Marriage Offered, Love Declined: Part 7
Part 7
My alarm blares at dawn, but I’ve been awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, willing time to stop.
I reach over and silence it, then drag the covers over my head, wishing I could disappear under them forever.
But I can’t.
Today, I’m getting married.
Last night had been one more sleepless night in a long month where exhaustion had become the norm. But it wasn’t just the wedding keeping me awake. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was him.
Sebastian’s hands on me. His mouth taking mine. His body pressed against me, claiming me.
I hadn’t planned on giving in before my deadline. I told myself I had control. That I would be the one calling the shots. But the second he touched me, I lost every ounce of control I thought I had.
He was supposed to be the one losing control—not me. But if Shaun hadn’t knocked on that door? I would have let Sebastian have me. Right there. Against the vanity. A shiver rolls through me, but it’s not from embarrassment. It’s from something worse.
Awareness.
This isn’t just desire. Desire is simple, predictable, something I could compartmentalize if I tried hard enough. But this? This is him. The way he strips away every barrier I put up. The way he makes me feel things I have no business feeling. Not when everything has been spelled out in print and by the man himself.
And that’s what makes this marriage dangerous.
Not because of the contract. Not because of the expectations. Not even because of the cold, transactional reality of what this is.
It’s dangerous because I won’t be able to keep my emotions out of it.
A bitter laugh rises in my throat. I told him once that he hated losing control. But that was a lie.
I was projecting.
It’s me who can’t stand to lose control. And around him, I don’t stand a chance.
Shaun’s words echo in my head.
It’ll never work.
A sharp knock at the door yanks me out of my thoughts.
“Olivia?” My mother’s voice is too bright, too eager. “Sweetheart, time to get up! The big day is here.”
I squeeze my eyes shut for one more second, then finally force myself to sit up, pushing the covers back.
“Just give me a minute,” I murmur, rubbing my temples.
There’s a pause before the door creaks open. My mother peeks inside, already dressed for the day, her smile warm but expectant. She steps into the room, her gaze sweeping over me like she’s taking stock.
She chuckles. “Saying goodbye to your bed? You’ll have a much nicer one soon, I’m sure.”
I groan. “Mum.”
She smirks, completely unfazed. “If I were a little younger and single—”
“Nope. Absolutely not. Stop.” I throw off the covers and stand quickly, cutting her off before she can finish that thought.
She grins, clearly enjoying my horror. “Come downstairs. I made breakfast. You need to eat.”
I don’t argue, even though food is the last thing I want. If nothing else, I need something to settle my nerves. I can’t faint at my own wedding—not with cameras watching.
When I step outside, the sun is shining. It shouldn’t be. Today should be dark clouds, torrential rain, maybe even a hurricane—something to match the storm inside me.
At the church entrance, Marley meets me, her sharp eyes sweeping over me.
“Hey, ready for your big day?” She pulls me into a tight hug, then steps back, tilting her head. “Did you get any sleep? Never mind, don’t answer that. Thank God for concealer.”
I force a laugh, but my stomach twists. The morning passes in a blur of makeup brushes, hairspray, and fabric.
My dress is beautiful. A strapless Vera Wang gown—simple, elegant. The kind of dress I always imagined myself wearing on my wedding day.
Except this isn’t the wedding I imagined.
Marley adjusts my veil, pinning it securely. “Sebastian is going to lose his mind when he sees you.”
I don’t know why that makes my pulse trip over itself. I shouldn’t care.
And yet, I do.
My mother and Marley keep up a steady stream of conversation as they fuss over final details, but their voices blur. The air feels thicker. The room smaller.
A cold weight settles in my stomach, heavy and immovable before spreading through me. My chest tightens, ribs locking, making it impossible to take in enough air. I try to breathe, but I can’t through the weight pressing down on me, pinning me in place.
“Olivia?” Marley’s voice sharpens with concern.
I shake my head, gripping the edge of the vanity.
“I—” My voice barely comes out. “I can’t breathe.”
My mother turns, alarm flashing across her face. “Sweetheart?”
I press a hand against my stomach, but it does nothing to stop the nausea rising in my throat.
I can’t do this.
I can’t walk down that aisle and pretend this is real.
I can’t stand up there and say vows that mean nothing.
I can’t promise to be a wife to a man who will never love me.
He doesn’t want your heart.
Just your body. Just an heir.
A shudder rolls through me. I try to take a breath, but my vision blurs, my pulse hammering in my ears.
A paper bag appears in front of me, crinkling as Marley presses it into my hands.
“Breathe, Liv. In and out.”
I try.
In. Out.
In. Out.
But it’s not working. My hands are clammy, my heart hammering too fast to count. I should already be walking down the aisle, but instead, I’m drowning in panic in a side room at the chapel. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Today should be the happiest day of my life, but instead, it feels like the end of it. Like I’m about to be swallowed whole.
Marley crouches in front of me, gripping my hands. “Liv, look at me.”
I try. I really do. But my chest still feels locked in a vice. This isn’t nerves. It’s something bigger, something deeper—something clawing at me from the inside out.
I have to end this. I’ll find a way to pay him back. I’ll do whatever it takes, but I can’t marry a man who doesn’t love me. I won’t.
My pulse hammers as I suck in a breath and open my mouth to say the words aloud.
“I can’t—”
“I’ll call Sebastian,” Marley says, standing before I can stop her.
She’s already stepping toward the door, her phone pressed to her ear. A low murmur, then a pause. Her brows pinch.
“He wants to talk to you.” Her hesitation makes my stomach lurch. “I don’t know if—”
I reach for the phone, my hands trembling.
For a second—just one second—I think maybe he’ll understand. Maybe he’ll hear the fear in my voice, the way I can’t even say the words without choking on them, and he’ll tell me it’s okay. That I don’t have to do this. That he’ll let me go.
“Sebastian…” My voice is barely above a whisper. “I can’t do this,” I say, my throat closing around the words. “I can’t marry you. I’m sorry.”
A heartbeat.
Then his voice slices through the silence, sharp as a blade.
“Olivia, I swear before God himself, if you don’t walk out that door and marry me, I will come up there and carry you down myself.”
My stomach plummets.
I clutch the phone tighter, pulse hammering. “Sebastian—”
“You made a deal,” he growls. “Now you’d better pay up, or so help me, I will destroy you and your family. I will take away everything. Don’t think for a second that I won’t.”
I stop breathing as the cold, ugly realization slams into me. My fingers go numb around the phone. I knew this wasn’t love. I knew this was a transaction. But hearing it…hearing him say it…
Hearing him threaten me like he is? It’s a different kind of devastation.
For weeks, I’ve fought against his control, telling myself I still had a small say in what happens to me. But this moment shatters that illusion. This isn’t a marriage. It’s a cage.
A hollow sound leaves my throat, something between a breath and a laugh.
I never had a choice.
And then his voice again, quieter this time—still sharp, but something darker beneath it. Something almost… desperate.
“Marry me now,” he says, “or suffer the consequences.”
And then—the line goes dead.
I lower the phone, staring at it like it might burn me.
Marley watches me, her expression tight with concern. “Liv…”
The room tilts.
I suck in a breath, but it’s shaky. Unsteady. Not enough.
Sebastian will do it. If I don’t go out there, he’ll ruin everything. Not just me—my family. My father. My mother. My brother.
A sharp, panicked breath drags through me. The dress is too tight. The air too thick. My ribs feel locked in a vice, my heartbeat slamming against the walls of my chest.
I press my hand to my sternum, trying to force air into my lungs.
It’s not working.
“Liv.” Marley kneels beside me again. Her voice is softer now, coaxing. “What did he say?”
I can’t answer.
Because if I say it out loud, it’s real.
And if it’s real…
Then I have no choice.
I have to walk down that aisle.
I have to marry a man who doesn’t love me.
I have to give myself to him—fully, completely—because there is no other way.