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1255 Words
Esmeralda's POV
I pressed trembling hands against my mouth to stop the sobs escaping me. Somewhere downstairs soft violin music drifted through the mansion halls.
The ceremony was beginning.
This was real.
Not a nightmare.
Not a cruel hallucination.
Real.
Father approached slowly, his voice quieter now.
“You are stronger than you think.”
I looked at him through tears.
“You don’t know me at all.”
For the first time in years, he looked old.
Not powerful.
Not terrifying.
Just tired.
But it changed nothing.
I hated him.
Maybe I always would.
Two women entered moments later to finish preparing me. They adjusted my veil while I stood frozen and numb. One touched up my smeared makeup while the other fixed the train of my dress.
I felt like a doll.
An object.
Something pretty being prepared for sacrifice.
Father remained near the door in silence.
I refused to look at him again.
As the women worked, my thoughts drifted helplessly to Leoandros.
Tall.
Cold.
Beautiful.
The man every woman noticed the second he entered a room.
Dirty brown hair always perfectly styled. Bright sea blue eyes that missed nothing. Hands that looked sinful wrapped around a glass of whiskey.
Danger lived inside him.
Everyone feared him.
And I—
I loved him anyway.
Pathetic.
I wondered what he thought downstairs right now.
Was he furious?
Humiliated?
Did he feel trapped too?
Or worse…
Did he simply not care?
That possibility hurt the most.
Because while this marriage would ruin me, Leoandros would survive it untouched.
He always survived everything untouched.
One of the women stepped back. “Done.”
I stared blankly at my reflection again.
The veil framed my face delicately. Diamonds glittered against my throat. The gown hugged my body before flowing dramatically toward the floor.
I looked beautiful.
And completely miserable.
Father finally moved toward me.
“It’s time.”
My knees nearly buckled.
I wanted to run.
God, I wanted to run so badly.
But where would I go?
There was nowhere on earth my father couldn’t find me.
Nowhere Leoandros Drakos couldn’t reach me.
So instead, I swallowed the scream lodged in my throat and nodded once.
Father offered me his arm.
I stared at it like it belonged to a stranger.
Then slowly, mechanically, I took it.
The hallway outside buzzed with distant music and muffled voices. Every step toward the chapel felt unreal, like I was walking toward my own execution.
My heels clicked softly against marble floors.
Servants avoided my gaze.
Some looked pitying.
Others frightened.
Everyone knew.
Everyone knew the bride had changed.
As we approached the grand chapel doors, my breathing became uneven again.
The music swelled louder.
Father paused beside me.
“You will be fine.”
I turned toward him slowly.
“I hope this destroys you one day.”
Pain flashed across his eyes.
Good.
The doors opened before he could answer.
And suddenly every eye turned toward me.
The chapel glowed beneath hundreds of candles. White roses lined the aisle while chandeliers sparkled overhead. Wealth and power dripped from every corner of the room.
But none of it mattered.
Because he stood at the altar.
Leoandros Darius Drakos.
My heart stopped.
God.
He looked devastating.
His tailored black suit fit him perfectly, emphasizing his broad shoulders and powerful frame. Dark tattoos disappeared beneath crisp sleeves. His expression remained unreadable, cold as marble.
But his eyes—
His eyes locked onto mine instantly.
The entire room disappeared.
For seven years I had dreamed about this moment.
Dreamed about walking toward him in white.
Dreamed about him looking at me like I mattered.
But not like this.
Never like this.
I saw the exact second realization hit him fully.
Not Bethany who was promised.
Esmeralda.
Me.
His jaw tightened slightly.
That tiny reaction shattered something inside me.
Humiliation burned through my chest.
Of course he didn’t want this.
Why would he?
The music continued as Father guided me down the aisle.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
I kept my eyes forward, though I could feel whispers spreading through the guests like wildfire.
Poor girl.
Forced marriage.
What a scandal.
I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.
Leoandros never looked away from me.
Not once.
His stare felt scorching now, intense enough to make my skin tremble beneath the lace sleeves.
I couldn’t understand it.
Anger?
Curiosity?
Resentment?
Maybe all three.
By the time we reached the altar, my entire body shook violently.
Father placed my hand into Leoandros’.
The second his fingers closed around mine, heat exploded up my arm.
I nearly gasped.
His hand was warm. Strong.
Possessive.
I had imagined this touch a thousand times before.
None of those fantasies prepared me for reality.
Father stepped away.
And just like that, I belonged to Leoandros Drakos.
The priest began speaking, but his voice sounded distant beneath the roaring in my ears.
I couldn’t breathe properly.
Couldn’t think properly.
Leoandros’ thumb brushed once against my trembling hand.
The tiny movement startled me enough to finally look at him fully.
His gaze was already on me.
Sharp.
Unreadable.
Dangerous.
I waited for cruelty.
For disgust.
Instead, his eyes moved slowly across my face like he was seeing me for the first time.
It only made everything worse.
Tears burned my eyes again.
I looked away quickly.
The ceremony continued around us in a blur until suddenly the priest turned toward Leoandros.
“Do you take Esmeralda Carolina Reyes to be your lawful wife?”
Silence.
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
This was it.
He could refuse.
He could end this.
Please, I thought desperately. Please.
Leoandros remained silent for one terrible second too long.
Then—
“I do.”
The words sliced through me.
Not because he said them.
But because he sounded emotionless when he did.
Like signing a business contract.
The priest turned to me.
“Do you take Leoandros Darius Drakos to be your lawful husband?”
My throat closed completely.
I stared at the man before me.
The man I loved.
The man who would never love me back.
Everything inside me screamed to run.
But I saw Father watching from the front pew.
Saw the warning in his eyes.
And slowly, painfully, I nodded.
“I do.”
My voice broke on the words.
The priest smiled warmly, unaware he was blessing a tragedy.
Then came the vows.
The rings.
The final prayer.
Every second dragged endlessly until finally—
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
My pulse stopped.
“You may kiss the bride.”
The chapel went silent.
I froze.
Leoandros looked down at me slowly.
Too slowly.
My entire body trembled beneath his gaze.
Then his hand lifted, fingers brushing against my jaw with terrifying gentleness.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
The touch felt intimate.
Wrongly intimate.
His eyes darkened slightly at my reaction.
And then he leaned down.
The moment his lips touched mine, the world disappeared.
Soft.
Warm.
Possessive.
It wasn’t a loving kiss.
It wasn’t tender.
But it wasn’t cruel either.
It felt like ownership.
Like a promise I didn’t fully understand.
My heart shattered anyway.
Because even now…
Even now I would have given him everything willingly.
When he finally pulled away, I realized the chapel had erupted into applause.
But all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat.
Because destiny had sealed itself around me.
And there was no escape left at all.
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