Episode 2
760 Words
The Bride No One Chose
Catherine stared at Sebastian Blackwood as if the world had stopped turning.
His words still echoed in her mind.
You’re coming with me tonight, Mrs. Blackwood.
No.
This had to be some kind of mistake.
“There must be some misunderstanding,” Catherine said, her voice barely steady. “You… you said my name.”
Sebastian’s dark eyes remained fixed on hers.
“I meant every word.”
Beside her, Chloe let out a sharp laugh, though it sounded more like panic.
“This is ridiculous,” she snapped, stepping forward. “Mr. Blackwood, surely you mean me. I’m Chloe Hart. I’m the one everyone expected.”
Sebastian didn’t even look at her.
“I know exactly who you are.”
The dismissal hit harder than a slap.
Chloe’s face turned red.
Eleanor quickly stepped in, forcing a polite smile.
“Mr. Blackwood, perhaps there has been confusion. Chloe has always been the obvious match. Catherine is… she isn’t prepared for this world.”
Sebastian finally looked at Eleanor.
His expression was calm, but it carried enough warning to silence the room.
“I did not ask for Chloe.”
Silence.
Heavy. Sharp. Unforgiving.
“I asked for Catherine Hart.”
Catherine felt her chest tighten.
“Why?” she whispered.
For the first time, something unreadable passed through Sebastian’s face.
But it vanished just as quickly.
“That answer can wait.”
“No,” Catherine said, finding strength in her anger. “It can’t. You walk in here and announce I’m your bride like I’m some object? I deserve to know why.”
Sebastian stepped closer.
Too close.
His voice dropped.
“And if I told you this marriage is the safest place for you, would you believe me?”
Catherine frowned.
“What does that even mean?”
Before he could answer, Chloe cut in, her voice shaking with jealousy.
“This is insane! She has nothing! No status, no charm, no future. Why would you choose her?”
Sebastian turned slowly, finally giving Chloe his full attention.
And somehow, that seemed worse.
“Because I wanted her.”
Simple.
Cold.
Final.
Chloe looked like she might break.
Eleanor’s fingers tightened at her sides.
She tried again.
“Mr. Blackwood, perhaps we should discuss this privately. There are details—”
“There are no details left to discuss.”
Sebastian reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a folder.
He placed it on the glass table in front of them.
The sound alone made Catherine’s stomach turn.
Eleanor’s face changed the moment she saw it.
Marriage documents.
Signed.
Sealed.
Ready.
Catherine stepped forward, her hands trembling as she opened it.
Her name.
Her signature line.
And below—
Eleanor Laurent’s signature.
Approved as guardian.
Her blood ran cold.
“No…”
She looked up sharply.
“You signed this?”
Eleanor lifted her chin.
“I did what was necessary.”
“You sold me.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
Catherine’s voice broke.
“You signed my life away without even asking me!”
“You should be grateful!” Eleanor snapped. “Do you know how many women would beg for this chance? To marry into the Blackwood family? To become Sebastian Blackwood’s wife?”
“I am not one of them!”
The room shook with the force of her words.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Sebastian spoke.
Quiet.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
“The papers were signed days ago.”
Catherine turned to him, hurt flashing in her eyes.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“And you said nothing?”
His jaw tightened.
“I needed the marriage secured first.”
The betrayal hit deeper than she expected.
Even from a man she barely knew.
She laughed once—sharp and broken.
“So that’s it? I’m trapped?”
Sebastian looked at her for a long moment.
When he answered, his voice was softer.
“No. You were trapped long before I arrived.”
That silenced her.
Because part of her hated how true it was.
She had been trapped in this house for years.
Controlled.
Humiliated.
Used.
And now another powerful person was offering her a different kind of cage.
She didn’t know which was worse.
Sebastian stepped forward once more.
“But understand this, Catherine—”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“This marriage was decided long before tonight.”
And for the first time…
She realized this story had started long before she even knew she was part of it.
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