Bleeding Rose

Her dark knight.

'You can do this Rose,' I chanted it like a mantra as I left the safety of my room. Walking through hallway to find my mother, I started wondering how my life turned upside down within such a small time.

I always thought having a father who didnt care and a step mother who hated my guts was worst my life could get, but marrying a complete stranger at the age of 18. Wow! it just keeps getting better huh.

Like every girl, I thought my 18th birthday will be my gateway to freedom, but fate had other plans for me and that planning started long before, 15 years before to be exact.

15 years ago, my father promised to marry his then 3 year old daughter to one of his mates son, in exchange for a business deal. Not fair right.
Well, welcome to life of Rosalie where nothing is ever fair nor right.

I never dreamt of prince charming but like every other teenager, I wanted a guy who could return my love. He dont have to be handsome or wealthy. A kind soul is all I wished for, but like always, my father stole away my chance to dream even before I could think of it.

A week back, on my 18th birthday, I woke up to a house full of unknown faces. My father always kept business away from home, so this was new.

That day, my step mother who never spoke one complete sentence without sneering at me was too eager to doll me up. After hours of prepping and dressing, I was brought down. I was surprised to see that the party was in my honor. I never had birthday parties so this was a pleasant surprise.

After an hour or two almost all of our guests left except two, a scary but good looking man with cold and calculating eyes and a beautiful but pale women with hollow dead eyes.

My father casually introduced them saying they were my to be in-laws, making my world tilt a little. I was waiting for him to say it was a joke but he never did. Instead, he informed me that I was going to get married to their son in a week time and shipped off to some place in France. He also made clear about how I dint have a say in it.

Two days later the couple visited me again to give my so called wedding dress. Even in my anger, I could notice the beauty of the dress. But what surprised me was its colour, an oxblood red coloured wedding dress? Arent wedding gowns supposed to be white?

They also mentioned about wedding venue. They strongly rejected the idea of church wedding so a beach side wedding attended only by our close relatives was planned.

None of this mattered to me though. All I could see was my path to happiness getting closed forever.

Finally the big day arrived.My father, who traded his daughter for a business deal, made an appearence to walk me down the aisle.

Once we reached the altar he placed my shivering hand in waiting one's of my soon to be husband. He held it in a firm grasp but the unusual coldness that seeped even through his gloves surprised me.

Throughout the cermony, I dint dare to even peek a look at the stranger infront of me, wanting to hide in bliss of ignorance for a little longer.

A priest, weirdly dressed in all black, pronounced us man and wife sealing my fate. On hearing the word kiss, my head snapped up and my eyes landed directly on his face.

Wow! he was beautiful. A perfect set jaw, stubborn chin, full lips, slight stubble, all perfectly placed on broad shoulders which made him look no less to a greek god. A pair of honey brown eyes stared back at me making me gasp. The warmth they held compensated coldness radiating from him.

Suddenly he bent down for a quick kiss on my lips leaving me breathless. When I looked back at him, corners of his lips curled into sligh smirk making me lower my head in embarrasment.He lifted my head with a finger under my chin making me look directly into his eyes.