The silence in the car was louder than any fight we could've had.
I sat rigid in the back seat of Riven's luxury sedan, the satin of my wedding gown bunched uncomfortably beneath me. The air conditioning hummed softly, too cold against my already numb skin. Across from me, Riven Hale sat like a statue—perfectly composed, expression unreadable, jaw clenched as if the very air between us offended him.
This wasn't how weddings were supposed to end.
No laughter. No kisses. No soft whispers of love. Just a suffocating silence and a man who hadn't once looked me in the eye since the vows were exchanged.
Outside, the city lights blurred past in streaks of neon and gold, mocking me. Somewhere out there, Ryker—the twin I was supposed to marry—was living freely, blissfully unaware of the chaos he'd left behind. Or worse… aware, and still didn't care.
I gripped the bouquet tighter until the stems snapped.
We pulled up to a towering skyscraper in the city's elite district. Sleek glass and steel stretched into the night sky. The doorman bowed as Riven stepped out without a word, not bothering to open the door for me. His driver circled around and offered a hand instead. I ignored it and stepped out on my own.
The lobby was too quiet, too polished. Like Riven. Impeccable on the surface. Empty inside.
The elevator ride to the penthouse was a quiet countdown to something worse. My stomach turned with each passing floor. By the time we reached the top, I could barely breathe.
His penthouse opened with a soft beep. The place was enormous—floor-to-ceiling windows, dark marble floors, cold chrome fixtures. Every inch screamed money, power, and solitude.
There was no warmth here. No color. No trace of personality.
Just like him.
"You'll sleep in the guest room," Riven said, slipping off his jacket and tossing it onto a leather couch.
No "welcome home." No explanation. No acknowledgment of what we'd just done.
"Excuse me?" I asked, blinking.
He turned to me slowly. "You heard me. This marriage is just a formality. A contract. You do your part, I'll do mine. Then we move on."
I felt something snap inside me.
"A contract?" I scoffed, stepping forward. "Is that what you call ruining someone's life?"
Riven's eyes met mine, icy and unflinching. "I didn't ruin anything. You could've said no."
"You think I had a choice?" I hissed. "Do you really think I wanted to marry you?"
A muscle in his jaw ticked.
"Then why did you?" he challenged, voice dropping dangerously low.
I hesitated. The answer burned in my throat, but I refused to give him the satisfaction.
Instead, I said the one thing I knew would sting. "Because I thought I was getting Ryker."
For a moment, Riven's expression cracked. Just slightly. His eyes darkened.
Then it was gone. "Ryker doesn't want you," he said simply, turning his back to me. "He never did."
The words hit harder than I expected. I knew they were probably true—but hearing them aloud, from him, felt like being punched in the chest.
"Then why are you the one here?" I whispered. "Why did you marry me if you clearly hate the idea?"
He paused at the threshold of a hallway, not looking back. "Because unlike Ryker, I pay my debts."
"What debt?"
No answer.
He disappeared down the hall, the sound of a door shutting echoing like a gunshot.
I stood there, rooted to the marble floor, still in my wedding dress, surrounded by cold beauty and colder silence. Every fairytale I'd ever dreamed of as a girl unraveled in that moment.
This wasn't a happily-ever-after.
This was a transaction.
And I was just the unwanted bride in a twisted deal between brothers.
---
An hour later, I found the guest room.
It was nicer than any hotel I'd stayed in—king-sized bed, private bathroom, a wall of bookshelves I doubted had ever been touched. But it was still a cage.
I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time, trying to recognize the girl in the white dress. The mascara had smudged, the lipstick faded, the curls in my hair slowly falling.
I looked like a stranger.
I peeled off the gown with shaking hands and slipped into the satin nightgown one of my bridesmaids had packed in my suitcase. It felt like a cruel joke now. Romantic lace for a honeymoon that didn't exist.
I curled up on the bed, clutching a pillow to my chest. I wanted to cry. Scream. Run.
But I did none of those things.
Instead, I opened my phone and stared at the last message I'd sent Ryker three days ago.
> "Please talk to me before the wedding. I don't understand why you're avoiding me. I need to know the truth."
Seen. No reply.
Tears burned in my eyes, but I blinked them away.
Fine. If this was what fate handed me, I'd survive it. I wasn't a damsel. I wouldn't beg for love where it didn't exist.
I would figure out Riven's game. I'd find out why he did this. And if he thought I'd quietly play the obedient wife while he brooded in his penthouse tower…
He was in for a surprise.