The-Wrong-Bride-Ares--Raven’s-story-(Maura,-Catharina)_bibis

Chapter Sixteen
RAVEN
I pull up in front of Hannah’s apartment and walk straight in. Whenever something major happens,
Hannah always hides away at home instead of facing the consequences of her actions. She looks up
from her seat on the sofa, her eyes red.
I sigh as I take in the panda onesie she’s wearing and the popcorn on the table. Of course she’s
watching The Notebook. Part of me sympathizes with her. The choice she made isn’t an easy one, and
for her to do this a week before the wedding means she’s serious. It must have been heartbreaking,
knowing she couldn’t have both her career and Ares.
“Raven.” She holds her arms up and I bite back a smile as I sit down next to her, giving in to her
silent plea for a hug. I wrap my arms around her and rub her back as she rests her head on my
shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she tells me. “I know how much time you put into this wedding, but I can’t do
this. I can’t sacrifice my career, and even though I love Ares, I’m not willing to abide by his family’s
suffocating rules for the rest of my life. I can’t live like that, Rave.”
I pull back to look at her, my gaze searching. Dad hasn’t told her, has he? “Hannah,” I murmur.
“You have to do this. It’s too late to walk away now. There really is no going back anymore, Han. If
you walk away now, that’s it. It’s the end of Ares and you. Do you really want that? I know you love
him, and he worships the ground you walk on. I know he makes you happy, Han.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t, Rave. I really can’t. If I marry him, I’ll just end up resenting him for
everything I’ll lose in the process.”
“Hannah.” My voice is soft yet chastising. “This isn’t just a love marriage, though. It’s an
arranged marriage. Have you thought of what will happen to Mom and Dad? The company and
everything we own? Without the Windsors’ support, we can’t survive.”
She wraps her arms around herself, a hint of insecurity in her gaze. “They won’t harm us. You
know they won’t.”
I cross my arms and stare her down. “Grandma Anne came to the house today, Han. She insists
that the wedding take place next week… with or without you. If you don’t do this, they’ll… they’ll
make me marry him in your stead.”
Hannah’s eyes widen, and she falls silent. “What? You can’t be serious?”
I nod. “I am. Dad told me that if I don’t, I’ll lose my company and all the money he promised to