Chapter 1 The Wedding That Wasn't Mine

Seraphina Blake sat still beneath the weight of silk, diamonds, and suffocating silence. The grand ballroom echoed with the distant hum of chatter, champagne flutes clinking, and music far too elegant for what this moment truly was.

A wedding.

Her wedding.

But nothing about it belonged to her - not the dress, not the groom, and certainly not the vows she'd just spoken.

Zayden Knight stood beside her, tall, cold, and unreadable in his custom Armani suit. He hadn't so much as glanced at her since they said "I do." His eyes were fixed forward, jaw clenched like he was holding back a storm - or worse, something darker.

Seraphina's heart thudded painfully in her chest.

Was it fear? Nerves? Or simply the weight of realizing she might've just made the biggest mistake of her life?

The ceremony had been beautiful. Lavish. Public.

A spectacle fit for two powerful families binding themselves through tradition, wealth, and whispers of old deals. She had been raised for this - polished, poised, and trained to smile through anything.

But nothing could have prepared her for the cold tension radiating from the man who was now her husband.

As the ballroom crowd faded into applause and photographers snapped the perfect illusion of a happy couple, Zayden finally turned to her.

"Smile," he whispered through gritted teeth. "You're my wife now. Let's not ruin the photo."

His voice sent a chill down her spine. She turned, lifting the corners of her lips as ordered, but inside, her thoughts were spinning.

Why did he sound so angry?

Why hadn't he touched her once since the ceremony?

And why did she feel like she'd been handed over... not to a partner, but to a predator?

Hours later, the bridal suite was quiet. Too quiet.

Seraphina stood in front of the tall mirror, stripped of her jewelry, her veil abandoned on the floor like something dead. The door opened behind her, slow and deliberate.

Zayden.

He didn't look like a groom on his wedding night.

He looked like a man walking into a confrontation.

"Why?" she asked softly, not turning to face him. "Why did you agree to this marriage if you didn't want it?"

There was silence.

Then came the words that cracked the fantasy wide open.

"I didn't marry you for love," Zayden said, his voice low and merciless. "I married you to destroy you."

Seraphina's breath caught.

She turned, heart pounding, confusion flooding her chest.

"What-what are you talking about?"

Zayden stepped closer, not with affection, but with cold calculation.

"You're a Blake," he said. "And Blakes always pay their debts."

His words echoed through her skull like a curse. She stared at him, frozen in place, the layers of her dress suddenly suffocating.

"What does that even mean?" she managed, though her voice wavered.

Zayden walked to the window, pulling back the curtain just enough to peek out. The moonlight slashed across his sharp features. He didn't look at her when he spoke again.

"You're not here because I wanted a wife, Seraphina," he said. "You're here because your father ruined everything my family built. Because your last name drips in legacy stolen from mine."

Her mouth parted, but nothing came out.

She had expected distance, maybe even resentment. But not... this. Not an open declaration of war behind closed doors.

"My father-he made a deal with yours," she said, her voice gaining strength. "This marriage was supposed to settle things. Heal things."

Zayden finally turned, a dry, humorless smile on his face.

"Heal things?" he repeated. "Darling, this marriage is the wound. And you're the blade."

The words hit her harder than any slap. She stumbled a step back, her heel catching on the hem of her gown.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

Zayden stepped toward her now, slow, deliberate, like a hunter closing in on prey. "You will. In time. But here's what you need to know now-" He reached out, brushing her hair off her shoulder with a gentleness that didn't match his tone. "You may carry my name, sleep in my bed, and wear my ring... but don't ever confuse that for love."

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

"I didn't ask for love," she snapped, surprising them both.

Zayden's hand dropped.

"No," he said coolly. "You didn't. But you're going to learn what happens when a Blake steps into my world thinking she's untouchable."

The door slammed behind him seconds later.

Seraphina stood in the silence, her skin prickling, heart racing.

This was supposed to be a new beginning.

Instead, it was a slow-burning war.

And she was already drowning in it.