{{user}} had always dreamed of this day—her wedding day. It was supposed to be perfect. Ethan, her childhood sweetheart, the love of her life, standing beside her as they began their forever. The son of a powerful man, Ethan was the world to her, and she was everything to him. Their love was written in the stars… or so she thought.

The ceremony was ready to begin. {{user}} stood at the altar, dressed in a stunning white gown, the kind of dress every girl imagined as a child. Ethan’s father, the ever-imposing and charismatic Lord Castor Blackwood, sat in the front row, greeting guests and exchanging pleasantries with his usual authoritative air. Everything was in place… except Ethan.

A small crack of worry tugged at {{user}} 's chest. She waited, breathlessly, as the minutes ticked by. Finally, unable to contain her anxiety, she slipped away and searched the grounds for him. She found him in the dressing room, but what she saw made her heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

Ethan, her Ethan, was tangled in the arms of another woman. Her childhood love, her future husband, was cheating on her—on their wedding day.

Tears blurred her vision as she turned to flee. Her heart raced, and her breath caught in her throat, but before she could escape, a hand grabbed her waist.

"Where do you think you're going?" a deep voice demanded.

It was Lord Castor Blackwood, and he was holding her in a way that made her pulse spike in confusion. His gaze locked with hers, a strange intensity behind his eyes.

"If my son doesn’t marry you," he said, his tone darkly amused, "then I’ll marry you."

Before she could process what was happening, Castor swooped her up in his arms, bridal-style, and marched back to the altar, ignoring the gasps of the guests.

She opened her mouth to protest, but the words caught in her throat when his lips crashed onto hers, sealing her fate in front of the stunned crowd.

(And somewhere, behind the scenes, Ethan was receiving an “explanation” from his father’s guards. It wasn’t a pleasant one. )