That day, the wedding hall glittered like a palace. The golden lights illuminated the radiant face of the groom—  Rachel , a successful businessman who owns a chain of luxury restaurants in New York City. At his side stood  Camila , the young and beautiful bride, wearing a sequined mermaid gown, smiling nonstop as she greeted the guests.

No one knew that just a year ago, Rachel was still walking hand in hand with his wife,  Mariana . She was a sweet woman who silently supported him from the time they had nothing until he grew into a man admired by all.

But Rachel changed. He met Camila at a business dinner. She was young, seductive, and knew how to please a man. Little by little, Rachel began to treat Mariana coldly. He blamed her for absurd things, made her cry, and pushed her to a state of extreme exhaustion. The final blow came when, in the midst of a crying fit in his office, Rachel secretly called a hospital and signed the papers to admit his wife to a psychiatric hospital, claiming that “she was suffering from delusions.”

The day they took her, Mariana looked at him with tears running down her cheeks:
—  I’m not sick, I’m just tired… You believe me, right?

But Rachel avoided her gaze. There was no more room in his mind for her, only for Camila.

A year later, Rachel organized a lavish wedding. What he didn’t know was that Mariana had left the hospital three months earlier. She had moved almost 200 kilometers from the capital, learned to drive, and sold all her jewelry to buy a used 2016 supercar. He had only one goal: to show up at the wedding, not to beg, but to close the chapter in his life.

The music was playing loudly as the master of ceremonies announced the cutting of the wedding cake. Just then, the roar of an engine echoed outside the hall, drowning out the orchestra. All the guests turned their heads in surprise. A black sports car pulled up to the entrance and slammed on its brakes, sending up a cloud of white smoke.

Mariana stepped out. She wasn’t wearing a ball gown or a salon hairstyle. She wore a simple white dress, her hair loose, and a cold, steady gaze. In her hands, she carried an elegantly wrapped gift box. The entire room fell silent.

Rachel froze, his face livid:
—  M-Mariana… What… what are you doing here?

She didn’t answer, she just smiled. She walked up to the stage and handed the box to Camila. Her voice was clear, echoing in the room full of curious onlookers:
”  Congratulations to both of you. This is my wedding gift. I assure you, you’ll never forget it.”

Camila, trembling, opened the box. Inside, there were no bombs or weapons, but a bundle of official documents: title deeds to the entire restaurant chain and the transfer contract signed by Rachel.

Mariana continued calmly:
”  Everything he has today was built with my sacrifice, my capital, and my efforts. But I’ve already sold all my shares to the company’s majority partner. From now on, Rachel is nothing more than “the traitorous groom” in this wedding.”

A murmur of shock ran through the room. Influential businessmen began to get up and leave, and phones rang off the hook. Rachel collapsed in shock, while Camila clutched the box as if it were burning in her hands.

Mariana looked at him with a bitter smile:
”  I’m not crazy, I never was. You’re the crazy one… for thinking you could bury me so you could live with your lover.”

With those words, she turned and left the room amidst astonished gazes. Some guests applauded her in a sign of respect. The sports car’s engine roared again, and in the cloud of smoke, Mariana disappeared, leaving behind a wedding that had been turned to ashes from the very first moment.