Chapter 4 A quick marriage.

Chapter 4.

Aurora's POV.

"Honey, our company is going down. Investors are withdrawing. We have to get the Hawthorne's involved." Lydia's voice was sharp, laced with panic.

Hawthorne? That name hit me like a cold slap. Isn't that Richard's name? His surname. He isn't old so... who else is in their family that I would marry?

Suddenly, Ruby, strutted into the room, her voice dripping with mock offense, "I mean, I can't marry any old man! I'm too young and classy for that. Aurora should! She's older than I am, after all."

"Young and classy," I muttered under my breath. I bit my tongue, hard. After all, she'd stolen my boyfriend right under my nose. These people had a way of pushing you until you broke. Ever since Mum died, leaving me with Dad, and Lydia came in, birthing Ruby... everything changed. My life has never been the same. But, I'll do whatever it takes to get out of their grasp..... I'll marry whoever they want. And I will have my revenge. They took away my pride, made me feel like a slave, and took away the only home my Mum left for me. They will pay.

I stepped into the house, fury bubbling inside me. Summoning all my anger, I yelled, "I will marry him! I will marry whomever you say I should!"

Lydia's face contorted into a satisfied, almost gleeful smile. "Good! It's the least you can do to repay us for all the good things we've done for you." Her tone was laced with a sense of annoyance.

Then Ruby jumped in, her voice laced with poison. "Oh, yes! You only deserve to be with an old guy. You don't deserve any young, handsome guy. But your future husband is rich, though." She flashed a fake smile, her eyes gleaming with malice.

I saw Dad try to say something, to reach out to me, but I ignored him. What could he possibly say that would make any difference? He's been under Lydia's spell for years. He was no help at all.

"Aurora! It's time for you to come out!" Ruby's voice sliced through the door. There was a nasty edge to it, a threat barely hidden.

It was my wedding day. My wedding day. I sat on the edge of the bed in the ridiculous white dress, a swarm of stylists buzzing around me, poking and prodding. They were making sure I looked perfect. Perfect for him, the old man I was about to marry. Luther Hawthorne.

"Okay, I'm done," I managed, my voice barely a whisper. The words felt like lies. "Im not done." I still feel disgusted for what I'm about to do.

My father, his face grim and unreadable, walked me down the aisle. It felt like a slow-motion nightmare. I could hear Ruby and her friends, their laughter echoing in the church. Their whispers were like stinging insects.

"Ru, baby, did you hear? Luther isn't just old... they say he's disabled too. A wheelchair!" More laughter, sharper this time.

Wheelchair? The word hit me like a punch. I suppressed the urge to throw up. My memory replay the memories of what happened few nights ago. I wanted to run, to disappear, to die. But... no. I clenched my fists beneath the layers of satin. I wouldn't let them win. I'd marry him. I'd use his wealth to get my revenge. That thought was the only thing keeping me upright.

Suddenly, the room went quiet. An eerie silence descended, broken only by hushed whispers. I caught bits and pieces, "Oh my god..." "he is handsome..."

I couldn't see anything. The veil hid my face, but my heart hammered in my chest.

He was standing in front of me. I could feel his presence like a wave of heat. My legs trembled. This can't be happening.

"Do you, Luther, take Aurora Duttman as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?" The priest's voice droned on, the words meaningless.

"Yes, I do." The voice rang out, cold and clear.

It was...familiar. I couldn't place it, but it sent a shiver down my spine. Where had I heard that voice before?

The vows continued. Then, it was over. I was married. People stared, whispering, but no one dared to say anything directly, as if they feared him. I didn't understand why.

I felt numb. All I wanted to do was take revenge.

*******

The veil scratched against my skin, still covered my face I hadn't even seen his face. Just the back of his head, a vague impression of a man I was now supposed to spend my life with. The car lurched to a stop, a little too soon. This wasn't the grand house I had expected. This place... it felt... familiar. Uncomfortably so.

Someone guided me into a room. A small, stifling room. I sat on the edge of the bed, stiff and awkward, waiting. Waiting for him to come, to lift the veil. Impatience gnawed at me. I grumbled under my breath, the sound muffled by the fabric. I couldn't take it anymore. My fingers fumbled with it, and in a moment, the veil was gone. I yanked it off.

And there he was.

He was already in the room, sitting in a wheelchair, tucked away in the shadows near the window. He'd been watching me the whole time. A chill ran down my spine.

Then it hit me. My breath hitched. My mouth felt dry and shaky.

"I... I know you," I whispered, pointing a trembling finger. "What the fuck?"

How could this be happening? This... this wasn't just some random old man. This was him. He was the man I lost my virginity to. Nights ago. This opulent old man they said, the man whom everyone assumed to be too old, the man who my family had sold me to, and the handsome man from nights ago were the same person.

Shame washed over me, hot and suffocating. What did he think of me? Had I been that easy? Did he see me as some... slut? The memory of that night, that stolen moment, flashed before my eyes. I fucked this man . I had fucked him before.

My gaze swept the room and I asked, my words heavy with shock. "Why are we here? We're supposed to be at your house."

He didn't answer right away. He just looked at me, his eyes cold and assessing. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, husky, and devoid of any warmth.

"Satisfy me, and you'll have your reward. A reward for each time you do well." He turned his wheelchair and started to roll away, leaving me standing there, reeling.

It was all so clear now. This marriage wasn't about companionship or love. It was a transaction. I wasn't a wife, I was a... a plaything. A body to use, to satisfy his desires. He didn't want a partner, he wanted a slave.

He stopped at the doorway and turned back, his gaze piercing. "I'll reward your every obedience, but your disobedience will always be punished. I own you now! Every inch of you."

His words were a brand, searing themselves into my soul. I was trapped. In a gilded cage.

Revenge. The thought flickered in my mind, a tiny spark of defiance in the suffocating darkness. What else was there to want, to live for, if not to make my family pay for this twisted game? But how is he related to Richard? The thought lingered.