Chapter Twenty

I could barely breathe.

The church was warm, filled with candles and people and chatter, but I felt frozen. My heart thudded painfully beneath the lace bodice of my gown. Everyone was here. Joseph sat in the front row like a king overseeing his legacy. Mafia affiliates from all over Texas whispered behind masks of politeness. Jillian stood just a few steps ahead, his tailored black tux a sharp contrast to the white roses surrounding him.

And me?

I was moments away from marrying the coldest, most complicated man I had ever met.

“Christy,” a soft voice said beside me. It was Mia, my assigned bridesmaid—though at this point she felt more like a handler than a friend. “It’s time.”

My knees wobbled beneath me as the chapel doors creaked open. The music swelled—some classical arrangement that felt too grand, too surreal. I clutched the bouquet in my trembling hands and started walking down the aisle, eyes fixed on Jillian.

His face was unreadable. Stone cold.

I should have been used to it by now, but I wasn’t.

Each step echoed with doubt, but I forced a smile. My gaze never left him. I had to believe that maybe—just maybe—he wouldn’t hurt me again. Maybe we could start over. Maybe, beneath all the cruelty and the scars, he wanted this too.

When I reached him, he didn’t offer a smile or even his hand. Just a subtle glance down, as if acknowledging my presence was enough.

The priest began to speak.

I didn’t hear a word.

My pulse pounded too loud in my ears, drowning out the ceremony. I kept stealing glances at Jillian, hoping for something—anything—some sign that I wasn’t the only one falling.

And then—

The church doors slammed open with a bang.

A sharp gasp ran through the crowd. Everyone turned to look.

And my blood ran cold.

Alyssa.

She stood there like a vision in crimson, her long red gown clinging to every curve. Her hair was perfectly styled, lips painted blood red, and those brown eyes sparkled with wicked satisfaction. I didn’t need to guess why she was here.

I already knew.

Jillian tensed beside me. I felt it in the way his body stiffened, in the flicker of annoyance—or was it guilt?—that flashed across his face.

The priest hesitated. “Miss, this is a private ceremony—”

Alyssa raised one hand.

“I won’t take up much time,” she said smoothly, her voice echoing across the chapel. “I just wanted to congratulate the lovely couple.”

My stomach dropped.

She walked down the aisle slowly, deliberately, her heels clicking against the marble floor like gunshots.

“And also,” she added, stopping just a few feet from us, “I figured now was a good time to share some… news.”

Joseph shifted in his seat. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Jillian said nothing.

Alyssa smiled directly at me.

“I’m pregnant,” she announced.

The room fell dead silent.

My breath caught in my throat. I stared at her, willing it to be some twisted joke. A bluff. A lie.

But her eyes were locked on Jillian now.

“Two months,” she said softly. “Jillian’s the father.”

My bouquet hit the floor with a soft thud.

Everything spun. The candles blurred. The white flowers, the pews, the music—it all disappeared. All I could see was him. Jillian. Standing there like a statue, like a stranger.

He didn’t deny it.

He didn’t say a word.

I took a step back.

“Say something,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Tell me she’s lying.”

His jaw clenched. His eyes flicked toward me, but they were empty.

I felt something inside me crack.

“She’s not lying… is she?” I choked out.

Still, silence.

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall—not here, not in front of all these people.

I turned away from him.

“Christy—” he started.

“No,” I said sharply. “Don’t.”

The chapel doors felt miles away as I stumbled down the aisle, my vision blurring. People stared. Whispers followed me. But I didn’t care.

All I knew was that I had to get out.

Out of the church, out of this dress, out of this twisted life I had been dragged into.

By the time I reached the garden behind the chapel, I was shaking. My hands gripped the railing of the stone balcony and I tried to catch my breath.

I heard footsteps behind me.

“I said don’t follow me,” I snapped, turning around.

But it was Jillian.

He looked furious—and yet not at me.

“She did this to ruin us,” he said, his voice low, dark. “She planned it.”

“Is it true?” I asked, arms crossed. “Is she pregnant?”

He hesitated.

“Yes,” he admitted.

A sound tore from my throat. It wasn’t a sob—it was something raw, something hurt.

“She means nothing to me,” he said quickly, stepping forward. “It happened before… before I cared.”

I looked at him sharply. “Before you cared?”

“I didn’t mean—”

“No,” I cut him off. “You don’t get to say that now. You kissed her, Jillian. You let her sit on your lap, you let her near me like she hadn’t tried to kill me before. You let her in your life again and now she’s carrying your child.”

His mouth tightened.

“I was trying to protect you.”

“By lying to me?”

He didn’t answer.

I laughed bitterly. “You don’t even realize what you’ve done.”

“She won’t keep it,” he said, almost to himself. “She’ll terminate it. I’ll make her.”

That broke something else inside me.

“You think this is about the pregnancy?” I whispered. “This is about you not respecting me. Not choosing me. Not once.”

He stepped forward again, reaching for my hand, but I backed away.

“I told myself I could handle this life,” I said. “The guns, the secrets, the violence. I thought I could survive it if it meant being with you. But I can’t keep chasing someone who doesn’t even know if he wants me.”

“You think I don’t want you?” His voice dropped, filled with restrained fury. “I’ve killed for you, Christy.”

“But you didn’t protect me from her,” I said.

Silence.

Tears blurred my vision. I looked away.

“I can’t marry you,” I whispered.

He flinched. “Christy…”

“I can’t. Not like this.”

And with that, I turned and walked away—again.

This time, he didn’t follow me.

I spent the night at the far end of the estate, in one of the older rooms no one used anymore. I locked the door and sat on the bed, dress pooled around me, the silence so loud it hurt.

I didn’t sleep.

I couldn’t.

Morning came in a haze of gray and blue. The sky outside was cloudy, and the whole world felt like it was holding its breath.

There was a knock on the door.

“Christy,” came a voice. It wasn’t Jillian. “It’s Joseph.”

I didn’t respond.

He opened the door anyway.

“I told him not to follow you,” Joseph said, stepping in slowly. “He wanted to. He’s a mess.”

I looked away.

“He didn’t plan this,” he added.

“But he didn’t stop it,” I whispered.

Joseph sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “I know what it looks like. And believe me, I’ve warned him about letting his past bleed into his future.”

“He doesn’t trust me,” I said. “Not enough.”

“You’re wrong about that,” Joseph said. “He does. But he’s scared.”

That made me laugh bitterly. “Jillian Colbert? Scared?”

Joseph nodded. “He loves you, Christy. That terrifies him.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“You don’t have to forgive him now,” he said quietly. “But don’t walk away. Not yet.”

Then he stood and left me in the silence again.

I sat there for a long time, staring at the fading morning light.

Jillian loved me?

Then why did it hurt so much?