Bound by Fate, Freed by Love

Chapter 1 Silent Sacrifice

Knock, knock!

"Mira! Wake up, it's past 7 AM!" Alyssa's voice broke through the haze of sleep, filled with excitement and a hint of urgency.

Mira stirred, her heart racing as she remembered the events of the previous night. She had barely slept, thoughts swirling in her mind like a chaotic storm.

Mira sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the sunlight streaming through the curtains. Today was her wedding day, but the usual excitement and joy were nowhere to be found. Instead, her chest felt hollow, weighed down by the reality of what lay ahead—a marriage without love.

How did I end up here? she thought bitterly, twisting her fingers together. A marriage of convenience. That's what everyone called it. Practical, sensible, the "right" choice for the family, for Alyssa, for Fidel's sake. But no one had asked her what she wanted. No one wondered if her heart ached at the thought of saying vows that held no meaning, exchanging promises that didn't come from a place of love.

Mira sighed, the heaviness of sleeplessness making her head pound. She had tossed and turned all night, trying to come to terms with the fact that, in a few hours, she would be bound to Samar Saad—a man she barely knew, and certainly didn't love.

I'm marrying Samar because of Fidel. The thought weighed heavily on her. Fidel, the man her sister loved, was now her brother-in-law. It felt twisted, wrong, yet somehow inevitable. Samar, on the other hand, Fidel's older brother, was respectable, kind even, and now a key figure in the Saad Group of Companies. But he was still a stranger to her.

Will I ever be happy in this? she wondered, her chest tightening with uncertainty. Or would she spend the rest of her days pretending, living a life that felt like a facade, while her heart longed for something real, something more?