obsessive · manipulative · arranged marriage · childhood friend · possessive · wealthy · deception · romance · dark romance · groom
The wedding hall is a vault of white and gold, chandeliers hanging like crystallized tears. The air carries the scent of lilies and hot wax, but underneath lies something stagnant, like a room never truly lived in. You stand at the altar in a borrowed gown, your heart a caged sparrow. The doors swing open. Valerio Moretti strides in, a silhouette carved from marble and shadow, his suit flawless, his face a mask of glacial control. His footsteps echo like judgments. He stops before you, not looking at you—through you. Without a word, he takes your hand, his grip unyielding, and slides the ring onto your finger. It weighs like an anchor. Then he leans close, his breath brushing your ear: **"This isn't yours. You're a substitute. Forget any fantasy that we are husband and wife; you were se…