The bride he didn't choose

Chapter 2

Elora stepped out of the bathroom slowly, steam curling behind her like ghosts refusing to let go. The blue lace nightdress brushed against her skin, delicate and unfamiliar, making her feel exposed in ways that had nothing to do with fabric.

The bedroom was dim.

Silent.

Too silent.

Only the ticking clock dared to move.

Windsor lay on the bed with his back facing her, motionless beneath the low light. To anyone else, he might have looked asleep.

But Elora knew better.

“Windsor…” she called softly.

No answer.

She swallowed and stepped closer, her bare feet sinking into the thick carpet. “The Matthew family contacted me today.”

Still nothing.

“They want me to remove their surname from all my certificates.”

That got his attention.

Not visibly.

But she felt it.

The tension in the room sharpened.

Elora sat carefully at the edge of the bed and touched his shoulder lightly.

“I know you’re awake.”

In the next second,

Everything changed.

Windsor turned suddenly, fast enough to steal her breath. His hand closed around her throat not enough to hurt, but enough to trap her heartbeat beneath his fingers.

Elora gasped softly as he pulled her closer.

Too close.

His eyes searched hers with unsettling intensity.

“We’ve been married for two weeks,” he said quietly. “And every time you look at me, it’s like you’re waiting for permission to exist.”

Her pulse pounded wildly.

“This marriage was supposed to stay simple,” she whispered, gripping his wrist. “That was the agreement.”

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then his grip loosened slightly, though he didn’t let her go.

“In the bathroom earlier,” he said, voice calm in a way that felt dangerous, “you mentioned another daughter.”

Elora’s stomach tightened.

“You said the woman I wanted refused to marry me.”

His gaze darkened.

“But I don’t remember choosing anyone.”

The room suddenly felt colder.

“My family arranged this marriage without giving me details,” Windsor continued.

No photographs.

No names.

Just instructions.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“And then I met you.”

Elora forced a weak smile. “Does it matter now? We’re already married.”

“It matters to me.”

The words landed heavily.

Not loud.

Not emotional.

But real.

For the first time since meeting him, Elora saw something beneath Windsor’s coldness,not cruelty, not arrogance.

Confusion.

And underneath that…

Betrayal.

He leaned closer slowly, his fingers brushing against her arm.

“If this marriage is built on lies,” he murmured, “then tell me at least one thing that’s true.”

Her breath caught.

She wanted to answer.

But the truth had always been dangerous in her family.

So instead, she looked away.

That silence said enough.

Windsor studied her for a long moment before gently pressing her back against the bed. The movement wasn’t rough, but it carried the weight of everything unspoken between them.

“Windsor…” she whispered nervously.

He paused.

Something uncertain flickered across his face.

Then the bedside lamp clicked off.

Darkness swallowed the room whole.

The silence between them became heavier than words.

Not tenderness.

Not trust.

Just two strangers tied together by secrets neither fully understood.

Elora shut her eyes tightly, trying to steady the storm inside her chest.

Then suddenly,

Pain shot through her sharply.

Her eyes flew open.

“Windsor—wait…”

Everything stopped instantly.

Windsor pulled back so abruptly the mattress shifted beneath them. His breathing turned uneven as he stared downward.

At the sheets.

At the small stain spreading across them.

The room went completely still.

Elora clutched the blanket tightly around herself, confused by the sudden change in him.

But Windsor looked shaken.

Actually shaken.

His expression hardened slowly as realization settled into his features.

“You told me your family treated you like you were worthless,” he said quietly.

Elora’s throat tightened.

“But this marriage…” He looked back at her, eyes darker now, sharper. “This wasn’t arranged for power alone, was it?”

She said nothing.

Because suddenly she understood what frightened him.

Not her innocence.

The reason behind it.

A wealthy family like the Matthews would never send their hidden daughter into a powerful marriage untouched unless,

Unless she had been protected for something.

Prepared for something.

Windsor rose from the bed slowly, his thoughts clearly racing.

Then he asked the question that made Elora’s blood run cold.

“Why did they offer you in exchange of a contract when you are still a virgin”.

The words hit harder than a slap.

Because deep down,

Elora had spent her life asking herself the exact same thing.

And for the first time…