The wedding day came faster than I wanted. Too fast.
I stood at the altar, my jaw tight, hands clenched into fists. The weight of the black wedding band in my pocket already felt heavy, like a damn chain tying me to Alice forever. Around the grand church, her people filled the place—guards disguised as guests, their eyes sharp and focused. My men were here too, scattered among the crowd, ready to strike the moment I gave the signal.
But I couldn’t give that signal.
Not with Sage’s life on the line.
Alice had made sure of that. The night before, she’d sent me the proof—Sage tied to a chair, a metal collar around her neck. And just to drive the point home, Alice’s voice echoed in my head.
“One wrong move, Mark, and boom—she’s gone.”
So here I was. Trapped.
The church doors swung open,
