Page 44 of His Son's Brid
The world tilts.
Engaged.
Married.
No—
"I didn't agree to this—"
"You lost the right to choose when you came home pregnant." His voice is ice. "Now you smile, you meet your future husband, and you accept this with grace. Because you have no other options."
He's right. I know he's right. Single, pregnant, disgraced—no man in this world would want me except as part of an arrangement. This is damage control. This is Dad fixing the mess I made.
This is my life ending.
"Who?" My voice cracks. "Who am I marrying?"
"The son of my close friend. Good family. His father runs a different city, but he and I go back many years. You'll meet them both tonight."
We're moving through the crowd now. People are staring, whispering. I catch fragments—"She’s been away."
"Finishing school"
"Don Luca's daughter"
"Finally settling her down"
“Should have been married off at least half a decade ago.”
Dad leads me to the center of the room, where a small platform's been set up. Like a stage. Like I'm the main attraction at this circus.
"Ladies and gentlemen." Dad's voice carries over the crowd. "Thank you for coming tonight to celebrate a union between two great families."
No. Please, no—
"My daughter Aurora will be marrying Leo Santego, son of my dear friend Axel Santego."
My brain stops, then begins to scream.
Axel?
I scan the crowd, desperately searching for—
And then I see him.
Silver hair. Dark eyes. That same devastating face from the club, the gallery, my hotel room, his penthouse.
Axel.
He's standing near the back, wearing another expensive black suit, and he's staring at me like he's seeing a ghost.
Our eyes lock.
Everything else disappears. The crowd, the noise, my father's voice droning on about alliances and family—none of it exists. There's just him and me and the month of silence screaming between us.
He's here.
He's real.
