Reluctant Vows

White lilies pressed against Cora’s palms as she waited at the church altar in an itchy, inexpensive white dress. She had pulled the cheap garment from the back of her closet because it was the closest thing to bridal wear she owned, though she hardly cared how it looked. Growing up, she had always pictured herself walking down the aisle in her mother’s wedding gown, yet she refused to taint that dress with today’s ceremony. In her eyes, this was neither a real wedding nor a real marriage; it was nothing more than a cold business deal engineered to feed her father’s greed.

The hands of the clock crept past three. Low murmurs drifted through the pews, blending with the heavy floral scent rising from her bouquet. Across the aisle, Sloane watched her with a smug curl to her lips and open triumph shining in her eyes.

Every guest in the room was thinking the exact same thing. Her groom hadn’t even cared enough to arrive on time for his own wedding, and her feet were already aching inside her cheap heels.

For the past seven days, she had barely been able to draw a full breath. Ever since her father had cornered her in the kitchen with his ultimatum, the air in her lungs had felt trapped. He had backed her into a corner and knew she had no way out. Because she would do whatever it took to protect her mother, he had used that love as leverage, and she despised him and the rest of her family for it.

Six years ago, an accident had left her mother in a coma. Her father and brother had kept vigil by the hospital bed at first, though their devotion had faded after a single week. Soon enough, her father had brought Helena home as his new wife, and just a few months later, doctors had pronounced her mother brain dead. When her father demanded they take her off life support, Cora stood her ground and refused, holding fast to the belief that her mother would eventually wake up. She had counted on her brother to back her up, only for him to side with their father and his new household instead. Once the insurance company cut off coverage for the medical expenses, Cora was left completely on her own, giving her father the exact opening he needed to force her hand.

A sudden bang from the church doors snapped her out of her thoughts. Along with the sparse crowd of guests, she turned her head toward the entrance to find her groom standing there.

Dom Mercer walked in with an effortless self-assurance that seemed to shrink the entire room around him. The sight of him in a tailored black suit made her breath catch. Even when they were kids, she had always found him handsome, yet nothing had braced her for how undeniably sexy he had grown up to be. They hadn't crossed paths once since the arrangement was made the previous week, making this the first time she had laid eyes on him in years. As he strode up the aisle with his gaze locked straight on her, she looked away and cleared her throat.

“My apologies,” he said, coming to a halt right in front of her.

The words were clipped, formal, and completely devoid of warmth. He offered no excuse for showing up late, his expression as blank and detached as his voice.

She gave a small nod. “It’s alright.”

Once the ceremony started, she tuned everything out and drifted into a daze. The officiant’s voice faded into a dull background hum beneath the weight of her own racing thoughts. When her cue came, she whispered, “I do,” the syllables tasting like bitter ash in her mouth.

Thankfully, the service wrapped up in minutes, though the relief didn't last long with the reception waiting for them next. Why anyone had gone to the trouble of throwing a party was beyond her. Neither she nor Dom wanted this union, and their families certainly didn't care, making the whole event feel pointless when all she wanted was to go home. Yet here she stood in the middle of the dance floor, sharing a first dance with the man she had just married.

Her fingers rested lightly on Dom’s shoulders, barely making contact. In return, he settled his hands at her waist with a touch so faint she could hardly feel it, clearly keeping a polite distance just as she was doing. Grateful for the space, she followed his lead as the music began and they swayed together at a slow pace.

“You’re not little Cora anymore,” Dom remarked out of nowhere.

She tipped her chin up to look at him. “I could say the same for you.”

“You remember me,” he noted, a trace of surprise in his voice.

Fighting back a small smile, she gave a slight shake of her head. “How could I forget? You spent years picking on Nash and me. Where is he tonight, anyway?” she asked, scanning the room over his shoulder.

Dom’s younger brother, Nash, had been her closest companion back when the Vances and the Mercers were still on good terms. Because they shared the same age, the two of them had been glued at the hip, constantly scheming ways to get back at Dom for the relentless pranks he pulled on them.

“He’s been abroad, though his flight gets in tonight,” Dom replied.

She nodded in understanding.

Silence settled between them for several beats as they moved across the floor, until Dom broke the quiet again. “Why did you go along with this, Cora? Seeing Arthur Vance hand his prized daughter over to someone with my current reputation is quite a shock. Two percent in company shares hardly seems worth trading away a daughter. Or did you break down crying and beg your daddy dearest to let you have me?”

A sharp ache flared in her chest, though she refused to let it show. “I could ask the exact same question, Dom. What my family gains from this arrangement is obvious, so what do you get out of it?”

“According to my father, tying the knot will teach me some responsibility,” he replied evenly. “His words, not mine.”

“Somehow I doubt you walked down the aisle just because your father told you to,” she countered.

“And what makes you say that?”

She shot him a knowing look, expecting him to drop the act, only for him to lift his shoulders in a casual shrug that forced her to say it out loud. “Anyone who goes online knows all about your track record over the years, especially how you feel about marriage and romance. Love isn't in your vocabulary, and the tabloids catch you with a new woman on your arm every single week…”

The sudden frost in Dom’s eyes made her trail off, realizing she had crossed a line. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“Don't apologize,” Dom said flatly. “Knowing you have a clear picture of what you walked into makes things easier. Don't expect warmth or shared laughs out of this marriage, because you won't find them here. We both know this is strictly a business deal. And since you asked, Cora, my father is holding onto something that belongs to me, and putting a ring on your finger was the only way to get it back.”

A heavy nod was all she could manage as the air around them suddenly felt too thin to breathe. Half the guests had drifted onto the floor by now, crowding the space around them. Nearby, Sloane and Bryce swayed with their fingers laced together, sharing an easy laugh over some private joke, and the sight squeezed Cora’s chest until it hurt. Her family hadn't even given her time to grieve the end of a three-year relationship before shoving her straight down the aisle with Dom Mercer.

Hot tears stung the backs of her eyes, yet she blinked them away before they could fall. Letting Dom misread her grief was the absolute last thing she needed tonight.

Every ounce of this humiliation was for her mother’s survival, and for no one else.

Pushing the ache down deep, she kept moving in time with her new husband and fixed a stiff, polished smile onto her face for the flashing cameras and watching crowd.

When the reception finally wound down a few hours later, reality hit her all over again. Moving under the same roof with Dom was a detail she had tried not to think about all week. Without bothering to offer a single word of farewell, her family had walked out and left her behind, leaving her seated beside Dom in the passenger seat of his car with her gaze fixed on the road ahead. Neither of them had spoken a syllable since their exchange on the dance floor, and the silence stretching inside the cabin grew heavier with every passing mile.

Eventually, the car pulled up to the curb outside an aging apartment building, and they climbed out onto the pavement. Taking in the run-down surroundings, she crossed her arms over her chest to ward off the sharp chill in the night air.

“What’s wrong? Is this part of town beneath the precious Vance heiress?” Dom snapped, hauling her suitcases out from the open trunk.

Her brows drew together. “I never said a word about the neighborhood.” The street did look a bit rough around the edges, though it hadn't even crossed her mind until he threw it in her face.

Following him through the front entrance, she welcomed the modest warmth trapped inside the lobby. They stepped into a creaking elevator to ride up to his place on the third floor. Just as the metal doors began sliding shut, a mouse darted straight toward their feet, tearing a sharp shriek from her throat as she instinctively clutched Dom’s sleeve. Startled by the noise, the tiny creature bolted back the way it had come, its tail clearing the gap a split second before the doors clanked shut.

Dropping her hand from his arm immediately, she felt heat flood her cheeks. “Sorry…”

“Get used to it, because you’ll be seeing plenty of them in this building,” he replied without inflection.

Once he unlocked his front door and stepped aside, the sheer lack of space was the first thing that struck her. The unit was a compact studio where the sleeping area, kitchen, and living space all shared a single room, with only one closed door tucked into the far corner for the bathroom. Despite the tight quarters, every surface was neat and well-kept, giving the room a surprisingly warm feel, even if Dom probably resented having her crowd into his private space.

“Settle in wherever. The bathroom is right through there,” he said, gesturing toward the corner door before gathering a spare pillow and blanket to make up a bed on the sofa against the wall.

Pulling a set of pajamas from her bag, she crossed the room toward the bathroom. Just as her fingers curled around the doorknob, Dom spoke up from behind her.

“Cora? You are aware that the Mercers don't do divorce, right?”

She forced down the tight knot rising in her throat. “Yeah…”

“Then you understand where that leaves you? You’re trapped right here with me, for good.”