The rain had been falling since sunset.
Ariana Vale stood before the tall mirror in her bedroom, staring at the woman reflected back at her.
She hardly recognized herself.
The white wedding gown fit perfectly. Delicate lace covered her shoulders, and the long veil fell behind her like a sheet of mist.
Everyone would call her beautiful tonight.
A bride.
Lucky.
Loved.
But Ariana felt nothing like a bride.
She felt like a prisoner waiting for the door to close.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the dressing table.
One thought kept repeating inside her mind.
My brother.
She closed her eyes.
Only a few hours ago, she had been given a choice.
It hadn't really been a choice.
Her father had placed a photograph in front of her.
Her younger brother was sitting in a dark room, his hands tied behind his back.
A gun was pointed at him.
Then her father's voice had come quietly.
“Marry Damien Blackwood, and your brother lives.”
Ariana had wanted to scream.
She had wanted to run.
Instead, she had nodded.
Because she could survive almost anything.
But she couldn't survive knowing her brother had died because of her.
A soft knock came at the door.
“Miss Vale?”
Ariana opened her eyes.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and an elderly woman stepped inside.
“It's time.”
Ariana looked at herself one last time.
“Do I have a choice?”
The woman lowered her eyes.
“No.”
That single word hurt more than Ariana expected.
She picked up her veil.
“Then let's go.”
---
The Blackwood estate looked more like a fortress than a home.
Dark stone walls surrounded the enormous property. Iron gates stood at the entrance, guarded by men dressed completely in black.
As Ariana's car passed through the gates, she realized something terrifying.
There were no decorations.
No flowers.
No music.
Nothing that belonged to a wedding.
Only darkness.
She stared through the window.
“Where are we?”
The driver didn't answer.
Ariana's stomach tightened.
Then the car stopped.
The door opened.
Cold rain swept across her face.
She stepped outside.
And there he was.
Damien Blackwood.
He stood beneath the entrance of the mansion, dressed entirely in black.
Tall.
Still.
Dangerously calm.
He didn't look like a groom waiting for his bride.
He looked like a man waiting for his enemy.
Their eyes met.
Ariana immediately understood why people feared him.
There was something frighteningly controlled about him.
He didn't need to raise his voice.
He didn't need to threaten anyone.
His silence was enough.
Damien walked toward her.
Ariana forced herself not to step backward.
He stopped in front of her.
For several seconds, he simply looked at her.
Then his gaze settled on her wedding ring.
“You came.”
Ariana swallowed.
“You gave me no reason not to.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“No.”
His eyes lifted to hers.
“Your father did.”
Ariana's expression hardened.
“Leave my father out of this.”
Damien's smile disappeared.
“You're wearing his family's name.”
“And you're blaming me for something I didn't do.”
Something cold flashed across his face.
“You don't know what your family did.”
“Then tell me.”
Silence.
Rain struck the stone steps around them.
Damien leaned slightly closer.
“Tonight isn't the night for answers.”
“Then why did you marry me?”
His eyes held hers.
“Because your father begged me to.”
Ariana's heart sank.
“He begged you?”
“For your brother's life.”
She froze.
Damien watched her carefully.
“You see?” he murmured. “You already knew this marriage was a bargain.”
Ariana's hands trembled.
“Where is my brother?”
“Safe.”
“Prove it.”
Damien studied her for a moment.
Then he took out his phone.
One message.
One photograph.
Her brother.
Alive.
Ariana's eyes immediately filled with tears.
Relief crashed through her.
Damien lowered the phone.
“He'll remain safe as long as you keep your promises.”
Ariana looked at him.
“And what exactly are my promises?”
“To be my wife.”
“That sounds simple.”
“It isn't.”
He stepped closer.
“From tonight onward, Ariana, you belong to the Blackwood family.”
Her heart pounded.
“I don't belong to anyone.”
For the first time, Damien's expression changed.
A dangerous amusement appeared in his eyes.
“We'll see.”
He extended his hand.
Ariana stared at it.
Then reluctantly placed hers in his.
His fingers closed around hers.
Warm.
Firm.
Possessive.
And somehow, that simple touch felt more frightening than any threat.
He led her toward the mansion.
Ariana crossed the threshold.
Behind her, the enormous doors slowly closed.
Bang.
The sound echoed through the entrance hall.
She turned.
The outside world had disappeared.
Damien stood beside her.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Blackwood.”
Ariana looked at him.
“This isn't my home.”
His eyes darkened.
“It will be.”
Then he walked away.
Ariana remained standing in the entrance hall, surrounded by strangers and shadows.
She didn't know it yet.
But the moment those doors closed, her old life had ended.
And her new one had begun with a lie.
A marriage built on revenge.
A family built on secrets.
And a husband who had every intention of destroying the woman he had just married.
But there was one thing Damien Blackwood didn't know.
Ariana Vale wasn't as helpless as he believed.
And someday, she would discover exactly why he had chosen her.
Even if the truth destroyed them both.
Write a comment ...