All Chapters of Vows With Conditions: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

The wedding was too flawless. Everything was curated to dazzle—not for joy, but for control. As if grandeur itself could serve as a leash.Gold and ivory ruled the color scheme, whispering wealth in every fold and petal. Chandeliers loomed overhead like jeweled constellations, casting light upon white roses arranged in symmetrical submission. Even the guests looked manufactured—faces tightened by procedure, expressions trained for cameras, and movements rehearsed like a play no one dared challenge.I felt more like a pawn than a bride. The gown they draped on me cost more than a car, stitched by hand in a European house that hadn’t dared ask what I wanted. Pearls clung to my neck like obligations. Even my heels—made to elevate—felt like shackles.The aisle stretched before me like a contract. Every step forward was another signature. Every glance from the crowd, another witness.And he stood there at the altar—tall, poised, unreadable. Elias Callum Fenwick. The son of legacy. The imag

Nobody said a word.It was like time paused, the air thick with disbelief… and disappointment. Everyone seemed stunned by my reaction, like it was me who had stepped out of line.My brother leaned in, gave me a subtle nudge beneath the table, as if silently pleading for me to just go along with it. My mom… she lowered her head, shame or guilt—I couldn’t tell which—pouring off her in waves.I sat frozen. My heart thumped against my ribs like it wanted to escape. My throat was dry. Everything suddenly felt too loud. The clinking of glasses, the rustle of clothes, even my own breathing.“Yes. Wife, Kelly.” Elias’s father smiled as though announcing something joyous. “Didn’t your dad tell you we’re here to arrange a marriage?”Marriage?So that’s what all the cryptic glances and hushed arguments in the car were about? The tension, the unease, mom’s trembling hands. They had been planning this all along, and not once did they think I deserved to be in on it? Instead, they let me walk in he

I sat there, quiet. My eyes fluttered shut. Honestly, after what I witnessed last night—Elias scrolling through his phone during dinner, totally tuned out—I wasn’t shocked by what Haze had just said. It barely registered as new information. I already knew the kind of guy he was.But still… my reputation?That’s what kept echoing in my mind, louder than anything. I didn’t want whispers floating around that my husband was seen with some other girl while I was still legally married to him. Whether or not I cared about his romantic life—which, frankly, I didn’t—the reality was, his actions would reflect directly on me.I wasn’t signing up for love or loyalty. I wasn’t even expecting it. But respect? That’s the least I wanted. And Elias… didn’t seem capable of even that.“I can’t do anything if he’s addicted to flirting, Haze. But… I really don’t want to get married,” I admitted, my voice cracking under the weight of emotions I’d been bottling up. “I mean… I’ve never even had a boyfriend.

I shoved him away with deliberate force, my breath hitching and my eyes flashing in sheer frustration. I could barely contain the anger that surged within me, and my pulse raced uncontrollably.The weight of this entire situation had pushed me past the edge, and I was now staring at him with fire in my gaze.What on earth does he think he’s doing? Who in their right mind behaves this way when both parties are clearly against it? He acts as though I initiated all of this, as if I’m the mastermind behind a union neither of us desires.The nerve of him, speaking like he’s the victim, when I never even asked for this arrangement. I don’t even know him well, and to be honest, I don’t want to.“Then why don’t you cancel it?” I snapped, my arms now tightly crossed over my chest, adding weight to my words. “Find a way to make sure the wedding doesn’t happen. Do something about it instead of acting like a martyr.”He let out a dry, forced laugh, the kind that lacked any trace of genuine amusem