Hate surrounded us. Why wouldn't it after everything that happened in the past? Rhys Archer had already ruined my life once, and he was about to do it all over again. Breaking my heart once wasn't enough. The cold and brutal prince wanted to do it again. It wasn't meant to be me. I wasn't supposed to end up with him. I'm the substitute. I'm not meant to be his, nor is he destined to be mine. Could he love me? Never. . . . Ava Robinson. The Marshal's daughter. And Prince Rhys's substitute bride. When Ava's sister runs away a week before her wedding day, Ava's forced to take her place with the man she despises most. Rhys Archer. The crowned Prince of the Kingdom of Kilthorne. Her worst nightmare, nemesis, and... the only boy she's ever loved. Once upon a time, it was forbidden, and the prince put his duties before his love, breaking Ava down and leaving her to pick up the pieces. Now, when it's time for him to marry, the most suitable contender was someone familiar. Their twisted fate brings them back to each other, this time in the bond the two desperately want to escape. Can old feelings rekindle with the vows of holy matrimony? Or can hatred be the only vow they make to each other?