Armani’s POV
I might be the worst man alive.
The weight of my deception settles over me like a heavy cloak, suffocating, inescapable. Rena—bright, fierce, utterly trusting—signed the contract without hesitation, without even reading the last clause that binds her to me for the next twenty years.
Twenty years.
She has no idea.
A sharp pang of guilt twists in my chest, but I push it down, force myself to watch her instead. She’s smiling—genuinely smiling—for the first time since we arrived, her shoulders finally at ease, her posture lighter. There’s no trace of regret in her face. If anything, she looks… relieved.
I tell myself that’s enough. That she made her choice.
“Shall we, then?” Her fingers brush my arm as she nudges me toward the door. “Your parents are waiting.”
Her touch is
