Threads Of Fate

"How could this happen?" Anya wondered, her fingers pressing against her temples in a desperate attempt to quell the throbbing headache that mirrored the turmoil in her mind. She cast a wary glance around the dismal prison cell, where the other inmates leered at her, their hungry eyes assessing her perfect blonde hair and pale pink gown that clung to her like a cruel joke. She was the sister of a Viscount, and today was supposed to be the day of her union with Duke Alistair Cavendish-but instead, she found herself shackled by fate and circumstance.
The thought of marrying that vile old Duke twisted her stomach into knots. Alistair Cavendish was everything she abhorred: arrogant, ruthless, and devoid of any semblance of kindness. She was supposed to be in a church, adorned in an elegant ivory gown, surrounded by love and celebration. Instead, she was trapped in a dingy cell, unjustly accused of murdering the man she despised. The irony gnawed at her, a bitter reminder that the very union meant to secure her future was now the source of her darkest nightmare. Each breath she took felt heavy with the weight of betrayal, not just from the world around her, but from the twisted fate that led her here.