THE PAWN AND THE KING

1

The ornate ceiling above felt impossibly high, and yet the room seemed to close in around me, pressing in from all sides. The air was heavy, thick with the scent of incense and roses. It clung to my skin, making the already suffocating wedding gown feel like a noose tightening with every breath. I stood at the altar, clutching the bouquet of white roses—delicate and soft to the touch, but somehow they felt like thorns digging into my palms. My hands shook as I tried to hold them steady, the tremor betraying the calm I desperately attempted to project.

Raeland Moretti stood beside me, his towering figure a shadow cast across my life. His jaw was clenched, muscles taut under the weight of his composure, but his eyes remained distant, fixed on something far beyond this moment, beyond me. He hadn't so much as glanced in my direction, his cold indifference palpable. The tension between us was thick, and even the heavy fabric of his suit seemed to strain against the burden of this forced union.

I took a slow, deliberate breath, the lace of my gown scratching against my collarbone. The small gasps of air barely reached my lungs. The faint whisper of the the man's voice —hired by Moretti—  droned on, each word like a distant hum as I stared ahead, fixated on the chandelier above. Its glittering crystals refracted the light into a thousand shards, each one catching in my throat as I struggled to swallow the weight of my reality.

I broke the silence between us, my voice barely more than a whisper, fragile against the walls of the grand cathedral. "Why didn't you refuse?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them, a crack in my careful façade. My eyes remained forward, unwilling to meet his gaze, terrified of what I might see in them—if there was anything at all.

Raeland's body stiffened beside me. I felt his cold presence shift, though he still didn't turn toward me. His response was delayed, heavy, as if weighing whether or not to dignify my question with an answer.

"It wasn't about what I wanted," he muttered, his voice low, almost a growl. His words dripped with disdain, each one slicing through the air like a knife. "It's about control. Power. This marriage is a reminder of their place." He paused, his gaze flickering over me, lingering for the briefest of moments. "And yours."

His words slammed into me, a cruel confirmation of what I already knew. The flicker of hope I had been clinging to, however small, withered away. I bit my lip, feeling the sting of it as I forced myself to speak again, though my throat felt raw.

"Then you've won," I murmured, my voice trembling. I could feel my pulse hammering in my neck. The heat in the room seemed to intensify as his indifference suffocated me, leaving no room for the flicker of hope I had once harbored. "Is that enough for you?"

He didn't answer, just a flicker of muscle in his jaw as his gaze finally met mine, cool and emotionless. The brief contact was enough to make my breath hitch, but I quickly looked away, the weight of his stare too much to bear.

In the hushed cathedral, our strained exchange went unnoticed by the guests, their curious eyes darting over us like vultures circling their prey. A woman in the front row caught my eye, her lips pressed into a tight, disapproving line. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as though watching this performance was beneath her. The sharpness of her disdain made my stomach twist, but I forced my expression to remain neutral.

Raeland's hand twitched at his side, drawing my attention back to him. I watched as his fingers curled into a fist, the tension rippling through him. "This isn't a game, Valenti," he whispered through clenched teeth, his voice low enough that only I could hear. "Don't think for a second you're any different from them. Your family threw you into this just as easily as they betrayed me."

His words sent a shiver down my spine, but I forced myself to hold my ground, my lips curving into a bitter smile. "I didn't have a choice." The admission tasted bitter on my tongue. "Neither of us did."