The Biker King's Forbidden Bride

THE BRIDE WHO REFUSED TO DIE

POV: Maeve Vesper

My eyes stay wide open through the whole night as I sit on the floor against the door, and the morning light comes through the window, and a knock sounds on the wood before a guard unlocks it and pushes a white dress inside on a hanger, telling me to put it on because the ceremony starts in a few hours.

"Put that on right now, because your father says you need to be ready before the guests arrive," the guard says, pulling the door shut, locking it again with a sharp click.

I stare at the white dress hanging on the wardrobe, refusing to touch it. My stomach twists into knots because I know what happens after I walk down that aisle, and hours pass before the key turns in the lock again, my mother stepping into the room with an angry look on her face.

"Maeve, why are you still sitting in your clothes, and why have you not put the dress on yet?" my mother asks, crossing her arms, staring at me.

"You said I was never supposed to find out yesterday, Mother, so tell me what that means, and tell me why you are letting him kill me," I say, standing up from the floor, walking right up to her face.

"You are talking nonsense, Maeve, and you need to calm down before your father comes in here and gets upset," my mother says, turning her head away from me.

"Please help me, Mother, because you gave birth to me, and you cannot let them throw me into a lake tonight," I beg, grabbing her shoulders, shaking her slightly.

"Thousands of powerful people are attending this wedding today, and if you run or cause a scene, you will destroy the family name forever," my mother snaps, pushing my hands off her shoulders.

"You care more about a wedding and a name than you care about my life," I say, my voice shaking with anger, staring at her with tears in my eyes.

"The alliance with the Bratva keeps everyone safe, and you are just one person in a very large picture," my mother says, walking toward the door without a single ounce of pity.

"You are a monster," I yell at her back, but she just steps out into the hall, letting the guards lock the door again, and I slide back down to the floor.

A little later, the door opens again, Odessa walking into the room, looking at me with a soft expression that makes me feel sick to my stomach, closing the door behind her.

"Maeve, please just listen to me, because I did not want it to happen this way," Odessa says, taking a step toward me.

"You slept with the man I was supposed to marry in a few hours, Odessa, and you stood beside me while I picked out flowers," I say, laughing bitterly, asking, "Did you know they were going to kill me?"

Odessa opens her mouth, closing it again, looking down at the floor, her silence giving me the exact answer I need.

"You knew," I whisper, my chest tightening until I can barely breathe, stepping back from her.

"You cannot win against them, Maeve, because the Bratva owns half the city, and your parents signed the papers, so you just need to accept it and marry him," Odessa says, her voice sounding cold, practical.

"Get out of my room," I say, pointing at the door, my hand shaking with rage.

"I am only trying to help you see reality, Maeve," Odessa says, turning around, walking out before I can scream at her, the door clicking shut behind her.

I wipe my face with my sleeve, stopping crying, and something inside me shifts because I know nobody is coming to save me, forcing me to get out of here myself. I stand up, walking over to the balcony doors, pushing them open, checking the railing, noticing a section is loose where the stone meets the brick. I pull a small stack of cash from my drawer, stuffing it into my pocket, waiting by the door until I hear the footsteps of the servant girl bringing my lunch tray.

"Leave the tray on the table," I say, keeping my voice calm as she unlocks the door, stepping inside with the food.

When she turns her back to set the tray down, I grab her phone off her apron pocket, pushing her into the closet, locking the door before she can scream. I change into a pair of old pants, a dark sweater from my closet, ignoring the wedding dress entirely, walking out onto the balcony. I shake the loose section of the railing until it snaps away, climbing over the stone edge, dropping down onto the bushes below, running toward the service road behind the estate.

By evening, my father unlocks the door, walking in with a stern look, saying, "Maeve, the guests are arriving, and you will put the dress on right now."

I keep my face completely blank, nodding my head, saying, "You are right, Father, and I will marry Dmitri."

My father looks surprised, then smiling, saying, "I am glad you finally understand how this works, and I will wait for you downstairs."

He leaves the door unlocked so I can walk down, and I wait inside the room until the guards shift positions at the end of the hall, slipping out the back service stairs, running straight toward the driveway. I reach the line of cars parked outside, opening the door of the first vehicle I find, hotwiring the ignition with the wires under the dash, the engine roaring to life. I put the car in reverse, slamming on the gas, looking back at the big house through the rear window as I speed down the long drive.

“If my own family wants me dead, then I'll survive without them.”