Bound To The Man I Hated

I found out I was getting married on a Tuesday morning. Not through a proposal. Not through love. But through a quiet conversation I was never meant to hear. “Ava has no choice,” my father said, his voice low but firm. “This is the only way.” I stood frozen outside the study, my fingers trembling against the doorframe. My heart began to pound, each beat louder than the last. I already knew what he meant. I just didn’t want to believe it. Marriage. To him. I pushed the door open before fear could stop me. “No choice?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. “Since when do I not get a choice about my own life?” Both men in the room turned to me. My father looked tired. Older than his years. The other man didn’t even look surprised. Ethan Blackwood. The man I hated. He leaned back in his chair like this was a business meeting and not the destruction of my future. His dark eyes met mine briefly—cold, unreadable—before drifting away again. “This is ridiculous,” I said, laughing without humor. “You can’t be serious.” My father sighed. “Ava, sit down.” “I won’t.” Ethan stood up then, tall and composed, adjusting his suit as if the tension in the room didn’t exist. “This marriage benefits both families,” he said calmly. “Emotions don’t change that.” I stared at him, disbelief burning in my chest. “So this is just a deal to you?” His gaze returned to me, sharper this time. “It’s exactly that.” Something in me snapped. “You don’t get to decide my life,” I said, my voice shaking. “I would rather be alone forever than marry you.” For the first time, his expression changed. Just slightly. “Careful,” he said softly. “Forever is a long time.” Silence filled the room. I looked at my father, hoping—begging—for him to say something. To stop this madness. But he didn’t. That was when I realized the truth. This wasn’t a discussion. It was a sentence. And whether I liked it or not… I was about to become Mrs. Ethan Blackwood.