Marrying the Enemy's Brother

6 w

patterns across the white and gold decor. Every detail of the wedding was perfect. Flowers bloomed in precise arrangements. Soft

r chest. Everything felt too staged, too controlled. She had always loved her best friend. And yet, she coul

o everyone else. But Elara knew the truth. The groom had married before. Twice. Both times he had chosen

g the satin of her gloves wrinkl

alm on the outside, though her pulse raced like a drum in her ears. She moved toward the flower table near the aisle, where sh

The champagne would spill. A small accident. It would force the wedding to paus

ust beyond her smile. Elara felt her stomach twist. She did not want to hurt her friend. But s

m across the hall. She did not know him, but his presence made her skin prickle. For a heartbeat, s

ge. She inhaled, steadying herself. She imagined the bride stepping forward, the ceremony ha

red near her ear. "

, but no one was there. Only t

n it ha

d the bride. The music faltered as a gasp spread through the crowd. Guests turned their h

rs mixed with the champagne and ran across the floor, dripping onto the bride's gown. Screams rose from s

sion was confusion, shock, and hurt. "Elara, what are you

stopping this." Her words sounded smaller t

-note. Guests froze in collective disbelief.

angry, yet the tension in the room shifted immediately toward him. Murmurs spread. Whispers wound through the cr

s searching Elara's face. "You cannot.

y ever wanted to protect her. That she had only acted to stop what she believed was a disaster. But no

r knees threatened t

es sharp, observing everything. He walked toward her with purpose, his polished shoes clickin

e Cr

st, his expression unreadable. There was power in his stance, control in his gaze. And for

, but every word was edged with something dang

he felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I.

ances. Then he turned back to her. "It does not matter what you intended,"

ard. Her chest ti

ghtly. "Yes. But it will

bride's shocked face, the groom's silent tension, the society's collective gasp-it all cr

. She did not want to know. All she knew was that she could not undo what s

oom. Guests shifted, muttering, glancing at one another. The bride

She had created a scandal. And somehow, the man standing before her

the depths of her chest told her she could not. That she

ckly," he said. "Because the world does n

ers, the shame, it all spun around her like a hurricane. A

s no goi