Chapter 3: The Deal sealed

The air inside the church felt suffocating.

Every whisper.

Every stare.

Every judgmental glance—

It all came crashing down on Lina the moment she stepped back in.

But this time…

She wasn’t alone.

Gasps echoed through the hall as heads turned.

“Isn’t that—?”

“Who is that man?”

“He’s even more handsome than the groom…”

Lina’s grip tightened around his arm.

Her heart was racing, but she forced herself to walk forward.

Steady.

Calm.

Untouchable.

Beside her, he moved with effortless confidence, like he owned the entire room.

Like this was all part of his plan.

Maybe it was.

They reached the front.

The priest looked confused.

“Miss Lina… what is going on?”

Before she could speak—

He did.

“We’re getting married,” he said smoothly.

Silence.

Then chaos.

“What?!”

“Is this some kind of joke?”

Her aunt stood up abruptly.

“Lina, have you lost your mind?! Who is this man?”

Lina swallowed hard.

This was it.

No turning back.

She lifted her chin.

“He’s my fiancé,” she said.

The lie rolled off her tongue more easily than expected.

Murmurs spread like wildfire.

But then—

The church doors burst open again.

“Stop!”

Lina froze.

That voice…

Her ex-fiancé stormed in, his face filled with anger.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, glaring at her.

Lina’s chest tightened, but she didn’t step back.

Not this time.

“You made your choice,” she said coldly. “This is mine.”

He laughed bitterly.

“Him?” he scoffed, looking her companion up and down. “Do you even know who you’re standing next to?”

A dangerous silence fell.

Lina felt the man beside her shift slightly.

Then—

“I think,” he said calmly, “the better question is… do you?”

Something about his tone made the entire room go still.

Her ex frowned.

“Who the hell are you?”

The man beside Lina adjusted his cufflinks casually.

Then he spoke—

And the world seemed to stop.

“My name is Adrian Blackwood.”

The reaction was instant.

Shock.

Pure shock.

“No way…”

“It can’t be…”

“The Blackwood family?”

Lina’s breath caught.

Blackwood.

Of course.

She knew that name.

Everyone did.

Powerful.

Untouchable.

Dangerous.

Her ex-fiancé’s face went pale.

“You’re lying,” he said, but his voice lacked confidence.

Adrian didn’t even look at him.

Instead, he turned to the priest.

“Shall we proceed?”

The priest hesitated.

“I… I need confirmation—”

“You have it,” Adrian said, his voice firm. “Or would you like to explain to the Blackwood family why you refused?”

That was enough.

“Of course not!” the priest said quickly. “We can begin immediately.”

Lina’s heart pounded violently.

This was really happening.

She glanced at Adrian.

He looked completely calm.

Like this was just another business deal.

Meanwhile, her entire life was spinning out of control.

“Lina,” her ex snapped, stepping forward. “Don’t do this. You’re making a mistake.”

She looked at him.

Really looked at him.

And for the first time—

She felt nothing.

No love.

No pain.

Just… emptiness.

“You already made the mistake,” she said quietly.

Then she turned away.

“Let’s begin,” she told the priest.

The ceremony started.

The words blurred together.

Promises.

Vows.

Forever.

They sounded meaningless.

Because this wasn’t love.

This was survival.

“Do you take this man as your husband?” the priest asked.

Lina hesitated.

Just for a second.

Then—

“I do.”

Her voice was steady.

Stronger than she felt.

The priest turned to Adrian.

“And do you take this woman as your wife?”

Adrian’s gaze locked onto hers.

Something unreadable flickered in his eyes.

Then—

“I do.”

The words sent a strange chill down her spine.

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

It was done.

Just like that.

Lina had gone from a broken bride…

To the wife of the most dangerous man in the room.

“Congratulations,” the priest said nervously.

But before Lina could even process it—

Adrian leaned closer.

His voice brushed against her ear.

“Remember,” he whispered, “this is just a deal.”

Her fingers curled slightly.

“I know.”

But something about the way he said it…

Made her wonder if that was really true.

Then—

He pulled back and looked at her.

A faint, almost possessive smile on his lips.

“Let’s go, wife.”

Her heart skipped.

Wife.

The word felt foreign.

Heavy.

Binding.

As he took her hand and led her out of the church, Lina couldn’t shake the feeling growing inside her—

This wasn’t the end of her nightmare.

It was just the beginning.