CHAPTER 1 — THE FOUR OF US - PART 1 The house on Willow Lane had always been full — and loud. But it was never dull. Not when there were four of them. Jason — the natural leader. Born to stand tall. Strong, dominant, unshakable — the kind of boy who walked into a room and everyone turned to him without knowing why. He didn’t need to shout to be heard. He was certain, solid, the one everyone turned to when things got hard. Quietly powerful, fiercely protective — especially of Katie and Rose, even if he’d never quite said it out loud. David, her older brother — bright, loud, full of life. The heart of their little group. Where Jason was the anchor, David was the fire — quick to laugh, quick to move, the one who made everything fun. He was warm and easy, and he was Jason’s best friend — closer than brothers, inseparable. Katie — Jason’s twin. Bright, quick, her laugh like sunlight spilling through trees. She was Rose’s best friend — the sister she’d never had. Where Jason was steady, Katie was spark — and together, they made the world feel bright. And Rose — the youngest. Three years behind the others. The one they waited for, the one they looked out for, the one everyone saw as David’s little sister. She didn’t mind — not really. Not when she got to be part of their world. They were four. Always. No one else. Their parents — Eliza and Robert, Rose and David’s mum and dad — opened their home to the twins. Katie and Jason were there so often they might as well have been theirs too. Eliza fussed over them all equally. Robert treated them like sons and daughters. And Thomas — Jason and Katie’s father — quiet, gentle, a kind and firm man. He’d been left heartbroken when his wife walked out on them when the twins were only ten, after a messy, bitter divorce. That was why the twins had practically grown up at Rose’s house — Thomas had never been able to give them the warmth and family life they so deserved on his own.

Sunlight spills through stained glass, casting ribbons of sapphire and gold down the aisle. Strings swell soft and sweet. Every face turned toward the door — bright, smiling, expectant.FIRST ROW: Rose’s mother presses a handkerchief to her eyes, radiant. Her father stands tall, proud, his arm locked through hers as they begin to walk. Her brother lifts his camera, beaming.SECOND ROW: Jason’s father — broad-shouldered, solemn, fighting a smile. His little niece perched at the end of the pew, flower crown askew, swinging her legs. His brother-in-law claps warmly. Beside him, Sam glows — hand resting gently on her stomach — and Jonathan beside her. Rose sees it instantly: the smile never quite reaches his eyes. His shoulders are tight. He looks as though he’s carrying the weight of the world on his back.Everyone here believes this is a fairytale come true. Only Rose knows it is a transaction.THE AISLEIvory silk whispers around her. She holds her head high. Her smile is perfect — rehearsed, gentle, exactly what they all want to see. Her eyes are hollow.*Smile. Keep smiling. For Sam. For the baby. For Mother. For everything we built. Don’t let them see the fear. Don’t let them see the cage. Don’t let them know you are walking down the aisle to save them all.*It feels like miles. Every step heavier than the last. And there — at the altar — stands Jason.THE ALTARHe waits. Black suit, sharp and immaculate. Hands clasped tight before him. Jaw set like stone.Then he sees her.*The breath leaves him. Just… gone. He had told himself it was duty. A bargain. A rescue. But then she walks toward him — and for one blinding, reckless second he forgets how to breathe. She is devastating. Beautiful beyond anything he dared to imagine. And she is his.*His gaze flickers — sharp, involuntary — one row back. To Jonathan. Just a heartbeat. Then snaps back to her. Defensive. Possessive. Terrified.Her father places her trembling hand in his. Their fingers brush. A shock of heat straight through them both.THE VOWSOFFICIANT: “Do you, Rose Elizabeth, take Jason Hart to be your lawfully wedded husband?”Silence stretches. One beat too long. Two.ROSE: “I do.”Soft. But clear. Like she is signing her life away.OFFICIANT: “Do you, Jason, take Rose Elizabeth to be your lawfully wedded wife?”JASON: — voice low, steady, intense —“I do.”Like a promise. Like a threat. Both.OFFICIANT: “You may kiss the bride.”THE KISSJason steps forward and pulls her in. Not gentle. Not the tender kiss she has dreamed of her whole life. This is claiming. This is staking his ground. She is his now. Legally. Officially. No going back.The room erupts. Applause. Cheers. “Finally!” “Look at them!” “So beautiful!”He leans into her — lips brushing her ear, voice rough and quiet, only for her to hear.JASON: “Welcome to my hell, Rose.”Then he k