CHAPTER 1

AMY

Sold to a Vampire.

I would very much like to know the exact moment my father began to hate me so much that he no longer cared about me.

But I'm almost certain he began to hate me when I was born, and my mother died while giving birth to me; I killed my mother, and he hates me for it.

"You should smile now, Amy! Your father and I are giving you a much better life than you deserve and can imagine!", my stepmother says this, touching my face as I struggle not to shed a tear in this world.

"I don't want this!", I say, seeing anger flash in her eyes as I fight back tears.

"You have no choice. You will marry tomorrow, and you have no other option; we've already made that decision, girl!", she says, and I tightly close my eyes.

A marriage to a vampire.

Is there anything worse than this?

Well, I don't think so.

I turn, feeling tears streaming down my cheek as I look around, seeing that I'm alone with my stepmother; my father is waiting for my fiancé to arrive at our house tonight.

I still don't know the man I'm going to marry, but my stepmother only told me that he is a vampire from a very wealthy and influential family; my father sold me to him in exchange for a lot of money, and I have no other choice at the moment.

"Elisabeth, I don't want this, please. I don't want to marry a man I don't love.", I whisper, looking at her as if pleading with my gaze, but she shakes her head and looks at me with disgust.

She never liked me. She and my father seemed like a perfect couple who hated me and didn't care about me.

"Love? Love is just an illusion for stupid girls like you, Amy. It's decided; you will marry, and there's no point in trying to fight it."

"Please...", I whisper, grabbing her arm, but I close my eyes when I feel her hand slap my face forcefully.

Tears wet my face as I feel the slap on my cheek. I touch my skin, looking at her, feeling my vision blurred.

"The Castellani family is coming, and you must be ready to meet them. Don't cry, girl! Smile!", She touches my face, and I recoil, feeling my heart pounding hard in my chest.

"Why do you hate me so much? I've never done anything wrong to you or my father...", I murmur, silently crying, as she looks at me with a wicked smile on her red lips.

"You're a murderer, Amy. Your father hates you because you were born and killed your mother; I think you always knew that. Be ready in ten minutes!", She says, hurting me, but then backing away.

I close my eyes, placing my hand over my chest, and I start crying more. I have a little time before meeting the man who will be my husband tomorrow.

A vampire.

I'm going to marry a vampire, and I'm terrified; I've never been in front of a vampire, and tomorrow I'll be married to one.

I'm sitting on my bed, hugging my knees to my chest as tears continue to flow down my face.

The room is enveloped in a silent dimness, with only the faint light of the moon filtering through the partially open curtains. I feel completely alone, abandoned to my fate amid a cruel destiny imposed upon me.

Tomorrow, I'll be marrying a vampire.

The idea seems absurd, almost surreal. I never wanted this. I never even imagined that something like this could happen to me. But my father, in a desperate act to save the family from complete ruin, sold me to a family of vampires.

I can't help but feel betrayed, sold like a piece of meat in a market.

I raise my head, finding my tear-stained gaze in the mirror's reflection in front of me. Tears mark my face; a trail of pain and anguish is evident in every line.

I'll have to face the vampire for the first time in a few minutes, and the thought terrifies me. My body trembles involuntarily, a reflection of my deep and palpable fear.

The touch of my stepmother still burns on my skin, leaving a physical mark of her cruelty.

I can't help but relive the moment I was assaulted, a gesture of disdain that only exacerbated my emotional pain.

I cry even more as I realize that I have no one to turn to, no one who loves me. My mother is dead, and I'm trapped in a house where my father and stepmother harbor only contempt for me.

My eyes drift to the faded photo of my mother, an ethereal figure I never knew beyond the stories told by my father.

I feel a deep longing for the woman who was denied to me—a presence that could have brought comfort in times of despair like this. But fate, cruel as always, robbed me even of that solace.

With a trembling sigh, I wipe my eyes with the backs of my hands, forcing a shaky smile on my quivering lips.

I know I need to keep composure, at least until the situation becomes unbearable. Tomorrow, my life will change forever, plunging me into a world of darkness and uncertainty.

As the minutes pass slowly, I find myself lost in a sea of tumultuous thoughts.

I wonder what the future holds for me, fearing the unknown that will unfold before me.

With one last look at my mother's photo, I rise from the bed with renewed resolve.

I won't let the circumstances defeat me. I'll face my destiny head-on, ready to confront any challenge life throws at me.

With faltering steps, I make my way to the door of my room, ready to face the vampire and the uncertain future that awaits me beyond it.

My hand touches the doorknob, and at that moment, I hear a car approaching my house. I turn my head before walking to the window of my room, seeing that a very luxurious and expensive black car is parked in front of the house.

I feel my body trembling when, in the darkness of the night, I see three people getting out of the car. Furthermore, I furrow my brow, trying to look at the people, but the darkness doesn't allow me to do that at this moment.

The vampires have arrived.

I still know nothing about the man I'm going to marry; I only know his name is Aaron Castellani.

I leave the room with slow and hesitant steps, my heart pounding uncontrollably in my chest.

Likewise, I want to cry, to let out all the emotions suffocating me, but I force myself to control that urge once again. Each step feels like a battle against the fear consuming me from within.

When I finally reach the living room, where murmuring voices echo, I close my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.

I feel my heart pounding hard, and a trail of anxiety runs through my veins. With a resigned sigh, I open my eyes and continue to walk, determined to face whatever awaits me.

When I finally reached the room, my eyes met my father and stepmother shaking hands with an unfamiliar woman.

A crease of confusion forms on my forehead as I approach, and seconds later, the red eyes of the woman fix on me.

I shiver, a wave of fear engulfing me as I realize I'm standing in front of a vampire for the first time.

I stand beside my father, my eyes meeting those of the vampire woman, who watches me intently.

Furthermore, I force a small smile, trying to appear brave despite the flood of emotions overwhelming me.

While my father introduced me to the woman, I felt a growing discomfort. He speaks with a loving tone, praising me as a good daughter, but I know the truth behind the words. He never treated me kindly, and that only added weight to my heart.

"Amy, this is Olivia Castellani, Aaron's mother.", my father says, and I nod my head, still looking at the woman before me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Castellani.", My voice comes out very polite, and the woman blinks before nodding her head quickly to me as well.

"I'm sure you're very excited about your wedding tomorrow, Amy.", she says for the first time, and when I open my mouth to reply, I hear my stepmother's voice.

"Oh, yes! She was pleased; she had always dreamed of this day. Before you arrived, she was telling me how eager she was for tomorrow. She says it with a big smile.

I raise my head, seeing that Olivia is still watching me.

"I'm sure Amy can answer my question since she's the one marrying my son, Elisabeth.", Olivia says, and I widen my eyes.

She looks sternly at my stepmother, and I control my urge to smile when I see her silent nodding.

Olivia looks back at me with a small smile, and I smile, too, for the first time tonight.

Her eyes are red, and I'm shocked that she's not looking at me in a way that seems to devour me or drink all my blood.

"I confess I'm very nervous about the wedding, but I know everything will be okay. I hope Aaron and I get along well.", I say, confused by his absence.

"I'm sure of that too, Amy. Aaron had to take an important call, but he'll be back soon, and you'll get to meet him. He's eager for that, too.", she says, pointing outside the house, and I nod.

As the conversation continued, I struggled to maintain composure, my heart weighing heavier with each passing second. I feel like a pawn in a game I don't understand, a puppet in the hands of forces beyond my control.

Every word spoken seems to sink me deeper into an abyss of despair and powerlessness.

Lost in my own dark thoughts, I wonder how I got to this point and how my life veered so drastically off the course I imagined for myself. I feel like an intruder in my own existence, a stranger in my own skin.

It's at that moment that I turn my head to the side and see a little girl entering the house. I furrow my brow when I see her approaching Olivia, quickly realizing she's one of the people I saw getting out of the car.

The girl smiles at my father, and seconds later, her eyes fixed on my face. I sigh when I notice her eyes are also red, and she's a vampire.

"Hello.", the girl says, smiling at me, and seconds later, I feel a smile growing on my lips.

"Hello.", I whisper, hearing Olivia's voice touching the girl's hair.

"Amy, this is Elora. Aaron's daughter.", Olivia says, and I'm shocked to hear this.

His daughter.

I nod my head, still looking at the girl, but I didn't know Aaron had a daughter, and I didn't know vampires could have children.

I still haven't seen him, and I don't know what he's like. Furthermore, I sit beside my father, still wholly enchanted by Elora's beauty. She's a girl with shiny black hair and intense red eyes.

I sigh as everyone starts engaging in conversation now, while I still feel my heart pounding hard in my chest. I feel uncomfortable, and I really want to go back to my room, but I can't go back yet.

Likewise, I try to smile all the time to seem like I'm happy about this wedding, but I think Olivia knows that's not the truth.

I stand up from the living room, feeling the weight of tension still hovering over me. A need to escape the emotional claustrophobia pushes me out of the house, leading me to seek refuge in the garden.

I know there are vampires in the house, a frightening truth that makes me shudder with every step, but I struggle to maintain my composure as I cross the garden.

The cool night air envelops me as I close my eyes, allowing myself a moment of calm.

I approach a rose bed and delicately pick a red flower between my trembling fingers. The gentle scent of the rose fills my nostrils, bringing a slight relief to my tumultuous mind.

However, my peace is abruptly interrupted when I notice a figure moving in the shadows of the night. My heart races as my eyes snap open, finding the profile of a tall man approaching me.

The pale moonlight illuminates part of his face, revealing the defined features and red eyes that confirm his identity as a vampire.

I swallow hard, my body tense as I grip the flower tighter. I silently watch as the man approaches, feeling vulnerable in the presence of his imposing figure.

He is tall and imposing but strangely young for a vampire, with long black hair cascading over his shoulders.

I keep my guard up as he stands before me, his red eyes fixed on mine.

Silence hangs between us for a moment, tense and laden with the anticipation of the unknown. Then, finally, the man's voice breaks the silence, echoing in the serene night.

"You must be Amy.", he says, his voice deep and melodic.

I nodded in response. My voice caught in my throat as I observed the vampire before me.

We remain silent for a moment, the weight of the situation heavy upon us.

"You must be Aaron.", I say, seeing him nod, and I sigh, realizing that he and I are alone now.

"You seem afraid of me.", he says calmly, and I blink rapidly.

"I... I've never been in the presence of vampires before.", I whisper, seeing a smile growing on his lips.

"Well, you need to get used to it as soon as possible since you'll be completely mine tomorrow, Amy.", he says with a smile, and I feel my whole body shivering at that moment.

"I hope you're ready to leave tonight.", he says, and I furrow my brow, unable to understand what he's telling me now.

"What?"

"You'll leave this place tonight. We're here to fetch you; the wedding is tomorrow, and we should be together."

I shake my head. I didn't know about this part; I thought I would sleep in my bed where I could cry endlessly, but I didn't want to accept this. Furthermore, I don't want to leave with them tonight.

I feel tears welling up in my eyes again as I continue to look at him.

"Where are you going to take me?", I ask, seeing him raise an eyebrow as he continues to look at me.

"To my house. You seem surprised by this, Amy."

"I'm fine, but I didn't know I should go tonight."

"The sooner you and I get to know each other, the better it will be for both of us.", he says, getting closer and closer to me, but for some reason, I can't move away from him.

I blink my eyes, feeling the shiver down my body as I think his lips getting closer to my ear while I continue to hold the rose tightly in my hands.

"I can hear your heart beating, Amy. You're afraid, and I can feel it.", he whispers with a deep voice, and I lift my head, looking at him and seeing that his red pupils are fixed on my face.

"Are you going to hurt me?", I ask, trembling and feeling tears wetting my cheeks.

He furrows his brow, looking at my cheek, and I quickly lower my head when I realize he's looking at the mark on my face.

I feel tears streaming continuously, and I blink my eyes when I think of his hand lifting my face, looking at me with a severe expression.