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PROLOGUE
“They say we never forget our first love.
I hope it’s a lie.
Because mine shattered me beyond repair.
For I dared to do the unthinkable.
Fall in love with a man who was forbidden.
And in this destroyed not one, but two families.”
Jimena
Jimena
“It’s a mistake,” I whisper and sigh when the organ music fills the space, coating the energy around me in misery and doom while sending shivers down my spine as fear sinks into every cell in my body. “It’s such a mistake.” The silky wedding gown feels impossibly heavy on my body, and I close my eyes when the tiny voice in my head screams for me to save myself from the inevitable misery and run far, far away.
While I still can.
I shake my head and take a deep breath before stepping out into the hallway, and my heart pangs painfully in my chest when I see my father waiting for me. “Pápá.” Despite my bleeding soul, I muster up a smile for him, but showing him my true emotions is not a privilege I have right now.
“Mi princesa!” He comes closer and gently cups my cheeks, his scent enveloping me and urging me to find solace in the protection and love his arms always provide.
My dad would slay any dragon for me. Except this time around, the said dragon…is me. “You look beautiful.”
A single tear falls down my cheek, and he wipes it away with this thumb while darkness settles on his features, his brown eyes flashing with worry and fury alike. “If you don’t want this, we can stop it.” His tone turns almost deadly, making me swallow hard while the music intensifies. The loud piano notes grate on my nerves and send tremors through me as they speak about my unfortunate fate. “All you have to do is tell me.”
It’s so easy, isn’t it?
Just say the words threatening to slip past my lips and put an end to this charade that has my misery and chaos written all over it because my upcoming marriage will destroy my soul.
How could it not when I despise the groom, and my heart cries out for another?
I instinctively place my splayed palm on my stomach, rubbing it while warmth and memories travel through me.
Memories that are painful in nature, for they pull at the strings of my soul, whispering to me about a forbidden and dangerous man.
He vowed to take me away, everyone else be damned, and I can’t allow it.
I’ve put this family through hell, so I don’t get to run away now.
No.
Instead, I should fix the damage I caused when I dared to do the unthinkable.
Fall for a man who could never be mine.
So I force a smile on my face, although it probably does little to fool my dad. I could never hide my true emotions anyway.
If I could, I wouldn’t have to marry a man I hate in order to forget the one I love.
“Gracias, Pápá.” I kiss him on the cheek. “I want to do this. Let’s go.” I squeeze the rose bouquet in my hands so hard that the sharp thorns dig into my skin and draw blood. The red droplets fall on the floor, smearing my white satin shoes. Having such bad luck on my wedding day would have been tragic.
Except this wedding is already a tragedy.
Dad takes a handkerchief from his pocket and presses it to my finger, clicking his tongue. “Careful, princess.” He steps toward the bride's chambers again, trying to drag me right along with him. “Maybe we should check it first before we—”
