"I don't want to do this."
My voice came out weaker than I expected, my fingers trembling as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The white gown hugged my body perfectly, the veil falling gently over my face like this was some kind of fairy tale.
But this was no fairy tale.
This was a trap.
"Lower your voice," my uncle snapped from behind me, adjusting my veil like he was preparing me for slaughter. "Do you want him to hear you outside?"
Him.
The man I knew nothing about.
My chest tightened, and I clenched my fists to stop myself from shaking. Just a year ago, my life was normal—not perfect, but bearable. I was planning to buy my college form, to leave this hellhole I called home.
Then he came.
Mr. Rico Zander.
The man who ruined everything.
The man who made today possible.
Because of him, I lost my only chance at freedom… my only chance to live my life.
And now…
Now I was about to marry into his family.
"I can't marry him," I whispered again, more to myself than anyone else. "I won't."
My uncle grabbed my arm tightly. "You will. Do you think we have a choice? This marriage is the only reason you still have a roof over your head, you ungrateful girl."
My heart dropped.
It was true. My uncle was into shady deals and gambling, so I wasn't surprised… but I never expected it to come to this.
This marriage was not about love.
It was a deal.
A sacrifice.
My sacrifice.
A knock sounded on the door, and my breath hitched.
"It's time," a voice announced.
Time.
The word echoed in my head like a death sentence.
My uncle pushed me toward the door. "Fix your face. You're about to become part of a powerful family."
Part of the same family that destroyed my only chance at freedom.
I swallowed hard and forced my legs to move.
Step by step.
Each step heavier than the last.
As I walked down the aisle, all eyes turned to me. The hall was filled with wealthy guests, their whispers floating in the air like poison.
But I didn't care about them.
My eyes were fixed on the man standing at the altar.
The man I was supposed to marry.
My worst nightmare.
He stood tall, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his expression unreadable—cold, distant, like this wedding meant nothing to him.
Good.
Because it meant everything to me.
Pain.
Anger.
Revenge.
When I finally reached him, he didn't smile. He didn't even try to pretend.
Instead, he leaned slightly closer and said in a low voice only I could hear—
"Don't expect anything from me. This marriage is just business."
My lips curved into a faint, bitter smile.
"Good," I replied quietly. "Because I didn't come here for love."
His eyes flickered for a second—just a second—but I caught it.
Surprise.
Maybe even interest.
The priest began speaking, but his words faded into the background as my mind raced.
They thought they had won.
They thought they had broken me and forced me into submission.
But they didn't know one thing.
I wasn't here to be a wife.
I was here to achieve my goals.
And starting today…
I was here to take back everything they stole from me.
No matter the cost.