Chapter One: A Night of Fate
The rain poured relentlessly, drumming against the rooftop like a whispered symphony of heartbreak. Inside an elegant ballroom, beneath golden chandeliers and soft violin music, Isabella Carter stood motionless, her sapphire-blue gown clinging to her curves like a second skin. Her heart pounded as she locked eyes with the one man she had sworn never to love again—Alexander King.
The air between them crackled with tension, a mixture of longing and pain that neither could deny. It had been three years since their last goodbye, three years since she had walked away, choosing duty over love. And now, fate had cruelly brought them together again, at her engagement party—to a man she did not love.
Alexander took a slow step forward, his deep-set emerald eyes burning into hers. He was taller, broader, more devastatingly handsome than she remembered, dressed in a sharp black tuxedo that made him look like a king among men. His presence alone sent a shiver down her spine.
"You're marrying him?" His voice was low, strained, almost broken.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "It's already decided, Alex."
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "Decided by whom? Your father? Society?" He stepped even closer, close enough that she could feel his breath against her cheek. "Tell me, Isabella. Do you love him?"
Her heart clenched painfully. She should lie. She should push him away. But how could she, when every part of her ached for him? When the very air between them felt like an unspoken promise?
"I—" Her voice faltered, her resolve slipping.
He lifted a hand, his fingers brushing against her cheek with agonizing tenderness. "Say the word, and I'll take you away from here," he whispered, his lips mere inches from hers. "To a place where nothing else matters. Where it's just us."
Her breathing grew uneven. The temptation was maddening. To let go, to surrender, to be his. But reality had its cruel chains, and she was bound by them.
Before she could answer, the sound of her fiancé's voice broke through the spell.
"Isabella, darling."
She stiffened. Alexander's jaw clenched.
And in that moment, she realized—this love, desperate and forbidden, would either save her or destroy her.
To be continued…