ANMELDENLila’s POV“STAY WITH me.”The words left me before I could second-guess them.Barely above a whisper.But in the quiet aftermath of everything, they sounded louder than any scream I had made that night.Jacob had just turned toward the door, as if to give me space after the authorities escorted Adrian out and Marco disappeared down the hall with the restored estate documents in his hands.That was who Jacob had always been.Never taking more space than I offered.Never assuming his presence was owed.Always leaving the choice with me.But tonight, after the storm, after the chapel, after the truth cracked open inside my father’s study, I could not bear the thought of being alone.His hand stilled on the brass doorknob.Slowly, he turned back to me.The fire had burned lower behind us, throwing the room into a softer gold, and in that light, the ex
Lila’s POV“WHERE IS Adrian?”The question ripped out of me before the rain had even stopped stinging my face.It came out sharper than I meant it to, raw with panic and fury, and it cut through the storm-dark garden where Theodore was still pinned beneath Jacob’s control.Marco’s chest rose and fell hard as he reached us, rain dripping from his hair onto the collar of his shirt.“He’s not in the front drive,” he said, breathless. “The car is gone.”“No.”The word left my mouth like a refusal of reality itself.Theodore laughed from the ground, the sound ugly and thin.“He always was good at knowing when the floor was about to collapse.”I turned on him so fast the world seemed to narrow into that one moment.“Where?”His smile sharpened.“You really don’t kno
Lila’s POV“JACOB!”The scream tore out of me before I even realized I was shouting.It split through the chapel like a blade.One second the room had been frozen in the aftermath of my father’s voice ringing through the speakers, the truth cracking open in front of every guest seated beneath the vaulted ceilings of Montgomery Estate’s private chapel.The next, Theodore moved.He did not stumble into panic the way guilty men in stories did.He moved with calculation.With survivaland cold instinct of a man who had spent his life building exits before anyone knew there was a fire.His chair scraped sharply against the marble floor as he shoved back from the front pew.Gasps erupted around us.Someone near the aisle cried out.The officiant stepped back, pale and confused, the ceremony abandoned in the wake of ruin.Theodore’s f
Lila’s POV“IF ANYTHING happens to me…”My father’s voice cracked through the speakers like a ghost tearing its way back into the world. The sound was distorted. Broken at the edges and threaded with static and digital corruption.But it was him. No matter how fragmented the audio was, I would have known that voice anywhere. Deep. Steady.The same voice that had once called me sunshine when I was too young to reach the kitchen counter without climbing onto a stool.The same voice that had calmed me through my worst nights.The same voice that had been ripped from me weeks ago and buried under polished stone and orchestrated condolences.For one terrible second, the entire chapel froze. Every whisper died. Every breath seemed to hold in the air.The guests stood suspended in shock, eyes lifted to the screen above the floral arch where the image flickered in and out.
Lila’s POV“BEFORE THISceremony continues…”My own voice rang through the chapel before the officiant could finish the next line.It cut through the room cleanly.Sharp enough to make every whispered conversation die.Sharp enough to stop the soft rustle of silk, the shifting of polished shoes across the marble aisle, the faint clink of champagne glasses from the reception tables set beyond the open garden doors.For one suspended moment, the entire Montgomery Estate seemed to hold its breath.I stood at the center of the aisle in white.The gown felt heavier now than it had when Vivienne had fastened the last button behind my back.Not because of the fabric.Because of what it represented.A trap.A transfer.A legal execution dressed as a wedding.At the far end of the aisle, Adrian stood waiting in his tailored black suit, on
Lila’s POV“SMILE,” Vivienne murmured.Her voice brushed against my ear as lightly as the gloved fingers adjusting the veil at the back of my hair.I looked at my reflection and almost did not recognize the woman staring back at me.White silk clung to my body in clean, elegant lines, the gown structured enough to make me look composed, controlled, almost untouchable. The neckline was modest, the long sleeves delicate lace, every inch of it designed to project grace and pedigree.A Montgomery bride.A woman stepping willingly into the future.A lie.The storm inside me pressed so hard against my ribs I wondered if anyone could see it.Vivienne’s eyes met mine in the mirror.Sharpand assessing.Amused in that infuriating way she always was when chaos hung in the air.“You look beautiful,” she said.I let out a breath that did not q
Lila’s POVTHE GARDEN looked different at night. Not romantic. Not soft. Just older.The hedges rose higher than they did during the day, shadows folding inward like they were listening. The stone path held the day’s warmth, seeping up through the thin soles of my shoes, grounding me in a way the h
Lila’s POVTHE LIGHTS went out like the house exhaled and forgot how to breathe.One second, the hall was glowing with warm chandeliers and polished surfaces. The next, everything snapped into darkness, sharp and sudden, followed by the low mechanical groan of generators struggling to wake.Someone
Lila’s POVI DID not hear Adrian at first.That was the worst part. Not the anger. Not the certainty in his stride. But the silence before it.Jacob and I had been standing in the kitchen, the afternoon sun was bathing us with golden hues. The kind that made everything feel suspended, like the worl
Jacob’s POVI DID not go back upstairs right away.After Vivienne’s voice cut through the basement air and her flashlight swept the concrete like a claim, I did what I had learned to do years ago. I stepped aside. I created space. I made it look like nothing had happened.Lila disappeared first, us







