Betrothal Novels & Stories

My feet trembled as I fell to my knees. "Huh!" the crowd chorused, turning to one another in astonishment. The ring bearer stepped forward, opening the glass case that bore a silver ring. I picked it out, looking at it hungrily while he stepped back. Before I knew it, the priest declared very loudly with eagerness, "It’s been years, months, and weeks since you’ve been betrothed to six. Now it’s time to fix the ring to its owner." He continued... "Here are Damien, Julian, Kai, Ethan, Lucian, and Shay. They're all handsome men with a great build, but we're gathered here to join you to one."

"I couldn't take my eyes off you. Do you mind being a friend? I want to know you better before our parents will fix a wedding date," My eyes widened in shock as I pulled my hand out of his grasp. What the hell is he talking about? He's high on drugs? Why is he spitting gibberish out? "Wedding date?" I repeated, scoffing. Is he serious? I find it hard to believe what I was hearing. He nodded, "Didn't your mom tell you? We are betrothed and I chose you to be my wife. I love you, and I have been in love with you for a long time," he confessed, his eyes beaming with happiness.

and now, not even a year after she was declared dead, he was marrying Sophie. Without thinking, Ava ran upstairs and locked herself in her room. Sobs wracked her body, tears spilling from her eyes as the betrayal, heartbreak, and pain she had buried for so long overwhelmed her. It all came crashing down at once. They’re getting married. He’s forgotten me. The weight of it was suffocating. She had never felt so small, so insignificant. The man she had once trusted with her whole heart had cast her aside like she meant nothing.

There was no meaning attached to it. I repeat my vow to him as sincerely as I can before slipping the ring into his ring finger, already accepting the fact that the beginning of something has only just beginning. I can't tell if it's good or bad but I hope with everything in me that it's not the latter. My hopes are shattered when the priest says "You may now kiss the bride." Ivan wraps his arms around me and places his hands on my lower back. Lowering his lips to meet mine, he places a subtle kiss on the side of my lips so that everyone would think that it was just a quick and gentle kiss.

I was determined to shield Kim—not just from her but from the chaos that my past threatened to unleash on our future. As we drove to the courthouse to obtain our marriage certificate, I stole glances at Kim. Her anxiousness was palpable, masked only by a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. I could see the tension in her shoulders and the way she clutched the fabric of her white dress as if it were a lifeline. Noah and Rachael, along with Mike and Rayla, accompanied us, their faces mirroring the unease we all felt. They understood the stakes of this marriage, but what mattered most today was the legal bond we were about to create.

Just as I was about to speak, however, Luca suddenly pulled out a cargo ship passage contract and casually said to me, "Cara Mia, the D'Angelo Famiglia's cargo ship will be arriving at the port tomorrow. Let's sign the passage contract before going to the party." My gaze landed on the contract, and I could feel my heart sinking to my stomach. When Luca noticed that I was staying silent, he hugged me tightly again and said, "The D'Angelo and Cecere Famiglias will be officially merging at our wedding in three days. A trivial passage contract won't change anything."

Or perhaps it’s just me. “What the fuck did you just say?” Yvette is shocked. Shocked is an understatement. She makes a strangled sound in her throat. “You can’t do that. Are you listening to me, Gary? The betrothal is already a done deal. Aiden and I will be getting married on the day of the full moon.”

“Why would you call me that?” He looked down at the floor. The shadows from his bracelet flickered over his face, sharpening the lines of tension. “It slipped,” he said. “No. It did not. That felt deliberate.” His throat moved. A swallow. A bracing breath. Then finally, in a low voice that scraped against the walls, he said, “We were betrothed.” The words felt like a blow. A physical blow. They knocked the air from my lungs. “What.” He still would not look at me. “When we were children. The pact was made between the king and your mother. Your magic and mine were compatible. The union would strengthen the bloodlines. Unite houses. Create stability between realms.”

she said, probably trying to make a joke or sound casual. "I don't discuss contracts in public." That shut her up, I could almost hear her whispering that I'm rude. Another point for myself. Silence stretched, with the other waiting for the other to speak. I stood. "So since we now know each other, that means we're done." She blinked. "That's it...I thought we were meeting to get to know each other," "Of course, you know it's me you're getting married to and I know that it's you that I'm getting married to,"

“Of course. It’s been ten years. Who else could I marry but you? “Autumn, what are you even thinking about?” Right. Ten years. Yet the words on the metal box kept appearing in my mind, uncontrollably. “The greatest regret of my life is that I can’t give you a wedding.” He let go of me, brimming with excitement as he discussed the details of tomorrow’s wedding rehearsal. He mimicked the priest reciting the vows. “For richer or poorer… in sickness and in health… “To take Miss Autumn Taylor as your wife… “To be married to…” But every single word felt like a needle piercing my chest.