Chapter 1
My name is Emma Carter, and my wedding day felt more like a funeral.
The chapel was filled with the scent of lilies and expensive perfume. Sunlight streamed through stained-glass windows, painting colorful patterns across the polished floor. Guests whispered politely from the pews, dressed in designer suits and sparkling jewelry.
And beside me sat my groom.
Ethan Thornton. Billionaire heir. Thirty years old. Unconscious.
A nurse stood behind his wheelchair, monitoring him as if he were fragile glass. His dark hair was neatly combed, his face handsome and peaceful, but there was no life in his expression.
"Say it," my father whispered sharply beside me.
I swallowed hard. "I do."
The words felt like chains locking around my wrists.
The minister smiled. The guests applauded. And just like that, I became Mrs. Thornton.
No kiss. No celebration. No husband waiting to hold my hand.
Outside the chapel, my father approached me. "You did the right thing."
"You mean marrying a man who can't even agree to it?"
"This saves us, Emma."
Us. That word always appeared whenever he wanted something. Three weeks earlier, he had revealed the deal — the Thornton family trust required Ethan to be married before his thirtieth birthday, or control would pass to his cousin Jason. If I married Ethan, every debt my father had accumulated would disappear.
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"You want me to marry a stranger in a coma?"
"I want to stop watching you pay for my mistakes."
