Chapter 5: A Wedding of Shadows
Night fell hard over the Moretti estate, shrouding it in layers of silence, dread, and anticipation. The echoes of Luca's stern warning from earlier that day still rang in Janet's ears. After the harsh ultimatum—marry him or watch her parents die—Janet had been taken away by the servants and locked inside a massive room lined with vintage portraits and velvet drapes.
Inside that gilded cage, she sat alone in a cloud of misery. Her trembling fingers twisted the ends of the wedding veil she didn't remember asking for. Her heart raced with every tick of the ornate wall clock.
She was about to be married to a man she barely knew. A man who had rescued her… only to trap her in a different kind of nightmare.
The minutes dragged like hours. A woman servant had come in earlier, silently laying down a white bridal gown and a delicate lace veil. The dress was stunning, and that made her even more sick to her stomach. It wasn't a daydreamed fairytale—it was a sentence.
Downstairs, preparations were underway. Luca had ordered his private clergy to officiate the ceremony in the estate's ancient chapel. There would be no guests. No music. No flowers. Just the dull echo of a forced vow and the heavy weight of consequence.
---
Meanwhile, across the city, Asher stood seething in a cold sweat. Blood stained the side of his face from his earlier fight with Luca. His pride was more wounded than his body. At his side, Janet's parents paced nervously, whispering and arguing with increasing panic.
"This wasn't part of the deal," Asher hissed.
Janet's mother wrung her hands. "She was supposed to marry you. The plan was simple—keep her close, gain her trust, and then hand her over to the buyer. No Morettis involved!"
"But now she's marrying him," Asher snapped. "Do you know what that means?"
On the other end of Asher's call, the man who had paid to own Janet's life growled in rage. "You were paid handsomely, Asher. You and her parents. That girl is mine. If she marries Luca Moretti, she becomes untouchable. Do you understand?"
"I'll fix this," Asher promised darkly.
"You better. Or I'll destroy everything you've ever known."
He hung up.
Janet's father stood by the window, silent. It was the first time he looked afraid. "We'll be ruined," he muttered. "That man—he won't let us walk away."
Asher clenched his fists. "We end this tonight."
"How?" her mother asked.
He reached into the drawer, pulling out a handgun. "One bullet. She dies before she can say 'I do.'"
---
Back at the estate, Janet stood in the dressing room doorway, staring at the chapel's entrance. She wore the ivory gown that had been laid out for her, though her fingers trembled as they adjusted the veil.
Luca appeared beside her.
"You're shaking," he said flatly.
"What do you expect?" she snapped. "You're forcing me into something I didn't ask for."
His eyes narrowed. "Better me than them."
"Why?" she asked. "Why are you doing this? Who even are you?"
He offered no answers, only his arm. "Come."
Before she could respond, the chapel doors opened.
The interior was soaked in candlelight. Rows of empty pews stared back at her. The priest stood silently at the altar, his face unreadable. There was no music, no ceremony, just the grave rhythm of steps echoing down the marble aisle.
Janet felt her body move without her mind. Every instinct screamed for her to run. But she couldn't. The mansion was sealed, Luca's men patrolled every corner, and her parents' lives were being used as bargaining chips.
She looked up at Luca again. His jaw was tight, his shoulders stiff. He didn't look like a groom—he looked like a man going to war.
"I hate you," she whispered under her breath.
He didn't flinch. "That will pass."
They reached the altar.
---
The ceremony was quick, clinical. The priest, likely paid off or threatened into silence, asked the standard questions. Luca's "I do" was crisp and absolute. Janet's was soft, broken. Her lips barely moved. She didn't remember saying the words—only the ring sliding onto her finger and the emptiness in her chest.
Rings exchanged. Vows sealed. And just like that, she became Janet Moretti.
Luca didn't even try to kiss her. He turned and walked out, expecting her to follow. Her new life had begun, and she hadn't even taken a step.
---
Outside the estate, Asher crouched behind a thick row of hedges near the side gate. He gritted his teeth, the pistol cold and heavy in his grip. Rage burned through him. He had lost everything—his plan, his pride, and now Janet.
He moved quickly and silently toward the service entrance. The car number his friend had tracked led here. He was sure of it. He'd make Luca pay.
But he wasn't stealthy enough.
Luca emerged from the shadows like a wraith. His black suit clung to him like armor, and his eyes were glinting with fury. He slammed Asher into the stone wall, knocking the wind out of him.
"You really don't learn, do you?" Luca growled.
Asher kicked him hard, but Luca didn't flinch. He swung back with a solid punch to Asher's gut, then landed another across his jaw.
"You don't deserve her," Asher spat, blood spraying from his lips.
"And you do?" Luca hissed. "After what you've done?"
Their fight was brief but brutal. Asher was fast, but Luca was stronger, colder, and driven by something far deeper. Within minutes, Asher was on the ground, bleeding, his weapon knocked from his hand.
Luca leaned down, grabbing Asher by the collar. "If you come back here again, I swear to God, I will bury you myself."
He nodded to his guards, who dragged Asher away.
---
Later that night, Janet sat on the bed inside what was now her bedroom. The walls were covered in dark paintings, and heavy drapes blocked out any light from the moon. She felt like she was drowning in a stranger's world.
The ring on her finger felt like a chain.
She didn't cry anymore. Her tears had dried up. Her world had collapsed, and she was expected to play queen in a palace built on silence.
Luca entered the room.
"You're my wife now," he said without emotion.
She turned away. "Not by choice."
He approached slowly. "There's a war coming. You're safer here than anywhere else."
She glared at him. "Then why not tell me? Why not explain what's really happening?"
He remained silent.
"You're just like the rest," she whispered. "You saved me only to own me."
"No," he said softly. "I'm worse."
He turned and left, leaving her alone with her anger, her fear, and her endless questions.
---
In the distance, hidden in darkness, the man who had tried to buy Janet stood watching the estate through binoculars. His lips curled into a wicked smile.
"She's still within reach," he muttered.
Beside him, Janet's parents sat in the back of a black car, pale and terrified. Their world was crumbling, and they had no one left to trust.
The man lit a cigarette and whispered, "Marriage or not, I always get what I paid for."