Prisoner In Silk Sheets: A Wife With No Way Out

On the day Anna Hart was meant to be married, the hall stood decorated and waiting, but there was no groom at the end of the aisle.

Julian Ashford, the man chosen to be her husband, had spent six months in a vegetative state after a devastating car accident. The doctors had given him little time to live, and Anna's mother, overwhelmed by grief, wanted her daughter to at least experience the illusion of a wedding before the end came.

The Ashford family counted among the wealthiest in Avonsville, but no rational person would have agreed to marry a dying man.

Sitting in front of her mirror, Anna carefully adjusted the folds of her white dress. The satin's soft sheen traced the outline of her slender figure, and her delicate makeup brought out the smoothness of her complexion, making her resemble a fragile flower on the verge of blooming. Still, an uneasy glow flickered in her eyes.

Only twenty minutes remained before the ceremony. Her hands shook as she stared at her phone, hoping for a message that never appeared.

Before this marriage had been forced upon her, Anna had loved someone else. That man was Noah Ashford, Julian's nephew. Their relationship had been hidden from everyone, but just the day before, Anna had written to him, pleading for him to take her away from Avonsville so they could begin a new life together. She had spent the entire night waiting for his reply, but no answer ever came.

Unable to wait any longer, Anna stood up, gripped her phone tightly, and left the room, offering only a vague excuse.

In the hallway, a sudden burst of laughter made her stop in her tracks. Through the slightly open door of a nearby room, she heard the voices of her half-sister Mia and… Noah.

"I bet my poor sister is still watching for your message," Mia said with a laugh. "You should go and charm her with a few more sweet words." Then she paused. "What if she changed her mind at the last minute?"

"Do you think she still had a choice?" Noah replied as he hugged Mia. Even if Anna tried to run, they would have dragged her to the altar by force.

Mia's cruel laughter echoed again.

"Wait until she discovers you spend every night with me!"

Anna staggered, dizziness overwhelming her. She steadied herself just in time, tears burning in her eyes. Her fists tightened around the folds of her dress.

Her father, having lost everything, remained bedridden in the hospital. Her stepmother, Alice Hart, had insisted on this arranged marriage, claiming it would save their family. In reality, it had been a cunning way to cast her aside. Now, even the man she had once loved had turned against her, plotting with Mia in secret.

Noah had filled her with promises of a new life once Julian was gone, but those hopes had been nothing more than empty illusions. In the end, everything he had told