Wish you were mine

39. We'd to Wound

PENELOPE

"I will marry Penelope."

The moment those words left Sean's mouth, my world tilted on its axis. My eyes widened in shock, and before I could even process it, I was already moving. My feet carried me across the room as I stormed toward him, grabbing his collar in a fit of rage.

"I would rather die than marry you!" I yelled, my voice trembling with fury. His expression darkened, a flicker of anger sparking in his eyes as he yanked my hand off his collar with force, pushing me back.

"Then do one thing," he said, his voice low and taunting. "Marry me first, then die. I don't care. Or better yet, I wouldn't mind marrying your corpse." His words were cold, cutting through the tension in the room like a knife.

"Sean, mind your tongue!" My father's voice thundered, breaking through the haze of anger clouding my mind. But Sean wasn't fazed. His arrogance was palpable, filling the space like a suffocating fog.

"If one of my daughters gets kidnapped, that doesn't mean I'll marry off the other to you!" my mother snapped, her voice trembling with rage and desperation.

"Why not?" Sean's smirk was infuriating. "It's not my fault Sophie ran away."

His words hit me like a slap. My heart lurched, and my vision blurred for a moment. "What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded, my voice cracking with disbelief. "You know Sophie was kidnapped!"

Sean raised an eyebrow, as if amused by my outburst. "Is she?" he asked, his tone dripping with mockery. "Or did she run away a few hours before the wedding? Tomorrow's headlines will say the eldest daughter of the Davis family fled her wedding. That's how it'll look."

"Stop talking nonsense!" I shouted, my hands trembling as I clenched them into fists.

"I'm just telling the truth," he said with infuriating calm. "And that's what the whole world will believe."

"What about the letter?" I shot back, my chest heaving with the weight of my anger and fear.

"The letter doesn't prove anything," he said smoothly, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And do you really think the Moore family is going to admit to kidnapping Sophie? No. They'll deny it. And the world will side with them."

"What... what are you saying?" My voice dropped to a whisper, dread creeping into my veins.

"It's simple," Sean replied, his eyes locking onto mine with unsettling certainty. "If I call off the wedding, everyone will start asking where the bride is. They'll assume Sophie ran away. She'll be humiliated, insulted, and her name will be dragged through the mud on a global level. And the Davis family-well, you'll be humiliated too."

"I don't mind being humiliated," my father interrupted, his voice strong despite the tension.

Sean didn't miss a beat. "But what about Sophie?" he asked, his voice softening into something that almost resembled concern. "Are you okay with her being labeled a runaway bride? Her reputation ruined? You know Moore orchestrated this to hurt the Andersons, but your family will suffer too."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. He was right. My fists tightened at my sides, nails digging into my palms as I fought the rising wave of anger and helplessness. Just the thought of Sophie being hurt, being humiliated, made my blood boil. I'd already hurt her enough. If I had known this would happen, I never would have fought with her last night. But that's the cruelty of life, isn't it? If we knew what the future held, none of us would make mistakes.

"Why can't we just call off the wedding, Sean?" I asked, my voice strained and weak, like a broken record. It was the tenth time I'd asked, but deep down, I already knew the answer.