Chapter 20: Shattered Vows

The rain had returned. Not a drizzle, but a storm — as if the heavens themselves grieved what was about to break.

Elena stood at the center of the ballroom, surrounded by faces and eyes that knew nothing of the war raging inside her. The chandeliers above glowed with golden warmth, but nothing could melt the ice forming around her heart.

Across the room, Zayn entered, his black suit soaked at the shoulders. His eyes locked with hers immediately, like magnets caught in a pull too ancient to break. But this time, something was different. Colder. Calculated.

She took a step forward.

He took a step back.

That was all it took for the world to fracture.

Earlier That Day

Zayn had found the letter in his father's old drawer — yellowed at the edges, sealed with a crimson wax. It bore Elena's father's name.

His heart raced as he opened it, each word cutting through the fragile threads of trust he'd woven with Elena.

"She must never know. The deal was made. The contract binds them both — not out of love, but necessity."

A contract. A lie. His entire marriage was based on a family deal neither of them understood completely.

He dropped the letter as if it burned him.

Back in her apartment, Elena stared at the mirror, her fingers trembling as she adjusted her necklace. The old pendant her mother gave her, inscribed with initials she never questioned before — Z.M. Not her own. Not even her father's.

Something wasn't right.

Her phone buzzed.

A message from an unknown number:

"Ask him about the red envelope. Ask him before it's too late."

Evening

They met at the event because they had no choice. A charity gala in the name of appearances — of wealth and civility. But beneath the silks and smiles, daggers waited.

Zayn approached her slowly. "We need to talk."

"Not here," she whispered, smiling for the cameras, masking the storm.

They slipped away to a hidden hallway, where the sounds of laughter couldn't drown the sound of breaking hearts.

"You knew," he said, voice barely human.

"I didn't." Her eyes shimmered with tears. "What are you talking about?"

He held up the letter. "This. This is why we're married. It wasn't fate. It wasn't love. It was a goddamn contract."

The silence that followed was more deafening than any scream.

"No," she shook her head, "that's not true."

"Isn't it?" He took a step closer. "Tell me, Elena. Do you love me because you chose me, or because you had to?"

She looked down.

And that silence was all the answer he needed.

Flashback — 12 Years Ago

A boy stands by a hospital bed. His mother whispers in his ear: "You must protect her. No matter the cost."

A girl cries in the hallway, unaware that fate had already bound her to him.

Present

Zayn stepped back, hand clenched. "I can't do this anymore."

"Zayn, wait—"

But he was already walking away, leaving behind shattered glass and vows that once promised forever.

Later That Night

Elena sat in the rain, mascara running, phone in her lap, staring at the message again.

A second one appeared.

"He wasn't the only one keeping secrets."

She looked up.

And there, across the street, stood a man she thought had died ten years ago.

Her brother.