All Chapters of Rise Of The Abandoned Bride: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

~Serah POV~The rain had eased by dawn, leaving the streets slick with mud, my gown clung heavy and wet, the hem torn where I'd stumbled over cobblestones. I hadn't slept, I hadn't eaten, but I kept moving.I whispered to my stomach as though the child could hear me. "We'll survive this somehow."The tavern keeper at the city's edge sneered when I begged for shelter. "No coin, no roof, get out!" He slammed the door in my face.So I walked through alleys and markets where merchants jeered, through crowds that parted like I had carried the plague by nightfall, I collapsed on the riverbank, the world tilting around me."Pathetic sight, isn't it?" a voice drawled. I jerked upright and saw a tall man leaned against a tree, half-hidden in shadowy black cloak, eyes gleaming red in the moonlight like a predator's gaze.I stumbled back. "Stay away from me!"He smirked. "If I wanted you dead, little bride, you'd already be bleeding."His words chilled me. "Wait, you… know who I am?""Oh, everyo

~Serah POV~The camp was chaos as men grabbed blades, women snatched their children, horses shrieked in panic, then Tristan's voice cut through the uproar. "Move! Take only what you can carry." He turned to me, eyes sharp. "Stay closer to me."My stomach twisted, and the baby fluttered as though sensing danger. "What if they catch us?" I asked."They won't," Tristan said flatly, shoving a cloak around my shoulders. "Not when I'm alive." His words chilled me as we fled into the forest, branches clawed at my gown, mud s*ck*d at my shoes and behind us, the campfires dimmed, swallowed by night. Then, faintly, the sound of horns came"They're close," Tristan muttered.I stumbled. "They're here for me and the baby."He gripped my arm, steadying me. "Then we'll make them regret coming."Hours later, when the hunters finally caught us, the moon was high, shadows moved between the trees, half a dozen men in black armor, the Veylen crest gleaming on their chests. The leader sneered. "By order o

~Serah POV~Branches tore at my gown as Tristan dragged me through the woods and behind us, hooves pounded and men shouted as I heard my father's voice cut through it all like a whip, steady, cruel, detached. "Bring her back alive! The child is proof. Don't fail Lord Veylen." My chest tightened, he didn't even say my name."Keep moving," Tristan's breath was rough, his grip like an iron on my wrist. "Don't look back!""You don't understand," I stumbled over a root, nearly falling. "That was my father!""I know who it was, and I don't care! He made his choice, now make yours and live.""I can't outrun them," I gasped. My thigh throbbed where the blade had cut me and blood was soaking through the makeshift bandage. "They'll catch us, Tristan."He spun on me, eyes blazing. "Do you want me to carry you?""Uhn?" My eyes were wide with surprise, "No!""Then run! Because I swear Serah, if you stop now you're handing Jethro exactly what he wants." His words hit harder than the pain and I forc

~Serah POV~ Dozens of weapons tilted toward him in answer and my heart jumped into my throat. I saw the rage in his eyes, the thirst that made his fangs gleam sharper. He would kill them all if they dare him. "No!" I screamed, stepping forward, chains of fear and guilt binding me. "Please, don't hurt him, I'll go with you." "Serah!" Tristan's roar shook me to my core, but the moment my wrists were bound, the choice was made. They dragged me through the manor gates like a criminal, the chains heavy on my ankles, my gown torn and plastered to my skin, every step hammered shame deeper into my chest. The hall doors yawned open and Jethro stood at the far end, tall and regal in his black cloak, gold crown glinting on his head and at his side... Lydia, draped in silk, her smirk painted across her perfect face. And my father stood before them both, his expression carved from stone. "Father," I gasped as the guards forced me to my knees. "Please...why? You brought me back to him? You al