Mag-log inDamien POV The gunshot tore through the courthouse registry, and the entire room erupted into chaos. People screamed and scrambled for cover, knocking over chairs and dropping folders as they tried to get away from the front of the room. My heart slammed against my ribs. I hadn't even realized Ethan had a gun until I saw the flash right in front of me. "Leah! Leah, are you okay?" I grabbed her and quickly checked her over, running my hands over her arms and torso and looking for any sign of blood on her white dress. She was shaking badly, but there was no blood, no wound, and nothing to suggest that the bullet had touched her. She was safe. I pulled her against me, holding her tightly while the people around us continued screaming. "I'm okay," she whispered against my neck, her voice shaking. "I know. I've got you." I looked toward the front of the room, expecting to see Ethan still standing beside the magistrate's desk, but he was already moving toward one of the side exits.
Damien POV “I object.” My voice echoed through the courthouse and for a moment, nobody moved. The entire room went dead silent as every head turned toward me. I stood firmly at the entrance with my gun raised and locked on target while Nona's men spread out behind me, aggressively securing the perimeter. Terrified whispers broke out around us, mixed with the scraping of chairs as several couples hurried away from the area but I barely noticed them. They were nothing more than white noise to me. My eyes were fixed entirely on Leah. She stood beside Ethan at the front of the room holding a pen about to use to sign away her life on those marriage documents. She was pale but the moment our eyes met, the fear in them gave way to something else. Relief. She had been waiting for me. “Damien.” My name left her lips like a broken whisper, but in the silence of the room it sounded loud. She dropped the pen and it clattered against the wooden desk and she immediately started moving t
Ethan POV “Leah!” I yelled, earning several annoyed stares from the people passing through the courthouse hallway. “Leah” I yelled again ignoring them and kicked the bathroom door again. “Calm down man” one man said. “Don't you know how ladies are? They want to look perfect at all time she must be touching up her powder or something” I smiled at him “Yeah, right but you don't understand my fiancee she is a little sick so we are just trying to hurry it up just in case…..” I didn't finish letting the words hang in the air he gasped, and those around gave me pitying looks. “Oh man, I didn't know she'd get better. You guys will be together forever don't worry about it” I was about to kick it a second time when the door suddenly opened and Leah stepped out. “What is wrong with you?” she yelled. “Can't I use the bathroom in peace?” She didn't wait for my answer before walking back toward our seats, and I followed her, forcing myself to calm down. “You were taking too long,” I sai
Damien POV I kept pacing back and forth across the living room while the butler moved around the house, gathering Nona's men as quickly as possible. Every time I heard footsteps in the hallway, I looked toward the door, hoping it meant everyone was finally ready, but the wait was becoming unbearable. “How much longer?” I asked again, turning toward Nona. She was standing near the sofa, watching me with the same worried expression she had been wearing ever since we discovered Leah was missing. “Just a little while, Damien. Be patient. They're getting everyone together.” “I don't have time to be patient,” I snapped. The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them. Nona hadn't done anything wrong, and she was just as desperate to get Leah back as I was. “I'm sorry,” I said, rubbing a hand over my face. “I shouldn't have shouted at you.” “I know you're scared for her,” Nona replied gently. “We all are.” I nodded, but her reassurance didn't make the waiting any easier. Leah wa
Leah POVI stood in front of the mirror staring at my reflection and trying to convince myself that everything was going to be okay.The dress Ethan had brought me was beautiful. It was long and elegant, the kind of dress I probably would have loved under completely different circumstances.The fabric fell softly around my body, and the fitted waist made it look as though it had been chosen specifically for me.But I hated it because I knew exactly why Ethan wanted me to wear it. There was nothing romantic about getting dressed for a man who had kidnapped me and threatened the people I loved.He had already shown me the explosives in the basement of Nona's house and I had seen them with my own eyes.That was enough to make me cooperate even though every part of me wanted to fight him. I couldn't take the chance that he was bluffing when Nona, Emily, Jeremy, Damien, and everyone else could be inside that house.I looked at myself one last time before turning away from the mirror.I was
Leah POV I barely slept after Ethan left me alone the previous night. I spent most of the night sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the locked door and trying to think of a way out of the room. Every idea I came up with seemed impossible because the door was locked from the outside, the windows wouldn't open, and I didn't have my phone. The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became but I refused to let myself panic. I'm sure Damien was looking for me. I knew he was. There was no way he would simply give up and go to sleep as though nothing had happened. He would be searching for me and if there was even the smallest chance of finding me, he would take it. I had to believe that. The next morning while still lying in bed I heard the turning. I immediately looked toward the door, wondering what Ethan wanted this time. When the door opened, he walked inside carrying a dress in his hands. It was a beautiful dress, long and elegant . He held it out to me as t
The bus is halfway through its route when the brakes screech with a sudden, violent jolt that shoves me forward. My shoulder slams into the seat in front of me and I hear someone cursing. A bag tumbles into the aisle. The driver swears under his breath and yanks the wheel.Through the windshield,
I step out of the shower, skin pruned and red from the hot water that turned cold too fast. The mirror’s fogged, but I don’t wipe it—I don’t want to see the wreck staring back. Faint bruises bloom along my collarbone like fingerprints he never meant to leave, nipples still tender from his mouth,
I wake up alone.The bed is massive and empty, sheets cool on Damien’s side. Sunlight stabs through the blinds straight into my eyes. My body hurts in ways I didn’t expect — thighs burning from clamping around his head, core tender and swollen from how many times he made me come, nipples sensitive
I don’t know how long we stay on the couch like that—me curled in his lap, naked except for the slip dress bunched around my waist, him fully clothed but holding me like I’m the only thing that matters in the world. His hand strokes slow circles on my back, his lips brush my temple every few minute







