Chapter {1}

{NYRA}

“Just a minute— and it will all be over,” Kathy whispered, her voice soft as the brush in her hand.

I heard the patter of tiny feet — children darting through the corridors like sparks of joy.

The guests added to the rising hum of excitement and unease.

Their voices drifted in from the hallway — chit‑chatting, laughing, whispering — blending into the soft swirls of powder and perfume.

“I apologize. Please carry on.”

My life had been harsh, silent, and filled with streams of endless despair bottled up inside my heart, hidden under the disguise of a smile no one could see.

But one thing was certain.

Despite the ache that lived in me for years, today felt different.

A strange warmth bloomed in my chest because I was getting married.

“Awwwn!! It’s beautiful. Thank you, Kathy,” I whispered, flashing a smile as soft as silk. She turned me into a masterpiece… one that would drop jaws the moment I walked in.

It was my wedding. My moment. Nothing felt more deserved than today.

Or so I thought. Joy proved easier to imagine than to live.

Somehow, the universe snatched away the last crumbs of happiness I tucked away like treasures in a cookie jar.

“Hmm, not badddd,” I stretched the last word out like a rubber band, squealing at my reflection. “It’s so perfect!”

I twirled like a doll on display — perfect, polished, maybe… hollowed.

My eyes lit up, and my lips curved into a smile, satisfied and impressed by everything.

“Oh my gosh, you look so pretty.” Zarina’s voice pulled me out of my funny daydreaming.

“Girl, you look breathless. Draven is gonna melt away like ice when he sees his bride,” she squealed.

I blushed hard.

Red patches of color spread across my cheeks. Her words mushed me inside.

“You really think so… Babe?” I asked, eyes raised in search of honesty.

At least, it convinced me more than my thoughts did.

“I feel nervous and worried today, Zarina. Don’t know why.”

Zarina laughed, her hands clutching my chin in admiration like fairy dust sprinkled on my face.

“Probably because you can’t wait to get fucked… tonight,” she whispered the last part low, but loud enough for the walls to hear.

I gasped, my eyes bulging like they would fall out anytime soon. “Zar… you’re unbelievable. You know that.”

“Whattt! But it’s true, Nyra. Draven is gonna drool all over you… tonight. Like! Girl… have you seen yourself in the mirror?” she hollered, revealing her crooked smile.

Zarina’s laughter echoed, but something inside me refused to laugh back.

A chill crept up my spine.

I forced a smile.

“Have you ever been serious before, Zar? I’m telling you, something feels off. I feel really nervous today.”

It felt strange.

“Hey! Hey! Look at me, Nyra.” She paused, her fingers moved my glammed face towards her chestnut eyes.

“Remember back in college, when you and I went for our first swimming competition, and you felt nervous because you thought those loser‑ass girls matched better than you?”

“Yeah,” I muttered.

She went on.

“I told you that you would win. And you did,” she breathed out.

“Everything is fine… don’t worry. Draven loves you, and I know you love him, too. This is a first for you, probably why you think… everything could go wrong.”

“We are all here to celebrate your special moments — even your mom and dad. You’ve got this, Nyra.”

“Text me at night… after the wild sex between you two,” she laughed hysterically. Her smile switched into a grin.

“You know what… get out,” I rolled my eyes, pushing her out of my room.

Silly girl!

Maybe she was right. I guessed I was too nervous for nothing.

Kathy, my makeup and hair stylist, left the bride’s room.

Now it was just me… alone in my world, daydreaming about freedom, until the moment came to walk the altar.

“Soon, all these will be over,” I breathed out, my eyes closed, wandering into thin air.

A message popped up on my phone screen, dragging me back to reality.

“Huh? Who could this be?” I gazed at the glowing screen, no identity on it.

The message read: “There is a very big surprise waiting for you… Inside his room.”

DRAVEN.

I furrowed a brow, staring hard at the harmless message, but inside it ticked like a time bomb disguised as a whisper.

My heart fluttered at the message, but something about it felt… off.

Still, I wanted to believe. I needed to.

So I went.

«««««

His dressing space pulsed with style… intoxicating, sharp, unmistakably him.

I stared at his sculpted back, rigid as a marble wall.

Draven stood tall in a tailored black leather suit, his presence amplified by crimson shoes that gleamed like warning signs.

He was tall, his loosely curled blonde hair catching the light with effortless charm.

A gold watch clung to his strong wrist, summing up his sophisticated appearance long kept beneath the surface.

“Draven!” I called; my voice, low and soft. I walked inside his classy space without knocking.

My steps slipped invisible like a ghost. I wanted to surprise him just as he wanted to.

My hand reached for his stern shoulder when his voice broke through the silence, low, deliberate, impossible to ignore.

“It’s finally here. A perfect time to get the position I’ve always wanted at my dad’s company.”

“She has no idea of my plans… trust me. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.”

He kept talking, each word colder than the last, like a script rehearsed for deception.

“No! Alfred, just trust me. You’re the only one I love… not Nyra.” His voice rasped, barely audible through the phone.

“She’s just a decoy in my plan. Once the wedding seals — Nyra won’t realize before I discard her, and you and I will toast to it.”

“I’ll come see you later at night. Same place, same time, bye… love you.”

My feet turned cold.

Words clung to my throat, refusing to surface. Each step away from his room dragged heavier than the last.

I wanted to scream, to expose him right there, but I swallowed the urge.

I caught him. And he didn’t even know it yet.

“Everyone’s waiting, Nyra,” Zarina’s voice broke through the quiet as I wiped away the tears that refused to fall.

She stepped closer, brushing my damp cheek with her thumb. “I’m so happy for you.”

She squealed. “Finally, you’re going to be a Langford.”

She had no clue.

Only if she knew.

Sadly! I was going to break everyone’s heart, including mine.

«««««

There he was… waiting for me on the altar, smiling so charmingly.

My stomach stirred at his deceitful sight. I didn’t want to be here anymore.

“You look so beautiful, Nyra.”

His eyes lit up at me, his white teeth bared in a smile.

Now I stood opposite Draven.

The hall fell silent… graveyard silent. Every guest watched us like mannequins behind glass, posing for admiration, waiting to claim us.

I stared at the priest with patience, waiting for him.

My gaze drifted back to the man I was meant to spend forever with and to my parents’ faces, glowing with pride, watching their only daughter about to be whisked into a dream they believed was mine.

The priest’s words hung in the air. My chest tightened, every breath shallow. I could hear the faint rustle of dresses, the cough of a guest, the silence pressing in like a weight.

“Nyra! It’s now or never,” I whispered to myself, the words slicing through the storm inside me like a battle cry.

“Do you, Nyra Kingswell… take Draven Langford to be your lawfully wedded husband and to share all your future with him as his wife and forever partner?”

“NO!”

I turned to the priest with a bold face. I echoed the same word I said earlier, just in case he didn’t hear the first time.

“No! I’m sorry, I can’t marry him.”

Gasps rippled through the hall. My parents’ faces froze in horror. Draven’s smile cracked. And I knew — nothing would ever be the same again.