The grand cathedral echoed with the solemn hum of the choir, every note floating like whispers in the air, as if the walls themselves were murmuring prayers. Gold-lined arches loomed above us, and stained-glass windows painted shifting colors onto the marbled floors. It was beautiful—so beautiful it felt like a lie.
My hands trembled slightly beneath the silk of my white gloves as I stood beside the man I was about to marry. Sir Keyser Ace Delos Reyes. His name echoed in my head, repeating like a chant I couldn't stop hearing. Delos Reyes... The name was far too familiar. It danced at the edge of my memories, but every time I tried to grasp it, it slipped through my fingers like sand.
"Do you take Miss Ruby Crystalia Villanueva as your beloved wife?" the priest asked, his voice solemn, almost hesitant—as if even he felt the tension lingering in the air.
Keyser's reply was smooth and certain, "Yes, Father, I do."
I swallowed. The moment stretched like a thin string pulled too tight, threatening to snap.
"And do you, Miss Ruby Crystalia Villanueva, take Sir Keyser Ace Delos Reyes as your beloved husband?"
I glanced toward the crowd, trying to find a familiar face. My gaze landed on my father.
He was frozen.
His eyes, wide with horror, stared directly at Keyser—no, at both of us. As if he'd seen a ghost. As if this wedding, my wedding, was some kind of curse come to life.
A chill ran down my spine.
Why did he look so shocked?
I forced a smile, though my lips barely moved. "I do," I whispered.
The priest nodded gently. "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Keyser turned to me. Slowly. Mechanical.
His eyes were sharp and cold, void of warmth, like the sharp edge of a knife just before it touches skin. There was something terrifying in his gaze. It wasn't rage or hate—it was control. Calm, calculated control.
I didn't even feel the kiss. I closed my eyes before his lips touched mine, too afraid to meet that stare again. The moment passed. I felt his breath against my cheek, then silence.
When I opened my eyes, the crowd was applauding. People stood, clapping politely, some smiling, some holding tears in their eyes. But my eyes searched only for one man—my father.
He hadn't moved. Still pale. Still horrified.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
I didn't even want this wedding. My heart screamed against the decision, but duty… expectations…they all piled so high I couldn't see beyond them.
And now I was Keyser's wife.
As the reception began, the festivities blurred. Lights twinkled, champagne glasses clinked, and everyone wore their best masks of joy. I barely tasted the food, didn't register the music. My mind kept going back to my father's face—and the way Keyser had looked at me.
Something about this man is unsettling.
When the guests finally began to leave and the evening dimmed into twilight, I gathered my things, clutching my small, pre-packed suitcase. I stepped outside, where Keyser stood waiting beside a sleek black car. The moment I approached, he opened the passenger door without a word.
"Thank you," I mumbled, stepping in.
He said nothing. Just walked around and slid into the driver's seat. The engine purred to life, low and quiet, just like him.
As the car pulled away from the cathedral, I watched the building disappear in the rearview mirror. My chest felt tight. It wasn't sorrow. It wasn't excitement. It was fear.
No turning back now.
I let out a slow breath and turned my head to look at Keyser, hoping maybe I'd find something—anything—in his expression. But his face was unreadable, sharp jaw tense, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift like he belonged there. Like he was used to being in control.
And maybe he was.
We didn't speak. The silence stretched long and heavy between us, like a wall neither of us dared to break.
This is it, I thought. This is really the start.
Not just of a marriage—but of something deeper, darker. A chapter I hadn't been prepared to write. And I couldn't shake the feeling that my father knew something. Something I didn't.
But it was too late now.
I was no longer Ruby Crystalia Villanueva.
I was Mrs. Ruby Delos Reyes.
And somehow, that terrified me more than anything else.