My Forced Marriage To A Coma Knight

Eleanore POV:

My family forced me to marry Kayson Knight, a man who'd been in a coma for five years. It was a sacrifice to save our family's legacy, a life sentence I accepted for their sake.

But on my adopted sister Josie's birthday, she framed me for stealing a family heirloom. My parents, who had always favored her, didn't hesitate. "Guards! Search her!" my father roared.

They pinned me down in front of all their guests. My brother held my arms while my childhood sweetheart looked away. They had already pushed me down the stairs and left me for dead once before. They had taken my kidney for Josie. This was just the final humiliation.

But they didn't know my secret. I had been recording Josie's lies for weeks.

As the guards' hands closed on me, I screamed, "You want the truth? Let's hear it then!" and pressed play on the hidden recorder.

Chapter 1

My hand, trembling ever so slightly, reached for the pen. It felt heavier than any burden I had ever carried, yet lighter than the crushing weight of their expectations. "I will do it," I said, my voice barely a whisper, a strange echo in the opulent Boston living room. "I'll marry Kayson Knight." The words, once a childhood nightmare, now felt like a desperate plea for freedom.

My mother, her face a mask of practiced concern, sighed with relief. "Eleanore, darling, you're so brave. It's for the best, you know." Her eyes, however, darted nervously towards the portrait of my grandfather hanging above the fireplace, a silent judge.

"Brave?" I wanted to scream, but the sound caught in my throat. Addison, my childhood sweetheart, shifted uncomfortably on the velvet couch beside me. He didn't meet my gaze. His silence was louder than any accusation.

Colbert, my older brother, cleared his throat. "It's not ideal, El, but it's our family's legacy. You understand, don't you? Kayson's family will appreciate your sacrifice." Sacrifice. They made it sound like a noble act, not a life sentence.

They didn't understand. They never did.

I remembered the summer days, not so long ago, when this house was filled with laughter. Addison and I, tangled in secrets and puppy love, chasing fireflies in the sprawling garden. My brother, Colbert, always protective, always there. My parents, doting and proud. Our lives, a picture of Bostonian perfection.

Then came my eighteenth birthday. A celebration that quickly turned into a solemn declaration. Our grandfathers, in their infinite wisdom, had arranged a marriage to merge our empires. The Spence and Knight families, united by contract. Kayson Knight, the heir to a New York tech dynasty, was my intended. It had always been for me.

But then, the twist of fate. A car accident, a five-year coma. Kayson, the man I was destined to marry, became a phantom. My parents, riddled with guilt, couldn't bear to send their "cherished daughter" to marry a man who might never wake. They feared the whispers, the societal judgment.