EMMA POV
I walked into the hall. Small. Dim. Heavy with silence.
Only a few witnesses sat in the pews. No flowers. No laughter. No hint of love. The air felt thick with judgment.
I wasn't walking into a marriage. I was walking into debt, obligation, a cage.
Clara stood behind me, hands trembling as she fixed my veil.
"You look beautiful," she whispered.
I met her eyes in the mirror. "I look trapped."
"You're doing this for Sophia. That matters," she said softly.
The door creaked. Heads turned. Ethan entered, tall, composed, dressed in black. His eyes swept the room, cold and certain.
Whispers rose.
"That's her?"
"The poor girl."
"He's only doing it for the company."
I kept my head high, pretending not to hear. My chest tightened.
Ethan stopped beside me. His cologne sharp, expensive.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Do I have a choice?"
He said nothing. Only a faint twitch at his mouth, like a victory.
The priest began. The words blurred. When he asked if I would take Ethan as my husband, my throat burned.
I thought of Sophia, frail and barely breathing. The bills. The fear. Losing her.
"I do," I said, my voice breaking.
A few gasps. Clara dabbed her tears.
Ethan's turn. Flat. "I do."
It sounded like a sentence, not a vow.
The papers were signed. Just like that, I was his.
Claudia, his mother, approached with a polished smile.
"Welcome to the family. Overwhelmed? We have girls like you in our charity programs."
I bowed my head. "Thank you, ma'am."
She smirked. "Patience. You'll need it."
Bella came next, eyes blazing.
"You'll never fit here."
"Bella," Adrian warned.
She ignored him. "He'll get bored." Then she stormed off.
Adrian lingered. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve this."
Clara squeezed my hand. "Breathe, Emma."
I couldn't. Every smile, every flash, every whisper felt like a blade.
Ethan leaned closer. "Keep your head up. My mother's watching."
"I don't care," I said quietly.
"You will."
He walked away, shaking hands with his lawyer. "It's done. The company is safe. Lucas won't touch it."
I stared at him. "So that's all I am? A contract?"
He smiled without warmth. "You're the price of power."
I turned and left before my tears showed.
At the hospital, disinfectant hit my nose. I sat beside Sophia's bed, her hand cold in mine.
"I did it, Soph. I married him. For you. Please wake up."
The machines beeped. She didn't move.
I cried until the world went dark.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in the hospital.
The bed beneath me was large. Curtains thick and dark. The air smelled rich. My chest tightened.
"Where am I?" I whispered.
"You're safe."
A tall man stood near the window, white shirt, sleeves rolled. Calm face. Kind eyes.
"Who are you?"
He stepped closer. "I'm here to help. You're not alone."
ETHAN POV
The hall felt too small for what it carried. Power. Shame. A deal that pretended to be love.
I stood by the doorway and watched her. Emma. The girl who would take my name before the hour ended.
Her dress was plain. Her face pale. Her eyes restless. Clara fixed her veil with shaking hands. Emma didn't move. She looked trapped. For a second, guilt hit me. I buried it. Guilt had no value here.
Adrian leaned close. "You sure about this?"
"I've waited too long to let Lucas win," I said.
He frowned. "You're using her."
"She gets her sister's treatment. I get what belongs to me."
"Fair trade," he said. "But not a clean one."
The priest called us forward. I walked to the altar. Every whisper followed.
"Is that her?"
"She looks terrified."
"He's marrying her for the company."
I kept walking. Let them talk. My father's empire would stay in the family. Lucas would watch from the sidelines where he belonged.
When the priest asked for Emma's vow, she froze. Her eyes filled but she didn't cry. She whispered, "I do."
It landed harder than I thought it would.
When my turn came, I didn't look at her. "I do." My voice was flat. Controlled.
The papers were signed. The hall clapped. The deal was done.
My mother, Claudia, came forward with that practiced smile. "Welcome to the family, dear. You must feel lucky. Most girls dream of this moment."
Emma's voice was small. "Thank you, ma'am."
Mother laughed. "Try not to embarrass us. We have standards."
Bella stood behind her, arms crossed. "You think marrying him makes you one of us? You're nothing but a charity case."
Adrian stepped in. "Enough, Bella."
She snapped, "Don't defend her," and left.
I clenched my jaw. "She'll calm down."
Adrian stared at me. "Will you?"
I said nothing.
Emma stood still. Her shoulders trembled. She gripped the bouquet until her knuckles turned white. Her silence filled the space between us.
I spoke low. "Keep your head up. My mother's watching."
She didn't lift her face. "I don't care."
I leaned close. "You will."
Cameras flashed. People congratulated me. I smiled when needed. The perfect son. The perfect heir. Inside, nothing moved.
Clara came to her side and led her out. Adrian stayed behind.
"You can still stop this," he said.
"It's already done," I said.
He shook his head. "That's what scares me."
I turned toward the exit. Emma was gone. Only her bouquet lay on the floor and a single footprint led to the stairwell.