The Wrong Vows

Chapter-7 (Isabella's POV)

I stormed out of my parents’ house, my eyes burning, chest tight.

The door slammed behind me, but the echo of their words stayed.

“If this is what love looks like in our family— silent, sacrificed, strategic—I want no part of it.”

I yanked open my car door and dropped into the driver’s seat. Without a second thought, I turned the key and sped off.

I never drove like this.

But tonight wasn’t normal.

Tonight, I just wanted to reach home before I completely broke down.

The roads blurred past me, but my thoughts stayed sharp.

Their voices, their decisions, that suffocating silence—they all chased me.

As soon as I entered my apartment, I threw my keys on the couch like they burned in my hand. I didn’t pause, didn’t sit. I headed straight to the bathroom. Maybe the shower could wash away the chaos in my head.

Water hit my skin, warm and steady, but it couldn’t calm the storm inside me.

How does life flip so violently in one moment?

How can the same people who once tucked you in at night be the ones to ruin your future with a single conversation?

“My parents didn’t break my heart. They handed it over to someone I didn’t choose.”

A cold truth settled in my chest.

To them, this engagement was a deal. A strategy.

Not my life.

I turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around me, and walked out. The night air brushed against my skin as I changed into my nightdress, trying to steady myself.

But then I opened the drawer.

And there it was.

The photo frame of Andrés and me.

I picked it up slowly, my fingers brushing over the glass like I could feel the memory through it.

What was the point of holding on anymore?

“There’s no place for memories when the future is already decided.”

I never confessed.

But somewhere deep inside, I kept hoping he would.

That maybe, just maybe, he’d feel the same.

But now it’s done. There’s no space for maybes when your sister is engaged to the boy you’ve loved in silence for years.

Even if Serena never knew.

Even if Andrés never guessed.

Even if I never said it out loud—this hurts like I did.

My phone buzzed, snapping me back. I glanced at it.

Mom.

I hesitated, then opened the message.

“Isabella baby, I know this is hard. I know you're angry with me. But your father has arranged your and your sister’s engagement. We’re going to your grandparents’ house for the ceremony. He did it for your happiness. We both want what’s best for you. Please understand. We love you.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

My chest ached like it was caving in.

My lips parted as I tried to breathe, but the air was too heavy.

How could he make this decision so quickly?

Just a few hours ago, he told us we had a choice.

Now there was no choice left.

“He didn’t expect obedience. He counted on it.”

I crumpled onto the couch, exhausted and shaking.

Then I closed my eyes—just for a second.

And suddenly, I was back at the wedding.

Dad walking us down the aisle.

Serena in her bold off-shoulder gown, glowing with excitement.

Me, quiet in satin straps, barely holding it together.

We looked identical, but our hearts couldn’t be more different.

My gaze drifted to the groom, begging fate to surprise me.

Let it be Andrés. Please, just once, let life be kind.

But it was Conrad.

And Andrés stood beside Serena.

The priest began the vows.

And then I heard it.

“I do.”

Andrés’ voice.

The words shattered me.

I gasped and sat up, heart racing.

I was back. On the couch. In my nightdress.

Just a dream.

But it felt too real.

“Maybe it was a dream. Or maybe it was a glimpse into a future I never chose.”

My doorbell rang, cutting through the silence.

I frowned, checking the time—4:03 a.m.

Who would come this late?

I walked over, hesitating a second before opening the door.

A tall figure stood outside, his back facing me.

He turned.

It was Andrés.

My heart stuttered.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice quieter than I expected.

Then, without thinking, I added, “If you’re looking for Serena… she’s not here.”

His jaw tightened, his eyes dark.

“I’m not here for Serena.”

“Then why—?”

Before I could finish, Mia rushed up behind him.

“Hey, Bella,” she said, slightly out of breath. “He just dropped me off. I found out about the engagement and figured you’d be falling apart. So here I am.”

She smiled softly, and concern flickered in her eyes.

“You okay?”

I couldn’t answer.

I just hugged her. Tightly.

She hugged me back without hesitation, like she knew I needed it more than words.

Andrés stood by the doorway, watching.

His face unreadable, like he was somewhere between emotion and emptiness.

“His silence didn’t speak. It screamed.”

Mia turned to him. “You can go now.”

I added, “Drive safely.”

He nodded once and left without a word.

We stepped back inside, the weight of the night settling between us.

And I knew.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

We both sank into the couch, the room silent except for the low hum of the ceiling fan. My heart had been pounding ever since that message. I kept staring at the blank wall in front of me like it might give me answers. Mia nudged me gently with her shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” she said softly, her voice cutting through the silence. “Everything will be fine.”

I nodded, but the weight in my chest didn’t lift.

She stood up and tugged my arm. “Come on. Sleep. You’ll feel better.”

We lay down on my bed, facing the ceiling. The sheets felt cold against my skin. I closed my eyes, but the thoughts wouldn’t stop. My mind was spinning — engagement, secrets, Andrés, Conrad. How the hell was I supposed to stop all this? Every plan I thought of shattered before it could fully form.

At some point, the dark sky outside turned a soft shade of blue. The silence of the early morning was broken by the shrill ring of my alarm.

5:00 AM.

I groaned, reaching out to turn it off. My fingers trembled slightly. I sat up slowly, running a hand over my face. My head was heavy, but my thoughts were heavier.

I walked to the window and pushed it open. A breeze brushed past my face, carrying with it the scent of wet earth and dew. The world outside looked peaceful. Too peaceful for the storm inside me.

But the moment passed, and my thoughts dragged me back into chaos.

I turned to see Mia still curled up in bed. I shook her gently. “Mia, get up. We have to go.”

She mumbled something unintelligible but sat up eventually. I headed for the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the cold water jolt me awake. Afterward, I pulled on jeans and a simple top — something casual, something normal, even when everything around me felt anything but.

We walked to my car wordlessly. My hands trembled as I opened the driver’s door.

I didn’t want to go.

I gripped the steering wheel, frozen.

Mia slid into the passenger seat and, without a word, reached out and turned on the music. Lana Del Rey’s haunting voice filled the car, as if she somehow understood the mess inside my head.

She knew me too well. Lana was my go-to. Meanwhile, Mia? She was more of a “no matter how many fish in the sea, it’d be so empty without me” kind of girl — full Eminem chaos energy.

Still, she didn’t tease me this time.

Instead, she started asking me random questions — about college, about a dress she saw online, about anything that might pull me back into the world.

But my mind stayed trapped.

Then, out of nowhere, she said, “Honestly? I have a plan.”

I glanced at her.

“We kill Conrad. No Conrad, no wedding. Boom. Solved.”

I burst out laughing — a dry, exhausted sound. “Yeah, that’ll fix one problem. But not the part where Andrés… you know, marries my sister. Who just happens to look like me… but unfortunately, isn’t me.”

Mia sighed. “Okay, dark humor aside—did you even search this Conrad guy? Like, who the hell is he?”

I shook my head. “No. Do you know anything?”

She smirked. “Obviously. He’s marrying my best friend. I had to find out.”

I turned to her fully. “And?”

“His full name is Conrad Vescari. He’s the only heir of Vescari Defense Systems — VDS. They manufacture high-end weapons. You know, the kind you don’t see in normal markets.”

I blinked.

“Oh, and,” she added, raising her brows dramatically, “he’s got ties to the mafia. Like, confirmed. He supplies weapons secretly to them, too. Underworld level dangerous. Your dad really went full villain-mode choosing him of all people.”

I tried to laugh but it came out nervous. “He looks dangerous too. The way he moves, talks… his body’s built like he is the mafia.”

“Yeah, but isn’t he too handsome to be one?” Mia said with a mischievous grin. “Like, mafia boss but make it Vogue.”

I laughed — genuinely this time.

“Well, scratch the murder plan. If we try, he’ll probably kill us first.”

“Exactly,” she said, snorting.

I squint at her, suspicious. “Okay, but how the hell do you know all this?”

She lets out a soft chuckle, flipping her hair like she’s in a shampoo commercial.

“Oh, babe,” she purrs, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Did you really forget my brother is the CEO of a high-security surveillance company?”

She leans back, smug smile in place. “I don’t just have connections—I am the connection.”

We both went quiet for a second, and then I asked the question that had been eating me alive.

“Do you think Andrés is happy about this marriage?”

Her smile faded.

“I don’t think so,” she said, her voice dropping. “He got into a huge fight with Dad. I heard them. But just when Dad was about to say something else… he stopped. He looked at me, told me to go to my room.”

I turned to her, heart hammering.

“And after that?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what he told Andrés… but ever since then, Andrés hasn’t spoken to Mom or Dad. At all. But he’s also not saying no to the wedding. Which is so unlike him.”

She paused, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“You know him. No one can tell him what to do.”

I nodded.

She smirked and flipped her hair. “Except me, obviously.”

But the light joke didn’t land this time. My thoughts were already spiraling again.

What did her Dad say to Andrés?

What could be so powerful, so manipulative, that even someone like him — someone so defiant, so unbreakable — would fall in line?

And why did it feel like I was the only one who didn’t know the rules of the game I was being forced to play?