All Chapters of Married by force : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

AURORA POV It happened sixteen years ago. My father had taken me in after that, and I lived with him, my stepmother, and my stepsisters. All I was told was that my mother was a disgrace to the Mafia. A lie I had forced myself into believing. I didn't mind so long as it eased the pain and kept away the nightmaresMy throat hurt like I had been screaming, even though the room was silent. The morning light spilled across the room in pale gold stripes. I swung my legs over the side of the bed. My eyes moved to the wall clock. It was 7:00 a.m.I scrubbed my face with both hands. Ryan had left a note on the bedside table I. picked it up and unfolded it slowly“I had to leave early for a business meeting. Take one of the men with you if you’re going out. Don’t argue. Use the card if you need anything” I read the words out loud It was strange because he hardly let his men come near me. It'd be great to go out and see the world. I had been trapped and caged in for too longThen the phone

AURORA POV “Bitch” Someone yelled at me from above. It was Camille. My body was still half sprawled over Ethan from the fall, my palms braced against his chest. I hadn’t even gathered my balance yet when her fingers dug into my arm. She yanked me upward. Then, she slapped me. “You have some audacity trying to snatch my man,” she screamed, her face twisted with rage. “I’ll kill you!” She grabbed my hair but my reactions were slow because I was still trying to catch my breath. Pain screamed across my scalp as she twisted and pulled. We both crashed to the floor. Her weight slammed into me. My back hit hard. and it knocked the breath from my chest. She started hitting me, and I covered my face with my arm so her blows hit my arms and not my face. I tasted blood on my face “You slut..she spat, leaning close enough that I felt her breath on my skin. “Don't you have any shame” She drew the attention of everyone in the room Ethan managed to pull us apart as the stream of guests surro

AURORA POV “You were listening, weren't you?,” he asked, lifting his brow “I wasn’t,” I answered too quickly. He scoffed. “Of course you weren’t.” He closed the door and crossed the room. He sat on the edge of the bed, I noticed a smear of someone else’s blood marked on his knuckles. My throat tightened. I still have his towel wrapped around me. Damp strands of hair clung to my shoulders. He was dreaming if he thought I would change with him in the room. He looked up and this time he really looked. His gaze moved over me slowly. Heat rushed to my cheek. “Hand it over” he growled, gesturing to the towel wrapped around me “I want to have my bath” “Get yourself another one,” I shot back. I wrapped it tighter around my body “This one is taken” His lips smirked “I want the one on you” “You're insane ” I scoffed He stood up and moved towards me. He was in front of me. Then, he grabbed me by the arm and shoved me against him. My breath snagged as my body coll

RYAN POV The wedding day was here. The scent of incense clung to the air, curling into my lungs with every breath I took. The priest stood at my back as I watched down the aisle for my bride-to-be. Aurora’s stepsisters were in the first pew to the left, their heads bent together as they whispered. They had been murmuring for nearly half an hour. My cousins and uncles sat on the opposite side, their faces filled with satisfaction. They looked at me like I was doing something honorable. The music began. The priest cleared his throat and instructed everyone to rise. I linked my hands in front of me, studying the edge of my thumb to distract myself. This was all for show,we both knew it. The marriage meant nothing to either of us. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. The doors at the back of the cathedral creaked open. A ripple moved through the guests, but I barely heard it. My attention snapped forward to the flash of white stepping through the entrance, and every thought

AURORA POV Paparazzi swarmed around us like bees, their voices echoing through the air. Ryan stood beside me. His face was calm. The world saw him as one of the wealthiest men in the country, a title he shared with other members of the Mafia who wore tailored suits instead of bloodstains, and a handful of tech billionaires who pretended their hands were clean. I expected the media would be frenzied over this wedding. They would feast on it for weeks. Headlines would scream about “The Steeles' daughter” marrying into another empire. “It's here boss,” a man said, coming beside Ryan and patting him on the shoulder. “The limo is here to bring you both to the hotel.” My chest tightened. If my heart wasn’t already pounding in my chest, it certainly was now. It slammed against my ribs so loudly I could hear blood rushing in my ear. Guests began moving aside, clearing a path for us.No one looked at me with concern or noticed the tremor in my hands. Once I stepped into that car, there w