The Wrong Bride (The Windsors, #1)

by Catharina Maura

That all changed when I took Hannah with me to Sierra’s twenty-first birthday party. I remember that night vividly. I saw him first, but she’s the one he never looked away from.

“I just haven’t found a guy that can keep me captivated. I’m not willing to settle for anything short of complete devotion. I want epic love, and I’m willing to wait for it.”

“No,” I lie to her. “The friction from you moving on top of me made me hard, yeah, but I don’t want you, Raven. I’ll never want you. I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but you need to stop. Do you know how much your actions tonight would hurt your sister? Fuck, it’s hurting me, Rave.”

“If I was always meant to marry him, she should’ve stayed away from him. You can’t expect me to marry my sister’s ex, Dad. You can’t do this to me. Do you understand how messed up this is? You can’t condemn me to a marriage with someone who is in love with my sister.”

“So long as it’s within my power, there’s nothing I won’t give you, Raven. No matter what you ask, it’s yours — and that includes me.”

She’s like the moon, Raven. Beautiful on a lonely night, but cold and distant. You? You’re the sun. You’re warmth and happiness, and the centre of all that’s good.

Raven Du Pont. Never in a million years did I think I’d find her walking toward me, wearing a wedding dress that looks beautiful on her, but that wasn’t designed for her. What must it feel like to walk in her sister’s shoes? Nothing about today is hers, not even the man she’s marrying.

“This is it,” I whisper. “From this moment forward, you’re my wife. Mine to care for, mine to cherish, and mine to protect. I know this isn’t what you would’ve wanted for yourself, but I swear I’ll give you my all, Raven.”

Why can’t I ever be anyone’s priority? What makes me so undeserving of that? Why can I never measure up against Hannah in my parents’ eyes? In Ares’s eyes? What is it that she’s got and I’ll never have? Why is my best never enough?

She purses her lips and nods, her expression filled with cautious hope. She doesn’t realize it, but she could ask me for the moon and I’d try to give it to her. There’s nothing I won’t do for her.

“Don’t defend her like that, Ares. It kills me when you do that, can’t you see? You keep promising me that you’ll give me your all, yet you run out at the sound of her voice.” She runs a hand through her hair, her eyes flashing. “And then you just stand there when she’s telling me that you’ll never be mine — not a single word of denial. How am I supposed to believe your words when your actions say otherwise? It isn’t her I’m concerned about. It’s you. You’re making me feel like a part of you truly does still love her, and I can’t stand it. The way you acted just now made me feel like you don’t truly care about me.”

“You said you feel trapped in this marriage, but how do you think I feel? I was forced to marry someone I’ll never stand a chance with — someone who will never even be able to look at me without thinking of my sister. Have you ever stopped to think about what I might have wanted out of a marriage? I want happiness too, Ares. I can see now that you will never give me that, no matter what I do. I’ll never be her. When given a choice between hurting either of us, it’s always me you’ll choose. I’ll never be your priority, not truly.”