Chapter 27

ALINA

With the hasty decision I made, I was hoping the day was not going to come soon. I hoped that it would take some more time at least, but that was not the case. The day came as fast even though I was dreading it. On top of all of that, instead of excitement or joy, I was filled with a deep, unsettling sense that something was missing. I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection in the elegant gown I had been fitted for, but I barely recognized the woman looking back at me.

This wasn’t how I had imagined my wedding day. When I thought about marriage growing up, it was always about love. I never expected to be standing here, preparing to marry someone because I felt bad for them. And yet, here I was, about to marry Kai. Not because I was madly in love with him, but because I had convinced myself that maybe, just maybe, this was the right thing to do.

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t. I could not just marry someone because of that. I wanted to be selfless, but I could no