I’m too exhausted to do anything but lean my head against the window and close my eyes.The ride home is quiet, save for the soft hum of the engine as we move. The ghost of Dominic’s presence lingers at the edge of my consciousness, plaguing me with too many thoughts that race through my head with n
Aurora POVBy the time the banquet arrives, I’m ready—or at least that’s what I tell myself.I smooth my dress, adjusting the delicate fabric while eyeing my reflection in the mirror. The necklace Leonardo gave me rests heavy around my neck, glittering beautifully under the soft light of my vanity.
I catch the stolen glances of the women around me too, the way their lips press into thin, knowing lines while I’m forced to play nice with their men. They don’t have to say anything for me to understand what they’re silently trying to say.I already know what they’re thinking: another girl thrown i
Aurora POVThe relief that washes over me is sudden, overwhelming. For the first time tonight I actually feel safe. What a surprising twist of events that is.This man—dangerous and calculating, the same one who had no problem blackmailing me the second he found the opportunity to—is the same one wh
“Wait—” My body hits the bed, bouncing twice as the plush mattress envelopes me.Oh god.He’s clumsy as he tries to undo the buttons at the front of his shirt, giving up halfway before moving on to his tie instead. He mumbles something else under his breath that I can’t understand, my heartbeat pou
Aurora POVFor a brief, fleeting moment, everything stops.The weight of the world, the suffocating pressure of expectation from my family, the reality of my situation… it all fades into the background like it never existed at all in the first place. I can’t remember what I’d been worried about only
“What in the world are you doing back so early?” Beatrice calls from the top step of the staircase leading up to the second floor.The butler who took my coat and purse quickly hurries up the stairs, by-passing her to head down to my room.Her long, flowing robe trails behind her as she descends the
Aurora POVThe day to choose the wedding venue arrives, and like everything else in my life, I have no real say in it.Beatrice and Camilla have somehow managed to insert themselves into the process, acting as if this wedding is some glamorous social event rather than a prison I’m being forced into.
Did he follow us in here? If so—why?Did Leonardo send him to spy on me? Dominic?“You know, after what happened last time, I started to ask myself something.” His smirk is crooked as he tries to move his half-broken face. “Dominic always seems to come to your rescue, even when he’s not around. Don’
Finding solid proof to prove any of my claims is going to be the only way I won’t get beaten before I can finish explaining myself.Camilla’s sharp voice cuts through the moment like a blade. “Princess? She looks more like she’s being dressed for an open casket.”Her words are followed up with a lou
Aurora POVI know I shouldn’t be doing this.I know that if Dominic or Leonardo or anyone found out, it would mean trouble, but now that I’ve gone this far, I can’t stop. Not when the truth is just out of reach.The weight of my own ignorance is suffocating me, pressing down on me until it wakes me
Still a man who lives by blood and betrayal, one who knows exactly what happened and chooses to stay silent because it benefits him to do so.I’ll never be one of them no matter how good I try to play the hand that’s been dealt to me. I’ll never be inside the inner circle, or get the privilege to kn
Aurora POVBack home, everything feels unnervingly normal.Beatrice busies herself with social events, pretending like I don’t exist unless it benefits her while Camilla flits around like a spoiled princess, still acting as if my engagement to Leonardo is some personal slight against her because she
Leonardo sighed, rubbing his temple. “Come here.”Theo obeyed immediately, stepping forward. “Boss, I—”Leonardo raised a hand, shutting him up instantly. There was a long pause while his father took in the ugly sight of the beating that had taken place, a slight curl to his lips as he fought the sc
Dominic POVLast night was unexpected. More so than he ever could have imagined.After tossing Theo out into the hallway, bloody and beaten, Dominic had the unmistakable urge to gather Aurora up into his arms, watch her as her senses were dulled by exhaustion and the lingering traces of the drug tha
But tonight, drugged, exhausted, and still with my dignity intact, I let those walls crack.A muscle in Dominic’s jaw tightens, but he still says nothing.Just holds me close as I drift off to sleep again.***I barely register the words of another man when I come to again, only half aware of the co
Aurora POVThe world feels hazy, blurred at the edges like I’m trapped in some kind of dream I can’t quite wake up from. Nothing makes sense, nor does anything feel real. I’m floating with no real bounds to touch, just an endless void that seems to stretch on for miles all around me.There are disem