Chapter 1: The Whisper Behind the Door
Rain tapped on the grand windows of the estate like a thousand tiny messengers. Inside, lights shimmered like a fantasy brought to life. Music flowed through the hallways like a soft lullaby, and the air was fragrant with roses and sandalwood. The mansion echoed with laughter, celebration, and the anticipation of a perfect wedding.
But twenty-year-old Janet sat frozen in front of a full-length mirror, her eyes glassy, her chest tight under the weight of what should've been joy.
She was stunning. Her long black hair was pinned up in a braided crown, studded with pearl pins. Her off-shoulder bridal gown clung to her body like a dream woven in silk and gold. Yet she didn't feel like a bride. She felt like a prisoner wrapped in lace.
"You'll be the most beautiful bride anyone's ever seen," her mother said, adjusting her veil.
Janet nodded, but her fingers trembled as she held her bouquet. Her reflection stared back—perfect, polished, hollow. Her heart should have been racing with happiness, but it pulsed with unease instead. Somewhere deep down, something didn't feel right. It hadn't for days.
She had loved Asher for three years. The golden boy. Kind, smart, romantic. He made her laugh on her worst days, held her through her fears, and promised her forever with hands that felt safe. When he proposed under the starlit sky of their college campus, she had cried tears of joy.
Now, she was crying on the inside—and she didn't know why yet.
Needing a moment, Janet whispered, "I'll just get some air before the ceremony."
She slipped off her heels and padded quietly down the long corridor of the estate. Her bridal train trailed behind her like a wounded memory. As she passed a partially open door near the study, she paused—because she heard his voice.
Asher.
And someone else.
"I hope the money's ready," a rough voice said.
"You'll get the full million after the wedding. Once she signs the papers," Asher replied coolly, like he was talking about a business deal—not a bride.
Janet stopped breathing.
"She's a good girl. Beautiful. Naive. She won't ask questions. Just get her out of the country by next week."
The bouquet fell from her hands with a soft thud.
Her world collapsed in one breath.
He sold me.
Asher sold me.
She stepped back slowly, clutching the wall to steady herself. Her entire body trembled. Every memory—his kisses, his promises, his sweet messages—flashed before her in mockery. Lies. All of it.
She didn't wait to hear more. She didn't need to.
She turned and ran.
Through the corridors, past the smiling guests. Her veil flew off, her train tore against the floor. Cries erupted behind her—her mother calling, her father shouting, people chasing—but she kept going. Past the golden aisle that was meant for her, through the archway of roses, across the grand lawn, into the rain and into the night.
She didn't stop.
She ran like her life depended on it—because it did.
---
The city lights faded behind her. The road turned darker. She didn't know where she was going; she only knew she had to get away from him.
Her bare feet slapped against wet pavement. Her mascara streamed like warpaint. Thunder boomed above as if the sky itself was screaming with her. Her once-elegant gown was soaked and mud-stained, but she didn't care.
She stumbled through an overgrown fence into what looked like a neglected woodland on the edge of the city. There, hidden by trees and vines, was an abandoned stone temple—half-crumbling, half-forgotten. Its ancient pillars leaned in silence. Its darkness invited her in like an embrace.
She collapsed inside, breathless and shaking.
Her sobs finally erupted, echoing through the hollow ruin. She tore off the jewellery around her neck, yanked the bangles off her wrists, and screamed into the silence.
She had loved Asher more than anyone in the world. She had trusted him. She had dreamed of a life. Children. Home. Now all she had was betrayal clawing at her chest.
And she cried.
For the love she lost.
For the lie she lived.
For the girl she used to be.
Time passed in a haze. She sat curled in the corner, her body numb, her face damp, her voice gone. The thunder faded, leaving only the occasional whisper of rain outside.
And then—footsteps.
Soft. Steady. Male.
Janet's heart stopped.
She looked up quickly, her back pressing to the wall.
A tall figure stood at the threshold of the temple.
He didn't move.
His face was shadowed by the dim light. He wore black from neck to boots. Raindrops glistened in his dark hair. The presence around him was calm but commanding—unnatural. Like the storm had carved him out of its heart and left him here.
"Stay back," Janet said, her voice hoarse but sharp.
He didn't approach. Instead, his deep voice came like velvet across stone.
"You ran from your wedding."
She stiffened. "Are you here to take me back?"
"No," he said. "If I was, I wouldn't have come alone."
Her eyes searched him. "Then who are you?"
He took a single step inside, rain dripping from his coat. "Someone who's been waiting a long time to meet you."
Janet's heart thudded. "What do you mean?"
He knelt slowly, a respectful distance away, and looked at her—really looked. Not at her ruined gown or smeared makeup, but at her soul, fractured and fierce.
"You weren't meant to marry Asher," he said gently. "You were meant to find me."
Something cracked in her chest again—but not from pain this time. From disbelief. From the absurdity of it all.
"Why?" she whispered.
He leaned slightly closer, his eyes intense but not unkind. "Because I'm the only one who knows what you are."
Janet blinked. "What… I am?"
"Yes," he said. "You were never just a girl. You were chosen. You were supposed to live, Janet. But if you married him, you would've died—in a hundred ways."
The storm outside resumed, as if echoing his words.
"I don't believe you," she whispered.
"You don't have to," he replied. "But soon, you'll see everything differently. Starting with the truth about yourself."
He extended his hand.
"You can stay here, cry alone, and return to a world that betrayed you. Or you can come with me, and find out why the universe didn't let you marry the man who sold you."
Janet looked at his hand. At the temple. At the shards of her old life scattered at her feet.
And for the first time that night…
She had a choice.