Chosen as the Cursed Alpha's Seventh Bride

Emilia’s POV

I was having dinner with Lily when Sebastian called.

"Where are you?" his voice came through, warm and a little distracted.

"Having dinner with Lily. Want to join us?" I offered.

"Oh, no, I just wanted to hear your voice. You go ahead and eat. I’m hanging up."

Before I could respond with something appropriately sarcastic, he’d already disconnected. I stared at my phone.

"Did your Alpha just hang up on you?" Lily asked, grinning over her wine glass.

"Apparently my voice is only worth thirty seconds of his precious time," I said. "How romantic."

"Still, he called just to hear you talk. That’s actually kind of sweet."

"Sweet?" I raised an eyebrow. "More like weird."

Lily laughed. "You two really are perfect for each other. Both equally impossible to please."

I took a sip of my wine, but my mind was elsewhere. The comfortable banter faded as a familiar weight settled in my chest.

"Lily..." I started, my voice quieter now.

"What’s wrong?"

"Do you think there should be any secrets between two people who love each other?"

Lily set down her glass carefully. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." I hesitated, choosing my words. "Even if it’s a secret that might hurt the other person, should you still tell them? Or are some things better left unsaid?"

"Okay, stop." Lily held up her hand. "Can you just tell me straight up what you’re thinking? I’m not smart enough to figure out whatever philosophical crisis you’re having right now."

I took a deep breath. "I want to tell Sebastian why I really married him."

"No." Lily’s response was immediate and firm. She actually reached across the table and grabbed my wrist. "Absolutely not. Are you insane?"

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Lily’s voice rose slightly. "Emilia, what man would be okay with finding out his wife used him as a revenge tool? And Sebastian of all people? You really think he’s going to just smile and forgive you?"

"But if I don’t tell him, I’ll always feel guilty," I argued, pulling my hand back. "I’ve wanted to tell him so many times. Every time we’re together, every time he looks at me like I’m his whole world, I feel like I’m lying to him. I care about what we have too much to keep hiding this from him."

"Since you care about your relationship, you need to protect it," Lily said firmly. "Only a fool confesses everything to a man just because she feels guilty. There are some things you don’t say, even to your mate. Especially to your mate."

"That seems like terrible advice for a marriage."

"It’s realistic advice," Lily said. "Look, I’m not saying lie to him forever. But right now? When you’ve barely started building something real? Don’t think that just because he loves you now, he’ll forgive you for this. If you’re not one hundred percent sure he’ll understand, you cannot take this risk."

Her words made my stomach twist. She was right, of course. But that didn’t make it easier.

"I just feel like this secret won’t stay hidden forever," I said quietly. "No secret lasts forever, Lily. Eventually, something will slip. Someone will say something. And then what?"

"Then you deal with it when it happens," Lily said. "But at least wait until your bond with Sebastian is stronger. Wait until he’s so in love with you that even if he’s angry, he won’t be able to let you go. Right now? You’ve just started falling for each other. The bond is too new, too fragile. One wrong move and it could break it."

I stared down at my wine glass, watching the dark liquid swirl. She had a point. Every morning, I woke up telling myself I’d confess today. Every night, I convinced myself to wait until tomorrow. The cycle was exhausting.

By the time I got back to the villa, Sebastian was working in his study. I paused by the door, sticking my head in with what I hoped was a casual smile. "Hi, I’m back."

Sebastian looked up from his desk, his green eyes warming when he saw me. "Come here and give me a kiss."

He waved his hand in a demanding gesture that was somehow both arrogant and endearing. I walked over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"What did you eat tonight?" he asked, pulling me closer.

"Nothing with claws, shells, or the ability to pinch me," I said. "I’ve learned my lesson about seafood."

He laughed. "Are you afraid of crabs now?"

"I’m not just afraid. My stomach physically rejects them on sight. I see a crab, I think about that restaurant, and my digestive system files for divorce."

"That dramatic, huh?" Sebastian’s eyes crinkled with amusement. "Fine, I’ll take you somewhere else next time. Somewhere with absolutely no seafood."

"And liquor," I added. "Good liquor. The expensive kind you pretend not to enjoy but secretly love."

"I don’t pretend anything."

"You absolutely do. You’re the king of pretending."

We looked at each other and smiled. I stretched, feeling the tension from dinner with Lily start to ease. "Are you going to work much longer? I’m going to shower."

"Yeah, I might be a while. You go ahead. Don’t wait up for me."

I nodded and turned to leave. I was almost out the door when Sebastian’s voice stopped me.

"Emilia."

"Yeah?" I turned back, surprised by the serious tone.

He looked at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he shook his head. "Never mind. It’s nothing. Go shower."

I frowned, studying his face. "You sure?"

"Positive. Go."

I smiled, though something in his voice made me uneasy, and closed the door behind me. Through the door, he let out a long breath.

After my shower, I found myself standing outside my secret room. The small space I’d claimed as my own, where I kept the parts of myself I wasn’t ready to share yet.

I unlocked the drawer of my desk with a tiny key and pulled out a dark green diary. I’d kept journals since I was young, back when I had no one to talk to about the things that hurt. Writing became my only outlet, the only way to process emotions I couldn’t speak aloud.

I’d just opened to a fresh page when the door suddenly swung open.

"By the way," Sebastian said, walking in **, "**the contract your father signed today wasn’t stamped. Tell him to bring his stamp to the company tomorrow."

My heart lurched. I hadn’t heard him coming. Panicking, I slammed the diary shut and shoved it back into the drawer, nearly catching my fingers in the process.

"Oh... okay," I said. "Sure. I’ll tell him."

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed slightly, glancing at the desk and then back at me.

I quickly asked him, "Haven’t you showered yet?"

"I was just about to!" he said.

"Then go take one." I pushed him out into the hallway, my heart still racing.