All Chapters of The Unwanted Bride: My Happy Marriage : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Elena’s POV“The only thing we should fear is fear itself.”Those were my late father’s words, etched into my memory like an unshakable echo.I was standing at the sink, hands submerged in soapy water as I washed the endless pile of dishes, when my stepsister Vanessa sauntered in. Her heels clicked against the tiled floor, her smirk sharp enough to cut glass. She leaned close, her voice a venomous whisper against my ear.“This had better be your last marriage, Elena… or you’ll have me to deal with.”My heart skipped. Marriage? The word rattled through me like a curse. Not again.I dropped the plate in my hand, water splashing over my apron as dread clawed up my chest. With trembling fingers, I wiped them dry and hurried out of the kitchen, rushing straight to the living room.There she was Claudia, my stepmother lounging on the velvet sofa with a glass of wine in one hand, her phone pressed elegantly to her ear. Her laughter was syrupy sweet, dripping with the kind of poison I had lea

The ride to Adrian’s home was silent. I kept my hands folded tightly in my lap, staring out the window at the passing city lights, wondering if this was the life I was condemned to forever. Adrian drove with steady hands, his face unreadable, his ragged clothes only emphasizing the air of mystery about him.The truck rattled to a stop at the end of a narrow street, the dim glow of a flickering lamppost casting shadows across the cracked pavement. I peered out the window, my breath catching at the sight before me.A small, weather-beaten house stood at the corner, its wooden boards faded and peeling, the roof sagging in places as if it had been carrying the weight of time far too long. A crooked fence surrounded it, barely standing upright.Adrian cut the engine and stepped out, his ragged clothes blending with the shadows of the night. He moved around the truck and opened my door, his expression unreadable.“This is home,” he said simply.I swallowed the lump in my throat, clutching m

Elena’s POVThe night air was colder than I expected when we left the Blackwood estate. The chill cut through my silk gown, making me shiver as Adrian’s hand rested firmly at the small of my back. His grip wasn’t gentle it was guiding, commanding just like everything about him since the moment he’d peeled off the mask of poverty and revealed the truth.Or at least, the truth he wanted me to see.The truth was that he wasn’t a beggar. He was a billionaire. A man whose world I didn’t belong to.My thoughts spun in a thousand directions, each more terrifying than the last. I barely felt the polished leather seats of the Maybach beneath me when we slipped inside. My hands were clenched in my lap, the silk fabric of my dress wrinkling under my grip.“Say something,” Adrian’s voice broke through the silence, low and steady, though a flicker of impatience laced his tone.I turned to him, the words bursting from me before I could stop them. “You lied to me.”His gray eyes sharpened, catching