His Unwanted Bride

Aria stirred awake to the sound of hurried footsteps and raised voices echoing through the house. Her eyes blinked against the morning sunlight streaming through the curtains, but nothing could prepare her for the chaos outside her room. Her heart skipped, a sense of unease prickling at her chest. Something was wrong. “Where is she?!” her mother’s voice was sharp, strained with panic. “Call the police! Now!” her father barked, his tone heavy with desperation. Aria sat up, her blankets falling around her. “What’s going on?” she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible over the storm of shouting. Her younger brother’s footsteps pounded down the stairs, and she could hear the clatter of dishes and frantic whispers from the kitchen. The usually calm house she had grown up in felt like it was cracking around her, splitting apart. She swung her legs over the bed and ran toward the noise, her bare feet cold against the polished floor. The living room was a scene of pandemonium. Her father, face red with fury and fear, was pacing in front of the sliding doors, while her mother clutched her hands to her chest, trying—and failing—to stay composed. And then she heard it. “Mark… and Asher… together?” Aria froze. Those names, spoken in her mother’s trembling voice, cut through her like a knife. Her mind refused to process it at first. Mark—her boyfriend, the boy she had trusted, the one she thought loved her—was gone? And with Asher, her sister, her own sister who had been preparing for a wedding today? The world seemed to tilt, and she gripped the edge of the sofa, trying to steady herself. “What do you mean?” she demanded, her voice shaking despite her effort to sound steady. Her mother turned to her, eyes wide, rimmed red. “She… Asher… she ran away. She didn’t just disappear. She left with… with Mark.” The words hit her like a tidal wave, drowning every other thought. Aria staggered back, unable to breathe, unable to speak. Mark. Her Mark. Gone with Asher. No. It couldn’t be real. Her legs gave way beneath her, and she sank to the floor, clutching her chest as if she could somehow hold herself together. The room spun. Her heart thumped in her ears—not with anger, not with disbelief, but with pure, soul-crushing heartbreak. “How… why?” she whispered, tears threatening to fall. “Why would they…?” Her father slammed his palm against the wall. “Why? Why? Because we’ve failed to protect the family’s honor! That’s why! They’ve left us with nothing but shame!” Aria’s stomach churned. Shame. Humiliation. Heartbreak. Every emotion collided, each one sharper than the last. She had trusted Mark. She had believed in him. And now… now he had betrayed her in the most unimaginable way. The silence that followed was suffocating, broken only by her mother’s quiet sobs. Aria wanted to scream, to run, to rip Mark and Asher from her thoughts but the betrayal was already lodged deep within her. She thought of the wedding dress, the flowers, the ceremony all meant for her sister, for a love that was now a lie. Every memory, every plan, every dream Asher had carried into that marriage was gone, stolen away with the man Aria herself had loved. “Aria…” her mother’s voice called softly. She looked up. Her mother’s face was pale, drained, and fear etched every line. “We… we need to talk.” Her father spoke next, his voice low and urgent. “We have to… fix this. There’s no time. The Evins family… they will not wait. They will not forgive this disgrace.” Aria shook her head, tears spilling freely now. “I… I can’t… I can’t believe this.” Her mother took her hands in hers, holding them tightly. “Aria, I’m so sorry. I know… I know you loved him. But you must understand, the family… we can’t risk losing everything. There is no other option. You… you have to…” Aria’s heart skipped. She didn’t want to hear what she thought she was about to hear. She tried to pull back, but her mother’s grip was firm. “You have to take Asher’s place,” her mother said, her voice breaking. “You… you must marry Kael Evins. The wedding… it cannot be canceled.” The world stopped. Aria stared at her mother, her chest tight, her mind screaming in disbelief. “What?” Her father’s face was grim. “You are the only one left. Asher has abandoned her duty. Mark has abandoned you. And we… we cannot face the Evins family empty-handed. You will marry Kael.” Her body shook violently. “No! I… I can’t! I… I’m not… I can’t marry someone I don’t know! Someone I’ve never even met!” “You have no choice,” her father said coldly. “The arrangements are already in place. The dress, the hall, the guests… everything is ready. You will walk down that aisle, Aria, whether you want to or not.” Aria’s world collapsed. Her chest ached as if it had been physically broken. Her mind raced, trying to find a way out, a way to refuse, but there was none. Her choices had been stripped from her the moment Mark and Asher betrayed her. She sank to the floor again, tears streaming freely now. The betrayal, the heartbreak, the crushing pressure of what she was about to face it was all too much. Her life was no longer hers. She had been cast into a world of obligations, of expectations, of a marriage she had never wanted, with a man she had never met. And yet… as hopeless as it felt, as shattered as she was, there was one truth she could not escape the wedding was not just about her sister anymore. It was about her. Aria took a shaky breath, her hands trembling, as the reality sank in. She would have to step into a life she had never imagined. She would have to marry Kael Evins. The man who, according to every rumor, was cold, cruel, and utterly unyielding. The man who was now her husband. And the girl who had once believed in love was left alone with nothing but heartbreak and the terrifying weight of what lay ahead.