Chapter 9

• Vows and veils.
• The morning of the wedding came with a suffocating stillness. Daniela lay motionless in bed,her body too heavy to rise,as if her entire body was weak. For a moment,She nearly forgot it was her wedding- the excitement, the joy, the love that could make her happy were nowhere to be found. I The grand Lawson estate was buzzed with activities. Servants hurried about, setting up decorations, Carrying trays of food ,and ensuring every detail was perfect. The sound of music flowed through the halls, but none of it mattered to Daniela. She wasn't the one footing the bills,and the atmosphere only reminded her of how little this day truly meant to her.
• In the bridal dressing room, she sat motionless, staring blankly into the mirror.The gown Alexander had chosen for her clung perfectly to her figure, its intricate lace and shimmering silk screaming of wealth and status. To anyone else, it might have been the dress of a lifetime. But to Daniela, it was nothing more than a shackle, binding her to a life she hadn't chosen. She reached up to adjust the wig perched on her head,her mind far away. Memories of her parents flashed before her- her mother's kind smile, her father's firm yet reassuring words. She could still hear his voice from their last conversation . “ You are marrying the man who destroyed us. Do you think we can ever forget that?”