Chapter One

Liora’s POV.

“This marriage will save everything Liora. For once, don’t be selfish and think about your father.”

My stepmother’s words echoed at the back of my mind as I clutched the bouquet tighter, my lips trembling and my heart pounding against my chest while the priest read out the vows.

This was not how I had imagined my life. I wanted to be happy, my wedding was supposed to be filled with happiness and laughter because it was everything I had ever dreamed of since Helena, my stepmother and her daughter Camille walked into our lives.

I bit down hard on my lower lip to stop the burning tears rapidly pooling at the bottom of my eyes as I stole a glance at my father’s frail body, barely positioned upright in his wheelchair. His eyes were vacant, fixed on nothing and I was certain he probably didn’t even know where he was or what was going on around him.

A sharp pain cut through my chest, suffocating me to a point where I was almost gasping for air. He was not always like that, he used to be so full of life when Mom was here but after she died and he married another woman, things changed.

For some reason, he spent more time in his study, he was never there to see how horribly Helena and her daughter treated me, and whenever he saw it, she always had an explanation to make him believe I was the problem.

My father and I became strangers and out of the blue, his health deteriorated drastically, our world turned upside down overnight and now… I was getting married to a stranger in my stepsister’s place to save him and everything he had worked for.

A handful of people were present, Helena, Camille and Sebastian’s parents.

The man standing before me was Sebastian Carvers, an award winning and successful CEO of his father’s company. He was nothing like what the blogs described, he was not the warm, accommodating and nice billionaire they portrayed him to be.

Behind my veil, I could see his rigid posture, the way his muscles flexed underneath his suit like he was ready to punch a hole in the wall. Every part of him was cold and nothing about him was warm and inviting.

“You may kiss the bride.” The priest declared and my entire body stiffened as my soon-to-be husband took a step closer in his custom made suit that clung to every part of his body in the most sophisticated manner.

His scent filled my nostrils, wrapping around my senses as his body brushed against mine just as he reached out to lift the veil.

No! This was not happening!

My breath caught in my throat the moment he tossed the lace back over my head, my eyes shot up to meet his and for a brief second, the entire world froze.

A jittery sensation shot through me as his sharp green eyes sucked me in. His well defined jawline, tousled dark brown hair that fell across his face and his thin lips that were pressed together tightly, like he was running out of patience.

His face was breathtakingly handsome. I had always assumed his looks were a bit exaggerated by the media but staring at him now, I knew the pictures I had seen on the internet were nothing compared to how good he looked.

He didn’t move, didn’t say a word, he simply stared at me with some sort of look in his eyes. Those beautiful green eyes held mine with such intensity that sent a weird sensation through me.

Suddenly, the priest cleared his throat and his eyes snapped shut, by the time he opened them again, there was nothing but a cold, empty gaze.

Slowly, he pressed his lips against mine, a brief lifeless kiss that barely even lasted a second before he pulled away and turned his back on me.

Whatever the priest said next didn’t matter, none of it mattered anymore because he was no longer present, his eyes were fixed on the woman that had just walked in in a white short dress.

The way he stared at her… the longing in his eyes as his eyes followed her every step… who was she?

I felt a hot wave of panic shoot out from deep inside of me.

What was I doing?

I was getting married to a complete stranger. A man who clearly wanted to be somewhere else.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur and by the time it was all over, Sebastian was nowhere in sight.

I stood on the stone steps of the chapel awkwardly, my eyes searching through the handful of people present but he wasn’t there.

“Find your own way home.” A gruff voice spoke up behind me and before I could turn around, Sebastian stepped out from behind me, his eyes glued to his phone as a sleek black car pulled up in front of the chapel.

He pulled open the door and my eyes landed on the woman in the short white dress from earlier on seated inside with a wide smile on her face.

She was beautiful with long dark hair and the moment he got in, she leaned over and kissed him. A real passionate kiss with her hands cradling his jaw.

The air turned to ice in my lungs. I stood frozen in my wedding dress that now felt like a ridiculous costume.

The door slammed shut behind him and the car sped off.

The back of my eyes stung as all eyes turned towards me but I clenched my fists tightly by my side, forcing back the tears as the humiliation washed over me.

A familiar, sickly-sweet perfume filled my nostrils just as Camille, my stepsister appeared beside me, looping her arm through mine with a wide grin on her face,

“Happy married life Liora,” she chuckled, mockery dripping from her voice.

She leaned closer to me, her lips brushing against my ear as her voice dropped down to a whisper,

“Though your husband already started it with another woman.”