Introduction:
"One week before her wedding, Celia Hartwell is supposed to be applying for a marriage license with Victor Langford, her fiancé of six years. Instead, Victor drops a bombshell: he already has a legal wife. Eleven years ago, out of family duty, he and Maisie Vale registered a civil marriage. They have lived apart for years, but he never dissolved it.
Victor insists Celia is the only woman he truly loves, and even suggests they hold a public wedding first without registering it. The eleven-week pregnancy test result Celia had been about to show him goes back into her bag.
As Celia prepares to call off the wedding, her uncle Graham tells her that her mother, Marian, is in the late stages of cancer. The only thing keeping her going is the thought of watching her daughter walk down the aisle. Celia decides to let the wedding go on—but only as a farewell, a way to grant her mother’s last wish.
On the wedding day, Maisie bursts in and faints. Victor leaves with her despite Celia’s pleas. Celia then miscarries and hemorrhages from the impact and stress. Marian, overwhelmed by the shock, goes into cardiac arrest and cannot be saved.
When Celia wakes, doctors believe she may have traumatic memory loss. Everyone assumes she has forgotten the betrayal and tragedy surrounding the wedding. Victor sees it as a chance to start over. He cuts Maisie off, desperately tries to make amends to Celia, begins divorce proceedings, and—under their prenuptial agreement—rearranges the assets, trusts, and beneficiary rights he is free to control alone.
Then Maisie shows up. Alone with her in the living room, Celia drops the act: she never lost her memory. Celia exploits Victor’s guilt and feeds Maisie’s fear of losing her status and security, but never directly participates in anything illegal. After Maisie exposes the scandal of Victor’s hidden legal marriage, she spirals and sabotages the brakes on his car. Celia doesn’t know exactly what she did. Victor, on a last-minute outin
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