Smiles & Scars

eve in love, the kind that people write books about, that they make movies about,

as a display of ev

nervous. It wasn't the whispers of the crowd, nor the cameras flashing from every angle. It was the fact that my we

d Damon. His voice was distant, too distant for the man I was supposed to marry, the man I was supp

ed to trust, but couldn't. I could feel his gaze on me, but it didn't reach my soul. It barely grazed the surface o

iers, and the lavish aisle lined with flowers that seemed to mock the emptiness I felt inside. It was a picture-perfe

lace of supposed love. I had spent the last few days pretending I was okay with this, that I could somehow make this work, that I could forget the fact tha

Every whisper, every glance felt like an assault. I was being sold. I was the commodity, the pawn in this game of power and reputation. And somewhere, buried under

felt dry, the air thick wi

ully wedded husband?" The priest's voice was an echo in my

d I promise to be someone's wife, to give my life to someone I barely knew? To someone I didn't even want?

d

ign on my tongue. I didn't want to say it. I didn't want t

, when he spoke, was lo

e neither of us had chosen, both of us chained to the expectations of our

est of the ceremony. Damon's lips touched mine, brief, mechanical. It felt

my thoughts, disconnected from everything around me. The weight of the ring on my finger felt heavier with every passing s

along the way, we would find something real. Something beyond the coldness of this arrangement. But righ

s playing our parts in a grand production. The world watched, and I felt as though I was suffocating under th

e. It was as though we were two strangers passing each other by, our lives intersecting for this one f

Nothing at all. The world had

ng scenery blur together in a haze of colors, my mind racing with a thousand though

like. I didn't know if I would ever be able to accept this marriage,

alls rising high into the sky. It was beautiful, yes, but there was no warmth here. No love. Ju

me, didn't offer a hand to help me out. I followed him silently, my heels clicking on

high ceilings, the polished floors, the cold air, it was all too

ard the staircase, his back turned to me as if

knew one thing for certain: I had no choice. I had to play my part. I had to be

. My new life had already begun, an