The Bound Princess (Dark Romance)

Chapter 17

Emma

The ladies of our family approached us when it was time for our wedding night. Dawood extended his hand to me and my heart started beating so fast against my ribcage as it would come out of it. I looked at his hand in a daze and snapped out of my trance when Abi fake coughed. I looked at Abi and then at Dawood who had a pleasant smile on his face with dimples flashing in his cheeks. 

No one could say looking at his beautiful face that he could be hiding a devil inside him. 

My hand trembled as I placed it on his palm and he wrapped his finger around me. I looked around for some miracle to happen, the thought of being alone with Dawood was enough to scare me to death, especially after how he didn't let go of any chance of hurting me. 

My hands started sweating and my breath hitched, Dawood's hand holding my wrist was the only thing that kept me in motion. I didn't even want to think about what would happen once we were alone. A crowd consisting mostly of Dawood and my cousins followed us to our room which was on the first floor of the palace. 

I lost balance a couple of times while climbing the stairs and Dawood's arm around my waist helped me to stay steady.

"You okay, baby?" He asked in concern. 

I looked at him in disbelief, the whole time he had been hurting me and now was faking concern with such perfection that even I was deceived for a second. Our cousins made oooh and ahhh sounds at Dawood's display of concern and I rolled my eyes internally. 

My mind was suggesting to me the idea to run to someplace where no one would be able to find me. If only I could elope, but I knew Dawood would hunt me down to the end of this world. 

Even his proximity was not able to dampen my anxiety, instead, it only increased it. Dawood pulled his hand from around my waist after reaching the landing of the staircase. I took a step away from him but he pulled me closed with a tug of his hand. 

His cousins were teasing him regarding our wedding night and he was replying to them. It was impossible that he would ever back off; that was the reason what made him a good lawyer. He had a comeback for everything and he was damn good at it. My breathing got rapid as we approached the double doors of the Master bedroom which was prepared specifically for our wedding night. I halted in my steps only to be dragged by Dawood like a doll towards the room.

Dawood pushed the doors open after turning the handle like a gentleman he was pretending to be but only I know what he truly was. I stepped inside glancing at the crowd that had followed us. Except for my brothers and Hamza, all my cousins were present. I thought of Ahmed and what he might be thinking. Hamza had made clear how much he hated me from the betrayal, he had not even given me a chance to explain it to him. 

Dawood stepped in and shut the door close 

sending a shudder of dread through me and I couldn't help but take a few steps away from him in the direction of the bathroom. I was avoiding looking at the king-size bed which was covered with rose petals and so was the floor of the room. 

Candles burned in the room and along with it my dream my hope of true love burnt away. The bouquets covering all other surfaces except the couch couldn't dampen the agony I was feeling at that moment. The room smelled of lavender, my favorite room freshener, and roses. Everything was perfect just as I used to imagine when thinking about my wedding. The only thing wrong was the man I was now married to. If only I would have been married to Hamza instead of Dawood this arrangement would have given me immense joy. Right now all I felt was a void inside me. 

I was feeling suffocated in the mere presence of my husband and my heart stopped beating thinking how I would be spending my life with him. I needed fresh air, I needed a moment away from him which he had been denying me the entire event. With that thought I hastily walked towards the bathroom when Dawood halted me by holding my wrist, "Heading somewhere?" he asked with mockery in his eyes.