numbness.

A man really could go that far for someone he loved.

He opened the passenger door for me, speaking casually.

“By the way, Sienna’s sentence is just about over. You two were friends once. She’s paid her price. And we’ve got some business ties with the Voss family now, so—”

“It’s all in the past,” I cut in calmly. “I’m not going to cause her trouble. Don’t worry.”

He exhaled, visibly relieved. A faint smile tugged at his lips.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Marrying you... it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

I turned to the window, watching the city lights blur as tears streamed silently down my face.

Back home, while he showered, I opened his laptop.

The password was Sienna’s birthday.

The desktop wallpaper was an aerial shot of the Maldives.

Her prison for the past three years.

I logged into his private social account.

The header image was a photo of him and Sienna as teenagers.

His following list had only one name.

I clicked it.

Photo after photo of her luxurious life abroad filled the screen.

The jewelry she wore was from the latest collection of a Harlan luxury brand.

The villa she stayed in belonged to a resort the Harlans acquired overseas three years ago—their only foreign property.

My hands shook as I opened his encrypted ledger.

There was only one recipient: Sienna Voss.

One million dollars a month, funneled through a maze of shell accounts.

He had kept it up for three straight years.

I kept scrolling.

And with every line, my heart sank deeper into frozen waters.