chapter 1

Kayla's pov

Thus, this is at last taking place. I was hoping for a miracle. Perhaps the sky would collapse, the ground would open up and engulf me, or someone would simply call the wedding off...

Yes, I am the bride. My hair looks great. I have flawless makeup. The dress then fits me as if it were made for me. I appear to be the happiest woman on the planet. However, I'm not.

With my heart racing, I turned to face my father. "Dad, please, we can still put an end to this. He gave me a look that suggested he didn't know who I was. As if I was making a big deal out of nothing.

"Kayla, we've discussed this a lot. On your wedding day, you cannot come here and second-guess yourself. You had plenty of months to prepare for it. You must now carry it out.

"But you know he hates me," I said, blinking quickly to keep me from crying. You are aware of how much he despises me. He believes that I am a murderer.

Dad averted his gaze as if he couldn't bear to meet my gaze. Even though his words were low, they cut more deeply than a blade. All it took to silence me was to say, "But you are."

Everyone continued to use one sentence, one truth, as if it were a knife to my throat. My entire life has been a punishment because of one foolish, careless error.

I had something to say.. However, he was already on his way out. He said, "You're almost ready, come down soon," before leaving.

I froze as I stood there. gazing into the mirror. I looked stunning. Without a doubt. However, this was not the wedding I had imagined. It wasn't love. There was no safety here. This was a penalty.

getting married to a man who was afraid to touch my hand. A man who treated me as though I had destroyed his entire world. How was I going to make it through this? A knock on the door broke my reverie.

I wanted to yell at them to leave. I had no desire to see anyone.Not right now. However, I didn't look to see who it was when the door creaked open.

The person said, "Hey Kayla." It was Kinsey, of course. She stormed in and grabbed me gently from the back. "Oh my God." You look stunning. I smiled a little at her. I did the best I could.

"Thank you," I muttered. She looked at my forced smile and whispered, "You don't have to pretend you are happy." Simply remove the phony smile. We can still proceed with the plan. From here, we can continue to run.

I didn't answer her.She gave me a blink and then a sighey. Before Kayla could say anything more, I interrupted, saying, "No, we can't." "This union will benefit both families. Everything my father has worked for will be lost if I flee now. Everything will be wasted.

Kinsey moved in closer. "At the expense of your personal joy?" I averted my gaze and bit my lip. "If I hadn't made that foolish error...I wouldn't be in this predicament. However, I did. I must therefore carry this.

"You don't," she muttered. Tell me if you decide to change your mind.I'll be prepared. I'm going to give up on everything. I'll accompany you. We can vanish and begin anew. Kayla, you have money. We might even steal something from your dad.

I started laughing softly. “." Leave my dad behind? Are you insane? Her eyes glistened. She moved in closer and gave me a strong embrace. I clung to her as if I would never see her again.

Once more, the door opened. My mother's voice echoed throughout the room, "My dear." "You look stunning. You appear to be a goddess.

"Thank you, mom," I whispered as Kinsey and I slowly parted ways. "It's time," she said as she entered and gently adjusted my veil. I suddenly realized that I had run out of time to breathe, think, and hope.

Silently, we left the room. and went outside. Everything was ready since we had arrived at the location directly earlier to get ready.

My heart fell when we arrived at the location of the wedding. It wasn't crowded. Only a few dignitaries were sitting quietly,

My wedding wasn't what I had envisioned. Not at all. I used to envision a happy wedding. full of affection. Packed with significance. An ideal dress. An ideal man. A kiss that would make me gasp.

Rather, I was approaching a man who detested me. A man who most likely wished I had perished in that accident.

I took a step forward and raised my eyes to meet his, but he quickly looked away.

Dante. The man I intended to wed. I stood in the center of the garden, surrounded by rows of white chairs, flowers, and a lantern lit by a candle. The open area was bathed in a golden glow as the late afternoon sun gradually faded. It was lovely. However, I wasn't.

Despite the warm evening air, my palms were cold, and my heart was racing in my chest.

My dad approached me and held out his elbow. "Are you prepared?" he inquired. I gave a nod. I inhaled deeply, attempting to persuade myself that I was. But I wasn't, deep down. Not even near.

We started down the flower-petaled aisle after I put my hand through his arm. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as a violinist at the far end played gentle classical music, but the one pair I needed to see wasn't looking.

Dante didn't even look at me. He stopped like an emotionless statue beneath the floral arch where the ceremony was taking place, his eyes fixed forward, his jaw clenched, his face expressionless.

That was the initial indication. The first indication that this marriage would not resemble a fairy tale. It was going to be a nightmare.

I finally stood in front of the man I was going to marry when we arrived at the altar.

He was amazing. Dante appeared as though he had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. His broad shoulders, cold blue eyes, sharp jawline, and self-assured stance. An actual model. The world saw him as the ideal man. However, he seemed different to me.

I was going to be destroyed by this man. The person who wanted to shatter me was the one who ought to be close to me. I was aware of it. I could feel it in my bones.

The priest spoke calmly and clearly as he began the vows, but I could hardly hear what he was saying. Everything seemed surreal to me.

And then the words appeared. "Do you consider Kayla Adam to be your legally wedded wife, Dante Cruz?" the priest asked. At last, Dante turned to face me, "To love and cherish, from this day forward, till death do you part?" His hateful gaze met mine.

He clenched his teeth and said, "I do." That was sufficient to give my heart a quick sting. The clergyman faced me. Do you consider Dante Cruz to be your legally wedded husband, Kayla Adam? Dante was still furious when I looked at him. Still far away.still filled with hatred. However, I nodded and whispered, "I do."

"You may now kiss the bride," the priest said with a smile. My throat tightened around my breath. I had no romantic expectations. However, I was still unprepared for what came next.

For the first time, Dante's fingers touched my cheek as he carefully raised my veil. He moved near my ear after leaning in and kissing me coldly and meaninglessly. His murmur was poisonous. He declared, "I will break you. Forget those vows I made. I'll bring you misery. And every day of your life, I'll make sure you regret what you did.”

My heart fell. I became his bride in an instant.