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“I remember asking your father permission to marry you, and how happy he was to agree,” I say. That part is true, but the reality is far from the cheerful implication.
Sage shakes her head at me, a sparkle in her eyes. “You need to stop,” she mutters so that only I can hear it.
I laugh. “I will never stop expressing my love to you.”
She turns her head from me, trying to hide the pinkness in her cheeks as she blushes. Inside, I feel triumph. I don’t know why it means so much to me to see her like this, but I need it. The greatest validation isn’t having money or women at your feet. It’s impressing the woman you’re chasing, the one who you feel like you can’t really have.
But it does seem like I can have her now, like she doesn’t hate me anymore. Maybe it’s just an illusion, a mask she’s put on to be able to endure this wedding, but if it is, it’s a damn good one.
With my vows finished, I hold my head high, and the officiant turns to Sage, expecting her vows.
To my surprise, she pulls a little crumpled paper from a hidden pocket in her dress, unraveling with shaking hands as everyone waits in silence. She wrote something for me? I feel even moreguilty now for not having written something for her. Why is she so much better to me than I am to her, even when she has no reason to be?
10
Sage
Iconsidered running, maybe even throwing myself out the window to my death, but I wrote my vows instead. It’s just confusing. I don’t hate Viktor anymore, even though I want to. I’m so attracted to him that it’s making me feel crazy.
I should want him dead for what he did to me.
I should throw a wrench in his silly plans and make a big scene at the wedding, but I won’t. My heart beats like I’m in love as my eyes struggle to focus on the sloppy words written on my little crinkled piece of paper.
They keep getting blurrier, and I don’t know why until I realize I’m crying. I’m not even sad. I don’t know how I feel anymore, but it isn’t sorrow. I’m somewhere between scared to death and obsessed with the thought of what is going to happen in the bedroom when everyone has gone home for the night.
Last night, I realize, was just a taste of what’s to come. A mere hint at what Viktor is capable of.
I wipe the tears away with the back of my hand, sucking in a sharp breath through my teeth before reading the vows I wrote. “Viktor,” I begin, my voice steadying as I look at his confident face. “I’ll admit I didn’t know what to think of you when we first met.”
There’s laughter from the crowd, which makes me feel a little more confident. This doesn’t have to be the heavy, intense ceremony I was making it out to be in my head. We can have a little fun with it.
I smile. “But you’ve grown on me. I’ll admit there’s a lot of things I didn’t understand going into this, but I’m willing to learn and grow with you.”
Viktor’s icy eyes soften, and there’s a look on his face I haven’t seen from him before. Like, he’s moved by my words. Maybe he’s never heard anyone be kind to him. Maybe the beast needs someone like me to teach him how to be human.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I genuinely think this can be a new beginning for us. I have hope now, which is something I never had before.
I take another deep breath, looking down at the paper. I was going to say more, but I think I’ll leave it where it is. I just smile, putting the paper down by my side and looking out toward the crowd. “I promise to do what’s best for us, no matter what.”
When I turn back to Viktor, his eyes have a glossy sheen to them. I could be the lights, and I’m certain he would blame it on them if I asked, but I think he’s getting emotional.
The officiant speaks again, but I can barely hear what he’s saying. It’s a dull murmur amidst the captivating energy that’sradiating from Viktor. My eyes lock on to his, he takes my hand, and he leans in to kiss me.
I close my eyes, my heart jumping into my throat as his lips touch mine. I feel like I’m falling backward, but his hands around me, pulling me close to him as applause erupts from the crowd.
I sink into him, losing my soul in his as we’re bound by the vows of marriage. I still can’t believe I’m his wife. It’s like a dream that could turn to a nightmare at any moment. I see the dark clouds in the background, but they seem to be getting farther instead of moving in closer.
The kiss lasts for longer than any before it, but when our lips separate, it feels like it wasn’t enough. I need more of him, more of a promise that he won’t leave me now that I belong to him.
I need to be sure that he’s losing his mind in the same way I am, but all I get is a smile as he takes my hand and turns toward the roaring applause.
As we step down the altar and the music plays again, I feel lighter. This is a new beginning for me, and even though I knew my father wouldn’t be here, I’m still glad he didn’t somehow show up at the last minute.
This is his fault, but I won’t let him take it away from me. I’ve made the best of my fate, and I’m not going to let him disrupt my life any more than he already has.
I swallow hard and hold my head up high, walking hand in hand with the most powerful man in the city. I’m his wife now, and I will be respected and feared in the same was he is. I’m not a pawn any longer. I’m powerful.
But as my confidence swells, there’s a sinking feeling in my stomach that grows stronger the further we walk to the double doors that lead out of the ceremonial hall. The music twists into a horrible crashing sound, and everyone goes silent.
