The ceremony was beautiful.
White roses. Glittering chandeliers. A grand piano playing soft jazz in the background.
Everyone smiled.
Except me.
I stood beside Park Jihoon at the altar, my smile painted on like a mask, suffocating inside layers of silk and lies.
My stomach twisted beneath the corset, a silent scream caught in my throat.
I couldn't feel my hands. Only the cold burn of fear.
His grip on my hand was too tight. His smile too controlled.
My parents beamed in the front row like they had just sold me to royalty.
Because they had.
I stared at the priest's lips as he began to speak, my ears ringing like I was underwater.
> "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here—"
BANG.
The doors exploded open.
I flinched so hard the bouquet nearly slipped from my hands.
Screams erupted. Gasps. Chairs scraped against marble.
Then silence.
And he walked in.
My Professor.
All black. No grin, no smirk like the first time we met. His expression was carved in stone, his eyes darker than sin. He was flanked by men in tailored suits with guns drawn, their footsteps echoing like a death march.
My lungs refused to work. My heart pounded against the cage of my ribs.
He didn't hesitate. He stepped down the aisle as if it were a runway built only for vengeance.
My mother rose, her face pale. "What is the meaning of this—"
BANG.
She dropped.
My scream ripped from my throat but was swallowed by chaos. I clutched my stomach, bile rising.
My father reached for her.
BANG.
He collapsed beside her.
The world tilted. Sound fractured. I couldn't tell if I was crying or simply drowning in the blood pooling at my feet. My hands trembled so violently, I thought my bones might shatter.
And Jihoon?
He didn't flinch. Didn't even blink. He only turned, his grip tightening on me like shackles.
He pulled a gun from inside his suit jacket, his jaw clenched. "It became mine the second you touched her."
The Professor's gaze never wavered. His voice was ice.
"She was never yours. She was mine before you even dared to think of her."
Jihoon yanked me toward him, fingers bruising my arm. "She doesn't belong to you. She's my wife. She's my—"
BANG.
The shot echoed, rattling the chandeliers above.
Jihoon staggered back, crimson blooming across his chest. His eyes widened, lips parting like he wanted to curse, to beg, to live—then he collapsed at my feet.
Silence fell again.
I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
My body shook, my knees weak, but I didn't fall. Not yet. Not until he came closer.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The sound of his shoes against the bloodstained marble was louder than my heartbeat.
He reached for me with hands still stained with death. His fingers grazed my cheek, streaking me with Jihoon's blood.
"Now you're free," he whispered, voice low and dangerous.
My lip quivered. My wedding dress clung to me, sticky with crimson. My fingers curled helplessly at my sides.
I looked at him, heart shattered, dress ruined, innocence buried in bodies.
"This is freedom?" I choked, voice breaking like glass.
His eyes seared into mine, unyielding. "No. This is mine."
I flinched as he leaned closer, his breath hot against my ear.
"You were never meant to stand beside him. Never meant to smile for him. Every time you looked at him—it burned me alive." His hand slid down my arm, forcing me to look at him. "So I burned him instead."
Tears blurred my vision. "You killed them. My parents—Jihoon—everyone—"
"I removed chains," he growled. "Don't mistake that for murder."
"They were my family!" I screamed, voice shattering, but it only made his grip tighten.
"They sold you!" His voice roared through the cathedral, silencing even his men. His eyes were wild, pupils blown. "They put a price on you like you were nothing. They don't deserve to breathe the same air as you."
My breath hitched, chest rising and falling in ragged waves. "And what about you? What do you deserve?"
His lips curled into a dangerous smirk, the first trace of madness breaking through the mask.
"You. Only you. Always you."
I tried to shove him away, but he caught my wrists, pinning them against my bloodstained gown.
"You can hate me. You can curse me. But you'll still be mine." His voice dropped, almost tender. "Even if I have to drag you through hell to remind you."
My tears fell hot against my cheeks. "You're a monster."
He leaned closer, pressing his forehead to mine, his words searing into me like a vow.
"Then pray you never love monsters, precious."
His gun lifted—slowly—aimed at someone behind me.
I froze.
BANG.
The sound split the air—
I don't know why fate play cruel games with me.