Chapter 1

Lilith’s Pov

So this is finally happening.

I thought a miracle would happen. I thought maybe the ground would open and swallow me, or the sky would fall, or someone would just call the wedding off. But here I am… in a wedding dress. Looking like a bride.

Oh, I am the bride.

My hair is well done. My makeup is perfect. The dress fits like it was made for me. I look like the happiest woman in the world. But I'm not.

I turned to my dad, my heart pounding.

“Dad, we can stop this. Please, we can still stop this.”

He looked at me like he didn’t recognize me. Like I was being dramatic over nothing.

“We've talked about this so many times, Lilith. You can’t come here and hesitate on your wedding day. You had so many months to get prepared for it, Now you have to go through with it.”

I blinked fast, trying to stop myself from tearing up. “But you know he hates me. You know he hates me so much. He thinks I'm a killer.”

Dad looked away, like he couldn’t even bear to look me in the eye. His words were low, but they cut deeper than any scream could.

“But you are.”

That was all it took to shut me up.

One sentence. One truth that everyone kept using like a knife to my throat. One mistake, one stupid, reckless mistake… and now my entire life was a punishment.

I wanted to say something. Anything. But he had already turned to leave.

“You’re almost ready. Come down soon,” he said, and then walked out.

I stood there, frozen. Staring at the mirror.

I looked beautiful. No doubt. But this wasn’t the wedding I had ever dreamed of. This wasn’t love. This wasn’t safety. This was punishment.

Marrying a man who couldn’t stand to touch my hand.

A man who looked at me like I ruined his world.

How was I going to survive this?

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

I wanted to scream for the person to go away. I didn’t want to see anyone. Not now.

But the door creaked open and I didn’t look to see who it was.

“Hey Lilith,” the person said.

Of course, it was Emily.

She walked in like a storm and gasped. “Oh my God, you look so beautiful.”

I gave her a small smile. It was the best I could do.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“You don’t have to pretend you're happy,” She said quietly, looking at my forced smile. “Just wash off the fake smile. We can still go ahead with the plan. We can still run from here.”

I didn't respond to what she said.

She blinked at me, then sighed. “Lilith…”

“No, we can't,” I cut in before she said anything else. “This marriage is for the betterment of both families. If I run now, everything my father has worked for… it will all go down the drain.”

Emily stepped closer. “At the cost of your own happiness?”

I bit my lip and looked away. “If I didn’t do what I did… if I didn’t make that stupid mistake… I wouldn’t be in this situation. But I did. So I have to carry this.”

“You don’t,” she whispered. “If you have a change of heart, just tell me. I’ll be ready. I’ll drop everything I’m doing. I’ll come with you. We can disappear and start over. You’ve got money, Lilith. We could even steal from your father or something.”

I burst into a soft laugh. “Steal from my father? Are you crazy?”

Her eyes twinkled. “A little.”

She came closer and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I held on to her like I would never see her again.

The door opened again.

“My dear,” my mom’s voice filled the room. “You look so beautiful. You look like a goddess.”

Emily and I pulled apart slowly.

“Thank you, Mom,” I said softly.

She walked in and adjusted my veil gently. “It’s time.”

And just like that, I knew I had no more time to think, to breathe, to hope.

We walked out of the room in silence, and headed outside. We had come directly to the venue earlier to prepare, and now, everything was set.

When we reached outside, where the wedding was to be held, my heart dropped. It wasn’t packed. Just a handful of important guests were seated quietly, watching.

It wasn’t how I imagined my wedding. Not at all.

I used to dream of a wedding full of joy. Full of love. Full of meaning. A dream gown. A dream man. A kiss that would take my breath away.

Instead, I was walking toward a man who hated me to the core.

A man who probably wished I was the one who had died in that accident.

I stepped forward, and my eyes lifted, only to meet his, before he shifted his gaze somewhere else.

Killian. The man I was going to marry.

I stood in the middle of the garden, surrounded by flowers, candle-lit lanterns, and rows of white chairs. The late afternoon sun was fading slowly, casting a golden glow across the open space. It was beautiful.

But I wasn’t.

My heart pounded in my chest, and my palms were cold despite the warm evening air.

My father walked up to me and extended his elbow.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

I nodded. I took a deep breath, trying to convince myself I was. But deep down, I wasn’t. Not even close.

I slipped my hand through his arm, and we began walking down the flower-petaled aisle. Soft classical music played from a violinist at the far end, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, but the one pair I needed to see — wasn’t looking.

Killian didn’t even spare me a glance. His eyes were fixed ahead, his jaw tight, his expression cold. He stood there like a statue, emotionless, under the floral arch where the ceremony was being held.

That was the first sign.

The first sign that this marriage wasn’t going to be anything close to a fairy tale. It was going to be a nightmare.

When we reached the altar, I stepped forward and finally stood in front of the man I was going to marry.

He was breathtaking.

Killian looked like he had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. His sharp jawline, those cold blue eyes, broad shoulders, and that confident posture. A literal model. A perfect man in the eyes of the world.

But to me, he was something else.

This man was going to destroy me.

The one person who should hold me close was the one who wanted to break me into pieces. I knew it. I felt it in my bones.

The priest began the vows, his voice calm and clear, yet the words barely settled in my ears. Everything around me felt unreal.

And then came the words.

“Killian Williams,” the priest said. “Do you take Lilith Miller to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to cherish, from this day forward, till death do you part?”

Killian finally looked at me. His eyes locked with mine, full of hatred.

“I do,” he said through clenched teeth.

That was enough to send a sharp sting straight to my heart.

The priest turned to me.

“Lilith Miller, do you take Killian Williams to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

I looked at Killian. He was still angry. Still distant. Still full of hate. But I nodded.

“I do,” I said softly.

The priest smiled and said, “You may now kiss the bride.”

My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t expect anything romantic. But I still wasn’t ready for what happened next.

Killian lifted my veil slowly, his fingers brushing against my cheek for the first time. He leaned in, placed a cold, meaningless peck on my lips, then moved close to my ear.

His whisper was like poison.

“Forget those vows I made,” he said. “I’ll break you. I’ll make you miserable. And I’ll make sure you regret what you did. Every single day of your life.”

My heart dropped.

And just like that, I became his bride.