ARIA'S POINT OF VIEW
For a solid second after Damien Ashford spoke, the whole room just froze. It felt like the world was holding its breath, waiting for me to confirm if I was even real. His hand was still out there, waiting. My own just trembled at my side. Every single person in that hall was staring, judging, whispering. I could hear it all, like distant thunder.
"She's going to accept," they thought.
"She has no choice."
"What a mess..."
"Aria,"Marcus’s voice called out from behind me. That voice..... The man I was supposed to marry today. Something inside me just… snapped. So cleanly, it didn't even hurt at first. I looked at him and for the very first time, love wasn't there.......I saw betrayal. I saw the faint trace of my sister's lipstick still on his mouth. I saw five years of my life reduced to a punchline I hadn't even known was being told.
"No,"I whispered, my throat burning. I shook my head harder.
"I want to be alone."A sharp gasp swept through the hall. Even Damien’s hand faltered for a split second, but he didn’t move. I took a step back, then turned. And I ran.
The hall behind me exploded. "Aria!" someone shouted. I didn't even know who it was anymore. But I didn't slow down. My heels hammered the marble like gunshots.
My veil trailed behind me, like some ghost I was desperate to outrun. People scrambled out of the way as I barrelled through them, my white dress stained with panic, with lost dignity, with shattered glass I couldn't see but could feel cracking inside my chest. The whispers chased me.
"Did she just bolt from her own wedding?"
"What is going on?" I didn't care. Not anymore. Nothing made sense. Nothing felt like mine.
The air hit me like a slap.....cold, sharp, real. I stumbled out of the grand doors, barefoot now. I don't even remember taking my shoes off. Behind me, the wedding carried on in chaos, but it sounded distant, like it belonged to someone else's life. Not mine.
I kept walking. Then faster. Then running again. People stared as I passed, probably wondering what kind of lunatic wears a wedding dress and looks like she's lost her mind. My lungs burned, my vision blurred, but I didn't stop until the world narrowed to empty streets and the fading hum of noise. I don't know how long I ran......until my legs gave out. Until I finally collapsed on the edge of an empty bridge and began crying harder.
*********
The city spread out below me, a blanket of twinkling lights. Cars crawled like tiny fireflies.......part of a life I no longer belonged to. The wind whipped through my hair, tugging at my veil, still tangled there like a cruel reminder. I buried my face in my hands. And then it happened. I broke......Again. Not quietly,Completely. A sob ripped out of me before I could even think. 'No… no, no, no…'
Five years. Five years of loving Marcus. Five years of choosing him. Five years of being invisible in my own home. And still… I wasn't enough. The wedding dress pooled around me like a sick joke. A perfect bride. No wedding,No groom,No family. Just… betrayal.
My phone buzzed in my hand. That's when I remembered I still had it. Once. Twice. I squinted through blurry tears.
Mia: Where are you?? I let out a laugh, a broken sound. People. As if I still belonged to them. As if I belonged anywhere. I dropped the phone. And cried harder.
Minutes passed or maybe hours, it was getting dark now and it looked like it was about to rain.Time had stopped mattering then…... a sound. Soft,Controlled. A car engine. It stopped right behind me. I didn't move. I didn't even care. Until I heard the door open. Wheels. A smooth, quiet sound against the ground.
Someone stepping out and he wind shifted. And a familiar voice cut through the silence.
"Running away in a wedding dress isn't a good look,".My whole body went rigid. Slowly… I turned. Damien Ashford was here. Here at the edge of my shattered world. A black coat was draped over him, his presence sharp even in the cold air. One of his bodyguards held an umbrella above him, shielding him from the light rain that had started to fall. His gaze met mine,No pity, No surprise. Just a calm, steady observation. Like he'd expected to find me exactly like this.
"Mr. Ashford…" My voice cracked. He studied me for a moment. Then he said, quietly,
"You said no."I swallowed hard.
"I didn't want your pity proposal."His eyes narrowed slightly, not in offense, but in interest.
"That wasn't pity." A pause. Then he took a step closer. The sound of his wheels barely brushed the wet ground as his bodyguard adjusted the umbrella.
"I don't offer pity," he added.
"I offer solutions."My breath hitched.
"I don't need a solution." That was a lie. We both knew it. A long silence stretched between us. Then Damien spoke again, softer this time, but with a sharper edge.
"Then what do you need, Aria Bennett?"My name on his lips felt… dangerous. I looked away because if I met his gaze for too long, I might just crumble again.
"I need…" My voice broke. "I need my life back."A beat. Then he replied,
"You can't have it back. But you can have something better."I snapped my gaze back to him. His expression hadn't changed. Just steady. Controlled. Certain.
"Revenge," he said calmly.
"Against everyone who made you kneel here tonight."My heartbeat skipped. Behind him, the city lights flickered. The rain picked up. Damien extended his hand again.
"Marry me," he said,
"and I will make them regret ever messing with your life."I stared at him. At his hand. At the man who felt like danger cloaked in silence. And for the first time tonight… I didn't run."
