All Chapters of Shotgun Wedding: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Diana's POV"She is carrying my grandchild. You two are getting married tomorrow. My decision is final."Mr. Smith’s voice cracked like thunder across the room. My heart stopped."What?" Gordon and I blurted at the same time, disbelief hanging between us."Yes, you heard me," Mr. Smith said evenly, though his eyes were locked on his son, sharp with anger.Gordon let out a humourless laugh. "Dad, I don’t even know her. You know me, there’s no way I’d move in with a girl like her."My stomach twisted at his words. Was this really the same man who had taken my body a month ago, like his life depended on it?"Diana," Mr. Smith turned to me, his tone gentler, "do you know my son?"I froze under Gordon’s glare. His eyes warned me: Say yes and you’ll regret it.And just like that, my mind slipped into an old nightmare.I was back in high school, trapped in the suffocating stench of the girls’ restroom. Gordon’s friends had my head shoved into a toilet bowl, their laughter bouncing off the ti

Diana's POVBy the time the grandfather clock in the foyer struck six, my body felt like it didn’t belong to me anymore. From the moment I’d arrived at nine that morning, Mrs Smith had ensured not a single minute went unpunished.First, I’d been made to hand-wash the heavy curtains in Gordon’s room, the fabric so thick it left welts on my palms. Then came the bathrooms, eight in total, scrubbed until the tiles gleamed so brightly they hurt my eyes. After that, she handed me a brush no larger than my hand and sent me crawling across the garage floor. My knees burned, my back screamed, but Mrs Smith’s voice was always there, cold and clipped: "Faster, Diana. Report when you’re done."I had reported. And each time, she found something worse.By evening, with no food in my stomach and not a sip of water, I had stumbled outside to mow the backyard grass. My arms trembled on the mower’s handle, sweat soaking my borrowed uniform until it clung like a second skin. The sun was sinking when I f

Diana's POVThe days in the cell dragged like years.Three days had passed, and no one had asked me a single question. No lawyer, no explanation, no hearing of my side of the story. Just silence.They gave me one meal a day, barely enough to keep me upright. The rest of the time, I sat on the cold bench, my head lowered, my stomach twisting with hunger and grief. I had been thrown here straight from the hospital, still in the thin gown that barely covered me. My bandaged hand throbbed, the burn screaming for care, but no one paid attention.When I first heard the voice outside the bars, I didn’t look up."Hey."I ignored it. I had learned it was safer not to respond.The scrape of metal came next, the lock turning. My head lifted just as an officer stepped inside. His expression was void of pity. Without a word, he yanked me to my feet and snapped cold cuffs around my wrists."Where are you taking me?" My voice cracked."Shut your mouth," he barked, shoving me toward the door. "One mo

Diana's POVThe clang of the prison door jolted me from my thoughts. I looked up, expecting another guard with another cruel command, but instead a stranger entered, well-dressed, confident, radiating a presence that didn’t belong in these walls."Hello. I’m Lucas Everhart, attorney at law with Everhart & Vale LLP. I’m here because I’m interested in your case. It’s been a year, but it’s not too late to do something about it," he said, his voice steady, measured.He extended his hand. For a moment, I only stared. I had forgotten what it felt like to be offered a handshake, not chains, not orders, not violence. Just… respect.Hesitantly, I slid my hand into his. His grip was firm, warm.He smiled, and I felt a jolt in my chest. Maybe it was the way his eyes lingered on me, maybe it was just the fact that he wasn’t wearing a uniform like everyone else I’d seen for the past year. Whatever it was, I found myself too aware of how handsome he was."Diana Wilson," he said, easing into the cha

Diana’s POVI stared at him, torn between grief and the fragile flicker of hope I thought I had buried forever. Rebecca’s words echoed inside me like a ghost: You’ll walk out of here. You’ll be free.And now Lucas was here, sitting across from me in the visitation room, calm, steady, like a man who hadn’t just disappeared for four years."Diana, I’m sorry it took me this long," he said, his voice low but firm. "But I came bearing good news. I left Everhart & Vale LLP. Now I’m doing things on my own terms."I blinked at him. Was this man serious? Did he not know how powerful the Smiths were? At least when he worked for Everhart & Vale, he had the weight of a giant law firm behind him. They could spar with the Smiths for a while. But Lucas, alone? Against them?The fragile hope inside me shrivelled."I know there are so many questions running through your head right now," he said, leaning forward. "But all I need you to do is trust me. You will walk free. I promise."I sat slumped in my