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 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.”

“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 center of all that’s good.

“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 wanted for yourself, but I swear I’ll give you my all, Raven.”

My heart twists painfully, but I force myself to keep my expression blank. Part of me is terrified that no matter what I do, he’ll never love me. A larger part of me knows that I’ll always regret it if I don’t try.

“I won’t be your dirty little secret, Mrs. Windsor. You carry my name, and you’ll do it with pride.”

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?

“Let’s normalize walking away from toxic situations. You don’t have to stick it out when your mental health is taking a beating, just because that’s what everyone expects of you. It’s okay to reassess and decide whether or not a situation is still acceptable to you.

“Raven Windsor, you are the love of my life. If you were to ask me when I fell in love with you, I’m not sure I could answer…because the truth is that I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love you. All I can tell you is that with each passing day, I love you more. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, the light of my life, my favorite part of every day. You are the woman of my dreams, the one I thought got away. I wish I could go back in time and right the wrongs we’ve endured, but I can’t, baby. All I can do is promise you I will make up for the time we lost each and every single day we spend together. If you let me, I will do everything in my power to protect your smile, to bring you happiness. There is nothing I won’t do for you, Raven.”