They Planned My Fall, I Built My Throne

"I'm the one who was supposed to marry Austin today! What gives you the right to steal him from me? You should die!"

A brutal shove slammed into Rachael Brown's back.

The force caught her completely unprepared. Her body lurched forward, and in the next instant, she was tumbling over the yacht's railing.

Her hands shot out instinctively, barely managing to grab the edge of the deck. Dangling above the dark ocean, she looked up in panic, only to meet a pair of venom-filled eyes.

It was Abby Brown, her half-sister. Abby had despised her for as long as Rachael could remember.

"Have you lost your mind?" Rachael struggled to haul herself up again, but the diamond-studded wedding gown weighed her down like a chain. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn't get over the railing.

Abby stared down at her with a twisted smile that made Rachael's blood run cold. Then she lifted her heel and viciously ground it down onto Rachael's fingers. "Austin isn't coming to save you," Abby said with a shrill laugh, "because he's already-"

Sharp pain exploded through Rachael's hand. Her grip slipped, and her body dropped straight into the freezing black sea.

Beneath the water, the yacht's propeller churned violently. A cloud of blood spread through the waves before quickly disappearing into the darkness.

"No!" Rachael shot up from sleep with a startled cry.

In the very next moment, the face from her nightmare came into focus right in front of her. "Rach? What happened?"

Before she could process anything, Rachael's instincts took over. She swung her hand and slapped Abby across the face. "Stay away from me!"

Abby staggered backward, one hand flying to her cheek. Her expression twisted with disbelief and fury. "I came to bring you your wedding dress, and you slapped me?"

Nearby, Jenna Brown, Abby's mother, frowned immediately. "Rachael, today is your wedding day. Do you really have to behave so impulsively?" Her tone carried obvious dissatisfaction. "The Brooks family cares a lot about manners and rules. If they see this side of you, they'll think I failed to raise you properly."

Rachael stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror. Her bridal makeup was only half done, but even layers of foundation could not hide the unnatural paleness of her face.

Slowly, her thoughts returned. Today was her wedding day and she was about to marry Austin Brooks.

The preparations over the past few days had exhausted her completely. She must have accidentally fallen asleep in the makeup chair. That horrifying scene earlier had only been a dream. But it had felt terrifyingly real.

"I'm sorry," Rachael said quietly after a long pause. "I just had a nightmare."

Abby immediately let out a mocking laugh. "A nightmare? Or are you using that as an excuse to vent your anger on me?"

With an irritated expression, Abby shoved the garment bag toward her. "The designer called earlier," she said impatiently. "Some diamonds from the original gown were damaged during shipping, so you'll be wearing this dress instead."

Rachael instinctively turned her head. The instant she saw the gown, her entire body went cold.

It was the exact same dress from the dream.

Before today, she had never laid eyes on it.

Seeing her frozen in place, Jenna urged the stylists impatiently. "Why are you just standing there? The ceremony is about to begin."

The stylists nearby quickly stepped forward, preparing to help her change into the gown.

Rachael lowered her gaze toward the glittering dress. Her fingers trembled the moment they brushed against the fabric.

In that nightmare, this was the very dress that had dragged her down, trapping her and keeping her from pulling herself back onto the yacht, right before the propeller had torn into her.

The memory of it made her scalp go numb. It had to be some kind of warning. It might not make sense, but she refused to ignore it.

Her fingers tightened abruptly. Without hesitation, she shoved the mannequin aside. "Who allowed you to replace my wedding dress? I'm not wearing this one."

Abby instantly exploded. "Are you done acting crazy yet? What else are you supposed to wear? The damaged dress? Do you want to humiliate yourself in front of everyone?"

She folded her arms and sneered. "Honestly, I have no idea what the Brooks family saw in you. You're impossible to deal with."

Just then, there was a soft knock at the dressing room door. A deep, cool voice sounded from outside. "What's happening in there?"

The man who stepped into the room was tall enough that he had to lower his head slightly as he entered.

He wore a perfectly fitted black suit that emphasized his tall, broad figure. His features were strikingly attractive, but the cold detachment in his expression made him seem distant and difficult to approach.

It was Austin, the groom.

Yet he looked nothing like a man about to get married. There was no happiness on his face, no trace of warmth in his eyes.

The moment Abby saw him, her expression changed instantly. She looked aggrieved, her eyes turning watery. "Austin, Rachael slapped me for absolutely no reason earlier, and now she's even knocked over the wedding gown. This dress is couture from a famous designer."

Austin's gaze fell on the gown lying on the floor.

"There's only one dress available," he said coolly, his tone firm and unquestionable. "You don't have another choice. Don't turn this into an even bigger mess."

"Rachael, behaving however you want at home is one thing, but how can you act like this in front of Austin?" Abby said, openly delighted as a malicious glimmer flashed through her eyes. "A bride should at least look graceful walking down the aisle, shouldn't she?"

The staff nearby also began nervously trying to persuade Rachael. If anything happened to the dress, they would be the ones blamed for it.

The mounting pressure in the room only made Rachael more convinced that the nightmare might truly come to pass.

"The ceremony is about to begin," Austin said icily. "Stop wasting time."

With that, he turned to leave without another glance.

Rachael nearly laughed from irritation. So this was the kind of husband an arranged marriage gave her. He felt completely unreliable.

But she quickly hid her thoughts and rushed after him with panic written all over her face. "Austin, wait. I need to talk to you-"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly let out a startled cry.

Austin had just turned around when Rachael accidentally stepped on the heavy layers of the gown and stumbled directly into his chest.

At the same moment, the narrow heel of her shoe sliced cleanly through the train.

Abby's eyes widened in shock. She pointed at Rachael with a trembling finger. "You did that on purpose! Do you even realize how expensive that dress is?" Turning to Austin, she said, "Rachael has gone too far!"

Rachael immediately put on a flustered expression as she explained, "No, I didn't do it intentionally. I just thought you were angry, so I wanted to explain things to you. I really didn't mean to."

Obviously she had done it on purpose. What else was she supposed to do? Stand there obediently and wait to die?

Despite being unreliable, Austin had a far better build than she had expected. She bet he had meticulously sculpted eight-pack abs.

Austin did not say a word. He simply caught hold of her arm.

He bent slightly closer, his voice low enough that only she could hear it. "Your acting is awful. I don't care what little scheme you're trying to pull today, but this wedding is happening whether you like it or not. You have no say in it."

Rachael's body went rigid.

Abby immediately rushed over in alarm and pulled Rachael away from him. "You absolutely did that on purpose! The wedding's about to begin. Don't tell me you suddenly don't want to get married anymore and are trying to ruin the ceremony so you can escape!"

Rachael sneered inwardly. Of course. Abby was deliberately planting the idea that she wanted to call off the wedding. That way, if something happened to her later, they could simply claim she had tried to flee, lost her footing, and accidentally fallen into the sea. How perfectly convenient.

Austin's face darkened slightly. "Get someone to fix the original dress," he ordered coldly. "This gown is damaged now, so we won't be using it."

"But this dress-" Abby blurted out anxiously.

"Enough. You're talking too much." After saying that, Austin turned and walked away without sparing them another glance.

Rachael watched his distant figure disappear, and a faint smile slowly curved her lips.

For what was coming next, she hoped her soon-to-be husband would continue cooperating this well.

The wedding ceremony proceeded without any issues.

Rachael carried herself through the reception wearing a perfect, elegant smile, but inwardly, she never let her guard down for even a second.

Whether that nightmare had truly been a warning or merely her imagination... she would soon find out.

The moment the clock struck the exact time from her dream, she quietly excused herself under the pretense of fixing her makeup and slipped out of the banquet hall unnoticed.

She had already swapped her delicate high heels for a pair of flats.

Stepping onto the deck, she inhaled deeply, the salty sea breeze filling her lungs as she tried to steady her nerves.

"Oh my God! Whose dog fell overboard?"

There it was.

The exact opening scene from the nightmare.

Abby was throwing Milo, the dog she had cared for over the years, into the ocean.

A slight shiver passed through Rachael, but it wasn't fear this time.

It was the strange rush of realizing the warning had come true and knowing she had been prepared for it.

Without another thought, she sprinted toward the front of the yacht.