“Cassandra, this is not a negotiation. You’re getting married. Today.”
The words hit me like a slap across the face. I froze mid-bite, the toast in my hand crumbling to the plate as I stared at my father. His voice was sharp, unyielding, and cold, like the edge of a blade slicing through the last shred of normalcy I had.
“Married?” My voice was barely above a whisper. “To whom?”
I didn’t even have to ask why. The Everhart family name had been tossed around our house for months like a lifeline. Logan Everhart—an infamous name in the business world—was the only person who could salvage my father’s sinking empire. But the cost? Me.
“To Logan Everhart,” my father said, his tone making it clear there would be no argument. “He’s agreed to help us, but only under this condition.”
Condition. Like I was some bargaining chip. My chest tightened as a nauseating mix of anger and disbelief churned in my stomach.
“And if I refuse?” I asked, my voice trembling but defiant.
His gaze hardened, a flicker of desperation crossing his face before it disappeared behind his usual mask of authority.
“Refuse, and we lose everything. Your sister, your mother—they will have nothing.”
Ah, of course. My half-sister, Annabelle, the family darling. My decision wasn’t mine to make; it was already a burden of guilt wrapped in a pristine wedding gown.
Within hours, the world I knew unraveled.
My room was swarming with strangers—stylists, tailors, and wedding planners, all working at breakneck speed. The air buzzed with the hum of scissors and fabric being pinned, layered, and adjusted around me.
"Hold still!" snapped the head stylist as she yanked at the corset of the dress. “This gown isn’t made for last-minute brides.”
I bit my tongue, glaring at the mirror. The woman staring back at me looked like a stranger—her expression hollow, her eyes dull. The gown fit perfectly, but it felt heavy, suffocating, as though it were a physical manifestation of the chains that now bound me.
The murmurs started as soon as I was escorted to the venue.
“Isn’t that the wrong sister?” whispered a guest.
“Annabelle was supposed to marry him. What happened?”
The weight of their stares was unbearable, like needles prickling every inch of my skin. Each whisper added to the mounting humiliation burning inside me. I wanted to scream, to run, to tell them all that this wasn’t my choice.
Instead, I stood silently in the ornate bridal suite, surrounded by opulence that felt mocking. Every gold trim, every crystal chandelier, was a cruel reminder of the luxury my family was so desperate to cling to—luxury that had cost me my freedom.
A sharp knock at the door jolted me.
“Five minutes,” a voice called from the other side.
Five minutes until I walked down the aisle toward a man I’d never met.
The soft rustle of the gown was the only sound in the suffocating silence as I paced the room, my fists clenching and unclenching at my sides. My thoughts spiraled uncontrollably, each one more frantic than the last.
What kind of man was Logan Everhart? Ruthless, they said. Cold, calculating, and unapproachable. The kind of man who would demand a wife as part of a business deal.
“So, this is how it ends,” I muttered to myself bitterly, my voice cracking. “Not even my life, just a transaction.”
My gaze fell to the mirror, where the stranger in the wedding gown stared back at me.
A soft knock interrupted my spiral, and the door creaked open.
“Cassandra?” Annabelle’s voice was as sweet and rehearsed as ever.
I turned slowly, meeting her carefully crafted look of pity. It wasn’t real, of course. Nothing about Annabelle was ever real.
“I just wanted to... apologize,” she said, wringing her hands. “I never thought this would happen. But you’re strong, Cassie. Stronger than me.”
Her words dripped with condescension, her eyes gleaming with barely concealed triumph. She was relishing this—watching me become the sacrificial lamb while she remained untouched, her perfect life intact.
“Save it, Annabelle,” I snapped. “We both know you’re thrilled to watch me suffer.”
Her faux smile faltered, but only for a moment.
“I’m just trying to be supportive,” she replied, her voice saccharine. “But if you don’t want my help...”
I turned away, unable to stomach another word. She left without another glance, her perfume lingering in the air like a taunt.
Minutes later, I stood in the bridal suite once more, alone. My fists clenched as I tried to steady my breathing.
The faint hum of voices from the chapel filtered through the thick doors.
“Cassandra,” a voice barked through the door. “It’s time.”
The world outside awaited—a crowd of strangers, an unforgiving future, and a man I knew only by reputation.
I turned toward the door, the soft rustling of the gown followed me like a ghost. Just as I reached for the handle, another whisper reached my ears.
“She’s not the right bride.”
My hand froze, my heart lurching painfully in my chest.
Wrong bride?
The whispers grew louder, the accusation cutting through the heavy silence like a knife.
I glanced back at the mirror, at the stranger in white staring back at me.
Wrong bride. The words echoed in my mind.
