Chapter 3

Sarah's POV

The priest smiled warmly, his voice ringing through the sunlit chapel. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath

Adrian turned to me, taking slow steps towards me. He lifted the veil off my face, and for a second, our eyes met. I gave him a disgusting look, but he cared less. Gently cupping my face, he leaned in and plastered a soft kiss on my lips.

I shot him a dangerous glare, which he returned with a smirk. I wanted to wipe my lips, take off this dress, and leave this place but I couldn't.

The guests erupted in applause and cheers, the sound echoing through the chapel.

Kael was among them, but there was obviously nothing he could do.

I pulled back just enough to rest my forehead on his, whispering. “Stop overdoing it,”

Hand in hand, we turned toward the aisle as rose petals rained down from the balconies. Our families beamed. Mom was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, Dad was clapping proudly.

Applause followed us down the aisle. Claps from people I barely knew. Smiles that didn’t reach their eyes. Cameras flashing, capturing the white dress, the veil, the heavy diamond ring on my finger that still felt like a stranger.

Congratulations, they said. God bless, they said. You make such a beautiful couple, they said.

It felt like a celebration.

My fingers trembled in his grip, but he didn’t loosen his hold. Not even slightly. His palm was dry and warm and utterly unyielding. The ring he’d slid into my finger ten minutes ago was too tight.

“Smile,” he murmured under his breath, his lips barely moving. The words were meant for me, but his face stayed fixed on the cameras. “You’re a bride now.”

I forced it. A perfect, practiced smile. The kind that hid everything. Teeth showing, eyes bright, nothing real behind them.

We reached the door, and I saw the car waiting. Black limousine. Tinted windows. His mother, Eleanor was already standing beside it, arms crossed.

The moment we stepped outside, the warmth vanished.

His hand dropped from mine.

“Get in the car,” his mother said sharply, already walking ahead without looking back. Her heels clicked on the stone steps like a countdown.

I paused, taking a good look at her. “I don't…”

Adrian cut in. “Stop talking too much, and get into the damn car.”

The driver opened the door. I slid in, silk catching on the leather. The car door shut behind me with a heavy thud.

Silence filled the space.

For a minute, no one spoke. The car moved, tires on asphalt, the city blurring past windows I couldn’t open. I pressed my hands together in my lap to stop them shaking. The ring dug into my skin.

Then I noticed it. The route. We weren’t going back to the estate.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

No one answered immediately.

His mother kept her eyes on the road ahead. The driver kept his eyes on the road ahead.

Then he spoke. “The registry.”

“Why?” I asked.

“To sign the marriage,” he replied.

The car pulled up in front of a gray building. No columns. The County Registry was written at the top. A line of people outside, bored, waiting their turn to sign papers.

His mother got out first. The driver opened my door.

I didn’t move.

“Get out,” she said.

My legs wouldn’t work. My hands were fists in the silk of my dress.

“Get out,” Eleanor commanded, peering back into the car with narrowed eyes.

I forced myself to stand. My legs wobbled, but I straightened my spine. I could scream. I could cause a scene. I could run.

But where would I go? I was in a wedding dress that cost more than I could ever imagine. I had no phone, no money, and a family that had already sold me to a dangerous family. I felt trapped, wondering how I would ever get out of this.

The officer behind the desk didn’t look up when we entered. Just slid a form across the wood. “Sign here. And here. Initial here.”

The pen was placed between my fingers.

I stared at the paper. My hands trembled. My name was already typed at the top. His name next to it. A line for my signature. A line for his own signature.

The pen touched the paper.

I signed.

Adrian took the pen and signed after me without a moment’s hesitation.

The officer stamped the paper. “Congratulations,” he said, looking up. “You’re officially married under the law.”

Eleanor’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk. “Good, we can go home.”

I looked at her secretly, narrowing my eyes. A sneer touched my lips for a fleeting second. If she thought she could treat me like a piece of furniture just because they had cut a check to my father, she was sadly mistaken. I might be sold, but I wasn't broken.

The door of the registry closed behind us.

The car ride home was worse than the silence.

His mother talked the entire time. About guests. About press releases. About how “grateful” I should be that their family name would now protect me. She constantly reminded me to know my place because they gave a huge amount of money to my family.

I kept my jaw clenched, fighting the urge to snap back. I needed to keep my strength. I waited, counting the minutes until we got to the house. Once I could finally get out of this corset, once I could eat something, I would have the energy to deal with her.

Adrian didn't look at me once.

He stared out the window instead, thumb brushing over his own ring like he was checking it was still there.

Well, I thought, leaning back against the leather and staring at the back of Eleanor’s head, both of them should buckle up. My father had sold me to save himself, but he had forgotten to tell them one very important thing. I wasn't the quiet, submissive daughter they thought they were buying. If they thought they could trample on me, they had better prepare for a war.