The wife he never wanted

The first thing Zara Williams noticed on her wedding day was that her groom never smiled. Not once. Not when the priest announced them husband and wife. Not when the guests applauded. Not even when she walked down the aisle in a white dress she had dreamed of wearing since she was a little girl. Damien Blackwood stood at the altar looking devastatingly handsome in a tailored black suit, his sharp features as cold as marble. He looked less like a man getting married and more like a king preparing for war. Still, Zara convinced herself she was imagining things. After all, Damien had never been a warm man. He was reserved. Distant. Unreadable. That was just who he was. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. The grand ballroom sparkled beneath crystal chandeliers as wealthy guests filled the room with laughter and congratulations. The Blackwoods and the Williamses were now officially united. A marriage between two powerful families. A perfect fairy tale. Or so everyone believed. “Smile, Zara.” Her best friend, Amelia, nudged her gently. “The photographers are watching.” Zara forced a smile onto her face as the camera flashed. Across the room, Damien stood speaking with several business executives. He hadn’t approached her once since the ceremony ended. Not once. A familiar ache settled in her chest. She should have been used to it by now. She had spent three years loving a man who barely seemed aware she existed. Three years of watching him from a distance. Three years of hoping. Three years of believing that one day he would finally look at her the way she looked at him. As he used to, at the early stages of their relationship. How he looked at her that made her fall in love with him, she longed for it once more. Today was supposed to be that day. Today she became his wife. Yet somehow, she had never felt more alone. Hours later, the celebration finally ended. The guests departed. The music stopped, and the fairy tale disappeared. Now came the part Zara had secretly anticipated the most. Their first night as husband and wife. Her heart pounded as she stood outside the master bedroom in Damien’s penthouse. The luxurious suite overlooked the city skyline, the lights glittering through the massive glass windows. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open. Damien was already inside. He stood near the window, loosening his tie. His broad shoulders remained rigid. His expression remained cold. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence kept stretching. Zara clasped her trembling hands together. “Today was beautiful.” Damien didn’t respond, then her smile faltered. “Don’t you think?” Finally, he turned. His dark eyes met hers. The look in them made her stomach twist. There was no affection. No tenderness. No happiness. Only indifference. “Beautiful?” he repeated. His voice was low. Dangerously calm. “Is that what you think this was?” Zara frowned. “I don’t understand.” A bitter smile appeared on his face. It was the first smile she had seen from him all day. And somehow it was worse than none at all. Damien walked toward her slowly. Each step seemed deliberate and Calculated. When he stopped in front of her, she suddenly couldn’t breathe. “You should understand something, Zara.” Her pulse quickened. “What?” His gaze hardened. “This marriage means nothing to me.” The words struck her like a slap. She stared at him, she was Certain she had heard wrong. “What?” “I didn’t marry you because I love you.” The room seemed to tilt beneath her feet. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress. “Damien…” “I never loved you.” The pain in his voice surprised her. For a brief second, she thought she heard anger. Hatred. Something dark. Something she couldn’t understand. Zara swallowed hard. “If you didn’t want this marriage, why agree to it? Why make me marry you? Why ask me to marry you?” A shadow crossed his face. For a moment, his eyes turned ice cold. The atmosphere in the room changed. Every instinct told her to step back. To run. But she couldn’t move. Then Damien delivered the words that shattered her world. “I married you because your family owes mine a debt.” Confusion flooded her. She had never felt more confused in her life. “What are you talking about?” He laughed a humorless sound. “You really don’t know, do you?” Know what? Fear curled in her stomach. What was happening? Why did everything have to turn against her all the time? Could she never be truly happy? Damien stared at her as though seeing an enemy instead of his wife. Then he said quietly: “Ask your father what he did to my family. Zara’s blood ran cold. “What did my father do?” Damien’s jaw tightened. His voice dropped to a whisper. “A lot more than you’re ready to hear.” Before Zara could respond, a sharp knock sounded at the bedroom door. Both of them turned. A maid stood outside holding a small envelope. “Sir,” she said nervously. “This was delivered for Mrs. Blackwood.” Zara accepted the envelope. She was Confused. There was no sender. No name. Nothing. Just a single folded piece of paper inside. Her hands trembled as she opened it. Then her breath stopped. The note contained only one sentence. “Your husband didn’t marry you for revenge. He married you because your family destroyed his. And before this marriage ends, he intends to destroy yours too.”