LOGINLila’s POV
“BEFORE TOMORROW, there’s something you deserve to hear from me.” Adrian’s voice reached me before I had fully crossed the threshold.
The private drawing room in the west wing had always felt like a place built for secrets.
Heavy velvet curtains framed the tall windows, shutting out most of the moonlight and muting the storm beyond the glass. The room glowed in warm amber from the lamps set on
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 POV“I NEEDyou tonight,” I whispered to Jacob.The words barely made it past my lips before the room seemed to fall into a different kind of silence.Not the suffocating silence of interrogation.Not the haunted silence of memory.This one was softer.Heavier.A silence that held everything I had been trying not to feel since leaving Adrian in that drawing room.My father.Theodore.Adrian’s confession.I let it happen.The words were still lodged inside my chest like broken glass.Jacob stood just inside the door of my room, shoulders tense, dark eyes searching my face with the kind of careful attention that always made me feel seen in ways that terrified and steadied me at once.He had been waiting.Of course he had.The moment I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, he was already moving toward me.“Lila.”
Lila’s POV“BEFORE TOMORROW, there’s something you deserve to hear from me.”Adrian’s voice reached me before I had fully crossed the threshold.The private drawing room in the west wing had always felt like a place built for secrets.Heavy velvet curtains framed the tall windows, shutting out most of the moonlight and muting the storm beyond the glass. The room glowed in warm amber from the lamps set on dark wood tables, the light soft enough to make everything look intimate.Almost gentle.It made my skin crawl.The scent of polished oak, old leather, and Adrian’s cologne hung in the room.Dark.Expensive.Familiar.Once, that scent had meant safety.Now it smelled like manipulation.Like memory loss.Like grief dressed in silk.Adrian stood near the fireplace, one hand resting against the mantel, the other holding a crystal
Lila’s POV“PUT ONsomething nice. We are going out.”That was the first thing Adrian said to me when he walked into the bedroom that evening.I looked up from the suitcase I had been pretending to unpack and frowned. “O
Lila’s POV“I LEFTthe boxes on the second shelf for you.”Marco’s voice carried softly through the library doorway as he set a stack of folders on the long oak table.“Thank you,” I answered, brushing dust from my palms
Lila’s POV“WHY AREyou still awake?”The words came out of my mouth before I even realized I was speaking.Jacob turned his head slowly, cigarette paused halfway to his lips. The singl
Lila’s POV“TAKE YOURtime with that page. There is no rush.”Marco’s voice was calm, unhurried, the kind of tone that made a person breathe a little easier without realizing it.I looked up from







