The heavy acoustic doors sealed shut behind her, cutting off the rest of the estate completely.

Silence settled over the room except for the steady rhythm of the medical monitor.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Ciel walked slowly toward the bed.

This was the first time she had ever stood this close to Deacon Chavez.

Months of unconsciousness had left his skin pale and his body thinner than before, but nothing could erase the sharp structure of his features. His dark hair rested against the pillow in soft disarray. Thick lashes cast shadows over his face. Even trapped in complete stillness, he carried a dangerous presence.

He did not look weak.

He looked restrained.

Ciel stood beside the bed quietly for several moments.

Then memories surged through her chest all at once.

The collapse of the Miller family.

The humiliation.

The people who abandoned her.

And Deacon-already heavily injured himself-forcing his broken body into a boardroom just to defend her family one final time.

No one else had stood beside her.

Only him.

Emotion tightened painfully in her throat.

Ciel slowly pulled a velvet armchair closer to the bedside and sat down carefully.

She reached out.

Her fingers rested lightly against his hand atop the blanket.

Cold.

Far colder than a healthy person's skin should have been.

The sensation made her chest ache.

"Thank you, Deacon," she whispered softly into the quiet room. "I know you probably can't hear me. But I still have to say it."

Her shoulders slowly relaxed.

The hard shell she carried around Harry disappeared for the first time in weeks.

"I didn't just marry you because I owed you a debt," she admitted quietly. "I married you because I needed somewhere safe."

Her fingers tightened gently around his hand.

"Harry would have destroyed me eventually. I couldn't survive another life trapped beside him."

The confession left her chest feeling strangely lighter.

Ciel lowered her head slightly.

"I know using your name like this is selfish," she murmured. "But I promise I'll protect you while I'm here. I won't let them use you anymore."

Silence filled the room again.

Then she gave a soft, embarrassed laugh at herself.

"I probably sound ridiculous talking to someone who can't answer me."

Her fingertip slowly traced the blue vein across the back of his hand.

"If you actually woke up," she whispered teasingly, heat rising into her cheeks, "I'd even be willing to fulfill my actual wifely duties to repay you."

The moment the words left her mouth, embarrassment exploded across her face.

Then-

Movement.

A distinct friction brushed against her palm.

Ciel froze instantly.

Her eyes snapped down toward their joined hands.

Deacon's index finger twitched.

Not a random spasm.

A slow, deliberate movement.

The rough pad of his finger dragged clearly against her skin.

A violent shock shot up her arm.

Ciel jerked backward so hard the velvet chair overturned behind her.

Her pulse slammed wildly against her ribs.

She stared at Deacon's face desperately, searching for any change.

Nothing.

His eyes remained closed.

The monitors stayed stable.

The room looked exactly the same.

Only her breathing had changed.

Ciel backed into the wall, one hand pressed hard against her chest.

Was it a reflex?

A nerve response?

Or had he actually heard the shamefully intimate thing she just whispered beside his bed?

Miles away in Manhattan, Harry Chavez woke violently in the middle of the night.

He shot upright in bed, breathing hard.

Cold sweat soaked the collar of his black silk pajamas. The expensive sheets tangled around his legs as his chest rose sharply with panic.

He had been dreaming.

In the dream, he stood inside the Manhattan ballroom again beneath the crystal chandelier.

Ciel walked toward him wearing white.

Beautiful. Obedient. Completely his.

Harry reached out confidently, already expecting her hand in his.

But just before she reached him, her expression changed.

The desperate love vanished from her eyes.

Only disgust remained.

She walked past him without stopping.

Harry turned in panic and tried to grab her-

but his fingers closed around empty air.

Ciel stepped off the stage and disappeared into darkness.

"Ciel!"

Harry's eyes snapped open.

He slammed the bedside lamp on.

Bright light flooded the room.

His heart pounded painfully against his ribs.

He grabbed the watch from the nightstand.

June 4th.

Reality crashed into him instantly.

Hours ago, Ciel Miller had legally become Deacon Chavez's wife.

Pain ripped through his chest so violently he doubled over.

It felt as though someone had physically torn something out of him.

Harry gripped the fabric over his heart hard enough to wrinkle the silk.

He could not breathe normally.

Several hours later, he entered the Hamptons estate dining room looking exhausted and unstable.

Dark circles shadowed his eyes.

Eleonora sat calmly at the head of the table cutting into breakfast.

The moment she saw him, irritation crossed her face.

"You look pathetic," she said coldly. "Are you seriously losing your mind over a woman who made herself useless to us?"

Harry said nothing.

Eleonora took a sip of coffee.

"Ciel thinks marrying Deacon gives her power," she continued. "She has no idea Delsie controls that entire estate. Within a week she'll be stripped of everything."

Harry expected satisfaction hearing that.

Instead, nausea twisted violently through his stomach.

The pressure inside his chest worsened.

"I don't care if she rots there," he snapped suddenly.

Eleonora frowned.

Harry shoved his chair backward hard enough to overturn it completely.

The heavy oak chair crashed loudly against the floor.

Without another word, he stormed outside into the gardens.

Cold morning air hit his face.

It changed nothing.

His head throbbed painfully.

Then he saw them.

White roses.

Ciel's favorite flowers.

The sight felt unbearable.

Harry let out a furious sound and kicked the massive terracotta planter with all his strength.

The pot exploded apart across the stone path.

Dark soil and crushed white petals scattered everywhere.

Harry stood over the destruction breathing hard.

At last, the truth cracked through his denial.

He had lost her.

And the pain was beginning to destroy him.