Princess
Saturday | 2:00pm
The following weekendcame sooner than I’d hoped. The day my father had been waiting for. My wedding day. The day he’d groomed me for since I was old enough to hold my hands in prayer and fake a smile in front of cameras. The day I was supposed to smile pretty, walk a gold-lined aisle, and marry a man I couldn’t stomach.
The Montgomery estate looked like a luxury magazine spread. White roses lined the backyard in rows, stretching down an aisle so long it could’ve been a runway. An altar draped in gold-trimmed silk stood at the end, glowing in the sun. Guests packed in tight.
There were politicians, CEOs, the media, and old-money families from every corner of Havencrest. All of them were waiting to see Zeke Montgomery’s daughter tie herself to Councilman Don Lancaster like a pretty little ribbon on a box of corruption. A wedding fit for royalty, they called it. All I wanted to do was burn the whole thing to the ground and run. Never look back.
I stood in front of the massive mirror in my bathroom, staring at myself. I was the definition of flawless.
The dress clung to me, ivory lace molded to every curve before flaring into a dramatic train. My makeup was perfect. My hair slicked into a low, elegant bun with a side bang. The diamond earrings my mother gave me twinkled under the chandelier, catching the light. My reflection looked like someone who had everything. Inside, though, I felt like a lamb waiting to be sacrificed.
“You’re beautiful, honey,” my mother said from behind me, her voice low and tight. She sat perched on the chaise near the window, hands folded in her lap like always. Her eyes held a soft yet sad look.
I locked eyes with her in the mirror. “I look like I’m being sent to slaughter.”
Her lips tightened. “Your father…”
“Yourhusband,” I cut in. “He’s a control freak who’d sell my soul for an inch more power.”
“You’ve always been a fighter.”
I crossed my arms, bracelet flashing. “Maybe I’m done fighting him, Ma. This isn’t how families are supposed to work. I just wantout.”
“Where would you go, Princess? What would you do for money?”
“I’ll figure it out. I just wanna be free, Ma.”
As the words left my mouth, there was a knock at the door before it swung open. “Evelyn,” my father said smoothly, already inside. “I’d like a moment alone with our daughter.”
My mother looked at me with concern, her whole face showing it. “Zeke…”
“Now.”
I didn’t even blink. “It’s fine, Ma. Go.”
She hesitated, as if she wanted to say something else, but she didn’t. She stood up, smoothing down her silk dress as shelooked at him with narrowed eyes. Then, she walked out, leaving the door to close with a quietclick.
My father studied me like I was one of his sermons, head slightly tilted, eyes sharp behind the smile. “You look perfect, Princess.”
“Yeah,” I met his gaze. “I know you love appearances.”
The smile on his face barely twitched, but I caught the flicker of irritation in his eyes. “This is a good thing.”
“Foryou.”
“Forus. For this family. For our future.”
I didn’t bother hiding the glare. “You don’t give a damn about our family or my future, Daddy. You care about control and your image. You care about lining up your power like trophies on a fucking shelf.”
The temperature dropped instantly as his smile faded. Just like that, the pastor disappeared, and the man behind him stepped forward. “Let me be clear,” he said, voice low and ice cold. “You will walk down that aisle. You will say your vows. You will smile. And, more importantly, you will make your father proud.”
My spine stiffened, but I didn’t look away. “You mean be obedient.”
“I mean, begrateful.”
I laughed bitterly. “Grateful for what? A life that cages me? A husband I didn’t choose? A future I never asked for?”
