CONTENTS
Content Warning
Theme Song
Blurb
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Extended Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Dana Isaly
About the Author
BURDENS WE CARRY
Copyright © 2022 Dana Isaly
All rights reserved.
Published: Dana Isaly 2022
No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form without written consent from the author. Except in the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a piece of fiction. Any names, characters, businesses, places or events are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, events or locations is purely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and have not purchased it for your use only, then you should return it to your favorite book retailer and purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Editing: Sandra at One Love Editing
Cover Design: Pink Elephant Designs
Formatting: Pink Elephant Designs
CONTENT WARNING
This book is strictly for those over the legal age of adulthood due to its graphic sexual content and naughty language. There is mention of bullying.
THEME SONG
Dandelions by Ruth B.
For Naly.
For sticking by me. For loving me unconditionally. For believing me. For being unapologetically you.
This one's for you, bitch.
BLURB
Owen’s life has never really felt like his own. As his father’s only son, he’s left carrying the burden of marrying for the family, and not for love.
When the news came that a match had been made, Owen went on a bender, sleeping his way through one person after another all summer.
But as he watches Aurora walk down the aisle, the arranged marriage suddenly doesn’t seem all that bad. She’s nothing like he expected, her alabaster skin and violet eyes sweeping Owen off his feet.
Realizing she’s never been touched, Owen discovers he has something that’s truly his for the first time in his life. And when Aurora willingly offers him her heart and body, he starts to believe their marriage could be more than an obligation.
Aurora could give Owen the one thing he’s always longed for—love.
PROLOGUE
AURORA
Aurora, age five
“Once upon a time,” my mother starts as she tucks me into bed, “there was a great king with a garden so magnificent, it didn’t lack a single flower. But the most important and impressive of the plants was a tree that produced the most beautiful golden oranges.”
“Like Papà’s!” I chime in.
“Like Papà’s.” She smiles. “And this king was just as protective over his golden oranges as we are. He would station a guard at the tree every night before the tree was supposed to bloom. But on the first morning, when the king made his way down to his grove, the tree was empty, and the guard was asleep.”
“He’s going to be in trouble,” I gasp.
“The king was very angry,” she says, “and woke the guard by shouting at him. ‘Where are my oranges? Why are they gone?’ he asked. But the guard was just as confused as the king. He explained that a goldfinch had come and perched itself upon a branch above his head, and as the bird sang, it put the guard into a deep magical sleep.
“The guard was immediately replaced, and the king held out hope that the new guard would be able to keep his precious tree safe. But the next morning, the new guard was asleep at the base of the tree, and not a single orange had blossomed. The king shouted again, startling the new guard awake. With the same story being told, the king decided he would have to try something else.”
“What did he do?” I ask eagerly.
“He put out an announcement to the whole village, asking for anyone who thought they could catch the bird to come forward, and he would repay them handsomely with a trunk filled with gold! But day after day passed with no one coming forward and guards continuously falling asleep until the season had ended, resulting in a fruitless season for the king.”
“But after a year had passed and the season was beginning again, a peasant came to the king, announcing that he could catch the bird for the king within three days’ time. The only catch was, this peasant did not want the king’s gold. He wanted the king’s daughter—his only daughter.
“The king refused, offering gold and gifts instead, telling the man he could have whatever he wanted inside the palace. But the peasant was adamant. He did not want the gold. He wanted the princess. Eventually, the king decided to agree, betrothing the princess to the peasant. The peasant thanked the king and went off to catch the troublesome bird.”
“Did he catch it?” I ask her, gripping the soft sheet of my bed and hanging on every word.
“He did. Before the three days were up, the peasant man returned, and the king was rejoiceful but scorned the poor man when he asked for the hand of the princess. The peasant was kicked out, and the king was left alone with the goldfinch. Immediately, the king began to torture the bird, plucking out his feathers one by one and demanding this bird tell him where he took all of the golden oranges.”
“Birds don’t talk,” I interrupt.
“They do in fairy tales,” my mother whispers as she runs her finger down my nose. “And this particular bird gave up very quickly, telling the king where the oranges were. So the next day, the king snuck off to the cave where the bird had stored all of his precious oranges. But when he arrived, the peasant was standing outside, guarding the treasure.”
I gasp.
“The peasant exclaimed that he would not let the king pass until he had the hand of the princess. The king, desperate to get his oranges, once again offered the peasant all the riches he could ever need. But he refused, only wanting the princess’s hand in marriage. When the king finally agreed, the peasant made him swear this time that his word was his honor.
“Inside the cave, the king found piles and piles of diamonds. He would fill his pockets in one room but then discover there were more beautiful jewels in the next. So he would empty his pockets and start over. Room after room in the cave, this would happen until finally he reached the final room. And can you guess what was in the final room of the cave?”