His Last name, My Secret

Chapter 1 "You may now kiss the bride." The priest’s words echoed loudly in Zia’s dazed mind, yanking her back to the harsh reality she wanted so desperately to escape. Before she could react, Hunter lifted her veil with a firm, almost impatient hand and pressed his lips against hers.She gasped when he bit her lip, a sharp sting that forced her eyes to snap open and meet his. Hunter wasn’t looking at her. His furious gaze was locked onto the guests before them, his jaw clenched tightly as if barely holding back his rage. Right. She had almost forgotten. Today, she became Hunter Del Tiero’s wife. By name, by law... but never by heart. There was nothing but a hollow ache inside her chest.How could she ever hope for happiness when everything about this day was built on lies and forced promises? From the moment their parents decided their fates for them, Zia knew this was not a love story and it was a transaction, a merger of two powerful families. She had only been twenty-two years old. Young. Naive. Dreaming still of a life she could choose for herself. But none of that mattered when her parents sat her down one afternoon and coldly announced that she and Hunter would marry. She hadn’t even been given the dignity of a warning. Hunter hadn’t taken the news any better. He was twenty-nine then, already a force in the business world, a man with his own dreams and maybe a real woman he loved with all his heart. Not her. Never her. Hunter had inherited the massive Del Tiero Real Estate empire after his father, Emilio Del Tiero, retired.He was the golden boy everyone admired—successful, powerful, untouchable. And Zia? She was simply the daughter of a family desperate to bind themselves to his. Their parents’ decades-long friendship had been the noose around their necks. Zia’s thoughts were shattered when she felt a sudden, deliberate weight pressing down on her foot.Hunter had stepped on her sandal. Subtle, almost imperceptible to the watching crowd, but she understood the message immediately. She pasted a plastic smile onto her trembling lips, slipped her arm through his, and together they moved toward the table where their families waited and smiling, celebrating the union of two souls who, deep inside, were already breaking. "Congratulations, lovebirds," Zia’s aunt Suzana said warmly, pulling her into a tight embrace. Zia forced a smile, her cheeks aching with the effort, and murmured a soft thank you to the guests. But even as she smiled, she could feel the weight of her father’s gaze — Raul Aldama’s sharp, piercing eyes, silently reminding her who controlled her fate. Raul Aldama was a man who never took no for an answer. Whatever he wanted, he claimed without mercy. Even Zyra, her beloved older sister, had been forced into marriage with a Pakistani businessman tied to their father's shady business deals. At least Zyra had gotten lucky. At first, Zia witnessed her sister's struggles the awkward silences, the hollow smiles, but eventually, love bloomed between her and Sameer. He was kind, patient, and adored Zyra. The complete opposite of the man Zia had just married. Hunter Del Tiero. Hunter was a fortress cold, unbreakable, and unwelcoming. Aloof. Meticulous. Temperamental. Especially with her. Even as children, though their families were close, he had never spared her more than a passing glance. To him, she had always been invisible. Later, she had heard whispers that Hunter had left the country to study at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.The Harvard University What was she compared to that? She was just a sheltered daughter living off her father’s wealth, studying a course she didn’t even choose an Architecture , when her real dream was to be a doctor. But Raul Aldama didn’t care about dreams. He cared about appearances, about control. And so she learned to paint instead, a poor substitute for medicine, but a refuge all the same. When the world outside felt too heavy, she locked herself in her art room and painted until her hands went numb and her heart felt a little less broken. "Hey, Zi," a familiar voice broke through her reverie. She turned to see Zyra, radiant and concerned. Zia wrapped her arms around her sister, holding on a second longer than necessary. She fought the sting behind her eyes.She smiled, she couldn’t cry, not today. "Hi," she whispered and she felt her voice trembling. "You look sad. Are you alright?" Zyra asked, her brows knitting together in worry. Zia nodded quickly and forced a smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm good. Have you eaten? There's lots of food at the table," she said looking at her sister's worried eyes. "I'm full, don’t worry about me. Actually..." Zyra hesitated. "Sameer and I are leaving for Paris later tonight. We only came back for your wedding, Zi...." A sharp pain stabbed Zia’s heart. She didn’t want Zyra to leave. Not now. Not when she was about to step into a marriage that felt like a life sentence.But she pretended not to react and smile at her sister. "I see... Take care," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Zi, I’m sorry," Zyra said, her voice thick with guilt. "I wish I could stay. But promise me, call me if anything happens, okay? Especially if he doesn’t treat you right." Zia saw the fear and concern in her sister’s eyes. She squeezed Zyra’s hand tightly, mustering a smile she didn’t feel. "Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself. Besides... Hunter won't hurt me. I’m sure of it," she said, though the lie felt like a stone in her mouth. Because truthfully, she didn’t know. Hunter was a mystery. And lately, he felt more like a storm she couldn’t outrun. "You'll be fine," Zyra said reassuringly. "Sometimes, love comes when you least expect it. Look at me now, I thought I'd never love Sameer, and now we're planning for a baby." Zia chuckled weakly, genuinely happy for her sister, even as her own heart fractured a little more. She pulled Zyra into another hug. "I’ll miss you," she whispered, feeling like a lost little girl again. "I’ll miss you too," Zyra murmured. "Be strong, Zi. And don’t forget, you’re never alone. I’m just a call away." "I promise I will be strong," Zia said, her throat tightening with emotion. They pulled apart just as a large, calloused hand gripped Zia’s arm. She looked up and there he was. Hunter with his dark aura. His face was blank, but his eyes were a frozen sea. Unreadable. Unforgiving. "Let's go," he said curtly, his voice low and dangerous. Zia glanced desperately at Zyra. Her sister gave her an encouraging nod, but it did little to ease the dread curling in her stomach. With trembling hands, she gathered her heavy wedding gown and followed Hunter outside into the night. Hunter opened the car door, slid inside without a word, and left her fumbling alone. Zia struggled awkwardly, her dress tangling around her legs. "What are you doing?" Hunter barked, glaring at her. Startled, she stumbled into the car, quickly adjusting her gown so she wouldn’t inconvenience him further. She couldn't help but wonder why she was wearing such an extravagant dress when their ceremony had been so intimate. No grand reception, no adoring crowd. Just a cold, business-like arrangement. Just like everything else with the Del Tiero family — cold, distant, and transactional. "We’re going to my house," Hunter said without looking at her. "Once you’re there, you don’t leave. You don’t visit your family. You stay put unless I say otherwise. Understand?" The words hit her like a slap. Her hands began to shake. She stared at him, her voice barely a whisper. "Hunter... what about my things?" she asked, her chest tightening with panic. Hunter's icy stare cut through her. "I don't care. Figure it out." It took everything in Zia not to break down right there. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she pulled out her phone and texted her nanny since birth asking her to pack her belongings and send them to Hunter’s house. There would be no going back now. No second chances. "There’s still a lot we need to discuss," Hunter said, his voice dropping to a dark growl. "So prepare yourself. Because living under my roof... will be hell." Zia turned to him, her heart shattering into a thousand pieces as she caught the raw anger etched into his face. And for the first time since she said "I do," a terrifying thought sank deep into her chest: Maybe she had just married her worst nightmare.