Bought to be His Wife

of the mirror for w

o scared to imagine. Midnight blue silk, soft against her skin, with delicate straps that left her s

gant. Someo

rried to C

hadn't c

tten note from Mara: "Dinner at 7. Car pic

s

he kn

hey we

before finally pulling it on, feeling like

ection looked

maybe. Bu

bor

e the la

ike th

e door pulled her

's voice, muf

lled back, voice ba

e driver didn't speak, and

ittering hotel entrance lit with gold chandeli

't ready

tepped ou

ng was no lon

like power and perfume. He was laughing softly at somethi

expression didn't change. But

val,

m slowly, feeling ev

d simply, holdi

took

use she

ause sh

smiles and small talk before Elara fina

was spinning. The air was too warm, the

n't bel

ryone k

la

fr

t Cassia

Younger, sharp eyes, expensive makeup. She wor

ra said quietly,

an didn

ut you," she said. "C

inked. "

rling into a smile that didn't reach her ey

h

was one

pped closer,

sly. Not once. And suddenly he marries someone no one's ever heard of, in

swal

's watching, darling. Waiting

before Elara

at, the illusion

ballroom, Cassian notic

he asked und

t you wear

n caught hi

"Would it have ma

lly. "But it would've made it fe

moment. Long enough to feel the

ed away

e said. "We'

dn't a

ack was si

me, it wasn

Elara kicked off her shoes without saying a word and wal

," he said fr

tired. And I'm tired

eaning on the counter.

gh to fool

aw cl

," Elara continued. "That everyone's

didn't

r voice quieter now. "Is that w

long moment, then said,

it harder than

dn't a

she didn

id the only thi

this. But I'm try

ime, Cassian looked

d. Not ap

nders

ring last week. You didn't see it. No on

widened

her, heading t

, he added softly, "Don't let people like

he wa

g at the space he'd just left

of the mirror for w

o scared to imagine. Midnight blue silk, soft against her skin, with delicate straps that left her s

gant. Someo

rried to C

hadn't c

tten note from Mara: "Dinner at 7. Car pic

s

he kn

hey we

before finally pulling it on, feeling like

ection looked

maybe. Bu

bor

e the la

ike th

e door pulled her

's voice, muf

lled back, voice ba

e driver didn't speak, and

ittering hotel entrance lit with gold chandeli

't ready

tepped ou

ng was no lon

like power and perfume. He was laughing softly at somethi

expression didn't change. But

val,

m slowly, feeling ev

d simply, holdi

took

use she

ause sh

smiles and small talk before Elara fina

was spinning. The air was too warm, the

n't bel

ryone k

la

fr

t Cassia

Younger, sharp eyes, expensive makeup. She wor

ra said quietly,

an didn

ut you," she said. "C

inked. "

rling into a smile that didn't reach her ey

h

was one

pped closer,

sly. Not once. And suddenly he marries someone no one's ever heard of, in

swal

's watching, darling. Waiting

before Elara

at, the illusion

ballroom, Cassian notic

he asked und

t you wear

n caught hi

"Would it have ma

lly. "But it would've made it fe

moment. Long enough to feel the

ed away

e said. "We'

dn't a

ack was si

me, it wasn

Elara kicked off her shoes without saying a word and wal

," he said fr

tired. And I'm tired

eaning on the counter.

gh to fool

aw cl

," Elara continued. "That everyone's

didn't

r voice quieter now. "Is that w

long moment, then said,

it harder than

dn't a

she didn

id the only thi

this. But I'm try

ime, Cassian looked

d. Not ap

nders

ring last week. You didn't see it. No on

widened

her, heading t

, he added softly, "Don't let people like

he wa

g at the space he'd just left