Taken At The Altar

Naomi Sinclair POV “Where is she?” The sound of chaos was all over the place, outside my room, but I could still hear the screaming. Mother's voice rising too high and her heels clicking angrily against the floor as staff rushed after her. There was a desperation to her tone I had never heard before. I closed the book in my lap. My fingers trembled slightly as I adjusted my glasses. I wasn't sure why, maybe it was the energy vibrating through the walls, or maybe it was the instinct I had learned to never ignore in this family. I was the nerd in their midst anyways. The door slammed open causing me to flinch. “There you are,” Mother snapped, storming into the room like a hurricane dressed in exquisite silk. Her perfectly manicured nails dug into her robe. Her blonde hair, so unlike my own unruly chestnut curls ….was dangling, a rare dispute that told me something was very very wrong. I stood. “What happened?” “She’s gone.” The words echoed in the silence. “Who?” “Seraphina,” she said through clenched teeth, eyes wild in nothing but fear.“Your sister has vanished. D…did you guys plan this?” My lips parted, but no words came out. “She left a note….some ridiculous nonsense about not being able to go through with it. She was supposed to marry him in two hours, Naomi!” My stomach twisted. Rowan Blackst one. One of the Billionaire Bachelor in Texas. Cold as ice. The groom of the century. The man my sister had been bragging about “taming” for the past year. She loved him for the days I have remembered and heard of him so why would she be gone? “She ran away?” I asked, voice thin with clear confusion. “But… today’s the wedding.” Mother shot me a disgusting look. “Do you think I don’t know that? Do you?” A knock came at the door, cutting our conversation shut. One of the wedding coordinators…his face pale, panicked, peeked in. “Mrs. Sinclair, the Blackstones are demanding an explanation.” Mother sighed and turned on him. “Stall them. Say… say she’s having a dress emergency.” The man hesitated. “They’ve already threatened to pull out of the merger. Mr. Blackstone Sr. is furious.” Mother exhaled sharply and turned back to me. “No,” I said, taking a step back. “Don’t look at me like that. I know that look. That look of having to turn to me whenever things didn't go your way.” “It has to be you,” she said, already moving toward the wardrobe. “Same build. Similar coloring. No one will know.” “I’m not Seraphina,” I whispered, shaking my head in fear. It was clear. I knew how the Blackstone family could be when they found out. I would be the one facing the consequences, not them. I shook my head, my steps retreating in disagreement. “No one needs to know that.” She flung the closet open and pulled out the gown….ivory, glittering, made for royalty. “It’s not about love. It’s business. We can’t afford to lose this deal. Rowan Blackstone doesn’t care who he marries.” “You’re insane,” I breathed, not minding the shocking look she gave me. “This is a federal crime. Or… or fraud. Or something! You clearly told them Sera was the one going before all of these started. Y'all went as far telling them I am a dullard and the nerd in the family so it can’t come my way. So now? She ran away? Why?” I blurted out angrily, my breath shaking. “It’s survival,” she hissed. “We are on the brink, Naomi. If this merger falls through, we lose everything. You think your father can keep hiding the debts forever? It's not about who the nerd is at this point. You think I don't want something good for your elder sister? I am looking for my child and you think I wouldn't go looking for her if this isn’t as important as your sister is.” I stared at the dress in her arms. Seraphina’s wedding gown. A masterpiece of diamonds and lace. I’d helped her pick it. She’d twirled in the boutique, glowing, laughing about the media spectacle it would be. So why would she just? And now I was being asked to wear it. “Why me?” My voice cracked. “You always said I was the disappointment of the family.” “Because you owe me,” she spat. “After everything we’ve sacrificed for you- your education, your therapy, your eye problems, that little art phase you threw a fortune into….you owe this family.” I scoffed inwardly. Weren't they my family? Do I have to pay for that as well? It all just sounds sickening. The gown was in my hands now, heavy and cold like armor. Like a cage. “Do this,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper, “and I promise you a life you’ve never had. You’ll be rich, respected. Seen. Just stand there, say ‘I do,’ and keep the veil down.” I didn’t remember walking to the dressing room. I didn’t remember the stylists fussing over me or the makeup artist whispering that I looked ‘radiant, Miss Sinclair.’ My hands moved like they belonged to someone else. My body was a mannequin dressed in lies. The veil covered most of my face, and the cathedral-length train followed behind me like a warning. They were deadly. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest as I stood at the end of the aisle. Hundreds of guests. White orchids. Golden chandeliers. Flashbulbs. And at the altar… him. Rowan Blackstone stood with the poise of a man who owned everything he touched. Tall, dark-haired, sharp-featured, and emotionless. A black suit cut to perfection. His jaw tightened. He didn’t smile when he saw me.Of course he didn’t. I didn't know what Phina saw in him. Claiming they were childhood besties and now she ran? He barely blinked. Because I wasn’t Seraphina to him. I was a business transaction, signed and sealed with diamond rings and thin smiles. The merger was all that mattered. My steps were slow, ‘Just say I do. Just say I do.’ The officiant spoke words I didn’t hear. My blood rushed in my ears. Then: “Do you, Seraphina Sinclair, take Rowan Blackstone—” “I do,” I whispered. “Do you, Rowan Blackstone, take Seraphina Sinclair—” “I do.” Rings were exchanged. Rowan's hand took mine….large, cold, possessive. His lips brushed my cheek instead of my mouth. And then it was done. I was married. To a man who didn’t even know my name and I knew very soon I would be facing the consequences of seraphina's action.