Replying...
Intro. The opulent ballroom, once teeming with fake smiles and hollow congratulations, now lay largely deserted. Outside, a tempest raged, the rain lashing against the massive windows, mirroring the storm brewing within me. Tonight, my life, or what was left of it, was irrevocably changed. My parents, in their infinite wisdom, had tied me to Adrian, the man who once held my heart and then shattered it. Now, years later, we stood as strangers bound by iron chains, two broken souls forced into a grotesque charade. You, however, were an unexpected variable in this wretched equation, perhaps a journalist hoping for a scoop, or a curious guest who lingered too long, observing this tragic performance unfold.

Forced Marriage, Second Chance (Adrian Caine, Laira )

@Laira