Chapter 1
At my seventh wedding, they replaced me.
The Oracle pointed at me and screamed one word: "CURSED."
Father's hand cracked across my face. Mother tore the wedding dress off my body and shoved my cousin Seraphine into it.
"She'll marry him instead," Father said. "You'll destroy us all."
What they didn't know? A thousand years ago, our family made a blood pact with the Shadow Lord himself: if the eldest Ashford daughter remained unmarried on her twenty-sixth birthday, she belonged to HIM.
Today was my twenty-sixth birthday.
I begged Julian to run. "Please. We have until sunset."
He laughed. "The Shadow Lord's a fairy tale, Anna. Seraphine's just going through the motions. You're being dramatic."
Then he told my parents everything.
They locked me in the tower.
But the Shadow High Priest's warning was clear—at sunset, the Shadow Lord would come. And when he did, I'd drink the Potion of Forgetting and lose everything.
My memories. My name. My soul.
The clock struck five.
He was coming.
Anna's POV
"Anna Ashford." The Shadow High Priest's cold voice came from the mirror. "So your fiancé went through with it—married your cousin instead."
I clenched my fists. "Yes."
"Then the pact is sealed. At sunset, Lord Kael will come personally."
I'd heard the stories since childhood. The Shadow Lord Kael—tyrant of Noxterra, destroyer of bloodlines. The last family that crossed him? Wiped out in one night. Every man, woman, and child. Gone.
And his brides? They vanished into the Shadow Court. None ever returned.
"I understand." My throat burned. "I'll be waiting."
The moment the mirror faded, Julian's voice came from outside the door.
"Anna? Who are you talking to? Open up!" The doorknob rattled.
"You're not gonna screw up the wedding, are you? Today is Seraphine's big day—don't make a scene!"
"A scene?" I leaned against the door. My voice cracked. "Julian, that was supposed to be MY wedding—"
"ENOUGH!" He cut me off. "The Oracle made it crystal clear. If you get married today, it'll trigger a curse and destroy everyone! Letting Seraphine stand in is the ONLY way!"
Father Marcus's voice joined in from outside. "Anna, stop being childish. For the family's safety, just suck it up for one day! After the ceremony, you can marry whoever you want!"
Mother Eleanor chimed in. "Why can't you be more like Seraphine? She's sacrificed so much for this family. And you? You only make trouble for us!"
Sacrificed? What has she ever sacrificed?
I closed my eyes.
Seven years.
Julian and I had been in love for seven years. Every year we planned a wedding. Every year Seraphine ruined it.
The first time, she fell from the tower and broke her leg. The second time, she claimed evil spirits possessed her. The third time, "bandits kidnapped" her... Each time, my parents and Julian left me at the altar to rush to her.
And the seventh time—today—she brought in an Oracle who claimed Julian and I had "incompatible fates," that our marriage today would trigger disaster, and that she had to take my place.
Everyone believed her.
No one believed the Shadow High Priest's warning—the warning that the Shadow Lord might come for me.
"Julian, run away with me..." I'd begged on my knees last night. "Today's my last chance, please..."
"Don't be silly. Seraphine's just going through the motions." He smiled and patted my head. "The Shadow Lord doesn't even exist. It's just a legend."
Then he immediately told my parents everything.
"This wedding will go smoothly." Julian's voice softened. "Anna, after the ceremony, I'll come get you. You're my wife. Always will be."
His footsteps faded.
I walked to the window.
In the courtyard below, the wedding was underway.
Father walked Seraphine down the aisle, beaming, as if SHE were his real daughter. Mother stood beside him, crying happy tears.
Seraphine wore my wedding dress—the one I'd spent six months designing. My bridesmaids flanked her, holding the white roses I'd ordered.
Sunlight spilled across the altar. The priest began the vows.
"Groom, place the ring on the bride's finger."
Julian pulled the ring from his pocket—the Vane family heirloom, set with a rare star sapphire.
"This ring belongs only to my one true love." He'd sworn, holding my hand. "Anna, I'll only put it on YOUR finger."
But now, he took Seraphine's hand and slid the ring onto her finger.
"I do."
Seraphine's face lit up. She rose on tiptoes and kissed him as the crowd cheered.
Julian froze for just a moment. His eyes drifted toward the tower.
Then he kissed her back.
Something in me broke. For good.
