Chapter 1: A Stranger's Bed
Elara Blake's eyes flew open.
The first thing she noticed wasn't the golden chandelier above her or the silk sheets wrapped around her body. It was the suffocating silence. The kind that screamed something was terribly, terribly wrong.
She sat up with a gasp. Her heart pounded against her ribs as her eyes scanned the room—opulence dripping from every corner. Velvet curtains. Marble floors. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline.
This wasn't her apartment.
Where the hell was she?
A sharp pain throbbed at the back of her head as she reached up and found a bandage there. Panic surged through her as she looked down—only to freeze. She was wearing a satin white robe... and a ring. A glittering, expensive diamond ring. On her left hand.
Her blood ran cold.
The bedroom door creaked open, and a man walked in—tall, suited, expression cold enough to stop time. His gaze swept over her like she was something he hadn't expected to survive.
"Elara," he said smoothly. "You're awake."
"Who are you?" she demanded, pulling the sheets tighter around her. "Where am I? What's going on?"
The man raised an eyebrow. "You don't remember the wedding?"
Wedding?
"I don't even know your name," she said, voice trembling.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Kael Donovan. Your husband."
The world tilted.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No, this isn't real. I never got married. I—I was at the hospital. My internship... I had exams. I would never—"
"You signed the contract," Kael said, cool and unbothered. "You agreed to all of this. The papers are legal. You're Mrs. Donovan now."
Elara's breath hitched. Her pulse roared in her ears.
"But I don't remember signing anything," she said, her voice breaking.
Kael stepped closer, his voice low. "And yet, here you are."
She stared at him. At the expensive watch on his wrist, the emotionless way he looked at her, like she was a piece of a puzzle he didn't care to solve—just control.
"I want to leave."
"You can't."
"Why?"
He leaned down, eyes like ice. "Because walking away would cost you everything. And you already belong to me."
Thanks for reading chapter 1.
Chapter 2 will be available soon!
What would u do if u woke up married to a stranger? I'd love to hear your thoughts,pls drop them in the comments.