Married by Force

Aurora POV

I can't do this," Ethan whispered

I blinked, confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked softly

For a second, in just a second;I wondered if this was part of his elaborate plan to surprise me. Ethan was dramatic like that. The musicians might start playing our song. The lights could dim. Our families could stand up and cheer. He would drop to one knee and laugh at how gullible I was.

He couldn't look at me. His jaw clenched. His eyes were darting everywhere else; the chandelier hanging above us, the glass of champagne he hadn't touched. His throat bobbed with a hard swallow. His fingers curled around the velvet tablecloth as he muttered the words from his mouth.

"I can't go through with it. He said, slowly The proposal. Us."

My entire body went cold. My breath froze halfway into my lungs. The sound suddenly blurred. The orchestra at the far end of the restaurant faded into a distorted hum. Every pair of eyes from the other tables glued themselves to us.

"Wait...what?" My voice cracked

Ethan stood. The chair's legs scraped loudly against the polished marble floor, as everyone stared at us from other tables

He reached into his coat pocket, My heart leaped.

There. The box. Finally. He's nervous. He panicked. He didn't mean it.

But instead, he pulled out his hand.

"Aurora..." he said quietly,

"I need the key to my apartment back."

The words sliced through me. My breath hitched

"Is this a joke?" My voice trembled. "Ethan, tell me this is a joke," I whispered

He didn't answer.

Two nights ago, I had snooped through his laptop two nights ago and found an open tab for "2-carat oval engagement rings." My heart had skipped. I had even practiced saying yes in front of the bathroom mirror, hands over my mouth, fake tears in my eyes.

Tonight, everything was supposed to fall into place.

Except he didn't pull out a ring box. Everyone was here. Everyone saw it.; my father, my stepmother, and my stepsisters, Ethan's older brother, and even my nosy aunt who lived in the UK. They watched from their table at the back, wide-eyed and surprised.

"Why... why?" I whispered. The question managed to come out of my throat, barely formed.

"Say something!" I yelled suddenly, the sharpness of my voice cutting through the entire room.

Ethan flinched. His lips parted, his eyes filled with guilt

"I'm sorry, Aurora. I love you. But I've made a mistake."

The air shifted.

I didn't see her at first.

My sister, my stepsister;Camilla. She stood from a nearby table where I hadn't even noticed she was seated. Tonight wasn't about her. Except, apparently, it always had been.

She moved faster than I ever imagined she could. Her heels clicked against the marble floor, and before I could piece together what was happening, she was standing beside Ethan.

And then-

She grabbed him by the collar of his perfectly ironed white shirt. With her