Chapter 1: The Wrong Signature

I signed the contract with trembling fingers, my vision blurry from tears and the bright chandelier above.

“Do it, or your brother dies,” the man in the dark suit had said. His voice was ice, his eyes colder.

And I did it.

I signed my life away to the Knight family—the most dangerous mafia dynasty on the eastern coast. The deal was simple: marry the heir, save my brother.

But they gave me the wrong heir.

When the church doors opened, the man waiting for me wasn’t soft-eyed Elijah Knight, the cousin I was promised.

It was Aiden Knight.

Deadly. Merciless. Cold.

Wearing a black suit like war armor, he didn’t blink as I walked toward him in white. I wanted to run, scream, ask where Elijah was. But my brother’s life hung in the balance.

So I said nothing.

We exchanged vows written in blood instead of love.

His kiss didn’t land on my lips. It landed on my cheek—like a warning.

By the time the ceremony ended, I wasn’t his bride.

I was his property.

---

Hours later, in the backseat of a bulletproof car, he finally spoke.

“You were supposed to marry Elijah,” he said without looking at me. “But now you're mine.”

“I didn’t ask for this,” I whispered.

His eyes met mine—sharp, silver, unreadable.

“No one asks for hell. But we all end up here somehow.”

---

The mansion was silent, filled with shadows and secrets.

The bedroom wasn’t romantic. It was a prison with silk sheets.

He locked the door from the outside.

He didn’t want a wife.

He wanted a hostage.

But Aiden Knight made one mistake.

He thought I’d break.

He doesn’t know I’ve been broken before.

The morning after my wedding felt like waking up inside a stranger’s nightmare.

White silk sheets. A marble floor so cold it bit into my bare feet. A closet full of clothes that weren’t mine. Dresses too tight. Jewelry too heavy.

The cage was beautiful, but still a cage.

I stood in front of the mirror, brushing out my hair with fingers that wouldn’t stop shaking. Last night, Aiden hadn’t touched me. He didn’t need to.

His silence had already branded me.

A knock at the door made me jump.

It wasn’t Aiden. A housemaid entered quietly, eyes low. “Mr. Knight requests your presence in the east wing. Now.”

East wing?

I nodded, not speaking. I didn’t want to sound as broken as I felt.

When I stepped into the hallway, guards in black suits tracked my every move. No smiles. No warmth. Just shadows with guns.

The east wing was colder. Like it hadn’t been touched in years.

Then I saw him.

Aiden sat at a long glass table, one hand holding a glass of water, the other flipping through files. He didn’t look up.

“You’re early,” he said flatly.

“You said now.”

He finally met my eyes. “You listen better than your brother.”

My stomach dropped. “What does Adam have to do with this?”

Aiden smiled—but it wasn’t kind. “Everything.”

He tossed a file across the table. It slid to me like a knife.

I opened it—and froze.

There were photos of my brother… bruised. Hooked up to machines. Tied to a chair.

My throat burned. “You said you saved him.”

“I did. He’s alive. For now.” His voice was like smoke—calm and deadly. “But he remains alive as long as you obey.”

Tears blurred my sight, but I refused to let them fall. “Why punish me? I did what you asked. I married you.”

“You married Elijah.”

“No—I married you. I stood in front of you.”

He slammed his glass down. “That was never the plan. Elijah was supposed to take over the eastern trade. I was never supposed to marry anyone. But then your little signature changed everything.”

I stared at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

He walked closer, eyes dark. “The contract you signed? It wasn’t a marriage contract.”

I backed away. “Then what was it?”

He stopped inches from me. “It was a blood bond. You’re not my wife, sweetheart. You’re my leverage.”

I felt the ground tilt under me.

“You made a deal with the devil,” he said quietly. “Now burn with me.”

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