All Chapters of SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES : Chapter 41 - Chapter 47

LILA’S POVI followed my father to the quiet terrace corner. Fairy lights twinkled overhead, but the air between us felt heavy and cold. He stopped near the stone railing and turned to face me. His eyes burned with barely contained rage.“You little bitch,” he spat. “So you’ve been with Zane Callahan behind everyone’s back while you knew damn well you were promised to Ethan. You betrayed your entire family. After everything I arranged for you.” His words hit like a slap. Heat rushed to my face, but I lifted my chin and held his stare. “I’m sorry, Father, but did you pull me aside to congratulate me on my wedding, or did you bring me here just to insult my character?”He stepped closer, fists clenched at his sides. “You think this is a game? You threw away a secure future with Ethan for that arrogant prick. I took millions from his family to make this work. Now you have ruined it all.”I let out a sharp breath. “You should be happy for me, you know. You always wanted me married off. N

LILA’S POVSunlight slipped through the heavy hotel curtains and painted soft stripes across the bed. I woke up first, my body still humming from the night before. Zane slept peacefully beside me, chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. His dark curly hair fell across his forehead, and the usual tension around his eyes had disappeared. He looked younger like this, almost vulnerable.I propped myself on one elbow and studied him. My heart ached with a deep, protective kind of love. Last night he had opened old wounds for me. The twin brother he lost. The father who favored one son and destroyed the other with impossible pressure. The constant blame, the beatings Marcus endured in silence, the way Zane carried guilt that never belonged to him. Growing up in that house must have been exhausting. Always compared. Always unwanted. Always the outsider in his own family. No wonder he built thick walls around himself. No wonder he lashed out at journalists, at me, during that first interv

LILA’S POVI sat across from Zane at the candlelit table in our villa dining room, the aroma of roasted vegetables and grilled salmon filling the air between us. My fork moved slowly through the food as I scrolled through my phone with my free hand. The comments had completely flipped overnight. Where hateful messages once dominated every post, supportive voices now flooded the platforms.One user wrote, “Lila did what any woman would do to escape an abusive arrangement. Zane defended her like a real man should.” Another added, “The video from the bridal store says everything. Ethan and his mother exposed themselves.” Heart emojis and fire symbols poured in under clips of Zane’s press conference. I felt a heavy weight lift from my chest with each positive comment I read. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, not from sadness but from pure relief that people finally saw the truth. Zane reached across the table and gently took the phone from my hand. He set it face down beside his