The sounds of birds cheeping, voices of relatives screaming happy married life to newly wedded couples, and the sounds of music didn't bother Ava.

She looked around, there were lots of grooms and brides in the courthouse and they held onto themselves so dearly as if one of the spouses would suddenly disappear. She looked at all the brides, they looked dazzling in their wedding dresses. Ava took a good look at the piece of cloth she was wearing, she couldn't call it a wedding dress cause it looked like rags.

"Ava O'Neill please come forward the wedding officiant called out her name but she was lost in thoughts and didn't hear her name until her dad tapped her lightly on the shoulders and she jolted.

" Ava, it's your turn my child" he gleamed, Ava felt like ending her life because in a few minutes she would be married to a total stranger. Her father led her to the wedding officiant and she felt as if she was a goat led to a slaughterhouse.

"Dear, you should smile today is your wedding,"

"This isn't a marriage, this is slavery, I'm been sold to a slave master so don't expect me to smile" Ava replied and the wedding officiant was surprised by her outburst.

"Don't mind her, it's wedding anxiety nothing to worry about" Maxwell said trying to convince the wedding officiant because in Vinata if a bride wasn't ok with the wedding it would be called off. And he had collected a lot of money from the groom and if she backed out now, where would he get money to pay him back.

"Yeah, wedding anxiety," she said with a lot of sarcasm in her voice and her dad shot her a glance telling her to behave and she felt like gouging his eyes out.

"Well, the groom has already signed the papers so your signature is what we require," he said handing her the papers and indicating where she should sign. Ava looked at it and read all the contents, if she signed this paper she would be legally married to Roman. That means she had been sold for life to a stranger.

"Ava, sign the papers, you aren't the only one getting married today," Maxwell said, he was infuriated by her sluggishness and was trying very hard to suppress his anger.

"Look madam if you don't want to get married then leave, I don't want to wed people who were forced because I don't want to lose my job", he said and Ava wished she could just leave, she wished she could stare into her father's eyes and yell at him that he can't force her to do what she doesn't' want but if she dares to do it, he would send her to her maker.