The suite was quiet, the only sound the low hum of the city outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Ciara set down her bouquet, hands shaking slightly as she turned to face Will.
He was leaning against the balcony, the moonlight casting a sharp line along his jaw. "You look beautiful," he said, voice softer now, almost vulnerable.
Ciara swallowed.
"Thank you… Will." She hesitated. "Why did you look… panicked today?"
Will closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair.
"I should've told you before the ceremony."
His tone carried the weight of something long buried. "There's… something you need to know about me. About us."
Her heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
He turned, meeting her gaze fully. "Ciara… I'm not just Will. There's another side of me, one I can't hide anymore. I've been protecting you—protecting myself—but it's time you know the truth."
Ciara felt a chill. "You're scaring me."
"I don't want to," he said quickly, stepping closer. "But you deserve to know why this marriage… why us… isn't what it seems."
She backed away slightly, her voice trembling. "Why now? Why tonight?"
"Because tonight," he whispered, "everything changes. And I can't let you walk blindly into something that could destroy you."
Ciara's mind flashed back to their first meeting, years ago. She had tripped over a stack of papers in a café, sending coffee flying. He had laughed, steadying her with a hand that had lingered just a second too long. That brief touch had sparked something neither of them understood at the time—a connection that had pulled them inexorably toward this moment.
"Will… what are you talking about?" she asked again, clutching the edge of the table for support.
He stepped even closer, lowering his voice.
"I didn't choose this life, Ciara. It was chosen for me, for us. And now… you're part of it whether you like it or not. But there's more—people who won't stop until they get what they want. And I can't protect you from them if you don't know the truth."
Ciara's stomach twisted.
"Then tell me. Please. I need to know."
Will's hand found hers again, the familiar warmth grounding her. "Alright. But promise me… whatever happens, you'll trust me, even if it frightens you."
She nodded, heart hammering, every instinct screaming in alarm and desire. "I trust you."
He took a deep breath. "I'm not just your cousin… I'm your protector in ways you can't imagine. And if you stay with me, there's no turning back."
The city lights flickered through the windows, casting long shadows across the room. Ciara felt her world tilt, as though the ground beneath her had shifted forever.
And as Will leaned closer, his lips brushing against her ear, he whispered words that would haunt her for the rest of her life:
"You're mine now… in ways no one else will ever understand."
Ciara froze, caught between fear and desire, realizing that the life she had stepped into that morning was already nothing like she imagined. And outside the suite, the darkness waited, patient and watchful.
The door clicked behind them, and for the first time, Ciara understood—the r
eal story was just beginning.