02: Vows and Venom

(Mia POV)

I stood before the ornate mirror in a Celeste gown strapless, mermaid-cut, hugging every curve I had. The ivory silk flowed down like water. Embroidered flowers and beading caught the light, throwing tiny stars across the room.

The woman staring back wasn't me.

She was elegant. Wealthy. Poised.

She was everything I wasn't.

"Is this what he wanted?" My voice bounced off the mirror. "To sell me for wealth?"

I wondered how much sat in Dad's account now. How many bottles he could buy with my price tag. Mom had the strength to leave him. Why couldn't I?

"Why must I pay for his debt?"

Heat crawled up my neck. My fists clenched around the bouquet—white roses that smelled too sweet, like they were trying to cover up something rotten.

The door opened.

Emily stopped mid-step, her mouth forming a small O. "Ma'am, it's time."

She reached for my arm. I stepped back.

"I can walk on my own."

I gripped the bouquet harder, like it could absorb all the anger boiling in my chest. My heels clicked against marble as I moved toward the doors, toward Robert, toward a life I never chose.

*I'll work twice as hard. Pay off this debt myself. Then I'll be free.*

The doors opened.

Robert stood at the altar in a black suit that probably cost more than my education. His eyes found mine, and something shifted in his face—surprise, maybe. Or hunger.

I looked down at the white runner stretching between us. Each step felt like walking toward the edge of a cliff.

When I reached him, he pulled me close. His breath was warm against my ear, his hand settling on my waist like it belonged there.

"Smile. People are watching."

Goosebumps raced down my arms. I forced my mouth to curve, felt my dimple press into my cheek. Fake. All of it fake.

He handed me a card with vows printed in elegant script. The words blurred together.

*How can I say something beautiful to someone I hate?*

"I will love you for the rest of my life." Robert's voice carried across the room, clear and strong. "Even when the days are dreary and the nights are scary, I will walk life's path with you. Forever, until death do us part."

His eyes locked on mine. Steady. Certain.

For half a second, I almost believed him.

*No. Dad was bait. That's all this is. There's something they're not telling me.*

---

We walked down the aisle hand in hand. His palm was warm, dry. Mine was sweating. I tried to pull away. His grip tightened.

A woman cut through the crowd toward us.

She wore oxblood red—a pencil dress with a slit that climbed from ankle to mid-thigh. A black shawl draped over her shoulders. Her heels clicked like a countdown.

Victoria Lud.

Emily's warning replayed in my head. *She's been married twice, divorced twice. Burns through money like it's kindling. Currently dating a senator's son half her age. And she hates Robert more than anyone on earth.*

Robert went rigid beside me. His hand crushed mine. His jaw locked, eyes narrowing to slits.

I glanced at his face. Pure hatred lived there.

*How do I leave when he's holding me like a lifeline?*

"Look who we have here." Victoria stopped in front of us, her red lips curving into something sharp. "The long-lost son of James Lud. And his... purchase."

Her eyes dragged over me, slow and deliberate. Like she was calculating my worth.

Robert's voice came out cold. "Victoria!"

"Darling." She touched his arm. He flinched. "I heard about your little arrangement. How modern. Buying yourself a wife."

My face burned. Purchase. That's what I was.

"Congratulations." Victoria's smile widened. "I'm sure you'll be very happy together. For however long it lasts."

She walked away, her perfume smelled like something dark and expensive hanging in the air like a threat.

Robert's hand was shaking.

I looked up at him. "Who is she?"

"My father's sister." His voice was flat. Empty. "My aunt. My rival."

"Your aunt?"

" Yes! by blood. By business." He finally let go of my hand. as we walked into the reception.

The reception doors opened. Music spilled out—something classical and suffocating. Robert offered his arm.

I took it because I had no other option.

And I walked into my wedding reception wondering what kind of family I'd just married into.