Fiona's POV
I glanced around at our family members and realized none of them had noticed him ignoring me. Maybe he hadn't meant to be rude, or maybe he just didn't see me trying to help him on our wedding day.
I quickened my pace to catch up with him as he wheeled himself further into the venue. When I finally reached him, I approached with what I hoped was a friendly smile.
Our eyes met and my breath caught in my throat.
Up close, he was even more devastating than I'd thought. His attractiveness surpassed any man I'd ever encountered in my entire life. This wasn't fair at all.
He was nothing like what they'd told me. I'd braced myself for someone hideous, someone whose appearance would be difficult to look at. Yet the man before me looked like he'd been personally crafted by the moon goddess herself.
How could a man confined to a wheelchair still command such authority? He looked confident, powerful even, with this incredibly masculine and attractive aura radiating from him.
"Do you realize you're in my way?" His voice cut through my thoughts and his brows were raised in annoyance.
"Oh! I'm sorry." I apologized quickly, realizing I'd been staring like an idiot. "Let me help you."
I reached for his wheelchair but he jerked away from my touch.
"No! I wheeled myself up to this point. Isn't that enough to show you I'm fine on my own?" He snapped the words at me while squeezing his face like I'd just stepped on his foot.
Then he wheeled himself past me once again and I was left standing there speechless, hurt, and completely embarrassed.
Holding my dad's hand, I entered the wedding auditorium and took in the decorations. They were decent enough with a touch of something old-fashioned that didn't really bother me much. My focus wasn't on the decor anyway.
It was on my groom.
I was amazed by how handsome he looked even in that wheelchair. Despite his disability, he had this captivating presence with piercing blue eyes and chiseled features that could make angels weep. There was something familiar about those eyes though I couldn't place where I'd seen them before.
Gathering every ounce of courage I had, I approached him and soon we stood facing each other at the altar.
The priest instructed us to look into each other's eyes but my groom completely ignored the request.
"Adam?" the priest called out gently. "You may face your bride."
I glanced at him timidly and watched him roll his eyes hard before turning toward me with the meanest expression I'd ever seen on a human face. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment and I looked away quickly, but when I dared to peek back his condescending gaze was still fixed on me.
It suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks.
He was being forced into this marriage just like I was.
I kept my gaze lowered and avoided his piercing glares as the ceremony dragged on like some kind of torture.
"Now," the priest announced cheerfully, "Adam, please hold your bride's hand."
Silence.
Adam remained completely still and said nothing. I felt heat flood my cheeks as I waited and anticipated his touch, but all I received was pure disdain from the man who was supposed to be my husband.
"Adam?" the priest called out again with concern creeping into his voice.
I dared to look up and found him glaring at me like I was something disgusting he'd stepped in. My face burned even hotter as he finally turned his attention to the priest.
"Can we just get this farce of a marriage over with?" he snapped, his tone dripping with contempt. He seemed eager to be literally anywhere but here participating in what he clearly considered a complete sham.
"But you need to hold your bride's hand for the ceremony to proceed," the priest insisted gently.
I glanced around nervously and avoided Adam's accusing gaze. I felt like I was the one begging to be married here.
I caught Serena's eye across the room and noticed a sinister smile playing on her lips. She was clearly finding endless amusement in my predicament and viewing my entire life as some kind of comedy show.
"You know I don't approve of this wedding, priest," Adam said condescendingly. Despite his meanness, his voice was smooth and strangely enticing. I could almost forget his physical issues or even the part about him being an illegitimate bastard and imagine him as the perfect groom, if only he weren't so incredibly mean and arrogant.
"I'm only doing this for my father, so why don't we just get it over with?" he added while glancing around dismissively.
I felt a pang of relief when I realized only the priest and I had heard him. My heart sank with self-pity anyway. Despite his disability, he was doing an excellent job of making me feel absolutely zero sympathy toward him.
It seemed like he was actively trying to make me hate him already, and frankly he was succeeding spectacularly.
The priest sighed heavily and shook his head but continued with the ceremony anyway. "Fiona Larson, do you take this man, Adam Blackwood, to be your lawfully wedded husband, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, until eternity?"
"I do," I replied quickly, realizing I'd been holding my breath the entire time.
I just wanted it all to be over as fast as possible. Adam narrowed his eyes at me before rolling them dramatically and looking away with obvious disgust.
Oh no, I thought miserably.
The priest nodded and turned to Adam. "Adam Blackwood, do you take this woman, Fiona Larson, to be your lawfully wedded wife, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, until eternity?"
The auditorium fell completely silent.
Adam remained stoic and stared at me with those piercing blue eyes. I felt like I was personally responsible for every single problem in his entire life as I blushed crimson with shame.
"Adam Blackwood?" the priest called again nervously.
But Adam remained completely unmoving like a statue.
I was too embarrassed to turn around and look at the guests, but I could sense their growing unease. Murmurs filled the room and I wished desperately that the ground would just swallow me whole. I closed my eyes for a moment and prayed for this nightmare to end.
Finally, after what felt like an absolute eternity, Adam spoke.
"I do," he muttered grudgingly with his eyes still fixed on me in what looked like barely concealed hatred.
The priest smiled with obvious relief and beamed at us as if everything was going perfectly according to plan. "Now, by the power vested in me as the priest over this union, I pronounce you husband and wife."
He paused dramatically. "You may kiss your bride."
Everyone watched us expectantly and the tension was suffocating.
I didn't know what to do. Should I go to him for the kiss? Or was he supposed to wheel himself toward me? What was the protocol here?
My confusion turned to absolute shock when Adam expressed his annoyance directly to the priest in front of everyone.
"Oh please! Why would I even do that?" he asked with clear annoyance ringing in his tone. "I'd rather kiss a frog."
I heard gasps of surprise ripple through the guests and my stomach dropped to the floor.
They'd all heard him too.
I was beyond mortified. I wanted to die right there on the spot.
