Chapter Two

Cecilia's POV

“That’s right, Cecilia. You and Derek really are on the same wavelength.” My mother let out a relieved breath and laughed.

“Now that you’ve made your choice, you two should get going,” my father said.

“We’ll leave you two alone for a minute,” my mother added as she ushered everyone toward the door, her voice full of deliberate warmth. “The ceremony will be starting soon. We’ll wait for you outside.”

One by one, their footsteps left the dressing room. The door closed softly behind them.

They lowered their voices on the other side, but I still heard every word.

“Thank goodness she actually picked the wrong man,” my mother said, making no attempt to hide her relief.

“I told you. How could a blind woman possibly recognize anyone by scent alone?” Lilith sounded smug.

“Quiet. Keep your voice down,” my father scolded, though there wasn’t a trace of disapproval in his tone.

They thought they were whispering quietly enough to keep their secret. To me, they might as well have been speaking through a megaphone.

My fingers tightened around the fabric at the man’s side before I could stop myself.

I had already heard them discuss this plan three days earlier.

That afternoon, I had been sitting in the sun on the second-floor balcony of our villa. They thought I was asleep, so they discussed their plan in the garden below without bothering to hide it.

“Derek, I’m leaving to study in Europe next month. Before I go, I really want to experience being the center of attention at a mate party.” Lilith’s voice had trembled as if she were about to cry. “But Cecilia is your fiancée. I don’t want to ruin your mating ceremony...”

“Don’t cry, Lilith. You know who I really care about.” Derek’s voice had been so gentle that it made me sick. “Cecilia is blind. What does she know about enjoying a mate party? She can’t even see the lights or the flowers. This party was always meant for you.”

“But what about Cecilia? The mating ceremony has to take place in front of everyone.”

That was when my wonderful father joined in.

“What’s so difficult about that? Cecilia can’t see. Just find a stand-in and fool her. Derek, get a few of your friends to pretend to be you and have her choose one of them in the dressing room. Once she picks the wrong man, you can have her go through the motions with the stand-in in a side room. By the time she gets onstage and realizes everyone is there to laugh at her, she’ll be too humiliated to make a scene. Then you and Lilith can complete the real mating ceremony in the main hall.”

“Isn’t that a little cruel to Cecilia?” My mother let out a false sigh. “Still, if it’s what Lilith wants, Cecilia will just have to put up with it this once. She’s blind, after all. The Howard family can support her for the rest of her life.”

That was my family.

My family by blood. My executioners at heart.

To satisfy one ridiculous wish from Lilith, they were willing to trample on my dignity and turn me into a joke in front of everyone. In their eyes, favoring bright, cheerful Lilith was only natural. As for me, the broken blind daughter, I was only a stepping stone to the brightest moment of my sister’s life.

I pulled myself out of the memory and slowly released the fabric I had crumpled in my fist.

I turned toward the man beside me and spoke evenly.

“Forget it. We should get to the ceremony. There’s nothing for us to talk about anyway, is there?”

The man froze for a moment.

Without saying a word, he bent down, slipped one arm beneath my knees and the other around my shoulders, then lifted me securely into his arms.

Even through our clothes, I could feel how broad his chest was and how warm his body felt.

He carried me toward the door in long strides.

The moment he opened it, Derek, who had been talking and laughing quietly with my family in the corner, turned toward us.

His expression changed the instant he saw a stranger carrying me in his arms.

“Wait!”

He instinctively stepped forward to stop us, but before he could move any farther, Lilith grabbed his arm.

The man carrying me stopped.

I tilted my head and asked, “What’s wrong, Derek? Why did you stop?”

For a moment, no one near the doorway said a word.

“N-Nothing,” my mother answered quickly, putting on a cheerful tone again. “You and Derek go on ahead. The ceremony is about to begin. We’ll be right behind you.”

The man ignored them and carried me straight past them.

As we left them behind, their lowered voices followed us.

“You almost ruined everything,” Lilith said through clenched teeth. “Why did you try to stop them? What if she figures it out?”

“Why didn’t any of you tell me that man was going to carry her?” Derek snapped. “This whole thing was supposed to be an act for your benefit. Why does he have to make it look so real? Watching him carry her pisses me off.”